What is Clickbait? Should it be used in SEO strategy or not?

Bùi Phương Thảo

9.3.2024

Have you ever been drawn in by a headline on social media to the point where you couldn't help but click to see more? If so, you've been captivated by the power of Clickbait. Clickbait is a term familiar to many seasoned marketers, but it's still a relatively new concept to newcomers in the industry. In SEO, to increase traffic, many SEO practitioners consider using clickbait. However, when it comes to clickbait, there are many conflicting opinions. So what is clickbait, and should you use it in your SEO strategy? Let's find out with SO9 in the following article.

1. What is Clickbait?

Clickbait, also known as "click lure," is often used to describe headlines or content whose main goal is to attract users to click and perform further actions, with the displayed content mostly being "sensational," shocking, and arousing the curiosity of readers—like a lure designed to increase views or earn money for a website.

What is Clickbait?

2. Common Types of Clickbait

Here are some of the most common types of clickbait you should know:

  • Clickbait with sensational or shocking headlines: This is the most common type of clickbait today. The headlines often contain sensational or shocking words or phrases to attract the reader's attention.

  • Clickbait using popular keywords or phrases: This type of clickbait uses popular keywords or phrases to attract user attention. For example, an article about how to get a million views on TikTok might use the headline "How to get a million views on TikTok overnight" to attract users interested in achieving a large number of views.

  • Clickbait using appealing images or videos: This type of clickbait uses appealing images or videos to attract user attention. However, the images or videos are often unrelated to the content of the article.

3. Pros and Cons of Clickbait

3.1. Pros

  • Increased traffic: Customers are often drawn to sensational headlines, sparking curiosity. In such cases, using clickbait can be justified. Clickbait can attract the attention of readers and lead them to your website, increasing the opportunity for access and interaction.

  • Reaching a larger customer base: More customers will become aware of your website through clickbait articles. This is an opportunity for you to increase conversion rates for your company.

  • Improving website ranking on SERPs: Traffic is one of the key criteria for evaluating and ranking websites. Engaging clickbait can attract more customers to your website, thereby improving your website's ranking.

  • Increasing brand awareness: Having many people visit your website will help promote and increase the recognition of your business brand.

Clickbait helps increase the CTR index

3.2. Cons

  • High bounce rate: Clickbait article content is often unrelated to the headline, causing users to feel disappointed and waste time, resulting in a high bounce rate.Unstable traffic volume: Once customers have been deceived by clickbait articles, they will certainly be much more cautious every time they see similar clickbait articles.

  • Fraud: Nowadays, many bad actors have exploited clickbait to attach malicious code, steal user data, and gain personal benefits.

Clickbait dishonesty makes customers uncomfortable

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4. Should You Use Clickbait in SEO?

When doing SEO, clickbait can be a double-edged sword. On the positive side, it can quickly increase web traffic and bring more value than you think. However, if you abuse clickbait, the consequences can be difficult to predict.

This does not mean that we should not use clickbait. In cases where you want to advertise products, the content you provide should be verified and consistent with the commitment, then clickbait will be a tool for your brand to reach more target customers. But if you use clickbait just to attract traffic or even turn clickbait into a means of deception, this is an extremely dangerous action.

With the intelligence of search algorithms like Google today, this action will soon be detected and affect your website's ranking in search results. In more serious cases, abusing clickbait to perform illegal actions may have to be brought to justice.

The advice here is: Use clickbait wisely and know when to stop!

Use Clickbait at the right time to bring benefits

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5. How to Deploy Clickbait Effectively

To fully leverage the strengths of clickbait, you should implement clickbait in the following ways:

  • Focus on content and images: To prevent customers from feeling disappointed after accessing the article, make sure the information in the article matches what you mentioned in the headline. Investing in clear, well-structured content and illustrative images will surely attract more attention from readers.
  • Be cautious with headline placement: Clickbait article headlines need to ensure truthfulness, attractiveness, and appeal to viewers. Avoid exaggeration, as this may cause users to immediately exit the link if they feel they are not getting what you advertised.

In conclusion, clickbait can be a powerful tool in SEO strategy, but to be effective, you must know how to use it wisely. Above is all the information about clickbait, its pros and cons, and whether to use it in SEO. If you find this article helpful, don't forget to visit website SO9.VN to learn more about the latest business operation knowledge!

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