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Squidoo authority sites : how to create an authority site on Squidoo

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Strategies for Creating an Authority Site on Squidoo

Creating an authority site on Squidoo requires an adjustment to the traditional Web 1.0 mindset. In particular, it demands an understanding of the "open window" perspective of Web 2.0 and the collaborative marketing ethos of Squidoo. In using the Squidoo platform for your authority site, you are locating it in a community of lensmasters, which brings with it both benefits and responsibilities. A distinctive benefit of Squidoo is that the marketing genius of Seth Godin is embedded in the platform. along with Seth's emphasis on "permission marketing".

Photo credits: Photos taken of Stradbroke Island on a visit in 2008.
Ron Passfield Copyright. All rights reserved worldwide.

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 1 - change your mindset!

Unfortunately many traditional authority site promoters have been contaminated by the thought processes embedded in Web 1.0 technology.

When advising people on how to build an authority site they are employing a Web 1.0 mindset.

They are encouraging:

  • a competitive mindset ("thrash the opposition") - rather than the collaborative mindset of Web 2.0

  • obsession with SEO (engineered Search Engine Optimization) - rather than the natural organic growth of Web 2.0.

  • focus on a small number of keywords - rather than the long tail, tag focus of Web 2.0

  • self-centeredness - rather than the community consciousness of Web 2.0

  • focus on a single site - rather than the web ring orientation of Web 2.0

  • a trap-door mentality ("don't let them leave your site!") - rather than the "open window mentality" of Web 2.0

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 2 - Adopt an "open window" approach

Squidoo was designed to provide people with a window (lens) on a specific topic. Part of the rationale for this was to provide searchers with a quality experience where regularly updated, focused, comprehensive content is readily accessible.

If you are going to create an authority site on Squidoo, then it is important to encourage click-outs (not discourage them). This feeds into the purpose of Squidoo as a pointer rather than an end point. It also contributes to lensrank which has an impact on traffic to your lens.

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 3 - Create a lens ring

One way to reinforce your authority status is to build a series of five lenses around the theme of your central authority site. This enables you to provide more details on specific aspects of your primary lens, thus demonstrating your expertise.

This linkage between the lenses can be reinforced by the use of the "Featured Lens" Module, where related lenses are identified. An example of this is my lens on Online Learning Resources and the related Featured Lenses.

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 4 - Contribute to the Squidoo community

Squidoo is a social network so it is important to contribute as a community member. Ways to contribute are rating lenses, commenting, adding lenses to your favorites, joining the fan club of lensmasters, using the lensmaster messaging system and contributing to the Squidoo forum.

You can also join specialised Squidoo groups on other sites such as SquidLog and participate in the Giant Squid Open Mike.

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 5 - Lensroll relevant lenses

It's important to lensroll relevant lenses. The emphasis here is on relevance. Lensrolling irrelevant lenses does nothing for your own lens or for the owner of the other lens.

However, when you lensroll a relevant lens you are adding weight to your own lens, participating in collaborative marketing and building both your lensrank and your Google PR ranking. There's a lot of advantages for lensrolling other lenses - not the least of which is that it adds authority to your own lens!

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 6 - Create a Squidoo group

By creating a Squidoo Group on the focus of your authority site, you establish yourself as a leader in the area. The group adds weight to your Squidoo presence and helps you identify lenses to lensroll and to connect with like-minded people (another form of collaborative marketing).

Caveat: Do not create groups that are unfocused or that do not link directly to your focus. Creating a group brings with it responsibility to ensure the quality and interaction of the group. Before you start, check out the advice of the Group Mentor.

Authority Site on Squidoo: Strategy 7 - Collaborative marketing

Throughout the discussion on this lens I have highlighted the Squidoo ethos of collaborative marketing (a nice contrast from the dog-eat-dog strategy of the Web 1.0 mindset). As you build and share your expertise and that of other lensmasters, you are adding value to Squidoo, the community and your own authority site.

You can become quite proactive in the area of collaborative marketing. Not only will you be modeling sound social networking behavior, but also building goodwill. So you can actively promote other lenses on Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon and other social bookmarking and social networking sites. Squidoo facilitates this as well.

The Afterglow of an Authority Site on Squidoo 

Authority Sites on Squidoo : Featured Lenses

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ronpass

Ron here from Brisbane, Australia. I am the author of Small Business Odyssey, a blog about .

I am also Marketing Director and... more »

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