Learning Squidoo

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

Squidoo

Squidoo Info

 The platform of the site is easy to use and free for anyone. Squidoo is similar to many other social networking sites that are on the web in that you are able to set up your own page and market yourself or your business. However, on Squidoo you don’t have a profile, but a lens.

Squidoo is essentially a network of lenses that have been generated by the users of the site. Your lens can be about everything from your business and what you are selling to hobbies, pets, sports and more. Lenses on Squidoo are not necessarily designed to hold a lot of content themselves, but for people to use them to point others towards other websites on the web, which makes it a great traffic generator.

Those people who have created a lens on Squidoo is called a “lensmaster.” The lensmaster is able to use the tools that are provided online to develop their page. You can add links, feeds, lists, blogs, eBay auctions, YouTube videos, music, Flickr photos and much more.

Squidoo is unique in that it works in a sort of “co-op” system with its lensmasters. Its revenues are split with 5% going to charity, 50% going to the lensmasters and 45% going to Squidoo. The site estimates that nearly half of their lensmasters donate their profits to the 65 featured charities on the site, which includes The American Heart Association and NPR, as well as some smaller organizations as well.

Squidoo was founded by Seth Godin, a notable blogger, author and speaker. It is estimated by Alexa that Squidoo’s traffic has grown by more than 40% a month since the spring of 2007 and the site is among the top 500 of all websites tracked around the world.

Squidoo’s unique name comes from the fact that on Squidoo, each lensmaster is an expert on a certain topic in his or her own right. Squidoo is designed as an intermediary to the search engines, which gives people a big picture on a particular subject and then points them to places on the web where they can find more information. If you just search for something on Google, for instance, you get too much information. Squidoo gives you just enough information and points you to where you can go learn more. According to Godin, Squid have large eyes and each lens on Squidoo provides a view on a particular area in the world. The name ends in “oo” because all of the large online enterprises have two “o”s in their names as well, like Google and Yahoo!

Squidoo & Internet Marketing

Squidoo lenses are incredibly easy to create and the platform is very user-friendly. Typically, you will focus your lens on one specific topic or product. You can also have as many lenses as you want, so if you have more than one product or service to market you’re not limited by any means. With Squidoo, you have the opportunity to create traffic and to generate income from your website or blog, whichever you are marketing. Google also ranks Squidoo lenses very high, even higher than blogs in some instances. Google values Squidoo lenses because they provide the average Internet surfer with instant results that they are looking for when they are searching the ‘net.

Squidoo is unique because it takes all of your favorite Web 2.0 services and combines them into one. It takes the best of YouTube, the best of MySpace and other Web 2.0 services, such as Flickr and combines them. The difference is that Squidoo has been designed for Internet marketers because it was designed by an Internet marketer.

There are six excellent reasons why you should use Squidoo in your entire Internet marketing campaigns including:

1. You get to establish yourself as an expert in the area you are promoting or knowledgeable in. If you keep your lens highly focused, people will see you as a credible source for information on your particular subject matter.

2. Squidoo points traffic to your site or blog. You can also use it to channel traffic towards your affiliate URLs. Your lens can also be visually appealing as you are able to add photos, banners and text ads.

3. Allows you to promote articles and article marketing. Squidoo has a number of modules, but one of the most common and essential module is the text module. The text module allows you to provide your visitors with information and this can be any type of text you want, from articles to sales copy. If you focus our lens on a particular topic, this module is particularly useful for keyword articles.

4. Achieve a top placement on Google for practically nothing. Google values Squidoo lenses very highly and it doesn’t take much to get them on the front page. Lenses are also easier to update than blogs and lensmasters tend to keep them updated more frequently.

5. You can use a wider range of keywords to capture more traffic. One of the secrets of effectively using Squidoo is to use multiple keywords in your lens. There is a limit of 40 tags that they will allow, so you can use the articles on your lens to gain access to more keywords.

6. Get a quality back link at no cost as well. Squidoo has a Google page ranking of 7. When you place a link, such as one to your website or blog, on your lens you create a valuable back link from a highly ranked site – Squidoo.

Squidoo has achieved a critical mass and will be able to grow even more as it gains popularity and momentum. This means that your lens will be moving right along with it and this will allow your website or blog to grow as well.
Using Squidoo

Squidoo has a number of different categories that you can put your lens under. There are also self-created groups within these categories. You can create your lens around a group or around a more focused niche.

Squidoo categories include:

* Animals & Nature
* Arts & Literature
* Cars & Trucks
* Business
* Computer, Gadgets & Tech
* DIY & Hobbies
* How-to & Education
* Entertainment
* Food & Cooking
* Health & Medicine
* Parenting & Kids
* Movies & TV
* Music
* News & Politics
* People
* Nonprofits & Volunteering
* SEO & Affiliate Marketing
* Shopping
* Sports & Recreation
* Travel
* Video Games

Creating Your Lens

It’s very easy to get started on Squidoo, you just go to www.squidoo.com/wizard/start. After you sign up you will be taking through four easy steps:

1. Give your lens a name. What is your lens about? What are you selling? Don’t be afraid to give it name because you can change it at any time. You should also include keywords in your name to help focus it.

2. Decide the purpose of your lens. In this step you will decide the primary purpose for your lens. You will have four purposes to choose from.

3. Pick your URL, the link where your lens will “live.” This is where you decide what the address of your lens will be. The format is “http://www.squidoo.com/thenameofyourlens.” Try to include your main keyword in the name if you can. Once you choose this name, you can’t change it. However, you may create an alternative lens with a different name and then cancel the first lens with the name you no longer want.

4. Decide what category your lens belongs in. You will need to place your lens in one of the categories that Squidoo provides. Think carefully about where your lens should fall category wise and where people would look for it. You can change your category later.

Once you have your lens built, you are officially a lensmaster! Now it’s time to add the modules.

Adding Modules to your Lens

When you first log on to your Squidoo account, you will be taken to a “dashboard” where you find your lenses. You can then edit your lens by clicking on the name of the lens that you want to edit. This will take you to your lens “workshop” and you can begin editing all of the aspects of your lens.

Squidoo lenses are built in modules and you can delete, add or reorganize these modules all with the click of a button. The button for adding a module is towards the top of your page. You can delete a module by using the delete button located to the right of each module. Use the different modules to create interest and variety throughout your site. This will add to your reader’s experience on your lens.

When you edit your lens, you will first want to start with your bio. This is on the top right hand side of your page. Write up your bio and Squidoo will save it as your default bio for all of your lenses. Or, you can create a different bio for each lens if that lens represents a different aspect of your personality or business.

You can also add a photo to your bio and use HTML tags to enhance it, such as adding bold, italics or links.

The “Introduction” module is the next area you will work on. This is the module that automatically sits at the top of your page. It is designed to let the reader know what your lens is all about. You can also use HTML in this module as well.

When you first create your lens, you will already have your introduction module as well as a few others. These may be a links module, Flickr module or eBay module. Beside each module you have the option of editing it to add content or deleting it if you are not interested in having it on your page. Get rid of the modules you don’t plan to use immediately so you can begin building your page in an organized manner.

Here are the different types of modules that are currently available on Squidoo:

* Amazon.com
* eBay
* Flickr Photos
* Del.icio.us Bookmarks
* Google Blog Search
* iTunes
* Guestbook
* Link List
* Orbitz!
* RSS: Add Your Own Feed
* Café Press
* Text
* Text List
* The Superstore
* YouTube Videos

These modules can be centered around things you enjoy and you can create affiliate accounts with these companies so that you can make money off of your lens if people purchase offers, services or products through your lens. RSS feeds are great because they are constantly changing in their content and will keep your lens updated on a regular basis, which in turn attracts the search engines to your lens, which will increase its ranking on Google. If you are also marketing via YouTube, then you can post your own YouTube videos on your lens to help promote those as well.

A module you will definitely want to include on your lens is the guestbook module. Put this at the end of your lens. People leaving comments will help to boost your traffic. You can also refine your lens by using the reorder module button.

Saving and Publishing

The first time you set up your lens you won’t get it perfect the first time and don’t try to. Work with it, move things around and add modules to it. You are also better off making several different lenses over several different topics and then linking them into each other instead of trying to create the perfect lens the first time. You will also improve your Squidoo ranking with each update that you make to your lens, no matter how small it is.

Next, you will want to make sure the modules on your lens actually add value and focus on your subject area. Your ranking and your lens traffic will depend on this. You can also start with just a few modules and then add to them later.

After editing each module, be sure to hit the save button. Your lens will not be visible on the Internet until you use the publish button. If you have edited something and saved it and it doesn’t show up when you view your site with your browser then you probably didn’t hit the publish button.

Try to get your lens published as soon as possible because nobody can see it if you don’t! Your ranking on Squidoo is affected by the age of your site, so keep it updated regularly and add content to it. The same is true for Google.

Succeeding with Squidoo

In order to succeed on Squidoo, you need to take action and reflect what you have done. Take a moment to visit the top 100 lenses on Squidoo and register with the site to receive the Lens of the Day email. This will help to give you ideas as to what you can do with your lens to make it a traffic grabber.

Always improve on your lens continuously. There is a lot you can learn and a lot you can do with your lens. Be patient and work with it. The more you do, the better you will be able to improve 

your lens and the more improvements you can make, the better your lens will do.

The Link Module – Your Key to Success

One of the best ways you can attract traffic through your lens and to your website or blog is through the Link Module. This module is critical in Internet marketing. This module is added to your lens through the add module button. The links module is at the bottom of your module options.

Once you have added the links module, be sure to hit save or nothing will happen. With this module, all you have to do is add the URL of the desired link and the system will create a hyperlinked entry in your links module. When you have finished adding your links, use the “done adding button” and save. This will add the links to your module and you can then provide descriptions to the links or reorder them. Adding keyword descriptions will help with the effectiveness of this module.

Squidoo places a lot of value on outgoing links because the lens is designed to send people on to another area of the web. Remember, your lens doesn’t just hold content, but it points to content as well. Your lens is like a little directory on your area of expertise.

The Text Module – Providing Fresh Content

The web revolves around fresh content and Squidoo and the search engines love it. The text module allows you to just that. However, in the text module, keep in mind that if you want to link to something you have to do it with HTML tags. They don’t automatically turn into a link on this module.

You can have as many text modules as you want, which makes it perfect for blogging and articles. Try to not do too much with just one module, but use several text modules on your page. You can also add titles, subtitles, descriptions and photos to this module. Try spreading these modules out so that you don’t provide the visitor with too much text in one location on the page. Your text should always relate to your theme and add value to your page. You also want to be sure to add plenty of good keywords into the content naturally so that it will do well with the search engines and the Squidoo site itself.

Adding an Opt-In Form

Have an ezine or newsletter? You can use your lens as an excellent location to get your visitor’s information and add them to your mailing list. Squidoo provides a very clear explanation of how to do this at http://www.squidoo.com/opt/. You will find that as you work with your lens, you will come up with new ideas and this is a great way to drive traffic from your Squidoo lens to your website.

Tags, Tags and Tags

Tags, aka keywords, are vitally important to everything you do online, including your Squidoo page. Don’t forget to add tags wherever you can. Add tags to the right side of your lens workshop page first and foremost. Once you publish your lens, Squidoo will provide you with suggestions for more tags as well. They will also suggest tags to you that have been used by other successful lenses on similar topics. To add the suggested tags, you simply click on them.

Don’t use single keywords only either. Use three or four word keyword phrases. Many people search for more than just one word when they are searching the ‘net and you want to target those longer keywords as well. You should also use tags that are words joined together, such as “howtousesquidoo.” This is because people are often searching for websites and they may forget to put “.com” or “www” or both. If you are there with this odd keyword phrase, you’ll get traffic. And, you’ll rank for those on Google as well.

SEO on Squidoo is a little different than it is on a normal website. On Squidoo you can never have too many tags, but on a website you want to focus on a small assortment. The more tags you have on Squidoo, the more you visitors you can attract. Whenever you add tags to your lens, you are building your lens and also building its ranking.

Squidoo does have a limit of 40 tags per lens. Also, if you add tags that are not relevant then your lens will lose its ranking. So be picky, but don’t be too stingy. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment with new tags and you can always use a lot of different tags in your text modules.

Understanding LensRank

LensRank is based on an algorithm on the site, similar to that of search engines. Your lens is ranked overall in relation to other lenses on the site, but it’s also ranked within your category. For instance, you may lens number 2,000 on the site, but you could be in the top 100 for your category. If your ranked as number one, then you have a top ranked lens on the site.

LensRank is calculated everyday based on information gathered two weeks ago. Squidoo says that it does this to ensure that the site has the freshest and timeliest content possible. Those lenses that are fresh and timely are ranked highly.

The higher your LensRank will attract more traffic to your lens and then to your other sites as well. You will also gain more traffic from Squidoo as well as Google. Squidoo has stated there are several areas that assist you in increasing your LensRank including:

* Frequency of update
* Traffic
* Links – both inbound and outbound
* Ratings by members of the Squidoo community
* Lensmaster reputation
* Rate of clickthroughs
* Revenue generated through your affiliates

Squidoo also values your contribution to the Squidoo community and this is also factored in your LensRank.

Lensroll

You can increase your links by using Lensroll as well. This allows you to link to other lenses to your lens, similar to BlogRoll, for blogs.

This is how you get involved with Lensroll:

1. Log into your lens.

2. Find a lens you are interested in or your other lenses by searching.

3. Use the lensroll button in the save and share box on the right side of the lens that you are interested in.

4. Use the drop down menu to choose which lens you want to link to.

5. Hit the continue button.

Start this process with your own lenses if you have more than one. This allows you to create a lens ring of your own lenses, which helps with the number of links you have on your lens.

Other Ways to Improve Your LensRank

Because contributions to the Squidoo Community count in your LensRank, here are a few more things you can do to not only become more involved but improve the popularity of your lens:

* Make comments on other lenses
* Add lenses to your Lensroll
* Contribute to the Squidoo forum
* Add your lens to Del.icio.us and Digg
* Encourage other lensmasters and websites to link to your lens.
* Start a Squidoo group around your lens theme
* Write articles and submit them to Article Directories and link to your lens.

 

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