As clickbait we call all those internet contents that have as their main objective to capture attention and encourage users to click on them.
Clickbait is an English word that we can translate as click bait or click hook. It has a pejorative nuance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal of a clickbait is to attract as much traffic as possible to a website in order to generate an economic income from advertising.
To do this, clickbait content uses sensationalistic or misleading titles, which mainly have a hook and serve to arouse in the user a curiosity that can only be satisfied by clicking on the content in question, which is usually inaccurate or of poor quality or informative rigor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This type of content also encourages people to share it through their social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter.
Often it’s content that is content with celebrity news, viral videos or funny images that catch our attention or make us curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clickbait is a term coined in the 90s, but it has become popular especially since the middle of the second decade of the 21st century because of its frequent and sometimes dishonest use to capture web traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is due to the fact that many times clickbait content contains false, worthless or irrelevant information for the user.
In fact, many times these pages force the user to accept a number of conditions to access the content, including obtaining information from your profile in some social network and even, sometimes, controlling your accounts and publishing in your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After you understand how clickbaits work in practice (and also from your experiences with this type of content), you should already know that it’s not worth using them.
However, to put an end to the doubts you may still have, we will show you what can happen if you decide to use clickbaits to attract more traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will lie to your audience
The pillar of digital marketing is to provide relevant content to your audience, something that helps them solve the problems they face every day. This strengthens people’s relationships with the brand, creating authority and facilitating sales.
But you won’t be able to do that if your strategy is based on lies or misinformation. You will promise solutions that you ultimately fail to deliver.
In addition to not being ethical in disappointing people, you can put your brand reputation at risk. Imagine being recognized in the marketplace as a lying company that doesn’t deliver what it promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Results can disappoint you over time
At first, your blog or YouTube channel could win tens, hundreds or thousands of new visits. All thanks to the use of clickbait.
It’s pretty good, right? Well\u2026 it’s no big deal.
The content may even be popular at first, but when the public realizes you’re using clickbaits, accesses will drop, your page’s reputation will be damaged and you may even be punished by search mechanisms.
In the end, it’s useless to have visits if none of your visitors becomes a protagonist or a customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can lose potential customers
In any digital strategy, to be successful, you need to consider the user experience from the moment you first see the brand until the end of the purchase.
So if people who visit your blog, website or YouTube channel come across a clickbait and feel disappointed, they probably associate your business with a negative experience.
And when that happens, you risk losing valuable business opportunities. Worse, you put your business at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n