Do People Really Make Money With Squidoo?
Is Squidoo a scam? Does anyone really make money or get web traffic from Squidoo?
Short answer: No, yes and yes!
You won't make thousands of dollars on Squidoo in your first week or first month. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to scam you! But page by page, you can build up a monthly income stream.
Squidoo pages -- called "lenses" because they focus on a topic -- have certain features that make them attractive to search engines and human visitors.
On this lens, I'll show you how people make money with Squidoo (and how much). I'll showcase ten lenses that demonstrate some of the unique ways people use Squidoo to drive traffic to their websites and online businesses, support charities and causes, and share their passions and expertise.
Finally, I have invited visitors to this page to weigh in: Is Squidoo a scam, or not? Add your own opinion, or browse past comments for a good overview of Squidoo's benefits-- and its limitations.
"Is This Squidoo Lens a Scam?"
Disclaimer and Confession
I'm not a Squidoo expert.
I'm not a Squidoo employee.
I'm just a Squidoo member who noticed that "is Squidoo a scam?" turns up sometimes in Squidoo-related searches. I decided to answer the question partly because I'm a fan of Squidoo, and partly -- yep! -- to earn a little money by building a Squidoo page tailored to a particular search phrase.
The fact that you're here suggests that Squidoo works!
(Addendum: For the record, this lens has earned $12.16 from 4.09 thru 9.09 via nothing more than the ads in the header and sidebar-- that's using only the first of the money-making methods listed below).
How People Make Money on Squidoo
Squidoo Payouts, Commissions and Promotion
- AD REVENUE: Each month, Squidoo keeps 45%, donates 5% to charity, and distributes the rest of its ad revenue among lenses according to their average monthly "lensrank." See Squidoo Payday Questions and Answers for a breakdown of "lensrank tiers" and monthly payouts over the last few years.
- MERCHANT MODULES: Earn commissions through your visitors' purchases on merchant modules (widgets) for online stores like Amazon, eBay, and CafePress. It's easy to plug in a product name, shop name, or username, and promote a product or book that ties in with your topic.
- PROMOTE AND SELL YOUR STUFF: If you have a store on one of the e-commerce sites that Squidoo's built modules for, you can showcase your products and let Squidoo pull in the product picture, price, and item information for you. If you have your own online store which Squidoo doesn't know about, use Squidoo's text, link and image modules to build a virtual storefront or product catalog pointing back to your site. You can even add a Paypal button to a Squidoo lens.
- AFFILIATE MARKETING: This is the big bucks method that many of Squidoo's top earners use. Affiliate marketing services like Share a Sale and Comission Junction have a pool of business clients with items they want to promote. You, as an affiliate marketer, sign up to promote whichever products you like. If a reader purchases something through an affiliate link on your lens, you earn a commission!
Note however that Squidoo has had to impose a limit of 9 outbound links to the same domain per lens, with some exceptions for "trusted" domains. See "About the limit on "overly promotional lenses" for more info.
An Example "Squidoo Merchant Module"
The Amazon Spotlight Module
ACTION FIGURE- SETH GODIN MTG
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 11/26/2009)
How many users of Facebook, eBay or Zazzle know the staff members of the host company by name? How many of those companies sell their CEO's action figure, which could double as a voodoo doll? I'm not sure what it says about Squidoo, but this item made me laugh when I discovered it using the "find products" tool on a Squidoo Amazon module.
Five Ways That People Use Squidoo
And Ten Example Lenses to Show You How
"Can you make money on Squidoo?" is an important question.
However, earning money is by no means Squidoo's only function! Squidoo members create lenses for many different purposes.
Here are just a few of the most popular ways that people use Squidoo.
Inform, Teach and Educate
"Everybody's an Expert."
One of Squidoo's mottos is: "Everybody's an expert." We all know a lot about something. Squidoo's customizable modules (widgets, bulding blocks) let us integrate original content with videos, pictures, links, and dynamic content drawn from the web.
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Lapbooking
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Lapbooking can be done by any learner-- from preschoolers to adults. With this educational method, you make mini-books covering details that you've studied. After making a variety of mini-books about a larger topic, all the books are put together in...
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Thirteen Days in October: The Cuban Missile Crisis
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In the summer of 1962, the Soviet Union dispatched a fleet of commercial cargo ships filled with nuclear missiles, launchers and anti-aircraft guns--all under false manifests--across the Atlantic Ocean to Fidel Castro's Cuba. Forty thousand Sovi...
Earn Commissions With Affiliate Marketing
... Without Sounding Like a Commercial!
Instead of just telling you to BUY BUY BUY, these lensmasters write useful, fun articles, weaving in affiliate sales links related to their topics. Notice the "Latest Information..." automatic blog search embedded into RMS' lens.-
Stuffed Animal Toy Organizers
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Most parents understand me when I say they are being invaded by Stuffed Animals. Kids just love their plush friends, but parents think they take take up too much room and it can become overwhelming. I too have been faced with this problem, but have f...
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How to Start a Vegetable Garden
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Do you want to learn how to start a vegetable garden? This is a collection of the best vegetable gardening tips from my site, Fresh Cooking From Your Garden. It includes everything you need to know to grow your own garden&nb...
Promote a Business or Blog
Content Is STILL King... But Even Kings Need Trumpeters!
Squidoo is designed to make your content attractive to search engines (which crawl it daily) and readers. Alexa rates it as one of the top 500 websites in the WORLD for traffic! Squidoo's traffic stats tools help you monitor and target visitors.-
9,000-Mile Bicycle Tour
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In July, 2008, I embarked on a year-long bicycle tour to celebrate my fiftieth birthday. I wanted to accomplish as many goals as possible in that one year. The backbone of the adventure was to be a 12,000-mile self-supported bicycle tour around the p...
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Thomas R. Clifford
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I am an award-winning corporate video documentary filmmaker. My films are like having your own PBS show...on caffeine (they kick!) My blog is dedicated to inspire people in sales, marketing and communications to produce their most innovative and...
Squidoo Co-Brands
Why do some Squidoo lenses look different?
They're Squidoo co-brands: different styles of Squidoo lenses with customized features. Look at the bottom of this page under "Cool Stuff" for gateways to Squidoo co-brands.
Support a Charity or Raise Awareness
Share Your Passion While Helping a Cause
Squidoo's philosophy is that we can help others while helping ourselves. Lenses can be set to donate earnings to Squidoo charities, pre-screened to ensure that they're known, legal nonprofits. Squidoo is proud to have donated over $100,000 last year!-
Jackie Robinson: The Story of an American Hero
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On April 15th, 1947, Jack Roosevelt Robinson stepped onto a baseball diamond in Brooklyn, New York. Photo credit: J.R. Eyerman Buy at AllPosters.com That was a few years after African-American soldiers came home from defending America and freedom i...
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Lions, Fu Dogs and Bears (OH MY!)
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Animals make fascinating subjects for artists. Here you'll find unique sculptures of lions, fu dogs, bears, cats, wolves and other animals. I'll showcase my sculptures plus other artist's creations. I'll also include interesting facts about the ani...
Just For Fun
Entertain, Amaze and Amuse
Squidoo's versatile modules allow us to be creative and present topics in so many ways: not just through multimedia, but by adding "Duels" (two-sided guestbooks allowing debate) and "Twitterstorms" (Twitter conversations).-
Word Game on Twitter
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Let's play Wordola! To win, all you have to do is solve the most scrambled-word puzzles. Look for my Tweet, and let's play Wordola! The player with the most wins at the end of a one-hour playing time is the winner. There will be a tie-breaker game if...
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Pirate Fun
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What is it about pirates that bring out the kid in all of us? From games to movies to costumes it seems like playing at being a pirate is always a good time. You'll find a treasure trove of Pirate Fun here for the whole family! Avast ya bilge rat...
"Show Me the Money!"
Real-World Results and Squidoo Earnings
That's all well and good, but you want hard numbers, right?
While most Squidoo members are wary of sharing their stats with the world, a few post month-to-month results. See how much Janet21 earns on Squidoo and Rwoman's Squidoo stats. Here's my own Squidoo stats, typical of someone who treats Squidoo as a hobby. Here's Pastiche's Squidoo Stats, not about money but traffic, showing how members can use Squidoo's tools to attract and track a particular audience for their content.
You might want to read Captain Squid's blog post on his first lens to earn $1000 a month, although this is of course exceptional.
Two years ago I invited visitors to my most popular lens to share their Traffic Stats and Squidoo Earnings via anonymous polls.
The poll numbers are skewed towards people who haven't been on Squidoo long. Even so, it looks like a minority of lensmasters -- about 5% -- are making upwards of $5000 a month with 200-500 visitors a week for their typical lenses.
A Squidoo Success -- And a Squidoo Bust
A Tale of Two Lensmasters
PotPieGirl, aka Jennifer Ledbetter, is a determined work-at-home-mom who's made Squidoo the centerpiece of her make-money-online campaign. She's used its income (and that from several other online sources) to pay for family vacations, bills, and as a buffer against the economic downturn.
“To me, getting to $50 a day was a turning point. The learning curve had lessened and I knew that once I could make $50 a day, there was NO telling how much I could make after that crucial landmark was achieved."
~ Excerpt from a How to Make 50 Dollars a Day Online on PotPieGirl's excellent blog on Squidoo, SEO and affiliate marketing
Gordon Hamilton is a former member of Squidoo who used to make thoughtful posts in the members' forum. He recently returned to say:
“I really do love Squidoo. It is so friendly, has so many wonderful people and I have made so many wonderful friends and acquaintances but unfortunately I have a living to earn and it has quite simply got to the stage where I have given up with Squidoo as a potential income generator. It is the best social site on the Web - bar none - but its revenue generating capabilities I have found = zero. Eighteen months of back breaking effort and zero success."
~Excerpt from post by Gordon Hamilton, "Looks Like Squid-Bye," March '09
Read the rest of the thread for responses from Squidoo members. (Gordon -- sorry to single you out, but your post demonstrates there are two sides to any story. Best of luck with your other online endeavors!)
Squidoo Earnings:
The Bottom Line (My Own Opinion)
It's easy to make $20-50 a month with original, useful, interesting content.
$100+ a month takes many lenses, merchant modules, social media promotion and search engine optimization.
$1000+ a month takes affiliate marketing, experience, and longterm hard work.
YOUR TURN: Is Squidoo a Scam?
You Decide!
You've seen my stats and estimates. You've browsed some Squidoo lenses. Hopefully you've now got some idea now about what Squidoo is and how it works. It's time for you to weigh in on what you think about all this!
If you're a Squidoo member, feel free to share your own experiences, positive or negative. No flames, please, but I really do want to present an accurate view of what Squidoo is like for different people!
Is Squidoo a scam?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byNo! And here's why.
KimGiancaterino says:
Excellent overview. I've had a lot of success with the co-brand SquidZipper, which I use to attract customers for my mobile notary business. I was getting zero leads with paid notary directories. My SquidZipper lenses don't cost a penny, in fact they make a small profit every month.
Posted November 13, 2009
Kharadriisa says:
I love this place and I've yet to get paid, but that's because i'm new. I have all the faith I need in this site and I know it will pan out into something wonderful for me.
Posted November 13, 2009
Tipi says:
I asked a stranger on another site last, where I could go to make money on-line. I explained that I was new to this kind of thing. He recommended Squidoo to me and I tried it. I started making money from revenues and some sales, and every month it increases. I am sold on Squidoo as a way for me to share what I know and make money for charity and myself. I'm still learning, but I'm pleased with the progress of my goals. I get paid every month through PayPal from Squidoo. Its a great site and I sure appreciated that guy for directing me to it. I think of him every now and then; never did find out if he was a member or not.
Posted November 13, 2009
TimArends says:
It's not an either-or thing; you don't have to make money directly on Squidoo. Squidoo can be used as a way to direct visitors to an outside profit-producing site.
Posted October 27, 2009
Alfiesgirl says:
I suppose it depends upon what brought you and why you came to Squidoo in the first place doesn't it! I found Squidoo by accident as i was browsing the web in search of something or other and the fact that it was a place where i could write and be read was what drew me in..there was no mention or promise that money would come flowing in for me if i signed-up..in fact i had already written two lenses i think before i found out that people could actually get paid for Squidooing..i joined and have stayed here for the sole intention and sheer pleasure that i get from writing. The fact that i am not here to earn a quick buck gives me the fredom to write about whatever takes my fancy without having to do all the extra leg-work that money-making-squidooers have mentioned as well as giving me the satisfaction in the knowledge that people read and rank n vote for my lenses because they choose to without my driving them or leading them there.i guess that the world is my oyster on Squidoo..or my squid..hmm maybe the squid is my oyster lol..Tina
Posted October 16, 2009
Yes! This is why I still think it's a scam.
Mortira says:
I don't actually think it's a scam, but I do think that the earning potential of serious and exceptional lensmasters could improve if there was less tolerance for individual lenses that are themselves scammy and spammy.
The cream rises to the top, but the stuff at the bottom is like a big vacuum. It really sucks!
Posted April 03, 2009
Oh... One Last Thing...
I've showed how people make money on Squidoo.
I've showed just a FEW of the ways people use Squidoo.
I haven't mentioned one BIG reason people use Squidoo.
It's FUN!
Want to Try?
The Squidoo Community Is There For You!
Where to Go For Help, Critique and Feedback
- Squidoo's Member Forum: The Lensmaster Lounge
- Get help, feedback and encouragement from fellow Squidoo members! Don't miss the "Squidoo Crash Course" at the top of the "Tricks of the Trade" forum.
- The Squidoo Answer Deck Headquarters
- Answers to almost every Squidoo-related question, plus two free e-books teaching you how to get started with Squidoo, and tips and techniques from top Squids!
- SquidLog: A Squidoo News Magazine By and For Squidoo Members
- Squidoo news, tips, tutorials and resources, plus commentary drawn from some of the great Squidoo-related blogs around the web.
Some Useful Lenses on How to Squidoo
What You Can Do...and What You Can't
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Squidoo SEO: Help Search Engines Send Traffic to You
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Welcome to Part III of "Greekgeek Squidoo Tips: How to Get Your Lens Found!" This final part focuses on search engine optimization. If you surfed here from the web, Part I was Ten Steps to Build an Appealing Lens (or Webpage) while Part II...
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SquidDon't!
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It's simple: given our pedigree, our point of view and our dyed-in-the-wool, we-will-never-change-our-mind conviction on this issue, spam is not okay at Squidoo. This page outlines our thinking on the issue. It supplements our terms of service. Don'...
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Exponentially Compound Your Squidoo Earnings With Affiliate Marketing
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There are lots of reasons to become a lensmaster, and one of them is to earn money for yourself, your company or a worthy charity. And Squidoo offers lensmasters many ways to earn money. A lensmaster can earn money directly from the rankings of thei...
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I'm a Lensmaster! What now?
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This lens deals with the ins and outs and tricks and tips that will help you make your next (or first) Squidoo Lens. Other information you should read (if you haven't already)... All About Squidoo: What others have had to say about Squidoo, and it...
About the Author
Who Is this Greekgeek person, anyway?
I'm not Greek, I just love ancient Greece. I've got a masters in classical studies and have taught Latin. Frictos cum ista cupisna? ("Do you want fries with that?")So how do I use Squidoo? Mostly to take a brain break from graduate studies, which explains my erratic bursts of procrastination creativity and longer absences.
I love making webpages about interesting topics from ancient Greek warships to sea slugs to baseball. I've been creating webpages like these since the dawn of the web just for fun, but there's a certain satisfaction in actually earning money for them.
I have a teaching bug which manifests itself in writing tutorials. In fact, one of my lenses, How to Build a Pyramid Kite, is a recycled webpage I first posted in 1994! I've also written a lot of tutorials on web-related topics like CSS Codes and How to Align Graphics on Webpages.
Finally, like half the internet, I feel compelled to show off my adorable cat.
Here's what Squidoo knows about me:
Lensmaster Greekgeek has been a member since May 4 2007, has rated 401 lenses, favorited 84, and has created 99 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "GreekGeek's Squidoo Tips: How to Get Your Lens Found". See all my lenses
Guestbook for Visitors
Shameless Plug Widget
Tweet it! 
Stumble it!
Rate it! 
Favorite it!
Got a comment that you don't want to Tweet or add to the Duel? Sing out! Note: links in Squidoo guestbooks are nofollow (invisible to search engines), so please don't drop a link here just for the sake of building backlinks!
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Reply
- theraggededge theraggededge Nov 16, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
- Keep heading upwards! Great lens - thanks for sharing so many other good lenses too.
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Reply
- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Nov 13, 2009 @ 9:59 pm
- Blessed by a Squid Angel. I agree with triathlontraining... this lens really needs to be in the Top 100 for Squidoo Tips!
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Reply
- triathlontraining triathlontraining Nov 13, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
- Now THIS is a lens that deserves to be in the top 100 (as apposed to a certain other one in my opinion).
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Reply
- Tipi Tipi Nov 13, 2009 @ 1:31 pm
- This page represents Squidoo very well. I've been a member for about 1 1/2 years and I can confirm that it is not a scam site. Scam and Spam are against the terms of use here and will get shut down when found. ~ Great job on this!
Blessed by a Squid Angel,
Susie Lehto - Fargo, ND
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Reply
- Tipi Tipi Nov 14, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
- Good to see this lens went from 124 to 56 since yesterday. I pulled out all the stops blessing it yesterday, because this is nice press work, and you are most excellent for its creation. Its interesting to read what other folks have written so far. I'll want to stop by once in awhile to see what's going on. ~ Blessed again!
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by Greekgeek
Greetings! I'm not Greek, I just love ancient Greece.
I'm a graduate student in mythological studies -- want fries with that? -- using the web to sha...
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