When a marketing manager or content creator needs to increase traffic to their website to improve their brand’s visibility, several viable options appear, such as organic positioning, PPC advertising on search engines, and display advertising on other platforms or social networks.
Lately, clickbaiting has emerged as an attractive alternative that promises to attract traffic with reduced costs, especially in content-generating portals. However, is it a strategy that we should consider if we want to offer a positive experience to our users?
Clickbait brings traffic to a portal, usually by obtaining clicks on links with misleading or exaggerated headlines. For example, you might see articles like:
- “Find out how I made $10,000 in one day with this trick.”
- “The truth about the diet that doctors don’t want you to know.”
- “What this cat did will leave you speechless.”
- “This revolutionary product will change your life forever.”
Even if traffic starts to flow quickly, this approach is not sustainable and can directly impact brand perception, portal reputation, and customer loyalty. Except for content portals that can monetize their traffic directly by increasing impressions on advertising spots, clickbait campaigns will hardly attract any quality traffic from users looking to perform any valuable actions on the site (buy, leave a lead, or fulfill any other marketing beneficial activity) and most users will feel disappointed by the experience.
On the contrary, organic positioning and search engine optimization (SEO) focus on creating useful and relevant content for the user. SEO will usually take longer to pick up steam, but in the end, it will not only increase traffic but at the same time can also improve user experience. In addition, it is easier to make users coming from organic traffic perform valuable actions on our site. According to statistics, 61% of marketers stated that SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing initiative.
How can we improve our content strategy and avoid the temptation of clickbait?
One effective way is to use relevant keywords focusing on long tail keywords in our content to improve SEO.
According to a study by Ahrefs, 90% of all websites do not receive organic traffic from Google, suggesting an excellent opportunity to improve search rankings and attract quality traffic.
Another effective strategy is to use a user-centric approach to content creation. This means focusing on providing valuable and relevant content to the user rather than focusing on click-through and advertising. According to a Nielsen Norman Group study, users have a better experience when content is easy to find, read, and relevant to their search.
The key differences between SEO copywriting and clickbait copywriting
| Features | SEO copywriting | Clickbait copywriting |
| Main objective | Appear in the first search results organically | Generate clicks at any cost |
| Copywriting approach | Focus on useful and relevant content for the user | Focus on impactful and exaggerated headlines |
| Keyword targeting | Strategic use of relevant keywords and phrases to improve visibility in search results | Excessive use of keywords and eye-catching phrases to trick users |
| User experience | Prioritizes user satisfaction with high-quality, relevant content | Sacrifices user experience to generate clicks and traffic |
| Long-term results | Generates long-term results by improving organic ranking in search results | May cause a short-term spike in traffic, but does not deliver sustainable results over time |
It is important to mention that by using a clickbait strategy, there is a risk that sensational or misleading headlines will attract readers, but may also generate distrust towards the author or the website. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2021, 64% of respondents said that false and misleading news creates a great deal of confusion about the facts.
On the other hand, let’s remember that according to Google data, 93% of online experiences begin with a search in a search engine. If the content of an article is optimized for SEO, it is more likely to be visible in search results and, therefore, have a higher number of organic clicks.
In conclusion, it is essential for brands to carefully consider which copywriting technique to use in their content strategy. While clickbait copywriting can be appealing, the risks and drawbacks of this technique can have negative long-term consequences. SEO copywriting, even if it might take longer to get results, offers a more sustainable and effective strategy for improving brand visibility in search engines and attracting users genuinely interested in the content.
To implement a successful SEO copywriting strategy, it is essential to have a team of skilled professionals with experience in developing high-quality content. In this sense, Globant is an excellent option for brands looking to improve their content strategy and achieve their digital marketing goals effectively and sustainably.
What technique would you use for your next content strategy?
