This Week's Project: Squidoo

For those who have not yet encountered Squidoo, it is a site that allows you to create your own web page (known as a "lens") about any topic that you are passionate about. Squidoo allows you to include a combination of pictures, text, voting modules and various other modules to make your lens stand out from the crowd. Most importantly, Squidoo is FREE.

For those of us trying to make some extra money, Squidoo offers some oportunities. Firstly, within each Squidoo lens there are Google Adsense ads. But the model of revenue here is slightly different than for your own website - you don't earn per click within your own lens, you receive a proportion of Squidoo's overall Adsense income depending on traffic to your lens. Another way of making money from your lenses is through direct affiliate income, primarily through the specific Ebay, Amazon and CafePress modules that are available. There is also nothing to stop you putting your own affiliate links into your lenses.

Finally, what your lenses can also provide are valuable backlinks to your own website or blog. Squidoo lenses even allow to add an RSS feed to them, so you could, if you so wish, add a feed from your blog to one (or more) of your lenses.

So far, I have really only dabbled and put together a total of just 6 lenses and made a grand total of just $0.44! I have put down my lack of earnings to a number of factors:

1. Not enough lenses
2. Not enough traffic

3. Not enough thought given to how I have incorporated the affiliate modules.

This week then, I have decided to make a start on rectifying this. Firstly, by updating and improving my existing lenses, both in respect of content and in respect of the placement and incorporation of the affiliate modules. After that I need to construct more lenses. I aim to put together at least 3 more lenses this week - this doesn't sound much, but I want them to be good and so will require a bit of research.

Also, if I am to improve on my so far mediocre traffic I need to participate in the community aspect of Squidoo, including rating other lenses and participating in the forum. One other thing I want to try is to promote one of my lenses through Link Referral to see if that improves traffic.

If you want to check out my progress then click here.

Or perhaps try making your own lenses by clicking here. This is a referral link - if you join via this then when your balance reaches $10 then you get an extra $5 into your account..........and so do I!