This is an article written by Bob the Teacher, one of my mentors. Since I’ve written recently about Squidoo and in fact put out a new Squidoo lens just this week http://Squidoo.com/ArticleMarketingHints I thought it appropriate to share. It appears I should have read this article before I named my lens.
How To Make Your Squidoo Webpages Easier To Find For Long Term Traffic
By Bob Jenkins
You may create the best, most useful content on your Squidoo lens, but if no one can find it, it is useless. To increase the chance that your lens will be found, here are several strategies.
Write An Effective And Compelling Lens Title
One of the most important things to do when you first create your lens is to take the time to create an effective and compelling title. You must consider two points of view here: what the search engines see and what your visitors will see.
You need to remember that Squidoo embeds tags around the title that makes it a powerful magnet. So when the search engines index your lens, this is the first thing they look at. If you do your keyword research and use keywords that your audience is using to search for your topic, then you will score better search engine rankings.
Let’s look at two possible titles for a lens..
- Title 1: All About Beef Jerky – way too general
- Title 2: The best beef jerky for healthy diets and delicious snacks – very specific with lots of keywords for “long tail” searches.
The point is to use the specific keywords that your audience is using in searches.
You also must keep in mind that your title must create reader interest. If you have a catchy title loaded with appropriate keywords, your readers will be more likely to want to dive right into your lens.
The title you use for your lens will appear at the top of your lens and in the title bar of the browser window. This same title will also appear in the search engine results, too, so they must attract the reader’s eye right away.
Ditto For The Module Titles
While you are working researching keywords for the title, repeat the process for the module titles. Modules are the building blocks for your lens. Almost every module has both a title and subtitle, which you can turn into the Sub headings of your new webpage on Squidoo. For maximum effect, use your power keywords here as well because these phrases are marked with tags and can also influence search results.
Your lens and module titles can be changed at any time. However, the sooner you implement better keywords, the quicker your traffic will increase.
Load Your Lens With Relevant Tags
Another area to consider in making your lens easy to find are your lens tags. In addition to all the titles, you can add up to 40 additional keywords to your lens. So it really pays to do your keyword research.
Each tag can be a single word or a complete phrase. Make sure to select your very best keyword for the primary tag, and then up to 39 other phrases that are likely to attract very targeted traffic.
Okay, But How Do You Find The Keywords In The First Place?
Keyword research is one of the most essential skills in internet marketing, and Squidoo is no exception. Probably the best way to start doing research is using the Google keyword tool, which is supposed to be used with Adwords, but you can use it with Squidoo just as easily.
Simply type in the phrase Google Keyword Tool into Google, and it’s the first result. Once inside the dashboard, simply type in the phrase you believe is the best phrase for your topic and you will quickly see how your phrase compares in search volume and advertiser competition to similar phrases.
Whatever keyword phrases have the best volume/advertiser competition combination are your winners. Use them in your lens and module titles, and again in your tags.
Find Out What’s Popular With The Squidoo Tag Clouds
One of the hidden sources for keyword ideas is the Squidoo tag cloud. You’ll find the link to this at the bottom of every page, labeled as Tag Clouds.
Tag clouds are graphical representations of the most popular and most relevant topics on Squidoo. In the tag cloud the larger sized words indicate a more popular term. If your lens is related to these topics, be sure to include them in your keyword tags so you will be more easily found by Squidoo users.
These tags may also appear sooner in Google search results than your lens. However, by including the tags in your lens, you’re just one more click away for your next customer.
Link To Your Lens Wherever You Can
The final piece of this Squidoo Secret is to post a link to your lens wherever you can. There are many different ways to do this.
Blog Comments
Any time that you post a comment on a blog, be sure to include your lens URL in the comment form. Make sure you include the http:// in order for it to become an active link. You may also want to include a link at the bottom of your comment using a standard HTML linking code. However, be careful with this as some blog owners will flag your comment as spam if they believe your post is simply being used to get a link.
The rule of thumb for any blog comment is to make sure you are adding productively to the conversation. Leaving great comments will result in better traffic.
Forum Posts
Be sure to follow the rules of the site that you are posting to. Some forums for example will not let you include a website address in your post. Also make sure that your post is relevant and adds to the quality of the forum thread.
For example, don’t just reply to a post with “Great Post!”, and then include your link. Express why it is such a great post. If you disagree with the author, tell why. When you take the time to add to the content, it will pay off with increased traffic to your lens.
The best place to link from a forum is in your signature. This is often changed in a tab labeled Settings or Profile. Be sure to make your link active by using the correct forum BB code.
Email Signatures
One often overlooked method of increasing traffic to a website is using an email signature. By including your squidoo lens URL and a short description on every piece of email you send out, you can increase traffic to your lens.
Use this in your personal and business emails as well as at the bottom of your autoresponder newsletters and broadcasts.
Your Blog and Websites
If you have any existing websites be sure to include your lens. If you have a blog, announce your new lens and discuss its purpose. Then encourage your readers to look at it and provide you feedback on a lens guestbook. Use the sidebar of your blog to provide an easy to find link to your lens for every new visitor.
Making Your Lens Easy To Find Will Pay Off With Long Term Traffic
It may seem like a lot of work up-front to do all of the keyword research. But it will pay off dividends in traffic. By using relevant titles and key word tags, along with consistent linking strategies, it will be easier for your audience to find your lens. Thus you will begin to gather your tribe and be well on you way to being a great Squidoo lensmaster.
Bob Jenkins is a globally recognized Web 2.0 expert, specializing in the use of blogs and Squidoo for marketing.
Bob provides comprehensive Squidoo tutorials in video, audio, and print format at http://www.SquidooSecrets.com.
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