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Clickbait, what is it?
Criticism of clickbaiting

Clickbait, what is it?

Clickbaiting involvesusingexaggerated headlinesto attractmore visitors and thus generate higher advertising revenue by exploiting readers' curiosity. An exciting headline suggests an interesting and insightful article. However, when you click on the article and want to read on, theinformation content isusually minimal and banal.

So-called "call-to-action" phrases are often used, such as "don't miss out" or "you need to know this." Other typical signs of clickbaiting includesuperlatives,cliffhangers, andstrong adjectives orkeywords. The use ofemotionallychargedtopics also generates higher click rates.

Criticism of clickbaiting

Since most clickbait offers very little informative value, this method is often criticized, and reputable journalists and websites are increasingly distancing themselves from the above practices.

Despite justified criticism, clickbait is an interesting topic in online marketing because, for those who depend on high click rates on their website, clickbaiting is a relatively simple and quick solution. Nevertheless, it should be kept in mind thatthisreduces thequality of the website andmaydeter criticaltarget groups. Some social media platforms, such as Facebook, areeventaking action against clickbait articles appearing in the news feed bychanging theiralgorithms.