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Squidoo training: how to design Squidoo lenses

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Squidoo Training - principles, processes and examples of Squidoo lens design

This lens was designed for training purposes using screen shots from my lenses to help explain lens creation and marketing. The structure of the lens and its elements are specifically designed for the 12 Second Commute training conferences.

The screen shots have been taken with SnagIt and are added here for illustration purposes..

Table of Contents

Example of "table of contents" module

Table is automatically generated and shows modules in order of appearance in the lens (using module title). The table is automatically adjusted whenever the module sequence is changed.

Module titles as shown are hyperlinked for convenient navigation.

You have the option to exclude specific modules from the Table of Contents.
  1. Squidoo lens design - 7 key strategies
  2. Editing a Squidoo lens
  3. Squidoo Training - Adding and re-ordering modules
  4. Add modules
  5. Module categories
  6. Choosing from the alphabetical listing of modules
  7. Adding modules from the module lists
  8. Photo Gallery Module
  9. Google Blog Posts Module
  10. Reorder Squidoo modules
  11. Squidoo training - traffic statistics
  12. Traffic stats - traffic sources
  13. Traffic Statistics - Referrers and clickouts
  14. Traffic stats - keyword stats
  15. Squidoo training: Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
  16. Three key approaches to Squidoo affiliate marketing
  17. Sell Stuff Modules
  18. Amazon Spotlight
  19. Wii Games - Amazon Module
  20. Wii Games - Amazon Search Module
  21. Wii on CafePress
  22. Wii Games on eBay
  23. Zazzle Store Products for Wii
  24. Adsense Revenue
  25. Adding your own affiliate links and banners
  26. Creating an Authority Site on Squidoo
  27. Featured Lenses: Squidoo Affiliate Marketing Approaches
  28. Featured Lenses: Squidoo Affiliate Marketing Examples
  29. Featured Lenses: Photo Gallery Module
  30. Featured Lenses: Community and Charity
  31. Featured Lenses: special purpose lenses
  32. Featured Lenses: marketing small business
  33. Featured Lenses: recommended resource lenses
  34. RSS Feed from Affiliate Marketing Coach Blog
  35. Reader feedback

Squidoo lens design - 7 key strategies

7 key strategies of lens design

The 7 key strategies are:

1. Decide the purpose of the Squidoo lens
2. Develop the Squidoo lens concept
3. Create a lens design to meet the purpose and concept
4. Undertake keyword research where appropriate
5. Develop content
6. Source images
7. Revisit, refine, link and promote

For a full explanation of these steps, view my article
on Ezinearticles.com:
7 Key Strategies of Effective Squidoo Lens Creation

Editing a Squidoo lens

How to make changes to your Squidoo lens

A Squidoo lens can be edited from the the Dashboard by clicking on "edit" when you let your cursor browse over the lens title. Alternatively, if you log into a specific lens there is an edit lens button at the top on the right hand side.

Squidoo Training - Adding and re-ordering modules

How to choose, add and re-order modules for your Squidoo lenses.

Add modules

Easy option - favorite modules and other options

When you are in edit mode, you will see the following menu box..

You can choose from the four modules displayed - text, Amazon, featured lenses, guestbook - or browse all modules.

Module categories

Browse all Squidoo modules

This is the "Getting Started" menu options displayed when you click "Browse all modules":

Choosing from the alphabetical listing of modules

Quick and easy way to add a module you know exists

The 'browse all modules" option takes you to a menu which enables you to choose how to access the many modules on offer.

If you know the name of module, a quick way to add it is to use the "All Modules" option which gives an alphabetical listing of all modules.

If you are not sure of the name you might try the "category list" which provides modules by focus - selling, writing, news & feeds, social & voting, pictures & videos, hot on the web.

Adding modules from the module lists

Try them out different modules - you can always remove them

If you click on the "+" beside a module name it Squidoo displays the module in the added module list. THe number of time you click on the "+" will determine how many modules of that type are added.

The image below shows the choices I have made.

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK "DONE ADDING" WHEN FINISHED

When you click 'done adding" the relevant modules will be added at the end of your lens for editing.

Photo Gallery Module

Editing the photo gallery module

Once the photo gallery module has been added to your lens, you can edit it to add the variables that you want.

The photo gallery presents as a slideshow and you can set the frequency with which the slides/photos rotate.

When you press "add photos", you will be given the option to upload 10 photos that will form the slideshow. The image files should be less than 1mb each.

Google Blog Posts Module

Choose either a google news or blog feed

Your first choice is between a Google blog feed or Google news feed - both give you an RSS feed that is continuously updated.

The feed content will be governed by the "topic" or keywords that you choose.

The feed can be the heading, 100 characters or all.

You can determine the number of items to display.

You can set the timing for updating the feed - e.g. one hour or one day.

Reorder Squidoo modules

How to change the order of your Squidoo modules

When in edit mode, you can change the order of your modules by just mousing over the relevant module and shifting it position up or down.

Don't forget to click "apply" when you finish (otherwise nothing moves).

Squidoo training - traffic statistics

These modules explain how to obtain traffic stats for your lenses and illustrate the lens stats with screen capture images.

Traffic stats - traffic sources

Access your statistics when in edit mode

When in edit mode for a particular lens, you can click on the "Statistics" Button and this will take you to the first page of stats - e.g. when lens created, overall traffic volume, lensrank. If you then click on "traffic" stats, you will have access to a goldmine of traffic information as illustrated in this module and succeeding ones.

An alternative way to access traffic stats is to go to your dashboard and click on the stats button under your relevant lens listing (this appears as you hover over the lens title in your lens list).

Note: You can change the display by varying the period of stats in the drop-down window, e.g. today, last week, last 3 months.

Traffic Statistics - Referrers and clickouts

Statistics availbale via the "traffic" button.

Traffic stats - keyword stats

Long tail keywords

Squidoo training: Squidoo Affiliate Marketing

Approaches, strategies and tactics for affiliate marketing on Squidoo

Three key approaches to Squidoo affiliate marketing

In the lens highlighted below, I discuss three key approaches to Squidoo affiliate marketing:

1. The Campaign Approach

2. The Turnover Approach

3. The Authority Site Approach

Squidoo Affiliate Marketing: 3 Key Strategies

The Campaign approach which involves an integrated marketing plan is explained in detail in the One Week Marketing Program:
Squidoo affiliate marketing plan

Sell Stuff Modules



These four modules enable you to sell stuff on Squidoo. The first three are the affiliate networks, Amazon, Ebay and CafePress. Zazzle is designed to sell your own products.

The key point here is that if you use the pre-designed money modules, the affiliate links shown are those of Squidoo. However, Squidoo shares with you 50% of the revenue that is earned from these pre-designed modules. The remaining 50% goes to Squidoo operating costs and to charities.

To earn 100% of the revenue from the affiliate programs such as Amazon, CafePress and Ebay, you can add the appropriate script with your own affiliate link by visiting the site of the relevant affiliate network. You would choose the product display option you want and then add this to a text module.

Amazon Spotlight

Wii Fit Plus - Software Only

Wii Fit Plus - Software Only

Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Wii Games - Amazon Module

Choose Amazon products to display

There are 2 ways to add Amazon products to your lens.

1. Let Amazon Pick: A live, automatically updated display of Amazon products, based on your tags

2. Let Me Pick: Choose specific products you want to show on your lens.

Choose product category, search term, and number of products to display.

If you want to pick the products themselves, select this option and click "help me find products". Products will be displayed for you to add to your listing. You can also choose display options.

You have a limit of 5 products for display. If you want more add another module.
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Wii Games - Amazon Search Module

Enter the search keyword, choose a product category and number of products to display.

The module will also create a small search window for further searching by the reader of Amazon.com

Wii on CafePress

Choose products to display

There are 3 ways to add CafePress products to your lens. Please pick one.

1. Let CafePress Pick
A live, automatically updated display of CafePress products, based on your tags.

2. Let Me Pick
Choose specific products you want to show on your lens.

3. Promote a Shop
Promote a specific shop (yours or a friend's)

You also have a range of display options.
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Wii Games on eBay

Feature up to 5 eBay auctions per module. Want to show more? Add another module!

There are 3 ways to display eBay auctions and items on your lens. Please choose one.

1. LET eBAY PICK
A live, automatically updated display of eBay items that match your tags.

2. LET ME PICK
List specific eBay items you want to show on your lens.

3. PICK BY SELLER OR STORENAME
List items by a specific eBay seller (could be you, could be a seller you recommend).

You can specify the level of detail provided for each auction item, e.g. current bid, number of bids, etc.
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Zazzle Store Products for Wii

This is the display when you do not own a Zazzle store

The Zazzle store module enables store owners (who create products from their photos) to display their products (the whole range or keyword selected products). Only the products of the store owner will be displayed.

If you do not own a Zazzle store then you leave the store owner name blank but still complete the keyword or tag you want to search on. In this case the products displayed will show multiple store owners (with their names hyperlinked).

You can choose to display 3, 6 or 9 products.
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Adsense Revenue

There appears to be 3 distinct Squidoo payout levels. The Payout levels have been changed slightly to reflect the average lensrank for a lens for an entire month.

The cut off appears to have roughly been the following:

Tier 1: approximately the top 2,000 lenses with the highest average lensrank.
Tier 2: approximately the next 8,000 highest lenses by avg. lensrank.
Tier 3: Approximately the next 60,000?

January 2009 Squidoo Payouts are the earnings for November 2008. These payouts represent money earned by the Lensmasters in November from Adsense and other general advertising revenues.

Tier 1 $11.40
Tier 2 $1.78
Tier 3 $0.08

For more information on payouts for Adsense and general advertising revenue, visit:
Squidconomy: The economics of Squidoo"

Adding your own affiliate links and banners

Easy html guide

You can add your own affiliate links and banners to the text/write module by using the html code provided by your affiliate program.

The most effective way to attract clicks is to use in-text links - hyperlink a word or phrase in your discussion.

DON'T OVERDO BANNERS ON SQUIDOO - readers will click away and never revisit any of your lenses. The most consistent advice is to use one banner on your lens. However, you should add hyperlinked text in your introduction and throughout your modules. Again don't overdo it.

A useful module to conclude with is the Big Arrow module - this lets you highlight the link you want people to visit.

Squidoo does not allow i-frames (used to capture email address and name) and has some limitations on what HTML can be used in different modules. There are some excellent resources available on Squidoo itself to help you with html:

Key resources:
Basic HTML
Advanced HTML

Adding Amazon widgets with your own affiliate link is an area under development. For the latest on this (if you are patient and experienced with HTML), you can check out developments on this lens:
Adding Amazon widgets

Creating an Authority Site on Squidoo

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Featured Lenses: Squidoo Affiliate Marketing Approaches

Discussion of the various approaches to Squidoo Affiliate Marketing. Three core strategies are identified - the campaign method, the
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Featured Lenses: Squidoo Affiliate Marketing Examples

Key strateiges and examples of affiliate marketing on Squidoo

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Featured Lenses: Photo Gallery Module

How to use the photo gallery module

Here are a number of Squidoo lenses that feature the photo gallery module as a key component.

One promotes my consultancy business, Merit Solutions, and displays the Principal and Senior Human Resource Consultants (with their qualifications) in separate photo modules.

Another, Montville Queensland, combines the photo gallery module, with an animated music video using Animoto
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Featured Lenses: Community and Charity

How to use Squidoo to build charities or local communities

The applications for Squidoo are endless. You are only limited by your imagination because of the extreme flexibility of the platform.

Once you decide the purpose and overall concept of the Squidoo lens, then the world's your oyster.

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Featured Lenses: special purpose lenses

Lensography, simulated visit, artistic displays, autobiography

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Featured Lenses: marketing small business

How to brand a small business

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Featured Lenses: recommended resource lenses

Brighten up your lenses with HTML & CSS

When you are creating lenses, you can use HTML and CSS code to brighten up your lens. These lenses are produced by superb mentors.
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RSS Feed from Affiliate Marketing Coach Blog

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Reader feedback

Please leave your comments

Feel free to ask for something else to be added to this Squidoo lens and I will try to oblige.

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by

ronpass

Ron here from Brisbane, Australia. I am the author of Small Business Odyssey, a blog about .

I am also Marketing Director and... more »

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