Creating a Successful Squidoo Lens

Okay, so I hope you enjoyed our discussion yesterday about Squidoo and have had time to check it out if you aren't already a lensmaster. Being a lensmaster can be rewarding on so many levels. I have found it to be a way to share my knowledge on a particular subject without having to update a blog several times a week or limit myself to only textual content. I'm able to use many tools including YouTube Videos, Flickr pictures, interactive guestbooks, and many other features to help my topic grow into a life of it's own. So, what are some essential ingredients, then, for creating a successful Squidoo lens? Well, in my experience, the key is the right modules, the right content, and the right layout.

Modules
The key here is to remember that you are creating this lens for a reader. While this may seem like a no-brainer, many lensmasters appear to forget this simple point. It can be difficult to write enough on a lens to make it seem "full" enough and many lensmasters make the mistake of adding multi-media "fill-in-the-blank" modules that unfortunately distract from the actual point of the lens. In order to avoid making this mistake, learn to think like your potential readership. If you saw the title of your lens and were intrigued enough to click on it, what would you expect to find? If it's a lens on gardening, it's unlikely that you will find many relevant YouTube vids on how to grow a potato, although I could be wrong! If you find a video that really backs up what your content is about, feature it proudly! Be sure to include, however, a type of "introduction" for why you chose to place the video or videos there and a brief explanation of how the module will add to the topic at hand. When possible, hand-pick your videos, pictures, products, etc. and provide a brief note about them. This extra measure might take some more time upfront, but it will keep your content very relevant, which is the most necessary ingredient for keeping your reader's attention.

Hint: There are lots of modules under the "Search A-Z" tab of the Add Modules page that you probably do not even know about! Some of them are next to useless, but some others can be very helpful! As always, choose wisely.

Content
Quality and personality is key here. If you have a lot of textbook answers, your average reader will probably get bored really fast. Use your introduction area to cover not only what your lens is about, but also lay out your plan to cover the topic. This gives the reader an immediate understanding of how you have designed the lens and how to navigate around it. This can be helpful even if you also offer a Table of Contents because it allows you to describe the message of entire sections of modules as a whole and prepare your reader to navigate within your page.

As far as text content goes, simple grammar mistakes and mis-spellings are simply not acceptable. By creating your Squidoo lens, you are asserting yourself as an expert on the topic, and faltering in the way you communicate what you know will often cast a shadow on your reputation and lose you readers, which will negatively affect your lensrank and ultimately your earning potential. If you have trouble editing your own work, find someone who enjoys it and ask them to proofread your content before you update. It shouldn't be that difficult since it doesn't have to be a piece of literary genius.

I should also mention here that the most successful lenses I have contain lots of relevant textual content. When creating a lens I want to succeed, I usually begin with a minimum of 5 Text/Write modules. Often, I end up adding more than 10, but 5 gives me a good start.

Layout
Squidoo makes creating a layout easy, in some cases almost too easy. With a couple clicks of the mouse and a few simple questions, Squidoo will spit out a layout based on why you are creating the lens. The possible trap in relying on Squidoo's layout wizard is that you do not actively participate in the process. I strongly suggest choosing the option "I want to do my own thing" when creating a lens. This will generate a lens with only the Introduction module on it. While it may look very bare at first, it is a clean slate. You can now think about the content you want to offer your readers, the modules that would be appropriate, and, most importantly, what the best order of these modules would be to take your readers from A to Z of whatever topic you choose.

In general, I suggest that the first module you add be a Table of Contents. If you want your lens to be successful, it will probably have to be somewhat long and detailed with lots of modules. As I suggested above, you will need at least 5 text/write modules, and finally, you will need a guestbook. The guestbook allows people visiting your lens to leave you a message, comment on your content, offer additional resources on your topic, etc. I consider it an absolute must-have module because it offers your readers a chance to respond to what they read. Also notice that I said "finally, you will need a guestbook". This is because the guestbook should go at the absolute bottom of your lens. No matter how many modules you have, any higher than the bottom is simply awkward. It almost intrudes on your content and you can be sure that any modules posted below your guestbook will be ignored more than if they were positioned above the guestbook.


I know this has been a rather long post, but I hope you have found it packed with useful information that will help you become a successful lensmaster. In my next post, I hope to address the topic of promoting your Squidoo lenses, so be sure to check that out. Until then, happy Squidooing!