Posted by Lambert | Posted in Writing News | Posted on 29-05-2010
Squidoo is a very popular and highly effective Web 2.0 property. You can easily post your content to this site as an alternative to creating a full blog. Marketers as well as the general public can greatly benefit from its popularity and ranking. Here are some tips on how to quickly and easily build your first Squidoo lenses.
Choose your desired username VERY carefully – While it does not need to be the cause of lost sleep and migraines, you do need to keep in mind that once you choose a username in the setup process it is set and cannot be changed. For marketers this will be particularly important. What are you trying to brand? Use THAT, or some form of it, as your username.
Read and follow all “Squid-Don’ts” – These are a set of guidelines that tell you what is NOT acceptable within the Squidoo community. If you do not follow these statutes you WILL be banned and your content removed. The site does have a system that filters the content as it is posted, but anything that is allowed to post can still be removed if found not to comply with their restrictions and rules.
Avoid the Magic Builder – Once you sign in to your account, the site takes you to a page that says “I want to make a page about . . .” Completing this statement takes you to the “magic builder” which is meant to guide you through building the lens. I find it a bit confusing. So, what I do is this. Once I’m ready to write my lens, I go up to my browser window and add to the url the address I would like to give my lens. For example, if I’m posting this article on the site, after the address squidoo.com, I would add “how_to_squidoo”. (It would look like this squidoo.com/how_to_squidoo). If the address is available, I will land on a page that says I can take it over, so I do! It will then guide me through a process to build the lens. This is similar to magic builder, but a lot less complicated and involved.
Add several Modules – Lenses are divided into modules. Try to have at least 4 modules in your lens. Modules can be text, photo, links, comments, links to social media, among others. One of my favorites, as an internet marketer, is the “Big Arrow” modules, which allows you to add anchor text to a specific link and makes the link nearly impossible to miss.
Make it Attractive, Add Pictures – People love pictures. Adding pictures to your lens will make it much more attractive to readers. Since the lens is posted online, pictures also help break up the text so that it is easier to read on the computer.
Use your Word Editor to write your content BEFORE creating your lens – This will really help you create the lens quickly and easily. Write your entire content using a word editor. Then, separate the paragraphs into two or three sections. When you do this, keep in mind that you will be asked to include an intro module. Make sure each set of paragraphs makes sense together. Write a short heading for each group of paragraphs. You will be asked for the heading as you create the modules. When you are ready, simply cut and past the content into your modules.
Tagging your Lens– I save this step to last. If you are NOT an internet marketer, then this section is not all that relevant, so just write a few words or phrases that describe what your lens is about. This is just to help others find your post. For those of you who ARE marketers, you can add up to 40 tags by clicking on the “add more tags” button. You do not need that many, though. Make sure you do your keyword research and add tags which are relevant to your content. Remember, that your lens will only be indexed if the content is relevant to the tag
There you have it! Some very simple and effective tips to help you build your first Squidoo lenses. It is not rocket science, and it even helps you get indexed on the search engines without spending a penny.
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About the Author:
Marcy Amaro is a former English teacher turned internet marketer. She has gone from a schoolroom to working with six-figure income earners and millionaires, all from the comfort of her home. Her Passion is helping others who have a burning desire for success achieve their dreams. You too can succeed. Here is the program that has made all the difference for her, http://www.strategicmarketingmaven.com.
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