Sometimes it can seem like clickbait is everywhere. Every time you log onto Facebook there is another article with a headline that starts with “You’ll be shocked when you realise…” or “You won’t believe…”.
These articles use clickbait headings as a way to generate more clicks, and they do this by only providing a small amount of information to hook the reader in. According to Word Stream, clickbait normally has at least one or two of the following characteristics; an interesting headline that doesn’t include much information, lots of images or videos and a strong appeal to human emotion (such as anger or happiness). They are also fairly easy to skim read, and occasionally they can be spread across multiple pages to generate even more clicks. Some of these things rely on a great Marketing campaign and help from a Belfast SEO company who you might find at links like https://www.rycomarketing.co.uk/digital-marketing-belfast-northern-ireland/seo-belfast/ would be recommended.
The Problem With Clickbait
One of the main problems people have with clickbait is that it doesn’t provide them with enough information to work out if they actually want to read the article, so they often click on the link, read a little more and realise they are not actually interested in the content. This wastes people’s time and makes them feel distrustful towards links with clickbait titles.
Thankfully Facebook plans to combat the issue of clickbait by installing an updated system that looks at what users do when they leave Facebook. This system will let Facebook know when a user clicks a link and then heads right back to Facebook, making it easier for Facebook to show users quality content instead of clickbait.
Should You Use Clickbait?
Most companies avoid using too much clickbait, as the majority of people find it frustrating. Thankfully there are lots of other ways to effectively market your content to increase clicks, including web redevelopment.
While clickbait can increase clicks to your website, that isn’t particularly useful if the users immediately leave your website because the content isn’t interesting. For that reason you should focus on creating interesting, useful and relevant content for your users, rather than content with a clickbait title.
It is also worth noting that your content may be hidden by Facebook if it is clickbait, especially when the updated system is in place. This could result in your website being penalised.
