Newbie Lens-Making Mistakes on Squidoo

6 Common Mistakes in the Introduction Module

of a lens

• 1Newbie Mistake: On a first lens, one often sees all the text and everything the lensmaster knows crammed into the introduction. Then there is nothing for the rest of the lens but a few Amazon modules.
  Recommended: Use the introduction as the teaser and the overview of what the lens covers. Save the content for modules further down in the lens.
• 2Newbie Mistake: I've seen whole introductions that barely mention the topic or keywords.
  Recommended: It's important for the first sentence to hook the reader and draw them along. Include a good sprinkling of the keyword or variations of it throughout the introduction. I'll put links below of great introductions, so you can get the idea.
• 3Newbie Mistake: Introductions with too much text are hard for internet readers to wade through.
  Recommended: Squidoo HQ suggests no more than 4 sentences in a paragraph. I like to see an open space between paragraphs. This makes it much easier to read.
• 4Newbie Mistake: no photo credits
  Recommended: Even if it is your own photo, say so at the end of the introduction.
• 5Recommended: Turn on the Table of Contents (a tab in the introduction). Google likes these.
• 6Recommended: Fill in the Related Lenses (another tab in the introduction). Put your own lenses if they are at all related to the lens topic. If you're really new and don't have other lenses, leave it blank. Don't forget to use it later once you have more lenses.

3 Profile Mistakes of New Lensmasters

• 1Not having a picture is a big mistake. You don't have to put a photo of yourself if you are camera shy, though readers do want to see that the article was written by a real person. It is OK to use a photo of your dog or a flower or a cartoon avatar. Don't change the profile picture too often as it confuses return visitors. (read more about Squidoo Branding)
• 2No bio is another mistake. You don't have to tell your whole life story. Just a few lines will do. People like to know where you are from (this can be general like a state, region or country). They want to know a little about your background (work, hobby, big passion in life). Again, this can be general. Don't give your employer's name or anything too personal.
• 3Neglecting to turn on the CONTACT button in the profile means you miss some important tips from other lensmasters and queries from readers. Lensmasters don't want to post a correction or suggestions for improving your lens in the public comment section for others to see.

3 Picture Problems of the Newbie

• 1Having no pictures at all makes a lens unappealing to readers. Squidoo makes sure you put an intro photo, but it is important to sprinkle photos or graphics down the page too. Break up long blocks of text by dividing them into multiple modules. That lets you put pictures with the different parts too.
• 2Stealing photos and graphics is a big NO-NO on Squidoo. You can't just grab any picture you see on the internet and stick it on your lens. Using your own photos is the safest way to go, but there are free use ones out there. Read more about using Zazzle images, public domain photos and creative commons pictures.
• 3No matter where you get your photos (your own, public domain, creative commons, zazzle, etc.) it is crucial to credit the pictures. No credits raise a red flag with Squidoo angels so you are unlikely to get any angel blessings and may keep you from other honors like Lens of the Day or a Purple Star.

Guestbook Mistakes Made by New Lensmasters

on Squidoo

• 1Putting the guestbook at the top of the lens. Yes, it is OK to put it anywhere, but visitors often think they've reached the end when they get to the guestbook. If they don't look further, they miss most of your content.
• 2Leaving the generic module title for the guestbook. Here's another chance to slip in your keywords, so don't miss it. You can ask a question to inspire you visitors to put more than just, "nice lens."
• 3Leaving the guestbook open to SPAM. If you don't set the guestbook to prevent HTML and don't have an email sent to you, then spammers can fill the guestbook with links to their Nike shoes and insurance links. The worst of this is that Google notices the SPAM on your lens and downgrades your page, sending you less traffic.

3 URL Mistakes

made by new lensmasters on Squidoo

• 1Typing in a long title gives you a too long URL (web page address). Unless you change the URL, it defaults to whatever the lens title is.
  
  You want the URL to contain your keywords and make sense to Google. Don't make it so long that someone typing it in would make a mistake in the URL. Here's an example of a URL that would have benefited from shortening.
  http://www.squidoo.com/the-scream-edvard-munch-the-scream-painting-edvard-munch-biography-buy-edvard-munch-paintings-online
• 2Incorrect spelling in the web page address. Check the URL to be sure you spelled the words correctly.
• 3URLs that end in a hyphen. As you create the lens and the URL, be sure not to leave a hanging hyphen at the end of it.