Making your First Squidoo Lens

Dealing with your main Account Name

Things to consider

I've seen lots of account names on thousands of pages, and some are more successful than others.

If you have an idea of why you squidoo, choosing your main account name is much easier, will work better for you over time, and make managing your squidoo account much easier.

• You should always have one main account with your name. This helps you to build an audience, build trust with your audience, and adds to your own internet 'resume'.
• Your name can be your own name, like my main account, or it can be something you'd like to be 'known' by, such as 'fluffanuttta' or 'bored of education'- but however you choose your main account name, it is best to be something you will 'stick with.'
• You can have one or many accounts. The fewer accounts, the easier it is to manage your squidooing. Each account will have a separate dashboard, separate promotion issues, separate payment issues. The more accounts, the more complicated it will be to manage your squidooing.
• It is a mistake to make your main account name the same as a product (ANY product) that you are trying to sell. If you want an account specifically for and with pages selling a product, it is best to have it be a SECONDARY account.

BEFORE You Begin- Keep These Things in Mind!

A few tips

1. Every Squidoo Page is different (or is supposed to be).
2. Magic Builder is different each time, depending on what you tell it!
3. The type of page or the topic determines what the Magic Builder will assemble.
4. The ONLY thing written in stone is the page url.
5. Everything else can be changed!
6. If you make a mistake, DON'T WORRY. They are all EASILY FIXED.
7. Take everything one step at a time.

Dealing with urls: For your first few lenses, forget the SEO pressure!

Give yourself a SOLID foundation FIRST.

• The very best squidooing is DONE LIKE A SQUID. You build series of related lenses, all connected to ONE MAIN LENS. A squid has one head with many tentacles. Make your first lenses in the same way.
• I always recommend that a lensmaster make an url out of their account name. For your first lens, this would be an immediate 'squid-head' and the place you can link the other lenses you make. You can choose to send traffic to this main lens, or you can promote your other lenses, but either way, it is a VERY USEFUL WAY to organize the beginning of your squidooing, and demonstrate how it works.
• You want your url to be as specifically about your topic focus as possible. For example : www.squidoo.com/johngalt or .com/robberbarons
• If your url is taken, there will be an error message telling you so. Try adding a dash: .com/john-galt; .com/robber-barons. If the url is still taken, use underscores _ or add further information- try something like .com/whoisjohngalt or .com/industrialistrobberbarons.
• A specific url will help the search engines find you.
• A specific url will set the expectations of your visitors. Anyone who searches for one topic, but clicking through finds a different topic feels cheated at best. Make your url about your topic, and make your topic a specific focus, and you'll build trust.
• A specific url with a focused topic makes things like tags/keywords; module titles and subtitles much easier for you. That improves your search engine rankings and is the heart of seo techniques.
• You can have as many squidoo lenses, urls, as you need, to cover your entire topic. Keep each one focused, and link them together with featured lens modules.

Your Introduction Module is VERY Important

It sets the tone, helps people grasp what they will see.

• Use a vivid, clear picture that illustrates your topic well
• Always add a photo to your introduction module!
• Don't use a busy photo in the intro- it is too hard to see & understand
• Just INTRODUCE your topic in the intro module. Tell the story in the rest of your modules
• This is NOT the place for your big sales pitch! It IS the place to introduce your topic.
• Make your introduction brief, concise and energizing.

Writing Tips for your Introduction Module

Simple classic techniques

Everyone reads and writes, and has certain expectations of writers. Whether you're writing a speech, a sermon, an article or a Squidoo lens, they are very useful techniques! Let's take a look...

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them (introduction)
2. Tell them what you are telling them (modules)
3. Tell them what you have just told them (ending)
4. Q & A wrap-up (Feedback, guestbook)