10 tips to get Google traffic

The easiest way to get links is to make 'linkable content': the sort of lens or collection of lenses that is so unique and valuable that people who know about it are bound to link to it.

Pages like that will help you build your link profile and will help your other lenses rank.

Don't make your title just so. Make sure it contains keywords that describe your content. Even if you haven't done keyword research, you can still make sure the title contains the main words that describe your content.

Be specific.

More about changing title tags

Links are important to get your lens found. One of the basics to get such links is linking between your lenses.

Personally I have about one lensography for every ten lenses. I do think this is a good formula. One lensography about you, and one for every niche in which you have at least 5 lenses.

You should have links TO your lensographies from every lens featured IN that lensography. Interlink your lensographies as well.

In addition to making a lensography you should interlink lenses that are in the same niche. You should start interlinking your lenses as soon as you have more than one lens.

Lensography = lens about lenses
Niche lensography = Lens about the niche (aka topic) with links to lenses about subtopics of that niche.

When we focus on search engines it is very easy to forget about the people who visit your lens. However, getting them involved is a good idea - even for your search engine traffic. This is referred to as user generated content. That is: your guestbook, submissions to plexos etc. Why is this good SEO?

Users use the words they would type into google to describe their issues and opinions.

That is: they will automatically help you get your content optimized if you ask them the right questions.

Do feel free to delete comments that aren't on topic

1. The primary tag of your lens will make your lens end up on top of the whole list of lenses that use that tag. That is, unless the lensrank of your lens is over 100,000. It's good to find a very popular tag to use as a primary tag, as long as not too many lenses are using it as their primary tag.


2. Choose tags similar lenses are using, not just the tags you think would fit. In general it's best if at least 4 other lenses are using that tag.


3. Check tag pages to see if your lens can come on the first page of it based on it's likely lensrank. Use tags where you CAN get your lens on the top 20 for that tag page.


4. Create one tag unique to your lenses. This could be your proper name or your lensmaster name if it's not a keyword. This will help your own lenses show up in the 'Explore related pages' bit at the right side of the lens.


5. Squidutils uses primary tags to categorize lenses. You will get your lenses some extra links by using a primary tag that's used by at least two other lenses in the category your lens is listed in.


6. Don't use more than about 20 tags.

I don't expect you to get all this right. If you don't, please do make sure you don't use orphan tags: tags that nobody else is using. Those really don't help your lenses at ALL.

More about optimizing tags for squidoo

In my time on squidoo I see two common and related mistakes.

The first is impatience. While you should definitely do your best to promote your content, it can sometimes take a while for the traffic to come. Even when it does come traffic will probably, if you're doing well, continue to grow. That means that just because your lens doesn't get traffic in the first month, that doesn't mean it's a failure. It just means it doesn't get traffic.

The second mistake is, in my opinion, worse: deleting content. I see people delete content that has been linked to. Even if that lens is never going to get more than one visitor a week, if it has links from outside your own account, keep it in. Those links (even one is enough) helps your OTHER lenses rank higher. Even if your lens does NOT get links from outside your account, it is still content that google has indexed. If nothing else it is useful for the links it provides to your other content.

If you decide that your content is better off on your own site, don't delete the lens that hosted it. Instead you should keep up the description and link back to the new place it's hosted. That gives your new website it's first backlinks. And while you're at it: why not keep up an amazon module as well. Who knows, you might even still sell something.

Backlinks = links to your web properties.

You don't. You build links to your lens so search engines discover your lens organically. There is a way to submit lenses and websites to google, but it doesn't help to use it. Even if google knows about your lens, it will only show it to users if it has links to it.

The short answer is: because you don't have links to your lens.

In other words: The way to get your lens indexed in google is to build links TO your lens.

This can be done through posting on squidu, building a blog and linking it there etc: all the classic ways to get links to your content.

But wait: are you SURE your lens isn't indexed yet? The only way to be sure is to copy paste the URL ( http://www.squidoo.com/spiritualitys-lensography or something) into google. Your lens should be the first result.

If not try: site:http://www.squidoo.com/spiritualitys-lensography That way you should ONLY get your lens. Google will tell you if it doesn't know it exists.

Most people who say their lens isn't indexed really mean that when they google the title, their lens doesn't show up. This only means your lens doesn't RANK yet. Not quite as serious, though still frustrating. However, the cure is the same: build more links TO your content.

Still not convinced? Read my article about an indexing experiment.

Unfortunately changes in my personal life, and in the way squidu is managed, have made me decide to stop answering questions on that forum. I'm also too busy to answer questions elsewhere.

I am available for consulting though, but that doesn't come cheap. For $99 you get a month of asking whatever questions you want and advice on your SEO strategy, link building, optimizing your blog etc. SEO consult online publishing.

If you aren't willing to pay up, you'll have to be content to stay updated on my Marketing Spiritual Blog where I am also willing to answer any questions related to the posts. It also contains a free ebook.

I'm active on twitter and facebook.