"Twelve Paid Directories"
Today: "Eleven Bloggers Bloggin'"
Today: "10 Lord's a Link-Baiting"

Traditionally the 10 Lords of Leapin' could mean the 10 commandments. You've also seen every imaginable spoof on the 12 Days song with the 'top ten' of hippo hair styles, etc., etc.

Top 10 lists are an excellent method of creating what is called 'link-bait'. In its simplest form the concept behind link-bait is to create web content that is exceptionally worthy to be linked to; you in fact explicitly create content for the sake of being 'cool' so more people will link to it naturally.

Creating content for the sake of 'link-bait' has its advantages. For one, you get free one way links, and if you promote your bait properly you'll get alot of these links. Conversely, many people create content just for the sake of 'link-bait' and the actual value to a particular industry isn't very high.

Nonetheless, people still enjoy a good chuckle or the utility of interesting link-bait, (I gave you the example of creating the a top ten list of whichever subject.) Quality and 'linkable' content marketed to the right crowd will yield more one way links. Aim to add to your industry and create something people will be 'forced' to link to because just it's so darn good.

Coming into 2009 one thing should be considered within your link baiting strategies: video and phone. Of course, wicked designs, innovative tools, and so forth are always useful, but the use of video--interesting, relevant, or insane--are the name of the game for our techno driven net.