Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Clickbait in Your Headline Creation.

What is clickbait? In simple terms, clickbait is the promise of a good time at a party only to find yourself at the most boring party you have ever attended. Imagine how disappointed you would be, that is exactly how readers feel when they click on a clickbait. Clickbait is basically a false title used to attract readers to click on a link that leads to content that has nothing to do with the title. The truth is that the content itself might be good content and something the reader would have appreciated if they knew that is what they would be seeing. However, whether the link is leading to good content or not, a clickbait is mostly counterproductive because it is not offering what is promised. It does nothing for your website or business and in fact, ultimately hurts it. The reasons for this abound and we will be listing them in this article.

Why You Should Avoid Using Clickbait In Your Headline Creation

It Increases Your Bounce Rate

The major reason people use clickbait headlines is to increase their website traffic because let’s be real, having traffic is great because it increases your visibility and could help with companies seeking websites to place their ads. However, the bounce rate is also a thing and the higher the bounce rate, the lower you rank on SERP (Search Engine Result Pages). What is bounce rate? Bounce rate is the rate at which traffic leaves your site immediately after clicking on the link to your site or after opening one page/post. People are likely to remain on your site if they are provided with the content they are promised and also leave if they find the title was simply clickbait. This will make search engines believe – and rightfully in this case – that you are not providing the audience with the right content and they will reduce your ranking on SERP.

It Hurts Your Brand’s Credibility

One thing about business is that you want to think long term and understand delayed gratification. The number of traffic you get from clickbait titles might impress and make you happy now but it will hurt your brand in the long run because it gives off the message that you don’t keep your word and you don’t have much to offer. Imagine employing an artisan who promises to provide excellence but messes up your job intentionally, surely, you will hesitate to hire or trust that artisan again. That’s the same way potential clients will regard your business. Your brand will not have the reputation of a brand with integrity and excellence, which is not something you want to be associated with your brand.

It Attracts The Wrong Audience

Sure, the number of traffic counts but what counts more is the right traffic. If you have a business, you probably don’t just want traffic, but conversion. Clickbait titles will simply attract first-time readers who are interested in the excitement that the headline promises and not loyal readers that will turn to loyal customers.

How To Avoid Using Clickbait In Your Headline Creation

These tips will help you avoid using clickbait in your headline creation

• Create Good Content: The first thing you need to do to avoid clickbait titles is to create good content. When your content is good, you will likely not feel the need to lure people into reading.
• Trust Your Content: Every content creator can probably relate to the doubts that creep in when you create content. You start wondering if it is good enough and if people will be interested in it. All you can do is make sure to put in your best in your content; pursue excellence and not mediocrity. If you have done that, trust it.
• Use Catchy But Honest Titles: Yes, you should practice a bit of persuasion in your title; you should think about titles that will interest readers but make sure that the title is related to the content you are creating. Don’t create a completely unrelated title simply because you know it will attract traffic.

In conclusion, adding clickbait in your headline might gratify you immediately but in the long run, it will hurt the growth of your website and your brand. Avoid it at all cost.