Squidoo Review

When Squidoo first hit the Net, I went and created a lens (which was a weird name I thought) and then I yawned. “So What?”, I thought.

I’ve kept Squidoo in the back of my mind for most of the year and finally within the last month the light bulbs finally began to go off (better late than never I suppose).

While I still think the name is weird and the metaphor of “lenses” too obscure for the masses, Squidoo can provide a lot of value for established websites, new websites, and those who have never created a website.

What is Squidoo?

Let me give you my definition first, then I will provide theirs.

I define Squidoo as:

one page mini-portals

Squidoo’s own definition:

1) thousands of people creating a handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online 2) a free and fun way to make your own page and get traffic 3) a place to find what you’re looking for, fast.

Squidoo is trying to appeal to two groups of people. Content Developers and Information Searchers. On the one hand, Squidoo provides the ability for ANYONE (even the truest beginner) to create content. On the other, Squidoo wants people to use Squidoo to FIND content.

The light bulb went off a few weeks ago because I realized three things:

1. Squidoo lenses could drive traffic to established websites
2. At the least, squidoo could help develop the brand of a website or author
3. Squidoo could be a way to get a new site crawled

What really convinced me was finding well written lenses. These lenses were a great resource about their particular topics.

The practice of creating a good Squidoo lens is the same as creating a good website. This makes it ideal for beginners. Beginners can create a lens and practice the art of content development without having to invest in much of anything. Squidoo offers the opportunity to get our feet wet. By creating one page mini-sites you can learn how solid valuable content generation can attract visitors.

As I have been creating and modifying my lenses over the last couple of weeks, I became convinced that all webmasters should take the time to try and develop a good lense. It has been unbelievably helpful in understanding my own content and evaluating my own website. It has helped me look at my website differently.

Lessons learned from creating lenses:

• Value – creating a lenses of value attracts visitors. The same is true for larger websites. However, it is a lesson often missed.
• Content – content creates value. Particularly, original content
• Links – pointing people to other resources beyond yourself creates value. It is debated in some circles, but I personally believe the more recommended links I provide to my readers, the more they appreciate my site. Why? Because they don’t have to go searching for the quality websites themselves.
• Topical Snapshots – well organized topics tend to feed readers the right amount of information. Creating a lense is a create way to evaluate the way your own website is organized.

Following posts will discuss further Squidoo tips and tricks. Hopefully at the end I myself will have a few polished lenses that I can share with you.