What does that mean?

Link baiting (or linkbaiting) is a buzz word in the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) world and has come to be the preferred method of natural link building.

And in English?

You need to create Linkbait. Essentially it is a piece of content placed on a web page – whether it’s an article, blog post, picture, or other content type – that is designed with the intention of naturally attracting back-links for your site.

Where does it come from?

When the browser was first introduced, people went to two extremes. Either they went berserk so that almost everything on the page was hyper-linked, or they created no links whatsoever as a way to keep people on the site. It was almost laughable. 2006 saw the advent of Social Networking and SEO, and the term link-baiting was re-appropriated.

What does it mean for my business (what are the marketing implications)?

If you write/create some interesting content and submit it to the right sites, in the right sort of field, targeting the right audience, (if your facing west as the wind blows from the east) with a bit of  luck you could find you get a surge of traffic.

What do I need to do about it?

Social linking and meritocracy based sites self mediate, with poor content sinking to the bottom, leaving the interesting bits to float to the top. So, ensure you create relevant content (linkbait), and distribute in a targeted and measurable manner.

How or where do I find out more?-

Search for ‘link baiting’ or ‘linkbaiting’ to find myriad results, or you could always find yourself a friendly SEO consultant.

Is it a paradigm shift or just another TLA?

The concept has been around for years in many forms. For example, newspapers use it in the form of headlines and TV shows in the form of teaser content.