How link bait can aid e-commerce SEO

E-commerce websites can enhance their search engine optimisation (SEO) activities with link bait, according to one expert.

Armando Roggio of Practical eCommerce said that link bait does not necessarily have to end up on the front page of social bookmarking sites such as Digg to be successful.

He noted that good e-commerce link bait is likely to involve product pages and useful content such as tips on how to use a particular item.

Such pages could be linked to by consumers in emails, as well as by websites related to that particular sector, Mr Roggio said.

Types of link bait content that might be suitable for e-commerce sites include demonstrations, how-to articles, blogs and landing pages for discounts or vouchers, the expert suggested.

"Ultimately, an e-commerce site can create and generate content that attracts both consumers and links," Mr Roggio stated.

"Those extra links will count as extra votes for a URL's PageRank, improving how that URL performs on SERPs."

According to Matt Cutts of Google, interesting data and creative ideas may be more likely to succeed as link bait than a continuous stream of controversial content.