Date First Published: 13th October 2022
Topic: Web Design & Development
Subtopic: Web Development
Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions
Difficulty: MediumDifficulty Level: 5/10
Learn more about what clickbait is in this article.
Clickbait describes website content that is specifically intended to grab visitor's attention and encourage them to click on a link to a certain webpage. The content may be a thumbnail link or text that encourages users to click, such as 'You won't believe that (this content) will save you hundreds of pounds a week' in order to increase conversions, sales, or page views. Sometimes, the text or thumbnail may be misleading, taking users to content that is different than described, such as phishing or malicious sites, or making false promises, such as 'guaranteed to' when there is actually no guarantee.
A call-to-action (CTA), which uses an imperative verb, such as 'Check out now' or 'Click here' that is designed to stand out from the image or text and encourage visitors to perform an action, such as clicking through an online ad is not the same as clickbait content. A call-to-action is designed to convert visitors into a lead and clickbait content is designed to get people to click a link to a webpage. It might not always use a call-to-action.
Clickbait content can be successful in getting more page views if it is designed correctly. However, webpage titles, headings, and URLs that are irrelevant to the content of a page or trick users is bad for SEO and can result in penalties from search engines, such as Google. If a visitor clicks on a link to content, but does not find it useful or relevant, it is likely that they will bounce back and quickly leave, increasing bounce rate. It could also have a negative impact on a business.
Although clickbait content mostly happens online, it has been around before the introduction of the World Wide Web. In the 19th century, newspapers used appealing headlines to attract more readers when they were trying to sell as many copies as possible.
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