Companies that develop a presence on the Web generally are searching for more value from their platform that mere existence. You want your role in the vast Internet to be one of value. To accomplish this, you need a strong footprint that exists beyond your URL as you build the value of your brand online.

Link baiting is a perfect way to extend your reach far and wide, but you have to be able to think outside of the box. Especially now that Google has changed the rules of the online ranking game, you need something more to offer potential linking partners that just your name. The first rule to link baiting is to have quality content that others will want to link to, otherwise they run the chance of tarnishing their own credibility.

When you want others to link to your content, you have to offer persuasive content – what is in it for them to link to your site? Do you offer free tips in an area that will benefit their readers or their customers? Do you offer research findings on a particular area that appeal to a wide range of providers in a specific industry? How relevant is the content to your target audience?

It isn’t enough to simply develop quality content that is also relevant and intriguing – it also has to stand out. One example is the web design company that wants to capture links and build their brand online. To accomplish this, they developed a page rank checker that was available for all interested parties. This page rank checker is then loaded on hundreds or even thousands of sites to deliver benefit to each site, and drive value for the web design company online.

An advertising company may want to offer free templates that others can use to implement their own flash campaign or other basic advertising tool. The template is easy to link, build and launch for the interested party and the advertising firm gets significant mileage online from the download of the template. The company’s name is included at the bottom of the template and a live link is locked in.

To truly capture attention in the overly saturated online space, you have to stand outside of the box and create something that has not been done before. The simplest approach could be to have fun with an April Fool’s Day announcement, while a more complicated approach would be to create an exciting head-to-head competition. You also have the option of doing everything in between, such as writing satirical posts or launching surveys.

If you truly want to stand out among the crowd, develop an app and give it away for free. It can’t be just any app as it has to deliver value for your readers. Think about your target audience and what might make their life easier, or just a little more interesting. Put that idea into an app and watch how quickly it can become viral.

Link baiting doesn’t have to be an exact science, but you do want to achieve a competitive advantage and giving a little something extra to your target audience will help you get the job done.