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January, 2010:

Which Backlinks Count for SEO?

Jan 16th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
5 comments

This is  a huge question. Different tools find different backlinks. For example, checking my Free Web Graphics -- How to Get Them (Legally!) lens on SquidUtils' Backlink Checker, I get this:

This URL has 1000+ links from 6 domains.

  • angelfire.com 1
  • annbrundigestudio.com 20
  • digg.com 1
  • mythphile.com 25
  • squidu.com 952
  • squidutils.com 1

(Once again demonstrating the  limitations of social media for SEO, since the links from StumbleUpon, Del.ici.ous. Tagfoot and others don't show up.)

1000+ backlinks is pretty good, right? Well, yeah, assuming (a) all search engines see the same backlinks as Yahoo Site Explorer (the database SquidUtils uses), and (b) all search engines count those links as relevant. But of course, they don't.

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Updates to Squidoo Modules List

Jan 13th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

There have been a few recent modules added to the Squidoo module browser. They're listed under "new" at the bottom, but haven't been filed under any category, so the only way to find them is to click "Browse all modules" and then search for them by name. They are:

  • iTunes - earn commission, feature iTunes tracks
  • My Lenses - show your lenses filed under a certain category or topic.
  • RSS Mashup - show recent posts from several RSS or blog feeds.

Click links above to see them demonstrated on my "Secret Squidoo Modules" lens!

NOTE: All of these have NoFollow links, so "My Lenses" isn't the best way to get link juice from a lensography. But the content is crawled/indexed/seen by search engines.

Also, did you know? The Netflix module is commission-earning too!

I've been adding and updating my complete list of all Squidoo modules, so you might want to stop by and browse the list or download a new, updated version.

Controversies & Hoaxes Draw Web Traffic

Jan 9th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

My Photos of Apollo Moon Landing Sites From Space lens has existed for a month, and looks to be a long-term second-tier lens with 50 visitors a week and a fair number of clicks. Those two factors will help this lens maintain its lensrank.

Here's the steps I took to make this effective lens.

1) Find a controversial subject LOTS of people are talking about, and/or notice something in current news/buzz that people may look up.

I follow space news, and heard there were some new cool photos of moon landing sites. When I searched for them on the web, I ran into a whole pile of people claiming the moon landings are a hoax! (This would be news to my Mom's friend Neil Armstrong.) A number of people were asking why there were no photos of moon landers from space. Aha! A question that can be answered with a Squidoo lens! Juicy debate and controversy! Perfect for getting traffic. Now, how to target it...

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Quickly Check Your Webpage for Broken Links

Jan 7th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

Here's a handy tip! Squidoo lensmaster carriewhite asked in the SquidU forums for a feature to check for dead links on lenses, and thefluffanutta of SquidUtils said there's a number of free online tools for that.

I tried the W3 Link Checker as Fluff suggested, but its interface is a little intimidating and hard to understand for Jane Average Web User.

After poking around, I would like to recommend the following free tool: iwebtool's Broken Link Checker.

It limits you to 5 checks an hour unless you're a paid subscriber. That seems fair enough! The interface is simple: a check means a link is working, a red x means it's broken.

"You Have No Right to Traffic"

Jan 3rd, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

I was just rereading Seth Godin's The Nine Free Things Every Site (Or Lens!) Should Do, which is the link SquidU's Answer Deck gives you if you click "How do I get more traffic?"

As usual, Seth is simple and short, whereas my own 3-part Squidoo tips tutorial on how to build web traffic is in-depth and too long.

One of Seth's points jumped out at me:

You have no right to traffic. If you're lucky, and GOOD, you earn some.

You'll earn it when you do something daring, interesting, useful, provocative, free, compelling, emotional or urgent.

Hurry.

I've said this in other ways, but never quite so bluntly: YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO [WEB] TRAFFIC.

There are millions of fascinating, useful, incredible, wonderful, exactly-what-people-want web pages out there. A web user will never see more than a tiny fraction of them. So why should anyone pick your page, out of all those pages, to visit? Why stay there? Why read it?

It's up to you to make it worth their time.

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