# Linkbait

Category: [Link Building & Off-Page](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/link-building-off-page/) › [Link building methods](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/link-building-off-page/link-building-methods/)

**Linkbait** (also link bait) is content designed so that other sites want to link to it. The term comes from link building and presumably dates from its early days (assumption).

## Common formats

SEO publishers name these formats:
- Original studies and data
- Calculators and small online tools
- Infographics and visual guides
- Surprising or entertaining content
- Pointed opinions that start a debate

Whether a piece gets linked is hard to predict, and promotion matters as much as the content (Backlinko, Semrush).

## How it relates to Google's rules

Google's SEO starter guide says that other sites linking to you happens naturally over time, and that most new pages Google finds come through links. Linkbait pursues the same goal on purpose. If money or goods change hands for a link, Google's spam policies treat it as link spam unless the link is qualified with `sponsored` or `nofollow`.

## Example

A heating installer publishes a calculator for the running costs of different heating systems. Consumer sites link to it in their guides. The links appear without any arrangement and can be traced in the Links report of Search Console.

## Related terms

- [Link building](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-building/index.md)
- [Natural link](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/natural-link/index.md)
- [Editorial link](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/editorial-link/index.md)
- [Link spam](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-spam/index.md)
- [Link profile](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-profile/index.md)
- [Backlink](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/backlink/index.md)

## Sources

- [SEO Starter Guide – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)
- [Spam policies for Google web search – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies)

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Last updated: October 7, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/linkbait/