What Is Clickbait?

Clickbait is the practice of using exaggerated, misleading, or outright false statements in headlines to grab attention and push users to click on news stories, images, or video links.

The clickbait method promises users something in the headline that the content never delivers, all in pursuit of more clicks. Because the technique resembles fishing, it is also known as click bait or baiting. Headlines built to hook attention while offering nothing of substance serve as the lure. The problem is that this approach damages user experience. Users drawn in by a clickbait headline who land on the page and fail to find what they expected will likely judge your site useless, then leave within seconds without any engagement.

What does clickbait do?

Using the clickbait technique will encourage users to click and drive up your click numbers. If your only goal is to inflate click metrics, clickbait can serve that purpose. But raising click counts alone is not a measure of success. If you are not entirely sure what you want to achieve, clickbait can pull you away from your real goals. Define your objectives carefully and build your content strategy around them.

How is clickbait created?

To answer the question of how clickbait works, you first need to know your target audience well. Since the clickbait technique draws on human psychology and behavior, start with a thorough audience analysis. You should be able to anticipate how people will react. Analyze carefully what kind of audience, in terms of demographics and interests, will consume your content. Then focus on which phrases would most strongly push that audience to click.

At its core, clickbait relies on deception, exaggeration, and misdirection. However, even if you use a bold headline, as long as your content actually delivers what the headline promises and you are not deceiving anyone, you have not created clickbait. You have simply written a successful headline.

Common clickbait tactics and examples

Asking a question

One clickbait tactic is asking a question. This triggers the reader's urge to learn the answer. Simply asking a question, however, is not enough on its own; the question needs to be exaggerated and provoke curiosity.
For example: "Did the Famous Actor Die in a Car Crash? Here Is the Footage"

Withholding key information

Another tactic is leaving the most crucial piece of information out of the headline. That missing detail creates a curiosity gap the reader wants to close.
For example: "Elderly Man Swimming by the Pier Suddenly... A Heartbreaking Scene"

Making sweeping absolute claims

A further tactic is stating something as absolute fact, making readers curious enough to check whether the claim in the headline could possibly be true.
For example: "The Cave That Swallows People. No One Who Enters Comes Out Alive"

Using superlatives

Another clickbait tactic is leaning on superlatives. These phrases exaggerate the content and spark curiosity.
For example: "The World's Most Dangerous Animal Spotted on City Streets"

What is the purpose of clickbait?

The purpose of clickbait is to make weak content look compelling through a manipulative headline. A headline built with the clickbait technique makes hollow promises about the content and tries to persuade users to visit the page. Not every attention-grabbing headline is clickbait, but every piece of clickbait has to grab attention. That is why an engaging headline should not be confused with clickbait. At its core, clickbait relies on deception, exaggeration, and misdirection. Even with a bold headline, if the content delivers what the headline promises and your visitors are not being misled, it is not clickbait.

Where does clickbait appear?

Clickbait can be applied to virtually any clickable link. It shows up in various forms on news sites, blogs, video platforms, social media posts, and banner and search ads. Because these links are deceptive and misleading by nature, they count as useless and harmful links. They may deliver short-term results, but for lasting, healthy, organic traffic, the best policy is to avoid clickbait entirely.

How does clickbait affect visitors?

Clickbait mostly leaves a negative impression on visitors. Google builds all of its improvements and updates around delivering the best possible user experience. In that context, promising content in a headline that the page does not actually contain creates a poor experience for users.