Clickbait is a marketing technique that is built off using misleading, dramatised or deceptive content, to entice clicks and also drive page views. Commonly used throughout the internet, you will most likely see it on platforms such as YouTube or other apps, in the form of advertising thumbnails or titles, or as ads on news articles.
The problem with clickbait content is that it’s usually extremely underwhelming and often not relevant to the reason the user clicked in the first place. Users will accidentally click on things as they seem to pop up or be placed in as many places as possible!
Clickbait Examples
We’ve all fallen for it – enticing headline claiming to have exclusive insights for a trending topic, only to deliver recycled information. Or a tempting video title and thumbnail promising groundbreaking life hacks, only to reveal mundane tips everyone already knows.
These examples showcase the deceptive allure of clickbait. It draws in views with the promise of extraordinary content, only to deliver subpar results.
Why People “Fall” For Clickbait
While people are becoming wiser to the technique of clickbaiting, FOMO still remains. Clickbait operates on the principle of exploiting the gap between expectation and reality, leveraging the curiosity gap to generate clicks.
The title or thumbnail itself is structured to leave users wanting more. Forcing them to click if they want answers!
This approach may achieve short-term success by driving initial traffic, but the fallout becomes apparent when users realise the content fails to live up to the enticing title or thumbnail.
The Negative Impact of Using Clickbait
There is no understating the potential increase in traffic driven by the use of clickbait. However, if the user finds that the content on the page isn’t relevant or helpful, then it can damage your overall credibility. If you go onto a page expecting one thing but get another, a person loses trust in your brand and you may then lose followers altogether.
If it’s not followed by quality content that’s relevant and helpful to your reader, it can damage your website’s credibility.
Increases Bounce Rate
While bounce rate isn’t confirmed to be an indicating factor in how Google Ranks your content, it does reflect the user experience, your overall content quality, and whether you are satisfying the search intent.
If your content doesn’t appeal to the user then they will leave the page and find one that will give them the answer. On top of this, they are almost certainly not going to interact with the rest of your website, even if it’s filled with informative content!
Impact on How Your Brand is Perceived
Providing your website visitors with content that lives up to promises, is what ultimately builds credibility and trust.
When your website becomes a source of useful and factual information, you can use this to hopefully generate sales. It keeps people coming back for more and increases the likelihood of them choosing your product or service over the competition!
How to Produce Content That ‘Ticks All The Boxes’
If you want to build a lasting audience you need to be producing content that ticks all the boxes. Creatiuon of new pages with interesting content is everything. New products, new pages new blogs, you should be consistent with your website growth. If you’re struggling with how to write an effective blog post, we’ve broken down the basics below.
- You need to identify who your target audience is. After analysing their preferences and understanding their needs you need to tailor your content to them.
- Pinpoint your focus keyword. Keywords are the backbone of SEO, use tools and techniques to discover the exact terms your audience is searching for and deliver your content there.
- Try and write about one topic for each page you publish – that way you can focus all your efforts on one important search term per page.
Should I Attempt Clickbaiting?
Don’t attempt to drive clicks through clickbait. While in the short term, you may see results, these people aren’t going to stick around and will leave with an overall negative perception of you and your business.
If you don’t have the time or knowledge to produce informative and relevant content that is optimised for your target audience, then you should consider the possibility of getting in touch with a professional marketing agency that specialises in SEO. If you think Sokada would be the right fit for your business please don’t hesitate to get in contact! We would be more than happy to offer guidance or provide a selection of marketing services tailored to your needs.