Writing for Squidoo

Many people make the mistake of thinking web article titles are the same as newspaper article titles. They're not. When you pick up a newspaper or magazine, you're a captive audience. You've already chosen to read the publication, where as with web copy, this isn't the case. Newspapers and other forms of print media don't have to compete with search engines either.

In other words, your title is the most important aspect of your article when it comes to being found by the search engines and viewers alike.

This doesn't mean the body of your article can be garbage, but it does mean that you have to have a compelling title that is keyword optimized if you want to be found on the web. Your title is basically the portal through which web surfers will find the article.

When creating a title, here's a few things to consider along the way.

Article Title Relevancy

Your title should be relevant. It should convey exactly what your article is about without having to read the entire article. Many people make the mistake of using irony to craft a title. You have to remember that when a person types in a set of keywords into a search engine, a lot of times they are greeted by article titles that are completely out of context. Ultimately, you want the reader to be able to browse the titles available and know what they'll be getting based on your article title alone.

Short and to the Point

Your article title should be between 3-10 words. In fact, 3-6 words are ideal. You also want to have your keywords as close to the beginning of the title as possible. Search engines rarely give relevance to large swaths of text. They scan the first few words and use those keywords to index your site. That's why a short title is far better than a long one.

Will People Find Your Article?

When you're crafting your title, think about what people will type into a search in order to find the info they need. In other words, pretend you're a reader and you need the information that you intend to provide. What would you type into the search engine?

Type the Title into Google

Once you think you've come up with a winner of a title, type it into Google and see what comes up. If the search yields good results, you're on the right track. If your search yields sites that have little or no bearing on the site you plan on making, you should seriously rethink your strategy.

Also, take a look at the titles displayed and see if any are the same as yours. If there is one that's the same, try playing with your title a bit to make it unique. You want your title to stand out, and it has a better chance of doing that if it's original.

Is Your Title Interesting?

Sometimes it's okay to have an uninteresting title that conveys your message accurately. However, in most cases, it helps a great deal to have a title that is interesting. It increases your chances that someone will choose your site out of the thousands of other sites displayed in the search results. It also means they'll probably start reading your article or Squidoo lens, giving you the time to hook them with your great content.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to creating a great title. It's one of the most important aspects of your lens or article, and it needs to be chosen with care.

Besides the title, your introduction module is the most important piece of your lens. If you've managed to snag a viewer with your title, the very first thing they'll read is your introduction module. If your introduction module is full of typos and incomprehensible English, your new visitor is going to run to the 'back' button.

Your introduction module should be free of typos, and it should be interesting. After all, this is the chance you've been waiting for! You've grabbed someone's attention with your title, and now's the time to show them why they should read the rest of your content.

Your lens introduction module should be relatively short and to the point. It should adequately convey what your lens is about, and what they will stand to learn within the Squidoo lens itself.

You also want to convey a sense of personality to your lens. I don't mean that every lens should contain a full-out biography. What I mean is that the lens should inform the reader why you are an authority on the subject you're writing about.

For example, if you're writing a book review, you should tell the reader straight away that you've read the book. I see a lot of lenses that promote affiliate products, such as eBooks, that don't bother to tell the reader that the person who has written the lens has actually read the book. When this happens, it makes the lens stand out as an affiliate motivated lens, which many readers will not bother to read, no matter how good the content is.

Your introduction module should contain your keywords or keyword phrases, but it shouldn't be stuffed with them. You should try to include your keyword or keyword phrase at the beginning of the module, and use it throughout in places that it fits in seamlessly. In other words, your reader should not be able to pick out your keywords effortlessly.

Last but certainly not least, your introduction module should be long enough to satisfy, without giving away everything. This module is basically your teaser. It's the opening phase of your campaign to keep the reader interested. If the reader learns everything they need, you can wave bye-bye, because they're leaving now. If you don't give them enough information to keep reading, then they'll leave and find a site that fulfills their needs quicker.

The introduction to this lens is 209 words long. I would recommend having it no longer than 250 words and no shorter than 150 words.

You've made it to the meat of your Squidoo lens. You can now breathe a sigh of relief. The meat of your lens is easier to write than you may think. Once the title and introduction are finished, the heavy lifting is over.

Or is it?

When writing your modules you should try to write them using the law of brevity. Long rambling modules are not going to keep your visitors interested. You want to get your point across, make it interesting enough to hold their attention, yet say it in as few words as possible.

You've already told the reader what you're going to tell them in your introduction, and now it's time to tell them. Make sure the titles of your text modules are relevant, just like your main title. Each text module title should tell the reader what they're in store for, and allow them to choose whether they want to read it or not.

When writing for the web, whether it's an article or a Squidoo lens, you want your writing to come out natural. Pretend you're writing an email to a dear friend. Use contractions whenever possible, such as 'it's' instead of 'it is'. Contractions make your writing friendlier and easier to read. When you don't use them, it makes your writing look dry and boring.

You should be writing text module content with your chosen keywords in mind. Again, you don't want to use them too much, because not only can search engines ban your Squid page for using keyword stuffing, but also because your readers will become annoyed and leave. Obviously, you want to avoid both of these things.

A good rule of thumb is to place your keywords within your text at a 1%-3% ratio. That means for every 100 words, your keywords should show up 1-3 times. This rule will apply to each keyword or keyword phrase you use in your lens.

I break this rule all the time. However, I don't care. I do follow this rule when I write web copy for my clients though. I rarely do when constructing a Squidoo lens for myself because I'm creating the lens for me. Sure, I want visitors to read what I've written, but I don't want to 'work' at it. I have used this rule for a two book reviews and it works. They both receive more search engine traffic than any of my other lenses.

Typo's and bad grammar are a huge issue. You want the content of your Squidoo lens to be legible. If your lens contains excessive grammar and spelling errors, you lose credibility with your reader, which is never a good thing.

Choosing the right keywords and keyword phrases when writing your lens is important if you want your page to be found outside of Squidoo. It's also not an exact science.

There are several ways to come up with keywords. The least scientific way is to come up with a list of keywords that you think visitors would type into a search engine to find the information you intend to provide. Once you have the list, visit Google or Yahoo and type the keywords in and see what pops up. If the keyword has lots of competition, you might want to choose a different one.

You can also visit keyword tool sites, such as Google AdWords or Search It!

There are a lot of different keyword tools that you can use on the web. Ideally, you want the keywords you use to be searched for, but not to have so much competition that your Squidoo lens gets buried in obscurity.

Finding the right keywords and keyword phrases can be frustrating. In most cases, it's a hit and miss thing. Sometimes you stumble across the right phrase by accident. However, it's always a good idea to try and optimize your Squidoo page with keywords that make your site more visible.

I've run across this problem a few times in the last few days, which has prompted me to update this lens.

If you're creating a lens or writing an article in general, you should always assume the reader knows nothing.

For example, this lens tells you how to write a lens from top to bottom. Instead of assuming that someone knows how to write a great title, I explain how to do it, and why it's important. It's tough thinking like this sometimes, because we usually take for granted that other people know what we're talking about, which is rarely the case. It's always better to have more information than not enough.

How can you ensure this happens?

Here are a few pointers that I used when I first started writing.

Planning to Write your Squidoo Lens

Before writing a single word into a Squidoo module, map out a plan of action. Think of each Squidoo module as a separate article. Each module will contain a theme or some bits of information that will be useful to the reader.

Now write down or brainstorm ideas for your lens. You could even come up with the titles and use bullets to briefly put down ideas under each header.

This should help you map out a strategy that will ensure you have a Squidoo lens that's jam-packed full of useful information.

How do I Know What to Write Down?

Try to think as if you're a consumer or someone who wants information on your particular subject. You don't know anything about your subject, but you're interested. What are the questions you'd be looking to have answered?

Once you figure that out, your brainstorming will come very easily. The trick is to think up as many ideas as possible, even if you don't use them all.

How Much Should I Write?

As much as you need to get your point across. Rushing doesn't produce great lenses. Taking your time and getting it right does. If it takes you two text modules to make your point, then that's how many you should write.

However, in most cases it will take much longer. I write constantly, and I can type extremely fast. I also have experience when it comes to writing articles, which helps me a great deal when it comes to crafting Squidoo lenses.

Sometimes it still takes me hours just to write the content for a lens! In fact, my best fiction books ever lens took me about four solid hours to write. It was worth it though. I'm pleased with the end result, and I have a lens I can be proud of, no matter if it gets a high rating or not. I've even had the honour of having it blessed a few times.

Affiliate writing is much like any other type of web writing. In fact, the same formula can be applied to both.

Besides the fact that you're trying to sell something, nothing else really needs to be changed. The biggest problem with most of the poorly-written affiliate lenses I've found on Squidoo is that they don't pose a problem and offer a solution.

People who browse the web are either looking to be entertained or they're looking to have a problem solved. It's really that simple. Your affiliate lens should reflect that fact. When you rant and rave about how wonderful a product is, but neglect to solve the readers problem or offer any really useful information, the reader feels ripped off and you end up looking like a greasy used car salesman.

Instead, ask yourself why someone would want the product. Tell the reader how the product affected your life for the better, propose a problem and then explain how this particular product will help solve that problem.

For example, if you're selling a book on gardening, explain to the reader that a lush garden will boost their property value. Tell them that the garden will look great and have their neighbours wishing they'd bought the book. Explain how you used the book to plant a garden that is the envy of your entire block.

In other words, show them the problem (you had an ugly lawn and weeds for a garden) and show them the answer (you bought the book and became a whiz at gardening) and you've accomplished your goal.

You also want to explain exactly what they'll receive if they were to buy the product. Is it just an eBook? Do they get access to a gardening forum? Are there audio tapes or MP3 files to go along with the eBook?

When writing affiliate lenses, you want to think like a consumer. Ask yourself what you look for when shopping for a product, and then provide that to the reader. Stay away from ad loaded, spam filled lenses, and give the reader value for their time. When you do this, you add to the likelihood that they'll buy the product you're trying to sell.

And one last thing - if you're going to try to sell a product, you should always believe in what you're attempting to sell. Most of the time, a reader will know when you're trying to yank their chain using false hype. Try the product, and become an affiliate if you actually believe that it will help people. Believe me, if you believe in the product you're trying to market, it will show up in your writing.