Starting a Squidoo lens is just one more way you can harness the power of free marketing through social networking.
A Squidoo lens that focuses on a particular aspect of the product or service offered at your website is a great adjunct, and a wonderful way to increase qualified traffic to your main site.
Setting up a lens on Squidoo is quite simple. There is a standard template you can use and you are given the option of where to put certain types of content. You can easily add pictures, online videos and links to headlines and content pages on such internet giants as YouTube and Google.
But as we all know, nothing is ever that easy. Just because you create your lens, does not mean that visitors will stop by. Consider these tips for ways to increase traffic, outside of a paid campaign, to your Squidoo Lens.
Organic Traffic
The easiest, cheapest way to gain visitors to your site is to simply create great content that incorporates your best targeted keywords. Squidoo itself will help your lens get traffic, but the only way to keep visitors coming back is to give them something they need in the form of relevant and quality information.
Make sure it looks good, too. Visitors will want to see a nicely laid out page with colourful photos and catchy little tidbits.
Social Bookmarking
Once you’ve created your Squidoo Lens and added some great content, share it with the world. Bookmark it across the internet, and share it via your Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace pages. Be sure you use relevant keywords in your description.
Socialise
Become an active contributor on various forums related to your content, products, or services. Whilst few members of forums will tolerate outright advertising (spamming), they will gladly pay attention to your efforts to steer them toward the content on your Squidoo lens.
The Squidoo community is also a great place to get acquainted with other “lens-aholics”. Remember, that these members could be potential customers, as well. You might also consider joining forces by becoming part of a Squidoo group.
Cross Posting
Utilise your blog, your website, microblogging, and your social networking sites to promote each other. The more “arms” you have all over the internet, the more ways you have of cross promoting them all. This is perfectly acceptable. Just don’t post the same content in several different places.
Another way you can use the power of cross promotion is to make an online video and post it on YouTube. Make sure it is relevant to the content on your lens and use the same keywords. If you choose to include content from YouTube on Squidoo, then your video should appear on your lens naturally.
Of course, don’t forget to include a link to your Squidoo Lens on your website or blog. Use a live feed to show the updated content.
Squidoo is becoming more and more popular, especially with internet-savvy marketing professionals who know the power of such social sites. It is a great way to drive traffic without being an overt advertising message.
See you at the top of Google!
Sean Rasmussen
SEO Australia Pacific
AussieSEO.com © 2007 - 2010
Hi Sean,
The best thing that I like about Squidoo is that it’s really easy to set up a lens. I find it a great way to experiment with having a little more fun with my sites.
There are also Squidoo groups that you can join that share similar interests to you and who are willing to give you feedback on your lens. It’s just another great way to network and build relationships with other people.
Very simple indeed Jazz, glad to hear you are enjoying the benefits of Squidoo and having fun doing it
Thats encouraging to know about similar interest groups in Squidoo – shows how much I explored it! It seems a good way to get more ideas directly related to my own focus – seems like another task gained here at Learn & Earn
The only reason I haven’t got more Squidoo lenses is because I have so many ideas I want to implement and only 24 hours a day to do it. I agree with what you say about traffic and Squidoo and I want to build a lot more lenses. At this moment in time I see that a webinar on youtube is planned. I will wait for that before adding my own youtube video to my Squidoo lenses.
.-= Wal Heinrich´s last blog ..Cheapest Granny Flats In Australia =-.
To be honest to date I have only created one Lens. While I did ensure that I implemented as much on-page SEO as I knew for squidoo and also used a little social media, it did not get a very good ranking and has not had much in the way of traffic.
I do really like the idea of cross-posting, and that is one thing that I will try to implement across every piece of content that I put on the web. Great tip Sean
.-= Cemil´s last blog ..Scribe SEO Plugin – Making SEO Easy =-.
Hi Sean
I began a squidoo lens quite some time back when I first joined YOTA, and that is about where it stayed as I became too involved with writing content and learning keywords etc.
After reading this article I realise the importance of using these social media sites, creating links, becoming familiar through inter – blogging and having a constant ‘presence’ on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook. Digg, etc
I will need to resurrect my squidoo out of the depths of the past 12 months and give it the breath of life after this competition is over.
.-= Elly´s last blog .. =-.
Likewise I had (have?) a Squidoo, but time stops me using it – well that’s my current excuse!
I will eventually get back to it – but first need to ramp up blogging, tweeting and a few other things
Peter
Did you build your Squidoo lense for the purpose of socialising or was it for something like affiliate marketing/business?
A bit of both Elly. It would be best for me to use it for AM – but I haven’t yet been back to it – which means I should! If nothing else it is a backlink exercise. I also think what I did have there is way out of date too.
Hi Elly,
I too have a Squidoo Lens that I started before I joined YOTA the only lens I have had the time to update since then has been my Dog Stories.
I guess I really should be allocating specific days to each project I have, but at present it is not that easy with so much going on.
I did a bit of digging around in my various email accounts and discovered that I had set up a Squidoo account in 2008. After requesting a new password and logging in I found that I had started 2 lenses but for some reason had never continued with them.
The account has now been cleaned up, the unfinished lenses deleted and now to find time to create a lense that links to one of my blogs. I think Grateful We’re Not Dead is a good choice so I can promote the fact that the band plays for free in order to raise funds for various charities.
The next step will be to see if I can increase traffic to my Squidoo lense utililising the techniques Sean has laid out in this article.
Experiment, experiment, experiment.
.-= Don White´s last blog ..Psycho- =-.
I am so glad to see someone else has started a SQuidoo lens and totally neglected it – just like me!
Hi Sean,
I love Squidoo and have recommended it to people even though I’ve not yet completed a lens myself. It is definitely on the to-do list. I think I need more hours in the day or I need to work faster.
Possibly also I need to allocate a Squidoo Lens a spot in the diary to at least spend a couple hours a week on it. This way I can eventually complete a lens.
The info here is very helpful Sean, especially your reminder to incorporate targeted keywords. Keyword research needs to be a priority for the to-do list as well.
.-= Jill Brown´s last blog ..Couples Marry at Common Law =-.
Hi Jill,
I love Squidoo. It’s really quick and easy to set up a Lens and it gives me the freedom to be a little more creative. Squidoo offers so many great modules so you’re never stuck for what to put on your Lens.
I think you’ll find they take less time to set up than you’d expect. The thing that takes the longest, in my opinion, is keyword research.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Finding Your Passion =-.
Before I came across YOTA and all the learnings I had no idea about Squidoo lenses. Now I agree with Jazz, it’s fun because it is very easy to put a lens together.
So creating a Squidoo lens and use it to cross promote other sites is a great fun concept.
.-= Renee´s last blog ..Breaking Habits – 7 Tips How To Do It =-.
So far a have created a personal lens and have been keeping a list of all the lens I would like to create. As mentioned, it is extremely easy to use and the time I spent last week doing my first one was extremely enjoyable – and quite addictive !
Love also that you can donate some of your earnings to charity.
.-= Jayne Pleysier´s last blog ..How A Marketing Service Can Help Your Business Grow =-.