Table of Contents 

• Squidoo? Lenses? What Gibberish is This?
• My Experience as a Lensmaster
• Mistake #1: Not Enough Modules
• Mistake #2: Not Enough Content
• Mistake #3: Few or No Pictures
• Mistake #4: Not Enough Tags
• Mistake #5: Not Having a Bio or Personal Picture
• Mistake #6: More Ads than Content
• Mistake #7: Poor Writing
• Mistake #8: Unrelated Content
• Mistake #9: Not Changing Default Text
• Mistake #10: Never Updating the Lens
• Mistake #11: Not Allowing Contact
• Mistake #12: Expecting Overnight Success
• Mistake #13: Thinking Your Lens is Perfect
• Mistake #14: Stealing Content
• Mistake #15: Going Crazy With HTML
• Mistake #16: Spamming Guestbooks
• More Helpful Lenses
• Penny for Your Thoughts
• Purple Cow

Squidoo? Lenses? What Gibberish is This? 

An Introduction to Squidoo

Squidoo is a place that lets you build mini sites for free. These mini sites are called "lenses," although I also like to think of them as web articles on steroids. Many people use Squidoo to write about their hobbies and passions. It's also...

My Experience as a Lensmaster 

I have a confession to make: My first lenses sucked. They had all the marks of a newbie's efforts: Few modules, no pictures, and not very much content. Blech.

I know how to make good lenses now, and I've even had one lens chosen as a Lens of the Day. But to reach that point, I had to study other lenses and read tips from more experienced "squids."

If you want to learn how to make the best lenses possible, I'd recommend doing the same.

Mistake #1: Not Enough Modules 

Your lens needs to have at least three modules (not counting the guestbook or introduction) to be featured, that is, to show up in Squidoo search results.

Some new lensmasters create lots of content for their lenses, but they make the mistake of dumping it all in one or two modules. I once saw a lens that had nothing more than an exceptionally long introduction module.

Bust up your content into different modules. Make each module zero-in on a specific topic like a magnifying glass. Not only will this help your lensrank, it will make your lens easier for people to read.

Mistake #2: Not Enough Content 

Sometimes a lens just doesn't have enough content to be interesting or useful. It's possible to have a lens with lots of modules and very little substance.

Without good content, your lens will suffer. There's a lot of stuff to see and do on the internet, and if your lens doesn't offer anything of value, your visitors will go elsewhere.

Mistake #3: Few or No Pictures 

You Need to Add Pictures to Your Squidoo Lens

"And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?"

Just as Alice appreciates a book with pictures, people appreciate a Squidoo lens jazzed up with pictures. Humans like visual aids. I guess that's why they invented pie charts.

Try to include at least one picture in every text module, preferably more if it's a long one.

Mistake #4: Not Enough Tags 

How Tags Help

This is another thing I didn't know about for a while, but it's very important: Adding relevant tags to your lens helps it come up higher in search engine results.

Why's that? Well, clicking on a tag leads to a page that lists all the lenses using that tag. The more tags you use, the more you generate extra links to your lens.

Google likes sites that have lots of links pointing to them, so tagging helps give your lens an extra boost.

You can have up to 40 tags for each lens. Have at least 15 tags to start with!

Mistake #5: Not Having a Bio or Personal Picture 

Who are You?

People pay attention to that little corner where your name and profile appears. They want to find out who you are and why you made this lens. You don't want them to see this: "This is my bio. I can edit it later!"

When you add a picture of yourself or an avatar you like, eventually people will start recognizing you. They'll say, "Oh, that's Jim_Bob, he always does such great lenses about tractors. I wonder what else he's been doing lately?"

This is all part of branding. Use it well.

Mistake #6: More Ads than Content 

It's fine to fill your Squidoo lenses with Amazon modules, but please, balance it out with good content! If you have Amazon modules and little else, you just come across as someone who's trying to make a quick buck. You're not giving value to your readers.

Entertain us, inform us, knock our socks off! Then maybe we'll think about buying something.

Mistake #7: Poor Writing 

Some people go into "professional-business-guru" mode when they write for the web. They may ramble, load their paragraphs with buzzwords, use stilted language, and bury their key points in verbosity. They're trying to sound professional, but that kind of writing style doesn't hook readers.

Some folks are way on the other end of the spectrum: Their writing is filled with misspellings, poor grammar, misused punctuation, and muddled sentences.

You should write clearly, but you should also let some personality shine through. In other words, try to write the way you wish you talked.

Also, be sure to break up your writing into smaller paragraphs. When people see a large block of text, they may not bother reading it.

Mistake #8: Unrelated Content 

If your lens is about gardening, why have a module promoting Tommy Hilfiger clothes? That's an extreme example, but this kind of situation comes up a lot.

Everything on your lens should tie straight into your topic. If the connection isn't obvious, you'll need to explain it to your readers.

For example, on my lens How to Prevent Lost Luggage, I promote Toy Story 2 DVDs. When I was working as a baggage agent, I always wanted to tell people to watch this movie. The airport scene gives you a pretty good idea of what happens to your bag once you check it in!

But I couldn't just slap an Amazon module there and expect people to figure that out. I had to explain the connection.

Mistake #9: Not Changing Default Text 

If you add a guestbook to your lens, please remember to replace the default "New Guestbook" title with something else. If you add an Amazon module, replace "Great Stuff on Amazon" with your own caption. And so on.

If you don't, your lens won't be as professional as it could be. People will notice and think, "This person must be a noob." Even if you are a Squidoo newbie, you definitely don't want them to think that!

Mistake #10: Never Updating the Lens 

It's best to think of each lens as a work in progress. Try to go back and add something new to each lens you make. Keep it fresh.

Updating your lens gives people a reason to come back, and it helps keep your lens from sinking in lensrank. Oh, and Google likes sites that update periodically.

Mistake #11: Not Allowing Contact 

What if someone wants to tell you how much they appreciate your lens? What if someone wants to ask you a question? Don't hide from your readers by not allowing them to contact you.

You don't have to worry about spam when you allow contact on Squidoo, because no one actually sees your email. There's a nice little form between you and your readers. It comes complete with an "anti-spam" tool that stops bots from contacting you.

Mistake #12: Expecting Overnight Success 

Some new lensmasters create one or two lenses and expect to make money or drive traffic to their website right away. Although this happens sometimes, this is not the norm. When it does happen, it's usually a result of picking just the right popular niche and going all-out to make a darn good lens.

Even if you have a fantastic Squidoo lens about a popular topic, it will probably need a little time, updating, and promotion before it gives you satisfying results.

Mistake #13: Thinking Your Lens is Perfect 

This is dangerous thinking for any lensmaster, but it's especially harmful for someone who's just starting out. Unfortunately, almost all of us have a way of tying our fragile egos into everything we make.

Sure, maybe you worked hard on your lens. Maybe you spent hours on it. But that doesn't mean your lens is perfect. You may need a cold, impartial eye to give you a verdict.

If you make a lens and ask for critiques in the SquidU forum, don't do it if you're just looking for praise. Do it because you want honest feedback.

Mistake #14: Stealing Content 

Google Penalizes Duplicate Content Anyway...

Copying someone else's article, pasting it into your lens, and passing it off as your own is bad, bad, bad. Just because you found it online does not mean you're free to republish it as your own!

Copying content from multiple sources, cobbling them together, and changing a few words is also a big no-no. You're still not creating original content.

If you must use someone else's content, at least ask for permission and give them credit for their work. However, it's far better to write your own stuff or hire a ghostwriter to do it for you.

Besides, Google devalues duplicate content. If Google recognizes your content from elsewhere, they could penalize your lens.

Mistake #15: Going Crazy With HTML 

Most new lensmasters don't know much if any HTML, so Squidoo mistakes involving CSS and HTML are actually not very common. However, the ones who know just enough HTML to be dangerous will sometimes do things like display their text in bright, funky colors. Or change the background color of their text modules to lemon yellow. Or change the font to Comic Sans MS.

Sadly, these faux pas are almost as old as HTML itself. Tutti-frutti text colors didn't look good ten years ago, and it doesn't look any better today. It's hard on the eyes and kind of a turn-off. Please avoid doing this.

Mistake #16: Spamming Guestbooks 

The last thing you want to do is make a bad impression. Leaving vacuous, self-serving comments on other people's guestbooks just to promote your own lenses is bad manners. Such comments frequently get deleted.

You should leave thoughtful, intelligent comments that show you actually took the time to read the lens. People appreciate that. If you sound interesting enough, someone might click on your name to see what kind of lenses you've made.

If you do include a link back to one of your lenses, it should be RELEVANT, and it should add to the discussion. Even then, think twice. Many lensmasters deal with so much guestbook spam that they disable the ability to include HTML links in comments.

More Helpful Lenses 

What I Look For In A Lens! by a Squid Angel

First off, it is an honor to be one of the first Squid Angels on Squidoo and I take this responsibility very seriously. There are a great many lens makers here on Squidoo that are keen on improving their lenses; to increase traffic, lens rank and pos...

Squidoo Tagging Tricks: (how to get more visitors and a better search engine ranking using only tags)

Adding tags to your lens is a great way to get found by more people. Through Google, through Squidoo Search, and through lensmasters clicking on their own tags links. Basically, tagging is very very good. But only if you know what you're doing. So...

How To Squidoo And Change The World

Creating a Squidoo lens can help make a difference in the world or your little corner of it. Would you like to raise awareness and/or money for a good cause? Find a missing child? Tell someone you love them? Get an animal adopted? Show people how to...

Penny for Your Thoughts 

What do you know of some other common lensmaster mistakes? Want to leave some feedback? Feel free to sign the guestbook!

sarahjjac thanks! I am still new at this and I was wondering how to get people to check out my lens and let me know what I need to do to them? Posted July 21, 2008

Jofelyn Great advise, short and precise. It's true that the main attraction of squidoo is to earn money but along the way I stumbled upon interesting people with interesting things to say. It keeps me up at night checking the numerous interesting articles here.I am loving being a part of this community! Posted July 21, 2008

MsMorrison helpful! i added more tags after reading this. great lens! Posted July 21, 2008

59rjv Another great find. I'm working on my second lens and your tips will come in handy. This should be required reading for all newbies and would make a nice refresher course for experienced lens masters. Posted July 18, 2008

Mickie_G I love the look of your this lens. Especially the pictures in the modules all being on the same side and being the same size. I need to rework my lenses. Thanks for your hard work! Posted July 17, 2008

 

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Purple Cow 

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

by Seth Godin

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/25/2008)

"Good" isn't good enough anymore. You've got to be remarkable. This book by Seth Godin is more or less an essay on the idea of getting attention by standing out.

After all, how many purple cows have YOU seen? If we saw one, it would be worth talking about...