One of the more common linking strategies includes searching high and low for high-ranking websites, and then pestering the webmasters for a link. Other methods include submitting articles to article directories, and writing well-structured press releases.

There is, however, one linking strategy that does not require you to go through the pain of convincing webmasters, or spending lots of time writing articles. I am talking about link baiting.

Link baiting works in a way such that there is no need for you to do all the dirty work. This interesting Internet marketing strategy actually attracts enough attention from other webmasters via the quality of your content, and they would be so impressed by your work that they would literally be on their knees to beg for your permission to include your quality work in their own websites.

And since they are now at your mercy, you can then hold them to ransom by demanding a link back to your site. How does that sound to you? Impressive, right?

So what is the concept behind link baiting?

The concept behind link baiting is actually quite easy to understand, but it is the implementation process that will give you the most headaches.

For a start, you would have to be a really good author. You must be able to write articles that are well-written in a very informative way. Your content must be engaging to your readers, and not some long tales that will put them to sleep. But most important of all, your article content must be the most unique. In other words, it is not found anywhere else on the Internet.

Link baiting can be seen as setting a trap for the other webmasters. In order for them to get out of that trap, they would have to give something in return. The prize for getting out of that trap is your unique content. You have what they need, and you know that they need it very badly. But you won't let them out of the trap, unless they agree to link to your site.

As mentioned earlier, link baiting is a very handy Internet marketing strategy that spares you all the donkey work. This linking strategy relies on the strength of your unique content. And since it is displayed permanently on your website, it will be available for the whole Internet world to see, 24/7, and ready to be picked up by any interested webmaster.

So how do you excel in the link baiting game?

Link baiting is just like any other Internet marketing techniques. You would need to find the right avenue to pull it off, and one of the avenues is of course the search engines. After all, this is one of the most reliable ways for webmasters to find their way to your unique content site, and so your site would have to achieve prominent positions in the search results.

Right now, you may be asking: hey, what has getting back links got to do with the search engines? Wouldn't it be inconsistent with the main objective of link baiting, and that is to garner quality back links for a higher page rank?

Well, link baiting is a linking strategy that is not only concerned with getting a high page rank for your site; it will also be able to preserve the PR at that high level. A high PR can be gained through SEO practices and solid link building techniques, but these are things you wouldn't want to do forever.

Therefore, link baiting becomes important so that you can easily gain back links which you would otherwise have to slug them out for; links which are necessary to preserve your page rank.

So what are the types of contents that you can use as link baits?

One of the best types of content is a unique piece of news that conveys a message that is not heard of anywhere else, and is destined to be a revolutionary hit. Other content ideas include 'How to' articles that are always in demand, and also jokes and humorous articles that will trigger a viral effect.

Besides these, you can also veer towards the controversial issues that can trigger people's emotions. One of the ways to do it is to pick on a certain belief, and then attack it head on by dismissing it from all angles.

You have just learned one of the most powerful Internet marketing strategies that can really sweep your competition off their feet. But it is important to note that link baiting do need some time in order for you to see the results, because you would need to put in a lot of effort to create your own unique content. But the rewards that you will gain later will definitely make your efforts worthwhile.