SEO Tips and Tricks

Authentic, unique, valuable content is a cornerstone of Squidoo. In fact, part of our policies and TOS states that this is what we're here for. We actually have a phrase for it: UUU.

Useful
Unique
Updated

Does your content offer value to someone? Is it useful?
Is it unique? Is it something we can't find anywhere else?
Is it updated and relevant to recent events? Stale content doesn't perform well.

Content that fits the UUU criteria creates a magical attraction with readers. I don't know any lenses that are useful, unique, and updated that don't become instant hits when shared with others. This is often a challenge to master, especially for lensmasters that came to Squidoo under the false impression it was an affiliate marketing, mlm, or get rich quick site. Squidoo is first and foremost a dedicated place to share quality content. We hold charities dear to our hearts, and lensmasters have the potential to make a little extra cash for charities or themselves. Everything else is a bonus; content is king.

You can learn more about writing content with our Content Mentor, Barkely.

Worried about plagiarism? Keep in mind that we don't allow copy and pasted content on Squidoo. Learn the differences at Is it Plagiarism?

1. The primary tag of your lens will make your lens end up on top of the whole list of lenses that use that tag. That is, unless the lensrank of your lens is over 100,000. It's good to find a very popular tag to use as a primary tag, as long as not too many lenses are using it as their primary tag.


2. Choose tags similar lenses are using, not just the tags you think would fit. In general it's best if at least 4 other lenses are using that tag.


3. Check tag pages to see if your lens can come on the first page of it based on it's likely lensrank. Use tags where you CAN get your lens on the top 20 for that tag page.


4. Create one tag unique to your lenses. This could be your proper name or your lensmaster name if it's not a keyword. This will help your own lenses show up in the 'Explore related pages' bit at the right side of the lens.


5. Squidutils uses primary tags to categorize lenses. You will get your lenses some extra links by using a primary tag that's used by at least two other lenses in the category your lens is listed in.


6. Don't use more than about 20 tags.

I don't expect you to get all this right. If you don't, please do make sure you don't use orphan tags: tags that nobody else is using. Those really don't help your lenses at ALL.

More about optimizing tags for squidoo

Titles can be tricky. Sure, there's the easy way out.

All about Grapefruit
Pogo Sticks
My Dog Rosie

Boring! Does that really describe your lens? Does it make potential readers want to read more? Does it tell people, "Pick me! I'm different, I have just the unique information you're looking for."

Another no-no is a vague lens title; something that would make an edgy novel title won't necessarily be good for your lens.

There are a few titling tricks readers love.
1. Numbers: 101 Dalmations, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Six Sigma. We like numbers
2. How to: How to Teach Kids to Fish, How to Slip-proof your Bathroom, How to Build a Finch House
3. Personal stories: Surviving My Heart Attack, My Time in Iraq, How I Live with MS

Book cover courtesy of ksifl and a Creative Commons license.

When we focus on search engines it is very easy to forget about the people who visit your lens. However, getting them involved is a good idea - even for your search engine traffic. This is referred to as user generated content. That is: your guestbook, submissions to plexos etc. Why is this good SEO?

Users use the words they would type into google to describe their issues and opinions.

That is: they will automatically help you get your content optimized if you ask them the right questions.

Do feel free to delete comments that aren't on topic

The short answer is: because you don't have links to your lens.

In other words: The way to get your lens indexed in google is to build links TO your lens.

This can be done through posting on squidu, building a blog and linking it there etc: all the classic ways to get links to your content.

But wait: are you SURE your lens isn't indexed yet? The only way to be sure is to copy paste the URL ( http://www.squidoo.com/spiritualitys-lensography or something) into google. Your lens should be the first result.

If not try: site:http://www.squidoo.com/spiritualitys-lensography That way you should ONLY get your lens. Google will tell you if it doesn't know it exists.

Most people who say their lens isn't indexed really mean that when they google the title, their lens doesn't show up. This only means your lens doesn't RANK yet. Not quite as serious, though still frustrating. However, the cure is the same: build more links TO your content.

Still not convinced? Read my article about an indexing experiment.

You don't. You build links to your lens so search engines discover your lens organically. There is a way to submit lenses and websites to google, but it doesn't help to use it. Even if google knows about your lens, it will only show it to users if it has links to it.

In my time on squidoo I see two common and related mistakes.

The first is impatience. While you should definitely do your best to promote your content, it can sometimes take a while for the traffic to come. Even when it does come traffic will probably, if you're doing well, continue to grow. That means that just because your lens doesn't get traffic in the first month, that doesn't mean it's a failure. It just means it doesn't get traffic.

The second mistake is, in my opinion, worse: deleting content. I see people delete content that has been linked to. Even if that lens is never going to get more than one visitor a week, if it has links from outside your own account, keep it in. Those links (even one is enough) helps your OTHER lenses rank higher. Even if your lens does NOT get links from outside your account, it is still content that google has indexed. If nothing else it is useful for the links it provides to your other content.

If you decide that your content is better off on your own site, don't delete the lens that hosted it. Instead you should keep up the description and link back to the new place it's hosted. That gives your new website it's first backlinks. And while you're at it: why not keep up an amazon module as well. Who knows, you might even still sell something.

Backlinks = links to your web properties.