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October, 2010:

Survey of Tier One Challenge Lenses (Pt. 1)

Oct 22nd, 2010
by Greekgeek.
1 comment

I've been tardy getting to all of the lenses in the Tier One Challenge. So to make up for it, here's a lightning tour. I'll give off-the-cuff comments on what make these lenses tick, suggestions if I've got any. Of course, I'm no expert-- take my comments if they're useful, or ignore them!

Here we go!

Linda's  Top Ten Horse Movies Christmas Gifts lens

(not the official title ... here, have some related anchor text.)

Great stuff: She's been busy with CSS to make it visually sharp (slightly larger type for grandparents, good call),  calls to action and benefit-specific copy (kids love horse movies and watch them again and again), and careful keyword research for both headers and body text.  Also she's doing all the backend work, off-site backlinks and promotion.

Possible tweaks: With review lenses, especially Top Ten lists, reviews can start sounding the same, so how do you encourage visitors to choose? Personally, I listen more closely to "I saw this great movie, and what I loved about it was...[something unique to that movie]"  rather than, "Oh, I loved it! It was my favorite! It's just fantastic!" Linda's got specific, thumbnail blurbs on the first six, which gives me a tiny taste of them. But say I've been living under a rock and I'm Sammy the 10 Second Surfer who's too laaaazy to click the videos (which are nevertheless a great hook for more leisurely surfers), I'd love to know more about the last 4.

EclecticEducation's File Folder Math lens

Great stuff: This Homeschool Club lens was the first to crack tier 1, and it's staying there-- no surprise! Eclecticeducation is an experienced teacher with a whole batch of great homeschooling lenses, building up a reputation and visitors who know what quality they'll find and come back. This one explains a homeschooling activity, has one (1!) quick video for people like me who had never heard of File Folder Math (Oh, now I get it!), suggests a few choice Amazon File Folder games (just a few!), gives a hand-picked list of File Folder websites (clickouts!), and then a featured lens module sending visitors onto closely related lenses in the same niche -- now that is a simple, well-organized lens firing on all cylinders.

Possible tweaks: *drool* Sorry, I got nothin'.

Timehacker/Nnaij's Nokia X-6 Review

Great stuff: Product-specific reviews are great: people don't tend to Google "phone" so much as "I want to know about THIS phone." This lens is well-optimized for the phone's name and related searches like features, apps, parts, details. LOTS of details. After all, geeks are one segment of this market, and geeks want details. Details are also good for search engines, which (I think) tend to prioritize concrete nouns ("[product] [model number] review" rather than "my incredible personal story which is an a great read but no one would ever think to Google for it.")

Possible tweaks: I'm always half afraid to say anything about product review lenses, since I know nothing about marketing. But I find this lens to be so full it's a little intimidating. It's got everything one can find on the net, even Facebook fan pages and Tweets about the phone. But I think I'd like a more brief, focused, personal review of the phone. Possibly the best thing there is a video demo of the phone, but I wonder if it would work better to have one demo than 5?

JollyvilleChick's 40+ Things My Husband Does Right

Good stuff: This is one of those "my incredible personal story which is a great read but who's going to think to Google for it?" lenses that I really want to see succeed. The writing is fun, the list is a great list of real, authentic things one can relate to in one's own life, and the underlying message is so good: keep that relationship going and stop to enjoy it by noting what he/she does that you love. It even manages to slip in a few products that will appeal to the spouses (especially gents) who might be reading this lens. Also, it's well-presented (lovely but understated CSS). She manages to slip in a few "selling stuff" modules like an apt iTunes theme song that are so appropriate that one forgets it's an ad. I think social media and word-of-mouth may help this lens have legs to make up for the challenges of SEO.

Another great thing is that by following excellent blogs and Tweeters on her topic, they may actually follow the social juice back and find the page. Which has good enough content that they might pass it on.

Possible tweaks: hmmmmm. Maybe when the challenge is over, I'd move the critique/challenge-related modules off the lens onto a blog post as a keepsake, just because this lens is a little long. But maybe not. It's a great lens.

Photahsiamirabel's Cute Cartoon Hedgehog Gifts Cards and Calendars

Good stuff: Oh, they ARE cute, and that lens logo graphic plus the simple yellow/green theme really draw you right in. This is a personal recommendation for someone's hedgehog art, which is best (yay for promoting a Zazzle artist), and there's excellent shopping opportunities interspersed with personal notes and comments that fit, plus one adorable hedgehog video module. There's some Hallowe'en art to catch seasonal traffic; I'm betting this will get fresh content for Christmas.

Possible tweaks: Tiny nitpick; I had no idea what "spinewise by mothlight" meant in the introduction module. Maybe quotes plus a link to the painting? Or save cryptic jokes for a little further down. Also, possibly, a poll module right after that video module on which hedgehog is the cutest-- but this would require hand-picked videos rather than letting YouTube pick. I would've been receptive to a poll right after watching those . (I click polls on things I don't have strong feelings about, whereas I don't participate in duels unless I have a strong opinion and something to say.)

Okay, it's late and I'm getting sleeepy. I will get to them all though, I promise! Stay tuned for part 2.

Great Ideas from the Tier One Challenge Thread

Oct 22nd, 2010
by Greekgeek.
3 comments

Since LindaJM started the Tier One Challenge on Oct 10, the challenge thread has grown to 15 pages. Way back at the start, Fluffanutta said:

People in this challenge need to think about how they are going to get their lenses to the top.
It won't be enough to simply drop a link in the forum - you need to work on the content of the lens: update it and add some fresh quality text. Add plenty of clickout opportunities and sale modules where relevant. Also, check the tags and build some new links from other related and authoritative websites.

That is an excellent, succinct summary of lens improvement and promotion. Take about 30 seconds to ponder it!

Besides that nugget of distilled wisdom, the thread has become a compendium of brief or not-so-brief notes on techniques we're using to improve and promote lenses. Here's a quick survey / summary of tips from all fifteen pages of the thread so far:

  • Write on-topic blog posts featuring a link to the lens.
  • Linda asked us to consider Three Key Questions in tweaking our lens.
  • Work on Keyword research, SEO, and Squidoo tags.
  • Add more interactivity (Polls, Duels, Plexos).
  • Add Amazon Spotlights, Zazzle, eBay, etc. (See my "Selling Stuff" Module list for which are commission-earning, and which simply invite clickthroughs).
  • Cross-link with one's other lenses via Featured Lenses module, Squidoo tags, or links in the body of the lens. Links from Squidoo's ever.com co-brand may be treated as backlinks from a different domain.
  • Post article on your topic, with link to lens, on Hubpages, Gather, Ezine, or other article submission sites.
  • Alex is pinging "reader services" with (I assume) the RSS feeds of lenses, and I need to know what he means by a "bookmark drip" (perhaps bookmarking on places like del.ici.ous and Tagfoot?)

Another Fluffanugget:

Send a SquidCast. Write a good paragraph or two telling people what the lens is about, and why it they might be interested in it. Something juicy that grabs them. If you've syndicated your SquidCast feed properly, then this message will go out across the blogosphere and social networks giving your lens more exposure and backlinks.

  • Promote lens with social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc). [Remember: social media is usually more effective as a way to reach people, not search engines.]
  • Look for places to post backlinks (comments on related blogs, but be careful to be a good contributor not a spammer), related subject directories.
  • Hard-core backlink building.
  • Modify module subtitles to target keywords, or alternate keywords (related searches).
  • Utilize Sidebar Widgets, especially Amazon Spotlight.
  • Tidy/tweak appearance, graphics, content!
  • See Jollyvillechick's Lens Promotion Followup Checklist and a whole slew of good ideas and another slew.
  • Join a discussion forum related to topic, participate meaningfully, include link in profile.
  • Add outbound links from the lens to excellent, relevant blog posts, or lensroll related lenses (says Fluff: these links add keyword-rich anchor text AND invite clickouts).
  • Twitter Search module to get updated, related content on lens (NOT Twitter Follow, which is not indexed by search engines).
  • Use Ping.fm to promote across all your social media accounts quickly.
  • Break lens into multiple, more focused pages using Page Break Module.
  • Add more clickable, specifically-named images for clickouts and image search traffic.

Finally, CCGAL has created a lensography for the challenge featuring all the challenge lenses.

And in fact, this post was GOING to be a survey of all those lenses, but I got distracted. So stay tuned!

Responding to Traffic Stats and Visitor Searches

Oct 20th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
2 comments

LisaAuch asked a good question in SquidU on how we update lenses (which could apply to any kind of webpage). My answer got longwinded, so I'm posting it here!

95% of the time, I confess, I assume I made a good page and don't update much. I'll just skim titles and images to see if anything jumps out at me that I could tweak. I'll trim a word or two since I tend to be longwinded. Then I hit publish.

During the 5% of the time when I decide to make a significant update, it's for one of four reasons:

  1. I have new content to add
  2. I've decided to improve the graphics and appearance,
  3. I've decided to improve the on-page optimization to increase traffic, or
  4. I want to add things people are more likely to want to click on (which boosts lensrank).

With 3, it's often because I've learned a new SEO method I didn't know before. For example, using words and phrases from searches related to my main keyword, rewriting titles so that the most significant keywords are at the start, or reviewing images to make sure their filenames and alt-names are concrete words and phrases like "pictures of the statue of liberty" that people are more likely to search for (as opposed to, "liberty").

One time consuming but powerful method is to

use traffic stats as clues on how to improve a lens

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Tier One Challenge: Week One Report

Oct 18th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

Status Report: Lensrank 3,497 on Oct 18, up from 84,121 on Oct 10

Weekly traffic: 137, up from 27. (Prior to about Oct 6, it was usually around LR 100K with 10-15 visits a week).

Summary: slow and steady progress.

It doesn't have enough traffic or clickouts to get above tier 2 yet, and it's not doing that great in the SERPs. I see some potential for growth there, but it's going to be tough.

Here's my in-depth stats breakdown for traffic sources, SERPs and more.

(more...)

The Snowflake Method of SEO

Oct 17th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
2 comments

Challenge Lens Status: 3,983 on Oct 17, up from 84,121 on Oct 10

I'd like to talk about the Snowflake Method of lensbuilding, based on the Snowflake Method of fiction-writing (which is a good lesson on how to write content). Your lens topic is the kernel of a snowflake. Like the grain of dust a snowflake forms around, that core idea, its focus, will determine the shape of what's to come, along with weather and moisture (competition and search popularity) and other external factors.

You can't control external factors. But you can control what's inside.

A healthy lens needs six things:

  • Focused, useful, interesting content.
  • Organization and a logical flow from one section to the next.
  • Graphics and visual appeal (CSS, varying text with visual elements).
  • Strong writing: good grammar and spelling; compelling, crisp text.
  • Avenues for conversion: links to click, things to buy, or another action you're directing your visitors towards.

(more...)

Make Search Results Sexy: Get More Clicks

Oct 16th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
1 comment

In my my Squidoo Search Optimization tutorial, I mention making search results sexy, including a Google Results Optimizer tool to help you do it.

Here's an example. Note that this is the secondary keyword phrase it's optimized for; it's at spot #2 for its primary keyword phrase.

How to Build a KiteSorry about the squinchy screencap, but it mimics what an actual user sees: they are scanning VERY QUICKLY for results, and don't spend a lot of time reading each entry.

With secondary keyword optimization, it's even more vital to make sure the blurb stands out from the rest. Note what I've got: (more...)

Digg the SEO Vampire: It Drinks Your Backlinks Dry

Oct 15th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

Just in time for Hallowe'en, I have an SEO horror story that's happening right now. You may even be a victim!

You think submitting your page to Digg will help SEO, right? Or at least, it can't hurt, can it?

Ha. Ahaha. Ahahaha.

In September '09, Digg announced that links would be NoFollow until they proved themselves worthy (lots of Diggs). And I vaguely remember a flap about the DiggBar totally screwing up SEO. I didn't follow the story closely because I don't use social media for SEO: social media means promoting your site to people, whereas SEO means promoting your site to search engines.

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Tier One Lenses: How Much Traffic Do They Need?

Oct 14th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
2 comments

Challenge Lens Status: LR 5648 today, Oct 14. Started at 84,121 on Oct. 10.

Many factors must sustain a Tier One Lens: a combination of traffic, clickthroughs, community ratings, sales, frequency of updates, and factors Squidoo keeps under its hat. (My guess: visitors interacting with polls, duels, etc; and maybe Squidoo counts it somehow if you're getting traffic from more different referrers.)

Different types of lenses find a winning formula in different ways, depending on the topic and the working style of the lensmaster.

For example, Jollyvillechick's 40+ Things My Husband Does Right will probably not be sustained by search engine traffic, unless her mention of battery testers or other specific products in the "he fixes stuff" section catches search engines' fancy. However, it's a well-written human interest lens, so it may succeed through social media promotion and word of mouth.

Other people's lenses succeed through sales and/or extensive social promotion and linkbuilding. Mine succeed primarily through a combination of traffic and clicks, a trickle of Squidoo community ratings, and the rare sale. I also re-publish every 60 days, but I only see a small 3-4 lensrank spike from it, so I don't rely on update frequency.

Therefore, I need to tackle each of the first four factors.

Let's talk traffic.

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Getting a Lens to Tier One: Action Plan

Oct 13th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
1 comment

Not every lens has content that can achieve Squidoo tier one. I have some lenses that aren't going to get above tier 3, or if they do, it would take tons of social promotion, and they'd drop back down as soon as I stopped.

So when I selected a lens to submit to the Tier One Challenge, I looked carefully for one with the potential to do better. I needed a lens where I knew why it wasn't succeeding, so I knew how to improve it.

Why it wasn't succeeding: quiz module content is not indexed by search engines, and it had little else besides pictures, so it was getting no search traffic.

Why it might succeed: Its topic satisfies 5 separate, overlapping searches/audiences: mythology, trivia quizzes, Athena, pictures, and paganism. The topic had the potential for clickthroughs and interaction, and maybe the odd sale. Also, it's in my primary niche. I have other lenses, blogs, a messy collection of sites and nodes I've scattered across the web that can be tapped for traffic and promotion.

Squidoo ratings and social promotion are great, but they are not enough to keep a lens in tier 1. A lens must be self-sustaining.

So now comes work. LOTS OF WORK. What have I done so far to improve my test lens' chances?

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Old Squidoo Lens Rises from Lensrank 100K to 10K in 7 Days

Oct 12th, 2010
by Greekgeek.
No comments yet

This is why SquidQuizzes need extra content.

Take a look at what happens to the lensrank of an old SquidQuiz when I supplement it with new content for search engines to pick up. A little promotion doesn't hurt either.

Average Lensrank -  Nov '09 to Sep '10: 105,197

Lensrank - Oct 5 2010: 101,282

Lensrank - Oct 12 2010: 13,824


Ten months in the life of a Squidquiz:

Squidquiz Lensrank by MonthBreakdown from SquidUtils:

Date Lensrank Visits
November 2009 127,995 1
December 2009 93,938 36
January 2010 103,854 66
February 2010 121,585 47
March 2010 110,926 53
April 2010 80,809 51
May 2010 118,422 48
June 2010 89,571 35
July 2010 122,344 43
August 2010 106,551 49
September 2010 103,974 52

Lensrank Last Seven Days:

Squidquiz Lensrank By Day

Breakdown from SquidUtils:

Date Lensrank Visits
30 September 2010 104,110 0
1 October 2010 108,284 0
2 October 2010 109,855 4
3 October 2010 106,819 4
4 October 2010 103,502 6
5 October 2010 101,282 4
6 October 2010 69,496 3
7 October 2010 75,158 1
8 October 2010 80,357 3
9 October 2010 84,138 4
10 October 2010 84,121 6
11 October 2010 25,125 18

So far so good, although most of this is not sustainable since it derives from SquidLikes which wear off in a few weeks.

However, as outlined in the first post for the Tier One Challenge, I've been laying the foundations for longterm improvements; the Squidoo social stuff is a side effect and not what I'm targeting. I see single search traffic results from Yahoo, Google, and Ask targeting the new lens content, and a couple visits from the LJ* post I made yesterday.

Today I'm going to work on syndication of Squidcasts and RSS feeds.

I already have a syndicated PR2 Livejournal blog that's several years old where I announce updates to Ancient Greece Odyssey, so I just announced the quizzes there, and I'll announce it on Mythphile.com as well, a PR3 site that's 2.5 years old.

I'm also going to finish updating related lenses, the other Squidquizzes in the series. I did most of them last week, but there's two still awaiting my attention. They all cross-link to each other, so they need uniform look-and-feel plus good content on all of them, which will attract traffic and drive some to the test quiz.

*(I'm both surprised and relieved that Livejournal, forerunner of MySpace and Facebook, has never registered on SEO / Social Media radar; it's only a huge social blogging community that's been around since the 90s! But it's not designed in an SEO-friendly manner like modern blogging software and sites.)
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