by 31 people |
Turning my passion for Squidoo into a full-blown online business
I love Squidoo so I think it's time to take things to the next level. For the past few years, I've been making money as a freelance writer. Well, I don't really do work for clients anymore, with a few exceptions. So my income needs to come from elsewhere. I choose Squidoo!
My goal is to make $400 a day with Squidoo. I am going to use this lens to track my progress and to show you how I plan on doing it. If you want to join in on the fun, leave a comment in the guest book. :-) And, feel free to bookmark this lens so you can check back often. I'll be updating it frequently.
My goal is to make $400 a day with Squidoo. I am going to use this lens to track my progress and to show you how I plan on doing it. If you want to join in on the fun, leave a comment in the guest book. :-) And, feel free to bookmark this lens so you can check back often. I'll be updating it frequently.
Goal: Become a Giant Squid!
The deadline for getting my application in is June 30, 2009. I figure I may as well go for it!
Learn How to Make Money on Squidoo
- Goal: Become a Giant Squid!
- Step 1: Create Lenses!
- Step 2: Research Those Keywords!
- Use These Free Resources to Help you Research Keywords
- Step 3: Monetizing Your Squidoo Lens
- This is the Resource That's Helping Me Reach My Goals
- Journal of My Progress - Making Money on Squidoo
- Journal of My Progress - May 2009
- Squidoo Queen
- Journal of My Progress - June 2009
- Top Squidoo Tips for Making Money
- Be Patient While Marketing on Squidoo
- Who's In? Join Me and Make Money on Squidoo!
Step 1: Create Lenses!
For me, creating lenses is the fun part. This is exactly why I've chosen Squidoo to help me make a six figure income online. I love writing about subjects I am passionate about. It's an added bonus if this will also make me money.
I have two rules. The first is that I will only write about things I love writing about. The second is that if I promote a product that I will have personal experience with it. Anything I talk about I've tested and given it my "Kathy Seal of Approval." That's what I am going to call it from now on. :-)
I have two rules. The first is that I will only write about things I love writing about. The second is that if I promote a product that I will have personal experience with it. Anything I talk about I've tested and given it my "Kathy Seal of Approval." That's what I am going to call it from now on. :-)
- Find a subject to write about. The first step is to find a subject or a niche to write about. You'll notice that right now, a lot of my lenses have to do with writing. It was a logical niche to begin with because most of you know I am a writer. Some of them also have herbal medicine topics. This is a good one for me, too, because I bet you didn't know I am a Master Herbalist!
Make a list of all the things you know something about and come up with individual subjects. These subjects will be the topics of your future lenses. I invite you to browse through my writing lenses so you can see what I mean.
Step 2: Research Those Keywords!
Keyword research is one of the most important things you could do for your lens. This will help the search engines find your lens. Find one main keyword for each lens and use it as the URL when you're creating your lens. Sprinkle the keyword into your lens text a few times, too.
To be more specific, here is a step by step writeup of what I do:
1. Get a lens idea, then think about which words logically fit with it. How to make money writing, for example, will have keywords like freelance writing, make money writing, etc attached to it.
2. Use keyword tools. I shared some of my favorite keyword tools in the next section. Choose one, and plug in some of those words you thought of in the last step. For my "make money writing" lens I'd type in "freelance writing" and "writing" and see what comes up.
3. Pick the good ones. Next, pick one or two really good keywords - one that pertains to your lens content but doesn't get too many hits (but not too little either). For the most part, just do what feels right. You could always change it later.
4. Place the keywords. Try to reserve your main keyword in your lens URL. Also put it in the title, once in the introduction, and then scatter it throughout the lens a few more times. Try to also put it in at least one module title as well.
And that's a basic description of my SEO method. As you get more experience, you'll start to develop your own method that works.
To be more specific, here is a step by step writeup of what I do:
1. Get a lens idea, then think about which words logically fit with it. How to make money writing, for example, will have keywords like freelance writing, make money writing, etc attached to it.
2. Use keyword tools. I shared some of my favorite keyword tools in the next section. Choose one, and plug in some of those words you thought of in the last step. For my "make money writing" lens I'd type in "freelance writing" and "writing" and see what comes up.
3. Pick the good ones. Next, pick one or two really good keywords - one that pertains to your lens content but doesn't get too many hits (but not too little either). For the most part, just do what feels right. You could always change it later.
4. Place the keywords. Try to reserve your main keyword in your lens URL. Also put it in the title, once in the introduction, and then scatter it throughout the lens a few more times. Try to also put it in at least one module title as well.
And that's a basic description of my SEO method. As you get more experience, you'll start to develop your own method that works.
Use These Free Resources to Help you Research Keywords
Need some help with your keywords? Try these free tools.
- Wordtracker Free Keywords
- This is the tool I use most often. I try to use a keyword that gets about 50-100 searches a day.
- Bum Marketing
- Don't have a clue what I am talking about when I mention keywords? Sign up for this free course by Travis Sago about Bum Marketing. It gives a nice intro and introduces a method that could work really well with Squidoo. This is part of my overall strategy as well.
Step 3: Monetizing Your Squidoo Lens
How are the lenses monetized?
For my purposes, I am only going to worry about two ways to monetize the lens - through affiliate programs and through the modules. The focus is on great content first. Provide your readers with something entertaining and/or helpful and that is a great first step.
Sharing products with your readers should be a natural extension of the content. For example, if you have a freelance writing website it would make sense to share some websites that will help connect writers to clients. If those sites have affiliate programs, that is a good way to make money from the lens.
My Personal Monetization Strategy
My strategy is one where I will have a bunch of lenses that focus on affiliate programs, a bunch that focus on some of the modules, and some that are just completely random and may include a combination of the two - or they may just rely on the revenue sharing.
The method you choose will depend on the content of your lens. You need to do what makes sense for your content.
For my purposes, I am only going to worry about two ways to monetize the lens - through affiliate programs and through the modules. The focus is on great content first. Provide your readers with something entertaining and/or helpful and that is a great first step.
Sharing products with your readers should be a natural extension of the content. For example, if you have a freelance writing website it would make sense to share some websites that will help connect writers to clients. If those sites have affiliate programs, that is a good way to make money from the lens.
My Personal Monetization Strategy
My strategy is one where I will have a bunch of lenses that focus on affiliate programs, a bunch that focus on some of the modules, and some that are just completely random and may include a combination of the two - or they may just rely on the revenue sharing.
The method you choose will depend on the content of your lens. You need to do what makes sense for your content.
This is the Resource That's Helping Me Reach My Goals
Journal of My Progress - Making Money on Squidoo
Check back often so you can read about my progress! I have a lot to learn as I strive to reach my goal.
- April 1, 2009<. Today, I spent some time browsing through lenses and commenting on the ones I liked. I also created this lens and went through and create a plan of attack. The plan is huge with many steps building on each other. Since I am focusing on Steps 1, 2, and 3 for now, that's all I shared.
Earnings report. As it stands now, at the beginning of the challenge, I am making about $15 a week on average with my lenses on Squidoo. It isn't much, but it's a start. - April 2, 2009. Updated more of my lenses. Browsed through lenses about how to make money on Squidoo and left comments. Finished my plan of action.
- April 7, 2009. Commented on lenses that I like. Updated some of my lenses. Browsed Google Trends looking for lens ideas. Created a new lens. Got paid by Squidoo (yesterday?) - an amount of around $8.
- April 18, 2009 - I've been going pretty strong with my routine of updating my existing lenses and commented on other people's lenses. I am about to read up on the giant squid program and create at least one new lens for today.
- April 30, 2009 This may take a few days but I realized that I need to swap out all my clickbank links because they changed things around! My earnings stopped rather abruptly and I saw a post on the Warrior Forum where someone mentioned the same thing... so... That's what I'll be doing for the next few days.
Journal of My Progress - May 2009
Building my Business on Squidoo!
May 23, 2009 Some people have been asking me how I am doing with my goal. So I'll tell you! I'm still working. My income hasn't really increased BUT I am steadily getting new visitors.
I also purchased Pot Pie Girl's One Week Marketing and have been diligently following that program. On her advice, I've been opening new accounts. I decided today that I don't like doing that. I'm Me no matter what I choose to write. :-) Why would I need a pen name?
Now before you flood me with comments saying that I, "Just don't get it" - then you'd be right. I don't. But having separate accounts, even though it is not a violation of Squidoo's TOS, somehow feels wrong to me.
May 24, 2009
Yesterday I had said that I had "no change in earnings". That is SO not true. I checked today and I have been making commissions steadily, just not in clickbank - I was looking in the wrong spots. In fact, just this week I made at least 2 sales. It doesn't sound like much, but each sale totaled $50! It's so exciting to see hard work pay off.
May 26, 2009
I am still on my first week of the One Week Marketing system and I can tell it's going to work for me. Squidoo Queen did a great job of teaching me the concepts, but One Week Marketing helped me get over my "overwhelmed" feeling which led to inactivity.
I've been busy creating backlinks to my new lenses. In doing so, I realized they are hard to find. So I just created a lens with all my food lenses. Today, I'll finish up submitting the rest of my Ezinearticles.
I also purchased Pot Pie Girl's One Week Marketing and have been diligently following that program. On her advice, I've been opening new accounts. I decided today that I don't like doing that. I'm Me no matter what I choose to write. :-) Why would I need a pen name?
Now before you flood me with comments saying that I, "Just don't get it" - then you'd be right. I don't. But having separate accounts, even though it is not a violation of Squidoo's TOS, somehow feels wrong to me.
May 24, 2009
Yesterday I had said that I had "no change in earnings". That is SO not true. I checked today and I have been making commissions steadily, just not in clickbank - I was looking in the wrong spots. In fact, just this week I made at least 2 sales. It doesn't sound like much, but each sale totaled $50! It's so exciting to see hard work pay off.
May 26, 2009
I am still on my first week of the One Week Marketing system and I can tell it's going to work for me. Squidoo Queen did a great job of teaching me the concepts, but One Week Marketing helped me get over my "overwhelmed" feeling which led to inactivity.
I've been busy creating backlinks to my new lenses. In doing so, I realized they are hard to find. So I just created a lens with all my food lenses. Today, I'll finish up submitting the rest of my Ezinearticles.
Here's my favorite link:
Journal of My Progress - June 2009
- June 15, 2009. So far, I have over 50 lenses. I will apply for giant squid so that goal has been reached. I am forever working on my lenses and adding new ones, so I'm sure I'll make Giant Squid eventually. I've also been busy creating lenses and following the One Week Marketing plan. I love it! So far, no sales from that but it keeps me motivated.
- June 16, 2009. When I say that I will make "$400 a Day on Squidoo" I fully understand that it's a little difficult unless you have other things going on. And I do. Each time I create a lens I also write ezinearticles and set up a blog on a free site like Blogger.
Once I confirm that a topic is doing well, I start a niche blog on its own domain and use the lens, articles, free blog, etc to send traffic to the new site.
How's this method working? I don't know - I've been working pretty hard and I suspect it will take a few more weeks of working hard before I really start seeing payoff. Once I do see a payoff, I'll share exactly what I've been doing. - June 20, 2009. I am just finishing up my second week (second niche) of One Week Marketingwhich means that I now have a new lens. I have 4 visitors to that lens so far. I wonder how many of them were me checking to see how the site looks? I am also going to revisit the lenses I created for my first niche and update them, and maybe post to the blog. That niche isn't performing yet.
Top Squidoo Tips for Making Money
- Find a good resource to help you. Or, browse the site - tons of people have created helpful lenses and there's info in the forum. Also, check this lens often because I'll be sharing tips as I figure them out.
- Promote affiliate products. This can be as simple or as complex as you make it. Don't let the complex advice overwhelm you. Just simply find affiliate links and share them whenever it seems appropriate on your lenses. Only share if the link somehow enhances your content.
- Content matters. Your first priority is to make sure your lens has something valuable to share. If it doesn't people won't want to return and they certainly are less likely to click on any links that you share.
Be Patient While Marketing on Squidoo
This is a reminder to myself. I need to be patient. I'm still at about one sale a week despite my work. Impulse is to give up. But I won't. I'm going to keep doing it, and try to be patient.
Who's In? Join Me and Make Money on Squidoo!
I wanna hear from you! Is Squidoo part of your business strategy? Do you want to join me as I strive to reach my goal?
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- vallain vallain Nov 20, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
- I hope you'll update us on your progress soon. I made 38 cents here last month, so your goal seems pretty ambitious to this newbie.
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- JLCollins JLCollins Sep 13, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
- Hi! Enjoyed reading your lens. It is great to have goals if you want success. I am wondering - it is now September. How are your results progressing?
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- CCGAL CCGAL Jun 28, 2009 @ 9:54 am
- I just made my 100th lens - now my next goal is to start making some real money with the next ones. I've learned so much since I started last September, but I'm not making any sales to speak of, so I'm studying PotPieGirl's One Week Marketing Plan, and I've also got Affiliate Destruction ... which I'll be hauling out to re-read very soon. Good luck to you and I hope we both make it to where we want to be ... preferably while I'm still young enough to enjoy it.
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- kohuether kohuether Jun 21, 2009 @ 6:01 pm
- Thanks Davey for the tip on microniche finder. :) And yes, I do feel like I'm on my way. Progress is slow, but I learned when I started my writing business that I need to be patient.
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- kingkurt2001 kingkurt2001 Jun 21, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
- It looks like you're on the path way to squidoo success!
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by kohuether
My name is Katherine Huether and I am a writer, editor, and herbalist. I have a BA in Engish from the University of New Hampshire and a Diploma in Her...
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