Passive Income and Targeted Website Traffic through Squidoo
Ranked #2,355 in Business & Work, #93,086 overall
A Beginners Guide
If you are not familiar with Squidoo lenses you may think that they are difficult to create. However, their creation is simple once you learn the basics.
A Squidoo lens is an excellent source of passive income, and its creation is totally free. It will also send targeted traffic to your websites, blogs, or affiliate products.
A Squidoo lens is an excellent source of passive income, and its creation is totally free. It will also send targeted traffic to your websites, blogs, or affiliate products.
As a business owner I'm always looking for ways to send targeted traffic to my websites. Squidoo lenses are hailed by many people as a great traffic source. However, writers who have no idea about how to create Squidoo lenses, find their system too complicated; especially when it comes to html coding. I am one such person.
In 2008, I decided to try creating my first Squidoo lens, but my first attempts were not successful at all. I had no inclination or time to study this subject. I was feeling overwhelmed with all the information I found.
I abandoned trying to figure out the squidoo system, but this summer I decided to take it seriously. After studying it for a while and finally learning the most important requirements for creating a successful business lens, I managed to collect the basic information one needs in order to easily accomplish this goal. However, I took too much time looking for this information.
This is why I decided to share my findings with you, and help you understand how to create nice Squidoo lenses in a short period of time, without having to read numerous lenses until you find what you need.
This is also an opportunity I have to capture your attention and make you care about my business.
If you are reading this lens right now your main purpose is obviously to make money through Squidoo lenses, either by using them as a passive income stream, or by using them in order to send traffic to your websites and sell your products. I hope you'll attain your first goal, but I want to make you have also a second goal, which should, in fact, be your first one; look for happiness.
Money will facilitate your life in many ways, but you'll have to solve too many difficult problems on your journey. I advise you to learn how to find health, wisdom, peace and happiness by visiting my lens collection once you finish learning how to create Squidoo lenses.
You need money only in order to pay your bills and have a decent life. However, you need the knowledge you'll acquire by learning the importance of dreams in order to find protection from all dangers, and in order to find authentic happiness based on wisdom and love.
Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com
Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).
Description
A Squidoo lens is also a collection of related information concerning a given topic providing a comprehensive resource for visitors requiring such information online.
A Squidoo lens compacts everything together. It showcases many different products from various stores, while giving information, guidance, suggestions, and any other pertinent information, concerning a certain topic. This is why a lens usually attains high ranking levels in the search engines.
How to Begin
Go to www.squidoo.com, register; or begin creating your lens by clicking the tab "Create a Lens" in this lens. You'll then be directed to your workshop.Your first step is to choose a title and a domain name for your lens. Choose wisely as the domain name cannot be changed. Before beginning, familiarize yourself with popular keywords that internet users type in the search engines in order to find your topic. To do this, use tools like Google Adwords Keyword Tool, which is free and very effective.
If your lens is about "How to Make Delicious Chocolate Cakes", hyphenate the words in your domain name.
The search engines and your readers will find your lens easier if your URL will be: http:www.squidoo.com/how-to-make-delicious-chocolate-cakes.
The Introduction Module
First plan how your lens will be created and after it has taken a definitive shape, you then can complete the "Introduction Module". Creating the introduction at the end will enable you to provide a better description of the content you are providing.
Exposing and Selling Many Different Products
A Targeted Audience
However, have in mind that you must select products related to your lens' content so that they may be exposed to a targeted audience.
Amazon Spotlight - Exposing One Special Product
A Very Effective Option
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Amazon Search
Another Very Effective Option
Anchor Text
Hidding the URL
You don't need to know html coding in order to build wonderful lenses, but you have to know how to use anchor text. This way you'll be able to hide the long and ugly URL normally found in your links, and cover it with a description of its content.This procedure is necessary because you will want to suggest additional links for your readers which you will either embed within the body of your articles, or place under your texts when you use the text module.
After you publish your lens, the word "cakes" will appear highlighted and linked to your website in your article. When your visitors click on your highlighted text they will immediately connect to your website. Your readers will not actually see the coding; only you can see it when you are in your workshop, working on this specific text module; what they will see is the word cake.
Repeat the same procedure whenever you want to use any kind of link in your lenses.
Selecting The Modules That Will Compose Your Lens
In your workshop you'll select the modules that will compose your lens. Modules are the various parts of your lens, distributed in small blocks.
There are text modules where you post your articles and pictures.
Other modules are various small stores inside your big store which is the lens itself. Each module sells products from a certain website. There are modules with Amazon products, modules with eBay products, and so on.
There are other types of modules, with pools, pictures, etc. However, the basic modules are the ones where you sell products that will be purchased by visitors to your lens; the text modules provide your visitors with basic information.
New Text Module, Great Stuff on eBay, Cafepress, etc.
Delete the Ugly Default Title!
Remember to delete the ugly default title that appears in each module like "Great Stuff on Amazon" and let the module appear without any title. You can choose the products you like, or let Amazon pick them based on your tags.
Only use titles in your text modules, or in a module where you want to call attention to a certain product by giving it more emphasis than other products you may be promoting at the same time. You can decide whether or not you want to add a description or review about the product under the title, in order to make the product more compelling. This procedure of adding a description or review works well in the Amazon Spotlight module. Otherwise, you should simply delete the default title.
Choosing Products
In the beginning you may like the idea of choosing all the products that will appear in your lens, but as you create more lenses, you won't have time to come back to each one and change the eBay products manually when their auction is coming to the end. You will also waste too much time looking for related products at Amazon or Cafepress. So, let eBay, Amazon, and Cafepress automatically pick the products they will promote based on your keywords (tags), unless there are specific products in these stores (or in other ones) that you want to promote.
Page Break
Adding More Pages
You can add more pages to your lens, but it would be better to create more lenses about other aspects of your main topic instead of using page-breaks to add more content. However, you are free to add more pages to your single lens when you want to expose many things at the same time, even though you can do so in a single page as well. There are successful lenses that use the page-break module in order to add more pages, but they are not so common. If you decide to use this feature, be sure to add a link under your first page sending your visitors to your page-break, so that they may find it. Many people don't know that lenses can have two or more pages even when they see the additional pages' tabs at the top of a certain lens.
Click on Add Modules, and select Page Break.
Back to The Introduction Module
Table of Contents
Once your lens is created, go back to the Introduction Module. You should write a short dynamic description about your lens' content, which must incite your visitor's curiosity so that they are compelled to read more.
Then click on the tab "Contents" selecting the modules you want to appear in your lens' table of contents.
The Discovery Tool
Getting Traffic
Finally, click on the tab "Discovery Tool". Add the links of three lenses related to your topic which were created by other lensmasters, so that they may promote your lens, the same way you'll promote their lenses in yours. Reciprocity is an important component of the Squidoo community and it is a good way to begin getting traffic.
Here is where you find in a lens the lenses selected at the Discovery Tool. You must check if a lens has the Discovery Tool on before linking your lens to this lens.
The Importance of The Discovery Tool
You can see where your traffic comes from by looking at the stats for a lens and clicking on the [Traffic] tab. Under Referrals you'll see a link to 'squidoo.com' - when you click on it, it will expand to show all the lenses that are sending traffic to your lens. Some of this traffic will be coming via the Discovery Tool.
(thefluffanutta)
I have a lens that gets zero search engine traffic, despite my best efforts, but it has a competitor lens that quite honestly stinks. They get tons of search engine traffic and their visitors leave to see my lens that is in their discovery window in the side bar. 100% of the traffic I get on that lens comes from theirs. So, I think the discovery tool is super important as long as you take care to have better lenses than your competition.
(thrivingmom)
One of the great advantages of the Discovery tool is that it is on the side bar which is clicked more often. You can tweak the tags so that it will show up all your lenses if you use some of the tags from your own different lenses.
(SereneSea)
Finding Other Lenses Related to Your Topic
The Squidoo Search Tool
You can find other lenses related to your topic when you type your keywords in the Squidoo search tool positioned at the top of all lenses. The best lenses regarding your topic will be displayed. Choose the ones you prefer and pay attention to their lens ranking. You want to choose lenses that have a good ranking in their category - from 1 up to 2000. The lens ranking defines a lens' position. Link your lens to the lenses that have a low lens ranking number, since it means that they are in the top positions. In other words, a ranking of 1 is the highest position available.
Last Modules
You should always add the module "My Lenses" in the end of each lens. This way you'll expose your own lens collection in each new lens you create. This module should appear before the Guestbook, where your visitors will leave their comments.
Your last module should be the one entitled "Featured Lenses" where you'll promote around 5 lenses that are related to your topic and were created by other lensmasters. Again, this added feature will earn you a better ranking.
Add more tags (keywords) and get more traffic!
See "Tags" in the sidebar
A Smart Detail
Add the Lens Love Widget to Your Lens
The Lens Love Widget appears in all lenses by default (in the beginning and in the end).
However, you can use it in the middle of your lens, in order to remind your readers to give it a Thumbs Up.
Click on Add Modules, and select the Lens Love Widget.
Here is how it appears in a lens.
(I added the light blue background color. You can do the same by following the instructions you'll find at the lenses I suggest. Or, just post it without any background color.)
Don't forget to add the Lens Love Widget to your lens!
Otherwise, your readers may forget to Squidlike your lens.
I just visited a beautiful (very long) lens. I left two comments and I blessed this lens (now I'm a Squid Angel) but I forgot to Squidlike it. Fortunately, I saw at my dashboard that I didn't Squidlike this wonderful lens, and I opened it again to show it my love.
Then, I remembered my lessons at this lens and I came here to tell you that when you ask your readers to give you a Thumbs Up in the middle of your lens (especially if your lens is too long) you are simply reminding them to do something that they would surely do for you, if they would remember to Squilike your lens.
So, it's very important to help your readers remember to give you a Thumbs Up if they love your lens. Don't be ashamed to ask for their vote.
When you ask for a Thumbs Up you are in fact helping your readers show you that they liked your work, and they want to see your new creations. This is the mindset you must have.
Another Example
In order to do the same, you have to click on Add Modules, and select: Blackbox, Talk Bubble, and then the Lens Love Widget.
However, you must have a certain number of Squidoo points in order to be able to use the Talk Bubble.
In the beginning you should use the simple version.
Later you will improve your lenses with many interesting tricks.
Did You Like This Web Page?
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
How to Change The Position of Your Modules
You can add new modules to your lens after creating and publishing it. You can also place each module in any position you may desire. It doesn't have to be your last module, even though when you'll select it, it will be the last module in your list.
Simply click on the module you have added with your mouse, and drag it to the place you believe it fits better. You may desire to put your new module under the introduction module because you forgot something important. There is no problem.
You can also change the position of all modules if you believe that a new arrangement would be better. For example, you may realize that it's better to put the module My Lenses under the Guestbook, otherwise your visitors will visit other lenses before leaving their comments.
Organization
Simply click on the My Lenses module in your list with your mouse, and drag this module under the Guestbook module. Then click on Apply so that the new position may be saved.
You will notice in my example that my Guestbook has a title: Do You Have Any Questions?
It's a good idea to make a question to your visitors at the Guestbook title. It helps your visitors understand that you want to learn what they think about your lens.
In this picture you can see how I dragged the module My Lenses, until I could put it under the Guestbook module, which is entitled: Do You Have Any Questions?
Follow this procedure whenever you want to change the position of a module at your lens.
You can place each module wherever you may desire, and whenever you may desire.
However, it's a good idea to be organized instead of having the trouble to drag new modules to the middle of a lens.
Before creating your lens, make a plan on a Microsoft Word document.
Write down the content of your lens, and select each module you will add before having the trouble to create the lens. Otherwise, you'll keep adding new modules that you forgot to.
Test Your Skills
The best way of learning how to create Squidoo lenses is simply by beginning to make them. Test your skills. As you begin adding modules to your lenses, and adding your articles and links along with pictures, you'll find that creating lenses is a very simple practice.
Giant Squids
You have to create a few lenses in order to start making money from them. This is a process that takes some time, but it is worth it if you pay attention to the basic details necessary to guarantee your profits.
You are not paid for the number of visitors your lens receives, only for the sales you make. However, each lens receives a royalty fee which is shared with the Squidoo community since there are many ads displayed in each lens.
Helpful Lenses
Here are a few Squidoo lenses that will help you learn how to improve your lenses, and how to make money with them:
automatically generated by Flickr
Promoting Your Lenses
You should also participate in the Squidoo forums in order to promote your lenses. Post their links to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Here is a good place to begin:http://www.squidu.com/forum/
Read everything you can about Squidoo in this forum, and you'll learn all the details about this platform. You'll find a friendly community willing to help you achieve all your goals.
Post each lens' link also to:
Lensroll
She Told Me
The Automated Traffic Bot software is a real-world, legitimate traffic generation tool. Most importantly, it will never get you in trouble with the search engines.
Automated Traffic Bot automates the finding of people asking questions. It automates what should be automated and leaves the human part of it to you, just how Yahoo! likes. This is how you make the search engines love you and your websites!
Success!
You will be generously rewarded for your work if you pay attention to the important details that will transform your lenses into a constant traffic generator and into a passive income for years to come.
Important Detail!
Update Your Lenses!
Lensrank and Traffic
Here are two excellent lenses that will show you how to regularly update your lenses so that they'll always have a good ranking, and always get traffic.
Pinging
After updating your lenses, besides informing your friends at Twitter and Facebook, you must also PING them!
However, before pinging them you have to find their RSS.
However, before pinging them you have to find their RSS.
Now go to:
http://pingomatic.com/
Under Blog Name, write down your lens' title.
Under Blog Home Page, write down your lens' URL.
Under RSS URL write down your lens' RSS.
Select all available options by clicking on: (Check All)
Then click on: Send Pings
http://pingomatic.com/
Under Blog Name, write down your lens' title.
Under Blog Home Page, write down your lens' URL.
Under RSS URL write down your lens' RSS.
Select all available options by clicking on: (Check All)
Then click on: Send Pings
Repeat the same procedure whenever you update a lens.
Join My Affiliate Program And Sell Original eBooks That Will Thrill Your Customers!
Widgets
You can promote your lenses, your blog, or various affiliate products by using the widgets you'll find at your dashboard.
Click on Manage Widgets, and select the modules you prefer.
Here is where you find the widgets in a lens.
My Lenses
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Hypersapien
May 27, 2012 @ 7:37 pm | delete
- Awesome lens! This is extremely helpful.
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karinimanning
May 20, 2012 @ 3:08 am | delete
- thats very helpful squidoo lensbuilding tips, thanks for sharing them.
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Spectresoft
Apr 6, 2012 @ 10:52 am | delete
- Haha! I did not even know of the Lens Love Module! Thanks for that tip!
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Mujjen
Mar 19, 2012 @ 1:10 pm | delete
- Very good advice. Utilizing the tools to the full will help all of us to get more traffic!
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nettieadena
Feb 27, 2012 @ 1:01 pm | delete
- Good advice. I added the Lens Love Widget to the middle of my lens like you suggested. Never would have thought of that! Thank you.
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TotusMundus
Feb 18, 2012 @ 12:17 pm | delete
- Truly excellent, very, very helpful informative lens. Everything major that I need 'under one roof'. Thank you.
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Hypersapien
Jan 17, 2012 @ 1:13 pm | delete
- tstanding job on this lens. This will help me in my own efforts on Squidoo. Thanks!
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XxSadieLadyxX
Jan 16, 2012 @ 10:00 am | delete
- Great Info!
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XxSadieLadyxX
Jan 16, 2012 @ 10:00 am | delete
- Great Info!
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ajgodinho Jan 6, 2012 @ 10:52 am | delete
- Lots of valuable information here on how to use Squidoo effectively from the start. It helps a lot to do things right the first time. Of course, it's difficult to get everything right, but that's the beauty of Squidoo lenses, they can be tweaked as you go along and that way they are kept fresh as well. Stay blessed! :)
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sponias
Jan 6, 2012 @ 3:36 pm | delete
- Thank you for your nice comment, Ajgodinho! The words of an expert like you will surely inspire and encourage the new lensmasters who are reading this lens.
The fact that Squidoo lenses can be modified many times and in many different ways is a big advantage. We can improve a lens until it will become perfect.
However, it is also important to follow the right steps from the beginning, like you said. Otherwise, we have to waste a lot of time correcting various mistakes.
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puyer19
Jan 6, 2012 @ 9:02 am | delete
- Hi, nice lense btw! Great job and good luck with it!
geo targeted email marketing
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Ysis
Nov 29, 2011 @ 6:56 am | delete
- Hi,
although I have created a few lenses I haven't used their full potential yet.
What you present here is very methodical and it will help me to organise my work better. Thank you
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cashstudent101
Nov 13, 2011 @ 10:49 pm | delete
- there sure is a lot of information you have given here. i will start using it after i get a lot more lenses made.
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sponias
Nov 13, 2011 @ 11:43 pm | delete
- You have to follow my guidance before creating lenses the wrong way. Otherwise, you will have to correct many mistakes.
I teach you how to organize the entire process so that you may directly create perfect business lenses. I also teach you how to get enough traffic. You should read all the lenses I recommend.
First of all, you have to spend some time studying, but later everything becomes very simple. Once you get used with the system and you follow the right steps, creating lenses is very easy. You will really enjoy this practice.
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gbailey Nov 12, 2011 @ 8:35 am | delete
- Very inspiring and detailed lens. I have been following this guideline lately for increased success.
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SuzyShopping
Nov 8, 2011 @ 7:27 pm | delete
- This is a great lens - full of useful information!
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makeupbrush
Nov 3, 2011 @ 11:59 pm | delete
- Thank you so much for sharing the info. They are nice and clear. It is easier to learn it from somebody than to figure it out myself.
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NevermoreShirts
Oct 24, 2011 @ 10:40 am | delete
- Great info!
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JoshK47
Oct 24, 2011 @ 10:31 am | delete
- This is an absolutely marvelous resource! Amazing work!
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wolfie10
Oct 18, 2011 @ 3:50 am | delete
- verygood lens. very informative for beginners.
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rogerdoger48
Oct 16, 2011 @ 7:36 am | delete
- Thank you for this very excellent Lens! Very helpful info. You must have put your heart into this one. I too like to help people earn income at home. I just published my very first Lens yesterday. Not too good I am afraid but I think the message is good! RogerDoger48
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Tipi
Oct 14, 2011 @ 11:28 pm | delete
- What a wonderful abundance of information you have created here, definitely helpful to newbies as they move through those first lens creations, very well done!
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spiritualll
Sep 28, 2011 @ 3:05 am | delete
- I learned how to create squidoo lenses after reading this lens. Thank you!
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Rankography
Sep 6, 2011 @ 8:55 am | delete
- nice lens and good helpful resource. Thanks for sharing.
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Helpful Lenses
by sponias
I continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream... more »
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