Ten Ideas for Tier 1 Lenses

There are many Tier 1 lenses which rely heavily on traffic from Squidoo. HTML tips lenses are good example. I didn't want to include any ideas like that. I simply want a lens which if it is pushed into the Google top ten (ie the front page of search results) it should have enough traffic to support a Tier 1 lens. Blessings, ratings and the like all affect LR so it's not a science, it's a guestimation. But my estimate is that a lens should be aiming for 1,000 visitors a month as a minimum to make Tier 1, preferable a shade more. (Based on summer 2009.)

I've also estimate that a lens on the front page of Google should get about 2% of the traffic for the main search term, with perhaps half as much again from other search engines and secondary search terms. Again, that's a guestimate rather than precision numbers. Putting those numbers together that suggests targetting search terms which have 35,000+ searches performed each month.

I've then done a quick search on Google and Squidoo for the key term and rejected any ideas where there is an incumbent Tier 2 lens (ie a lens with a LR of 10,000 or better).

Remember there is no guarantee for any of these ideas and everything assumes as well you manage the promotion required to push your lens to at least #10 on Google.com

There is also the possibility that somebody else will beat you to it!

Monthly search volume

165k

Search term matches

1.2m

Ratio

1:7

For most of these ideas it seems to be a case of competing on search terms which have 1m+ matches on Google. Few of those have such amazing traffic volumes though. Crack this and your traffic stats could be really pleasing!

I suspect in this case thought that the SEO isn't the problem. How on earth does one right a great lens about agoraphobia? Twitter maybe? I couldn't even work out how to illustrate it in this module. I personally wouldn't know where to start with this one.

Monthly search volume

60k

Search term matches

1.8m

Ratio

1:30

I've had some success with my saxophone lenses and I think there is further mileage in them. If you are looking for an alternative, how about Bass Clarinet? I guess if nobody picks up on it, I could give it a go an cross link to my saxophone lenses, but I've got bigger targets in mind so it's not on my priority list. However, if anybody does go for it, I'd appreciate a warning so I know to take it off my list.

Update: I really probably will make this one myself.

Monthly search volume

50k

Search term matches

1.1m

Ratio

1:22

This looks a very promising search term. The only drawback is 3 or 4 lenses presently sat with a LR in the 8,000s, but they are speciifici chili recipes. There looks to be an opening for a general chili (as in the plant and hot food) lens. That could then easilly support any number of chili recipe lenses and there are clear opportunities to merchadise cookery books and equipment.

This could spin off into lenses about growing your own chilis (I have a friend who has done that) and lenses on chili cooking and eating contests. It has the potential to be a great niche.

One for the cookery fans probably.

Monthly search volume

33k

Search term matches

7.4m

Ratio

1:224

Rabbit runs are usually wire mesh and are intended so that rabbits can run around in the garden and eat grass. It's highly competitive and seems a very dull topic to me but I suspect if somebody cracked the nut there's a Tier 1 lens in that would merchandise well. Perhaps the biggest issue is I can't see how it could easilly be extended to child lenses. Too dull for me.

Monthly search volume

90k

Search term matches

1m

Ratio

1:11

This is a topic whose day has apparently passed but which still generates amazing interest. That ratio is monthly searches to the number of pages is a really excellent prospect. Merchandising might not be too great, although old film posters from eBay may make a good line. Child lenses would obviously be some of the movies and stars from them.

Monthly search volume

33k

Search term matches

155k

Ratio

1:5

On the face of it this looks like an enticing prospect with only 155k matches. For a potential Tier 1 lens that's minimal competition, but I'm worried by traffic potential. The traffic is probably only enough for a Tier 1 lens if you can either get it above #10 in Google of build traffic from other sources. However, in terms of SEO the top four matches are two each from the BBC and Wikipedia which are probably entrenched. My guess is that for an SEO master there is a Tier 1 lens with minimal work compared to some other subjects but for others it could be merely a Tier 2 opportunity.

Merchandising opportunities also look limited.

Monthly search volume

50k

Search term matches

2.6m

Ratio

1:52

Halloween is one of the most popular subjects on Halloween. I sometimes think I am one of the few Giants who doesn't have Halloween lenses. Until I spent a Halloween in California I didn't understand the fuss - Halloween in England is largely a non-event, at least in my area. Still there are probably still gaps on Squidoo and Halloween Treats may be one of those.

The photo is mine. If anybody wants to use it that's OK so long as you attribute and link to my main blog.

Of course I have saved some ideas for myself! Going through it like this turned up a few ideas for me. Some I already had planned. For instance I want to push my lens on Egypt's famous Valley of the Kings much harder. It's 60,000 searches a month for the key term so if I can get my lens at the top of Google it's a sure fire Tier 1 lens. My Ancient Egypt blog is hovering around #13 (as of 8th September, 2009) so I would hope that I can push both it and my lens into the Google top ten over the next month or so. But I'm eyeing several other Egyptian lenses as candidates as well. They will all help feed traffic between themselves if I get it right.

While researching this I spotted the possibility of writing a lens about Highland Fling Steps. It's made a steady Tier 3 lens but it feels as though there should be a series in it somewhere.

There are other subjects though. One is a companion to my saxophone lenses but while compiling this lens I found two more great topics - one a travel lens, and the other a music lens. So I have my hands full. Time is my constraint, not ideas. So if you think you can turn any of these lenses into Tier 1 successess, by my guest. You are most welcome. Getting more traffic to Squidoo ultimately helps us all.