I made two new lenses on Squidoo today. Guess I had a sudden rush of inspiration come over me =) Ok - truth is that I came across some good keywords and decided to test them out. I like to test niche markets on Squidoo. The stats Squidoo offers on our dashboards are pretty good these days and that makes Squidoo a wonderful testing ground for potential niche markets I'm thinking of expanding on. And hey, Squidoo pays, too.... not a bad deal, is it?

Anyway, as I started making my first lens today, I wrote down what I was doing as I went through the lens creation process the way I do it. As I was looking over my notes I thought, "Hey, this would make a good blog post for my readers!" So - here we go:

How to Make a Lens on Squidoo

How PotPieGirl creates a lens.

Step 1: I call this step the "Chicken/Egg" step. You know, as in, "What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Before I ever step "foot" into Squidoo, I do some brainstorming first. Sometimes my brainstorming comes from a product idea, sometimes it comes from a keyword idea - hence, the "chicken/egg" nickname. Regardless of what came first, the keyword or the product, both product research and keyword research are required.

If I found a product that looks promising, I do heavy keyword research to find those little golden nugget keywords that have decent search volume but little competition. I use Wordtracker. Wordtracker is flat out the best keyword research tool around - hands down. (Note: Wordtracker is not free, but you can get a free trial run with it by clicking here)

On the other hand, sometimes I am playing around in Wordtracker and I find some sweet keywords, so then I do product research to see if there is a way to monetize my idea. Either way it happens, I always have at least one product in mind and a list of keywords to focus on.

2. Write my content: To me, having my main content written before I get to Squidoo to create a lens is very important. I can focus completely on my content and make sure it is keyword optimized properly before I get to messing with any of the modules, etc. I want to be sure that my content is high-quality and could stand on it's own without all the other whistles and bells. In essence, the above steps are just like article marketing.

Sometimes, I use PLR (Private Label Rights) articles for the content on my lenses. PLR means I didn't actually write the content, but I have rights to it that I can change it up, edit the article, and add my name to it as if it was my own work. Problem with PLR content is that most likely, it has already been indexed on the internet - meaning I am not using unique content on my lens. That's why I re-write the PLR articles to make them unique. I use a free web-based program called DupeCop to make sure my re-write is at least 30% unique from the original article. Therefor, my Squidoo content will be seen as unique content by the search engines and I won't suffer any duplicate content penalties.

3. Create a lens: Yup, time to go to Squidoo. I have my keywords, I have my content, and I have my products. I go to Squidoo, click "create a lens" and go through the steps.

-- First, I give my new lens a title. I don't stress over this too much because this can be changed at any time. I also always tend to choose "do my own thing" when asked what I want to do with my lens. Why? I guess just because I like working with a "blank piece of paper". I guess that is really just personal preference.

-- Second, I give my lens 3 main keyword tags. Again, not a big stress thing either - these tags can be changed and added at any time. Key thing to remember is that if your title is a strong keyword, make sure to add it to your tags.

-- Third, its choosing a url time. I believe the words you choose for your url are very important. I like to get my best keywords in here if at all possible. There are over a quarter of a million lenses in Squidoo now - odds are, your first choice might already be taken. Don't be afraid to use hyphens if needed - I use them all the time. I think that when someone sees your url on Google as a search return, that it is easier for them to read puppy-training-tips than it is to read puppytrainingtips. Google doesn't "read" hyphens, so it's all good to do it that way.

Thats all for the actual set-up part. Enter your capcha code and get into edit mode for your new lens

4. Putting the lens together: Since I chose "do my own thing" in the original set-up for my new Squidoo lens, I get into edit mode and only have an intro module - and nothing else.

Content comes first. I choose "add more modules" and get 4 or 5 new text modules, click save and get to copy/pasting my pre-written content in.

Some things to remember -

-- Your intro module is VERY important. Make sure your keywords are in there and you follow good SEO rules here. (Hint: I offer some great SEO tactics for Squidoo lenses as part of my nine-ebook Squidoo Profit System).

-- My pre-written content is never intended to fill only one module. I will use all 4 or 5 modules and fill it with the content I have already written. When I wrote the content, I broke it into sections. Each section/module will have its own well keyworded title. Module titles are also VERY important.

5. Linking/monetization: Now, I take the steps for my lens to do what it is intended to do. For some, it is to drive traffic to a site, for others it is for affiliate products... whatever the purpose is, I go back in my lens and link as needed.

6. Beautification: Time to "dress up" my lens. I add images, Rss feeds, guestbook, etc, etc to make the lens flow, look better, and suit my needs.

7. Tags: Remember that keyword list I already had prepared? This is where it comes into play. I used that keyword list at first to write my content, now I use it to add relevant tags to my lens.

8. Pre-Publish: Now, I usually hit publish to take a look at my almost finished product. I read through it, check for typos and bad grammar and look for opportunities to bold this, space here, italics there - all to make the readers experience more enjoyable.

9. Clean 'er Up! Last shot in "edit mode" as I make any edits I feel I need. Then I hit "publish" and git'r done!

10. "View This Page" and admire my work! Thats all folks!

10 steps to create a Squidoo lens - that's it. Honestly, the hardest part is step one- the chicken/egg thing. Finding what you want to make your lens about, and get it to where you have a chance in the search engines is most important to me. The actual creation of the lens takes time and patience, but not too much brain power.

When those 10 steps are done, I leave the lens alone. Remember, your new lens is still considered a "work in progress" lens until the next Squidoo lensrank update. Don't do any marketing or pinging to it until AFTER Squidoo has had its chance to rank it. All others will see is an "Under Construction" sign on your new lens, anyway.

In my opinion, the single most important part of your lens is created BEFORE you even get to "create a lens" - the content. It needs to be unique and well-optimized. While lensrank is really cool when you hit a Top 100 lens status, the main purpose, to me, is for the search engines to rank me well and send visitors to my lens - let me re-phrase that... for the search engines to send me targeted traffic to my lens.

So, what do I do to my lens AFTER the next Squidoo lensrank update? How do I promote it? How do I use it to test a niche market?

I think THIS post is plenty long enough.... I'll save those steps for another day.

Have a GREAT weekend!

P.S. - If you use this link for Wordtracker, and look about half way down on the far right, you will see a link for a free pdf eBook called, "Keyword Research Guide". This 52-page eBook is totally free, no need to even give your email address or anything, and is excellent. This is a case study by nine keyword experts written in "real" language - and it is really, REALLY good.





Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

We online marketers spend a great deal of time in forums, don't we? I know I certainly do. I have learned so much from the wonderful people that participate within the threads of internet marketing forums. Simply by reading their insight and conversations about making money online and building a business was both educational and inspirational.

When it comes to Internet Marketing forums, I adore eWealth. It truly is a laid back place where fellow professionals hangout. Up until I started doing so much freelance work, I spent a lot of time in that forum. So many brilliant minds quietly pass along their knowledge in there without a single hint of the guru-mentality that seems to prevail in other arenas. I admire that in a major way.

While there, I "met" a fellow poster by the forum name of "Nebula". Nebula is the real deal when it comes to internet marketing and product creation. He is also one hell of an affiliate marketer, too. His laid back style and friendly way of offering advice was very impressive to me. When I read an interview eWealth conducted with him - I was blown away! This guy had gone from being a "computer-hater" to making MAJOR money online. You can read the interview with Nebula here if you are already an eWealth member. This interview is in a members only section, so if you aren't a member already, you can sign up here (it's free - takes 2 minutes tops) then go to "interview corner" and read "interview with Nebula". It will be easy to find - it stays on top ;)

This man impressed me to no end. And kids, impressing me is no easy feat! I respect and admire others knowledge - but not many impress me in the way Nebula (real name: Jamie Lewis) has. His drive, his desire...and his results..are the real deal.

I read every single word he ever typed in the forum. It was clear to me that Jamie knew the things I needed to know. His marketing skills are excellent, his products always over-deliver, and his ability to anticipate trends and niche markets is amazing. He is one of few internet marketers that I follow - and watch (no, not in a stalker way! lol). I completely respect a few online marketers that quietly go about kicking ass and taking names working their butts off day after day - and spend ZERO time blowing their own horn or jumping on the latest and greatest like the others that flood our inboxes repeatedly day after day.

Jamie is one of these marketers who is comfortable in his own skin - that doesn't need to be associated with THE "guru" names of this business - and doesn't need hype, whistles, and bells to make a sale.

Jamie Lewis knows exactly what he is doing with internet marketing - and that is exactly what he does - he DOES it...perfectly.

Tonight, I had one of those "I'll just go check in at eWealth, see whats going on...and go to bed". Famous last words.

It's now 2 am in Atlanta - and I have been jolted out of sleepy mode into pure excitement.

Jamie Lewis has released a new product. This wonderful creation is not a niche product like all of his in the past. This is a 220 page ebook FULL.... and I mean F-U-L-L of all his internet marketing techniques, secrets, tricks, insight, systems....the whole she-bang!

OMG!!!!!

Can you believe that the table of contents alone is 10 pages?!?! I'm telling you, when Jamie delivers, he wayyyy OVER-delivers.

If you decide to look at his information page, I'll go ahead and answer these questions for you -

YES, that is him in the pictures.

YES, that really is HIS "stuff" in the pictures. And,

YES, those really are HIS accounts in the pictures.

This is not some random system that is written by some random marketer who is still in "fake it til you make it" mode.

Jamie Lewis HAS made it - quite some time ago. And now, FINALLY, he is willing to show others HOW he made it.

He says on his information page:

In the end, all we have is our time, so we need to make the best of it, and the most money out of it.

If you are serious about this internet marketing thing as I am then I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to read more about Jamie's product. Get your free sample of the ebook - read it. You'll start to see what I see about Jamie Lewis.

In the end, all we have is our time.

So true....so very very true.

You can read about Jamie's product here.






Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

Wow- my last post sure has made my inbox explode! So many questions and I want to answer them all individually and give each of you the attention you deserve....

But.... yes, there's a "but"...it's late in Atlanta and I have clients that need me early in the morning to do FOR them what I am trying to share with all of you.

So, instead, everyone gather round and let's talk.

The questions I recieved were not exclusive to making money online with Squidoo - they were more about how to start making money online, period.

Yes, It is no doubt very obvious that I am a firm believer that anyone with an internet connection and some basic computer skills can make money online. How much? Well, folks, that part is totally up to YOU. How much are you willing to learn?

If you want to take the GPT, Get Paid To, route to build an online income stream in an easily duplicable way... GREAT!

Read my 4 post series on How To START Making Money Online and get started! If you want to really make money with these programs, read How To Make Massive Passive Income. Just dipping your toe in the water won't teach you to swim - JUMP in and really learn from someone who is making $1300 a month and MORE from GPT sites.

Now, I have also talked a lot about Bum Marketing. I am a big fan of the Bum Marketing Method and no matter what you plan to do online, this system is a great strating point for understanding niche markets, keywords, and online content writing. If you haven't read it - read it. Go now, and give Travis your email to get your free copy. It is TOTALLY worth your time.

Now, if you want to get the Bum Marketing method REALLY working for you, take the extra step and spend $6.97 for an extension of this system that Stuart has recently put online. It's very good and expands on all the things that you need to know to REALLY make this work for you in an easily duplicable system - meaning you can rinse and repeat and do it over and over again. Get Stuarts system here.

No education is free - sometimes you have to pay for others knowledge and experience. Don't skimp on your education. And seriously now, if you decide to use BOTH methods together and really give yourself a full education, you can do it for less than $20.

How many businesses could you start for less than $20?









Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

In yesterdays post, I shared an opening email exchange between Joe and I regarding making money with Squidoo. Joe expressed his frustration in not getting the money train rolling with his time on Squidoo - and I offered my oh, SO insightful insight into this issue. (hmmm..."insightful insight" - how's THAT for copywriting skills? haha! Sorry, I've been doing SEO work allllll day, and I'm about out of clever and properly optimized content)

In my last email to Joe, I asked him about his knowledge of proper keyword research and if he knew how to use that research within his online content.

Here is Part 2 of the email exchange between Joe and I:

Jennifer,
That was by far, the best reply I have EVER received to an inquiry. By all means use my name and email, at least I'll be read some where...;) As for keyword research, I don't know if I actually know how to research keywords, but my 1st Len's that I made called The Affiliator was #1 on Google when I searched specifically for The Affiliator. But I guess the name was unique enough to make it so. However, when I put in just the keywords affiliate, or other words of that nature?...NOTHING. So I changed the whole lens around (keyword wise) and haven't even sniffed Google ever since. But my lens's where listed maybe 2000-5000 (my main one is still at #6234) over-all on a daily basis for a long time. In there respective category they were either in the top 100 or less many times. My main lens, Affiliate Advertising from The Affiliator is still at #148 in Seo & Affiliate Marketing and I haven't touched it in over two weeks. I have no idea if any of that means squat, and I am not trying to impress you, I guess I'm trying to say that I think I understand keywording.
But I do get what you are saying about how to earn with Squidoo, but I don't have time for that many lens's. I love to write (can you tell?) so maybe that is the direction I need to be going...but doesn't it help to know what you write about? I know a little about a lot of things, but not a lot about specific things.
Thank you so much again for your response, I will re-read it for retention purposes. lol.
Joe T

Here we go with my "insightful insight":

Ok, Joe - heeeeeeere we go.

let's talk keywords.


Ranking high in Google for a keyword or keyword phrase is AWESOME..... BUT, if no one is LOOKING for that keyword or phrase...well, it don't mean squat =)

I went back and looked at your lenses -

Two things first off -

1 - You, sir, have a beautiful family, and
2 - You certainly have put a lot of work into your lenses - that is obvious.

Keywords are the words that people type in Google Search to find what they are looking for.

I want you to mess with this keyword tool:

http://www.homebizfactory.com/RESEARCH/index.php

I have no clue if I'm supposed to give that out or not, but oh well ... lol. It's the best free one I've found and the results are VERY close to the expensive super keyword tool I use with the guys that contract me out.

With this tool, type in a main word or two about what you want to write about.

For the sake of an example, type in "puppy training" (without the quotes)

It will take a few seconds to give you results - and if you haven't looked at results from a tool like this yet - it may seem like a whole bunch of gibberish at first.

The top phrase (keyword) puppy training has 213,304 searches for it a year - then it breaks down into how many per month, per week, per day, and per hour as you read across. The last number , under "google results" is how many sites come up on Google when someone types in "puppy training" - 761,000. That number is your competition. You'd have to beat all those sites to get to the top of Google for this search term.

For me, using my free methods of Squidoo, blogs, and articles, I find it VERY hard to beat out any search term that has more than 20,000 competing Google results.

If *I* was going to do a blog or a Squidoo lens on "puppy training", I would look at these results and scan down the "google results" side and look for results that are under 1000. Those search terms are money for a free marketer like me. My key to getting "found" online.

I would pick keywords like - "crate puppy training" and "puppy training pad", etc.

My Squidoo lens title would be something like

Puppy Training - Crate Puppy Training Your Pooch (or something like that)

I would be sure to use a dozen or so of those good keywords within my text exactly as they come up on this tool. I would also be sure to use these keywords as my module titles. Your into module and your module titles are SUPER important as far as SEO.

This way, when one of these many people types "crate puppy training" into their friendly Google search tool, MY site will come up for those terms.

Learning to write for the search engines and still make it a good human user experience takes practice - but to write online for any type of income, ya gotta learn it and LIVE IT.

Remember, too, that a Squidoo lens should be like the lens on a camera -- it should "focus in" on a subject (such as "puppy training").

Any of this make ANY sense?

~jennifer

And Joes response back to me:

Jennifer,
Are you a teacher? I have received replies from a few folks who have asked me what I would need to make it in Internet marketing, bla, bla, bla. When I told them SEO, they have all responded in hieroglyphics. Thanks for typing in English and laymen terms. I'm not a dummy, but unless I learn something, well...you can finish that sentence easily enough.
Thanks for explaining it correctly. And thanks for the compliment on my family. Never a dull moment here.

Joe T

The bottom line about creating content for Squidoo, or for ANY web presence, is proper keywording. If you write what people are looking for, they will find you. If you present those keywords in an enjoyable user experience, they will KEEP finding you.

I hear "Content is KING" all the time during my travels online. I'm sorry, but I disagree.

I think of online writing like it is a royal dinner party. King Content knows WHO to invite (proper keywords), but he relies on his beautiful partner, Queen Content, to present it all so that all the guests have a wonderful time (guest being readers AND Google).

Yes - I AM a bit weird...but that image helps me create complete content for both the search engines AND my readers.






Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

I get a good bit of email of my Squidoo Profit System users asking for some feedback on their lenses and ideas for improvement. I love it! In my little world, knowledge ain't worth a darn unless it is shared - and I spend as much time sharing as I can.

Since I announced my Squidoo achievement of being awarded Giant Squid status by the Squidoo staff, I have also been blessed to receive so many congratulatory emails from some super people all over the world. I imagine I should be posting one, or all, of those emails. It would be better PR, right?

Instead, I'd like to post an email I received from someone who is frustrated and is having a hard time turning a profit from Squidoo. I feel like this email exchange would be a lot more help to my readers than the fluffy, "Congrats" emails.

Meet Joe. (Yup, thats Joe over there in that picture). Joe is an All American Guy, ex-Marine, family man....making his living online. Just a good guy. Joe gave me permission to post this email exchange between us in hopes that we can help others get over the "I can't Make Money on Squidoo" hump.

Here we go -

Hi,
You know, I have 3 Squidoo lens's. I use to have 5 but I deleted the other 2. Honestly I got tired of updating them daily, optimizing my brains out and frankly, getting no where. I certainly don't blame Squidoo or any one else. It is just very frustrating reading how everyone else is making money doing the very same things I'm doing.
Okay, I'll get off the pity-pot now. I had to get that out. All I want to know is...ALL YOUR SECRETS!!! NO, kidding. I do have a question however and it involves Squidoo and making money. HOW? I honestly have no clue how people are doing it. I'm beginning to think that no one really is making any money, but they tell every one that they are in order to get people to buy from them so that they can actually make money. I know that isn't happening, but it makes my failure more palatable.
I know I may sound like a wet rag in this email, but I really love doing this, I guess I just wish I were better at it or what ever ingredient I'm missing would magically appear. Do you still even remember my question? I don't. LOL. I better end this before you block me from ever emailing you again. Have a great day.


Joe T

I won't interject too much with my rambling here before I post my response to Joe. Only thing I'd like to say is that I don't think Joe is the only one that feels this way. I spent a LOT... A LOT of time on Squidoo. I do NOT have hundreds and hundreds of lenses (I believe my count is at roughly 60 currently).

I DO make money with Squidoo. Both paid to me BY Squidoo and paid to me thru my marketing and promotion efforts that include Squidoo.

I would never offer my advice, nor market a system that I created, if I didn't know what I was talking about. I'm not a big believer in the ol' "Fake it 'til you make it" mentality that is SO common online.

Here is my response to Joe:

Hiya Joe =)


Nah, not gonna block you from emailing me - you'll have to be a LOT meaner than THAT to get me to block you ;)

Before I get into any of this - I'd like to ask you something:

If I don't use your name (unless you want me to), can I use this email on my blog? I don't think you are the only person with these concerns and I'd love to address it.

Now then - on to your questions/concerns/rants (lol)

Making money with Squidoo.

As far as what Squidoo actually pays me each month - well, it ain't much. Each lens is usually worth about an average of $1 per month. I don't really use the Squidoo amazon and ebay modules on many - occassionally I see a sale from the ones I do use - but mainly Squidoo pays me each month from the co-op portion of the earnings from the site as a whole.

Now, if you knew that one lens would average $1 a month - how would you get to having Squidoo pay you $100 a month? Yup - make a LOT of lenses. Link them to each other, keep 'em fresh...and get out there in the Squidoo world and sign guestbooks, etc (oh, and join groups, too). I spent much of May and June doing just that - and it IS a lot of work.

Getting a good lenrank - and KEEPING a good lensrank is work. Squidoo is a tough "popularity" contest.

Now, you want my "secrets", do ya?

Ok- here's one - I don't make my lenses for the Squidoo popularity contest - I make them for the GOOGLE popularity contest. Yes, I have some lenses that I work on and try to keep as close to the top of the Squidoo lensrank as I can. To be honest, I sell a Squidoo guide - if *I* can't get a top 100 lens, how in the world could I show anyone else how to?

The rest of my lenses however, are for Google and the search engines. With good keywording and a lucky topic here and there, Google sends me traffic and it does not matter what my lensrank is. I simply try to keep most of lenses above the 25,000 or so over-all lensrank to get a better payment from Squidoo, but thats about it.

Joe, for this to work you have got to learn how to do keyword research. Do you know how? If you don't know how to pick topics and write content using the words that people are searching with, you just won't get anywhere.

There is a free program/report called Bum Marketing. Have you read it? Yes, it is written for those that market with articles - but in all honesty - that's all Squidoo really is - hyped up article marketing.

You can get that free course here:

http://www.bummarketingmethod.com

So - to make more money with Squidoo...

Mass create
Write good, original content (with good keywording)
Pick topics that have products associated with them that people want.

Want another secret? I haven't talked about this one (yet)

zimbio

Here's a hint - where it says "submit a blog", keep in mind that they consider a Squidoo page a blog.

Any of this help??

~jennifer

There you have it - a tiny piece of my insight regarding Squidoo. Obviously, there is way more to making money with Squidoo than this tiny piece of insight, and I go into all that in my Squidoo Profit System. Thing is, writing online is different that just writing on paper - not only must you provide a high-quality user experience - you also have to be FOUND online.

There is more of this email exchange between Joe and I that I'll save for my next post. I'll offer a great (and free) keyword research tool and go into more depth as to how the use of proper keywords is MEGA important when creating a Squidoo lens... or ANY content online.

While you wait, why not check out Joes lenses on Squidoo? Tell him PotPieGirl sent ya =)





Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

What exciting news I received yesterday in my email! I have been chosen by the staff at Squidoo to be a Giant Squid! Yes, ME! PotPieGirl! What an honor! See that over there ------> That is my honorary Giant Squid badge!

They like me...they really like me! (ok, sorry for the old Sally Field thing...haha)

I have a pretty good feeling that most of you reading this are totally UNimpressed, aren't you? What the heck IS a Giant Squid, anyway? and WHY is this PotPieGirl chick all happy to be chosen to BE one?

Ok, I hear ya - so let me back up a bit.

There has been a super secret competition going on within a select few lensmasters. Squidoo sent out invitations to a couple hundred of us that challenged us each to create more lenses and to try and have 100 or more high-quality lenses on our dashboard.

When I received the invitation, I took a long look at my dashboard and I "only" had 50+ - worse yet, I simply didn't have the time to mass-create more lenses at that time. Heck I am so busy teaching others how to make money with Squidoo thru my Squidoo Profit System and the follow up help (let alone the lenses I am contracted out to create), there was no way I could create that many more lenses on top of the rest of it!

So, regretfully, I had to let the opportunity to be a Giant Squid slide. I haven't thought too much about it lately as I've been so, so busy elsewhere.

Then - out of the clear blue sky - I get an email from Squidoo yesterday.

It reads:

Congratulations! You have been chosen to join the Giant Squids, our elite squad of the best and most prolific lensmasters on Squidoo. We're nothing short of honored to be working with you.

Then it went on to list all the super secret goodies I get for being chosen for this honor (and it's some real good stuff, too!). However, I imagine I'm not supposed to talk about the goodies.

So, how many lensmasters were honored with this recognition? My last check at the super secret Giant Squid blog showed me a count of about 25 or so that have responded.

All I can say is that this PotPieGirl is truly honored to be recognized by the Squidoo owner (thank you Seth Godin) and the entire Squidoo staff (that means you, too, Megan!) for this recognition as one of their best lensmasters.

Thank you!

I have worked hard on Squidoo and have also worked doubly hard to get others to this fantastic site AND teach them how to properly create high-quality Squidoo lenses with the Squidoo Profit System.






Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

I want to blow Clickbank away with the biggest check they've ever sent to someone who does NOT pay for advertising or have their own product listed in the Clickbank marketplace. I don't know if I can beat the Clickbank competitors that are also using all free platforms to make money online - but by golly, I can sure try!

I'll tell ya, you can sell Clickbank products easy IF you find a good product (or products). However, I sure know the other side of that - how hard it can be when you end up choosing a product that just won't convert. The only way to know is to test each product you choose from the Clickbank marketplace, right? Well, thats what I thought.

It was back in February that someone said "Clickbank" to me. I had no clue what in the h-e-double toothpicks they were talking about, either! At first, the whole clickbank thing was a bit over-whelming for me being how new I was to this whole internet marketing thing. However, once I caught on and started working on Squidoo, it sure didn't take me long to learn about the Clickbank free affiliate program and how it all works. I was in AWE of all the products available thru their marketplace! Visions of big money danced in my head as the realization that I could sell ALL of those products hit me. Visions of grandeur!

In May, I started adding my hoplinks to Clickbank products to my Squidoo lenses. While I made some sales here and there, it was still July before I actually got a check from Clickbank. There are certain requirements that must be met before a Clickbank affiliate can get their first check (has to be over $100, have to have at least 5 sales to different people and payments must include one Visa and one Mastercard in the payment methods, etc). I've been receiving checks every two weeks since =)

Actually, I am at the point that I am ready to learn how to really let loose and blow clickbank away. I've been looking at this program - CB Affiliate Formula. Read it, you'll see why I am tempted. Thing is, you will also notice the spots are going fast - REALLY fast. Goodness, Andrew just opened this up early this week!

I've read this Clickbank Affiliate Guide and it was excellent - it also cost less than $7, so it was hardly a risk! I was pleasantly surprised by the quality AND quantity of that ebook. I totally recommend it.

But - this CB Affiliate Formula is a different ballgame. Wanna know something funny? I want to know EVERYTHING he offers - I want to literally watch over this mans shoulder and see everything he does to make a Clickbank profit - BUT.... BUT... I don't want to pay for it. :::sigh::::

So, I need to make up my mind....and I'd LOVE some feedback from you!

Anyone?






Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

I'm tellin' ya - Deal Dot Com is the BOMB! This unique affiliate marketing site went live yesterday and offered their first product to the masses. What an awesome response! To all those that emailed to thank me for telling them about Deal Dot Com while it was still in pre-launch - you are quite welcome! Go forth and prosper!

Getting in on the ground floor of a money-making opportunity like this is great fun - oh, and it can be quite profitable, too ;)

If you missed my post regarding deal dot com in pre-launch, guess what?? The site is still only a day old... GET IN NOW! It's free to use, has lifetime cookies...and is also two-tiered. The first product offered sold out in just a few HOURS today - some of those sales commissions could have been in your account...

You simply can't beat an opportunity like this.

To all the doubters out there -

My goodness, if some people would jump on a good opportunity even HALF as fast as they jump to conclusions!

There is NO RISK in using, heck, even trying deal dot com.

What in the world do you have to lose?

Get in - NOW - and be one of the first on the net to promote deal dot com.

You don't need an over-saturated product before you realize it's a good thing, right?

Right!





Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

What a great day! I came across two really cool ways to make some more money online. They're both new to me - and both are F-R-E-E!

Many of us use Adsense to monetize our niche blogs. Adsense is easy enough to use, but there are two problems with it (from my perspective).

1 - Well, pardon my "french", but the payout pretty much sucks.

2 - When someone DOES click an adsense ad on your site, sure, you make a few cents, BUT you just lost your reader. Whatever action that viewer takes after clicking your adsense ad will not be of profit to you. But, hey - you did make 10 or 15 cents. Whoopie.

So I came across this little program for webmasters/bloggers called Auction Ads. Totally free to use (which makes me like it even more..haha!).

Auction Ads makes MORE money than Adsense, and can be used WITH adsense - that's a nice "plus" to this totally free revenue-generating program, isn't it?

Auction Ads work with the eBay affiliate program. I placed one of the ads on my right sidebar down towards the bottom. No, those type ads don't really "fit in" on this blog, but I like using this blog to show different ideas for making money with niche blogs. I guess it can make this blog look a bit "cluttered", but I think you come here for information - not to be dazzled, right? Right. Besides, I really want a new laptop, so those ads will help me keep an eye out for a great deal.

ANYWAY - for a product-specific or review type site, these ads are awesome. With Auction Ads you get to choose the keywords that decide which products will be shown on your site. there are different ad formats and colors to choose from and over-all, it is WAY easy to use.

The ads are linked to auctions on eBay.

How do you make money? Lets get that answer straight from the source:

When your site's visitors click on an Auction Ad listing and take an action on eBay you earn cash. Actions are defined as a Winning Bid, a Buy-it-Now or a confirmed user registration. AuctionAds is committed to paying out a minimum of 100% of eBay commission revenue. See eBay's affiliate program for details on the payout.

Ok, WHEN and HOW do you get paid?

We send out payments the first of every month via PayPal. The payment is for all revenue generated the previous month.

SO what I earn this month, in September, will be paid out October 1st - Nice!

Ok - so how ELSE can I make money with Auction Ads?

There is no need to sign up for our affiliate program because our affiliate program is built right into the ads you display! If a user clicks on the "Ads by AuctionAds" that is displayed and signs up for our service you earn a bonus 5% of all revenue generated by that user for the 6 months.

You will get paid the first of every month via Paypal. We feature a 30 day cookie on all referrals.

Wah???? A 30 days cookie?!?!? That means if someone clicks my ad today, but doesn't actually buy anything for 2 weeks...3 weeks... 30 DAYS, I STILL get credited? Now, THAT is awesome! Adsense ain't got no cookies! haha!

As you can tell, I'm a bit fired up about discovering Auction Ads. They fit in real niiiiiiice with my niche blogs ;)

Second Cool Discovery of the Day:

Now this is brand-spanking new - actually, it's not even "live" yet. It's a little program called DealDotCom that shows promise to make BIG money - or, at least a nice additional revenue stream from your online efforts.

Here's the deal with DealDotCom:

(note from me: I love the humor on this site)

How Do You Make Money (ie, Whats In It For me?)

We give you a special link to share with your friends. You strong-arm them into signing up for a free DealDotCom account, and anytime they ever buy anything from us, you get paid. Our affiliate program is 2-tiered, so not only will you get paid for purchases that your friend makes, but you’ll also get paid for purchases that THEIR friends make.

Ok, sounds good, but what's up with this "two-tiered affiliate" business?

When you refer others to DealDotCom and they get their free account, they are marked in our system as having been referred by you. Anything that they ever buy from us nets you a 35% commission. Notice the word "ever" in the previous sentence... as in FOREVER. It doesn't matter if they buy something tomorrow, next week, or fifty years from now - you're going to get paid. What's more, anyone that they refer to DealDotCom goes on your second tier. Anything people on your second tier buy nets you a 15% commission. Again, FOREVER.

Lifetime Cookies..awesome. Again, I feel the need to say, "Adsense ain't got no cookies!!"

Pretty sweet deal, huh?

So, they are only selling "make money online" related products (and they are also accepting new products to market for review - hint hint to my product owners out there). They will be selling ONE product per day and at a really low price (lower than the general public can get it) and will only offer a very limited quantity of each product. When people you refer buy - you make money. When the people you refer have people THEY have referred make a purchase, again, YOU MAKE MONEY.

Now, here's the sweet part - pay attention ;)

You see, DealDotCom hasn't even launched yet. The doors open on Tuesday, Sept 18th. You are only seeing this page because someone really, really cool (and well connected, and probably very good looking too) hit you with a link to this preview page. You should thank them.

Awww shucks.... I'm really, really cool AND good looking (and well connected, too!)

Take a peek at DealDotCom - you'll be glad you did.






Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

Finally! The last bit of information I needed from my online marketing efforts came available and I was able to update my earnings for the month of August. I did pretty well - in fact, I made $600 more than my July online earnings of $1609.08.

My Clickbank sales weren't as good (but they will be WAY better for September!), but my adsense earnings were up a healthy amount.

The big thing that happened in August is that I have freelanced my services out to a online marketing group. I spend about 15-20 hours per week working for them. What do I do? THAT is the beauty of it! I do the same things for them as I do for myself - plus, I get to learn so much from their years of experience from internet marketing. It's been really great and I have to admit, I am enjoying it tremendously.

However, my time spent on these other projects shows in my lower earnings from Associate Content. I just haven't had the time to submit as many articles as I used to. However, I have 2 articles on AC that are really kicking butt with page views - and I LIKE that!

All in all, August was a good month. I know September earnings will be even better. I discovered a little thing called niche blogging - and honey, niche blogging is the where it's at!

I have found some super little niche keywords and clickbank products to go with them. Using free Blogger blogs, I am making some good money. My Clickbank earnings so far for September are already more than all of August combined. Makes me laugh when I realize I spent a whopping $4.97 for a niche blogging system that was magic!

What really tickles me (that is a Southern expression, sorry), is that before mid-February of this year, I had no clue what Internet Marketing was, what anchor text was, what Clickbank was...heck, I didn't even know a thing about keyword research. I knew NOTHING. (Ok, I did know how to send and receive email...you caught me. ha!) And today, I get to report to the world that I made over $2200 online last month.

It's a damn good feeling.

Yes, I worked my butt off. Yes, I crammed every teeny tiny morsel of information into my brain til I thought I would explode....but it is really happening.

I've had some dis-believers say - "Sure you made $2200 online - but how much did it COST you to make that????"

I will list out my monthly expenses...ready?

I pay about $12 a month for a website...and $19.95 a month for an aweber auto responder account.

I need a website to sell my Squidoo Profit System and other ebooks - and there is no way I would make a single web page online without building a list. Aweber autoresponder is AWESOME, and I wouldn't work online without it.

Whew - that was a long list, huh? Now, I also spend maybe $50 a month on other products to review or for my own education so I guess we can safely say I have about $100 a month in over-head.

Tell me one other way to earn a living that costs that little? Even a "real job" requires more than that in gas each month! Let alone clothes, lunches, etc.

Yup, it's been hard work - but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

You can view the breakdown of my August earnings over there ----> to the right in my blog sidebar.

Have a great day!





Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

I know the rules of blogging are to do focused posts and type about specific topics, etc, etc.... but there is one thing I love about rules - and that is breaking them!!

First off - Let's talk Squidoo. Squidoo paid out, and boy oh boy is it CRYSTAL clear that the so-called "Squidoo Slap" was very, very real. It appears that while this "Squidoo Slap" didn't effect me all too horribly, it sure must have hit the Squidoo site as a whole pretty dog-gone hard.

My Squidoo payment in August was $61.64 - which was quite good considering that was 54 lenses and just about all of that payment was from Squidoo adsense co-op revenue.

The payment I just received in September (for July Squidoo revenue) was for $35.81.

YUCK!!!!!!

I wasn't impressed. However, I imagine that some lensmasters on Squidoo took a much bigger hit than I did. Besides, its "free money" so my over-all opinion is... "Oh well".

It WILL be better next month.

Speaking of Squidoo... I have a lens that is being featured on the Squidoo homepage! My home energy lens has been there for a few days and man, has traffic taken off for that lens! It was funny in a way, too. That lens hadn't really done anything, then suddenly I noticed traffic to that lens was going thru the roof on my stats. I couldn't figure it out! Then I just happened to really LOOK at the Squidoo homepage, and there I was! Cool beans! Thanks, Squidoo!

For all you Squidoo-doers out there, there is a cool new site for Squidoo lensmasters out on the web now. This is like a luxury version of your Squidoo dashboard. From this site, you can access your stats, update, lensroll, bookmark...and even ping with one little click. It is AWESOME (and FREE). Check out SquidUtils. SquidUtils also makes getting those amazon links/images on your lenses possible now that the iframe option is gone (for those that use their personal Amazon links). Definitely a must-see for Squidoo users.

Associated Content has also updated their page view bonus threshold. Content Producers used to have to hit $15 (10,000 page views) before a payment would be sent. This threshold has now been lowered to $1.50 (only 1,000 page views)! This is a great change and helpful opportunity for those with lower page view counts to get paid much more quickly. Thanks Associated Content!

I've got some articles on AC that are really taking off. It's like a game to me to try and find those illusive little keywords that bring in major traffic. I found a little golden nugget of a keyword that brought in almost 6000 page views in less than 3 weeks....another article that has almost 20,000 page views, too! Considering I joined AC in late May, I am quite proud of my Clout Index of 7 - and very happy with the little revenue stream I now have coming in regularly.


Speaking of hidden "golden nugget" keywords - my love of the niche finding game is also showing in my Clickbank account, too. I've made some Niche Blogs last month and traffic (and SALES) are really picking up and showing some promising results.

Even my Adsense earnings from blogging have improved drastically! It's amazing what can happen when you learn to do something the right way... ha!







Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

Choosing a niche market to blog about for profit can seem over-whelming - especially when you're not quite sure what you're doing. Many niche blogs also tend to get started by enthusiastic bloggers only to die a lonely death from lack of interest.

I have really gotten into niche blogging this month. I have found a really super system that makes it simple enough for me to create and maintain. Actually, I don't do a whole lot to maintain my niche blogs.

As I've been (not-so) patiently waiting for Squidoo to announce our latest payment amounts, I've spent some time finding a better price on the system I've been using for my niche blogging efforts. The other day I found the same system for less than $10 and I almost sent all you wonderful readers to that link. I sure am glad I didn't! Today, I found the whole system PLUS a TON of great bonus products for $4.97.

I admit, it made me a bit distressed to know that I certainly paid more than $5 for MY copy of this niche blogging system, but that's ok. I wasn't patient enough to wait. Not only was I not patient enough, I also bought a product for $7 that is included for FREE in this niche blogging package. Ugh!

Anyway...

This huge niche blogging package will teach you things like:

choosing a niche market

how to choose (and find) a niche affiliate marketing program for your blog

how to target the right long-tail keywords This part was so helpful for me. I created one of my niche blogs last week (sorry, can't tell ya what niche..lol), and I wrote ONE article to promote it...that darn article has gotten almost 1000 hits in a week...and about 200 click thrus! Trust me, this makes my Clickbank account happy....and that makes ME happy! That one little niche blog is responsible for over $100 in Clickbank commissions in just a few days! One little blog... I am amazed at what a difference it makes when you combine the right niche market, with the right niche product, and put it all together properly on a free niche blog.

I can't wait to see what happens when the real traffic starts!!!

Ok, I'm rambling...sorry. Back to the point of this post...

:::start sales pitch:::

This niche blogging package is awesome and it is a steal at $4.97.

:::end sales pitch:::

Click here for complete details of this niche blogging profit system.








Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

I catch a lot of grief from others for promoting GPT sites. For some reason, others think that these free survey sites are a bunch of crap or that somehow these GPT sites are "below" them as far as making money online.

Here's the facts - GPT sites are NOT crap. There are some great and truly legitimate Get Paid To sites on the internet that really pay.

Thing is, I think others believe that I am advocating people sitting at home on their computer for hours every day doing little survey after little survey trying to make a dollar.

I am NOT advocating anyone wasting their time for what would turn out to be such a small return. What I AM advocating is learning how to build a down line within these GPT sites and providing yourself with a passive income stream.

Passive income - Meaning this money comes in whether YOU work it or not. And not just with ONE Get Paid To survey-type site, but with MANY, so you have MANY passive income streams coming in.

Did you know there is a woman online that averages $1400 a month from CashCrate - and she doesn't do a single survey, email submit, or anything anymore.

It's true. Amy worked really hard for one month this past May (yes, just a few months ago), and now is reaping HUGE benefits each month (yes, that means huge CHECKS each month).

This is real. This takes no intricate computer skills. This takes no money to MAKE money.

But what it DOES take is your effort.

Would you be willing to work really hard for one month to have $1400 checks coming to you every month there after?

I'm certainly willing to. Heck, I've got teenagers - life is expensive!

Last month, Amy released a "tell all" about how she managed to create this power-house passive income stream from GPT sites. It was available for a short time on an internet marketing forum...and then **poof***... it was gone.

Today I found out she has made this available to the general public.

Folks, this is a must read. All there is to it.

There is no "sales pitch" from me on this...sorry. Amy knows exactly what she is doing and will tell you exactly how she made all this happen for her using GPT sites. Building your referrals - your downline - is key to making these programs work for you. How to build a down line FAST - and one that makes you money? Read Amys guide. You won't find this type of info anywhere else.

Click here to read more details and see payment proof







Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online

How much can you make from a Squidoo lens each month? That seems to be the main question that is asked of me lately. Many ask if it is realistic to expect to make a certain amount each month or if it is possible to make x amount of dollars from one lens, etc, etc. I think you get the drift.

Today, I sat down with all my squid stats and really took a long look at how much each lens was making me.

When it comes to revenue earned from a Squidoo lens, we could be talking about affiliate revenue from your own personal affiliate links, or traffic you drive to another site from which you make money, and other ways you can profit from the use of Squidoo.

Today, in this post, I want to focus entirely on direct income that is actually paid to me by Squidoo.

To date, I have been paid by Squidoo three times. In a few days, I will receive my 4th payment for Squidoo earnings for the month of July.

(Just a quick reminder: Squidoo pays within 45 days after a month closes out. For example; earnings from May are paid out the first part of July, June earnings are paid in August, and now this payment in September will be for July earnings)

JUNE SQUIDOO PAYMENT

In June, I was paid for Squidoo co-op revenue I earned in April. I had a whopping grand total of four lenses in April. Honestly, not a single one of those lenses were any good, either ;)

Each lens earned me .20 in shared adsense revenue.

June Squidoo Payment - April Earnings - 4 Lenses = .80

Each lens averaged a monthly "worth" to me of twenty cents each.

JULY SQUIDOO PAYMENT

The Squidoo payment in July was for May earnings. Now in May I really kicked it in gear. I read Squidoo Blueprint and finally learned how to create lenses. By the end of May I had a total of 34 lenses on my dashboard - four from the previous month and created 30 more (yup, thats like creating a lens a day!)

Squidoo has a three-tiered payment structure for calculating how much each individual lens makes each month. In a nutshell, the top 33.3% of lenses according to lensrank will make the top payout, the middle 33.3% by lensrank will make the mid-tiered payout amount, and the bottom 33.3% will make the bottom tier payout.

For May Squidoo payouts, the payout amounts per tier were:

1st tier: $3.80
2nd tier: $0.65
3rd tier: $0.05

I had 4 lenses make the top-tier payout (mainly the ones that were created early in May), 19 lenses that received the mid-tier payout, and the rest got the lowest payout (mainly ones that were created the last week of May). I also had a few small amazon co-op sales from the Amazon module that Squidoo gives lensmasters to use.

July Squidoo Payment - May Earnings - 34 lenses = $39.47

Each lens now had a monthly "worth" to me of $1.16.

AUGUST SQUIDOO PAYMENT

The Squidoo payment in August was from my June earnings. In June, I created 20 more lenses bringing my total lens count to 54. However, this same month Squidoo also implemented the "Work in Progress" lens classification. Lenses had to meet certain criteria in order to earn Squidoo shared revenue (and to also be available thru Squidoo search). Basically, if a lens on your dashboard has a green check next to it, you get paid for it. No green check? No pay.

The tiered-payout for this month on Squidoo was as follows:

1st Tier: $5.99
2nd Tier: $1.03
3rd Tier: $0.06

As you can see, the payouts went up dramatically which shows that Squidoo was doing well. I had 5 lenses make the top payout, 27 lenses earn the mid payout, 19 lenses make the bottom payout, and 2 lenses got paid na-da for being "WIP" lenses (not completed). I also made a few bucks from Squidoo Amazon shared profits for sales made on my lenses.

August Squidoo Payment - Earnings from June - 54 Lenses = $61.64

If I knew then what I know now, I would ALWAYS make sure my lenses ranked in the top 60%. A rough guess-timate would be above an over-all lensrank of 45,000 to get at least the 2nd tier payout. If I had done that, I could have earned an easy extra $19. Oh well, live and learn, right? Instead of the $1.14 each lens was "worth" to me that month, they would each be worth close to $2.00 each - just from Squidoo shared revenue. Remember, I am not taking any other income earned from my lenses into account here. These amounts are ONLY what SQUIDOO pays me.

So now here we all are - anxiously awaiting our September Squidoo payouts for July earnings. In July, I only created 8 more lenses. I also still have 2 lenses on my dashboard that are "Work In Progress" lenses (no green checks). This means I will be paid for 60 lenses (62 less 2 WIP lenses).

This payout will also show to what extent this so-called "Squidoo Slap" actually had on the entire Squidoo site. From personal experience, I can say this "slap" didn't really effect my lenses too badly. Yes, I saw a drop in traffic on some lenses, and on other lenses I never would have noticed anything different.

However, these Squidoo payments we receive each month are based on how the entire Squidoo site did - not just MY lenses. So, we'll see how that goes. Even if the payment tiers are down some, I have no doubt that earnings for August (to be paid in October) will be back on track.

How Do I Compare to Other Lensmasters?

The next thing I did after calculating my own stats was to take a look around and see what others were earning. I gathered this info from the SquidU forum, a few various blogs, and from a poll that is being done on this lens. Granted, I could only gather info from those that have actually posted anything - and we all know people can say just about anything...so take this as I did - a great resource for a basic idea, but not cold-hard facts.

In the Big Squid scope of things, I seem to be doing better than most, but not as well as some.

I would guess I am maybe in the top third of all lensmasters. Thats a guess.

There are some lensmasters who make three digits a month from Squidoo. Not many - but they are out there. These lensmasters are not only getting paid for Adsense shares per lens, but also they have MANY Amazon and other shared affiliate modules ( and they also have many lenses)

My personal opinion about Squidoo/Amazon modules - and take this for the two cents it might be worth -

I use my own personal Amazon affiliate id on my lenses.

Why? Simple. I would rather have 4% of a sale than half of that commission after sharing it with Squidoo. Actually, it would be less than half, so about 45% of that 4% commission would be more accurate. Amazon only pays 4% for the basic earnings off affiliate sales...so, let's just say, "Nothing personal, Squidoo, I love ya! BUT...this is a business decision."

That said, there are many lensmaster who only monetize their lenses with Squidoo co-op links.... and they do quite well.

I had an email thru the "contact me" link on one of my lenses the other day from someone who was wondering if it was realistic to count on each lens being "worth" $200 a month.

My official answer-

From straight Squidoo/Adsense shared revenue? Heck NO. Wait, let me re-phrase that ... Helllllllll NO! (that was said in my southern "twang"...lol)

BUT, can you make it so that each lens is worth $200 a month to YOU and brings in that much to YOU each month? Sure. Why not?

I have lenses that are worth more than that each month to me. I also have lenses that are worth exactly 6 cents a month to me.

Ok, so now we all want to know how to do this, right? Right.

First off, learn to make GOOD Squidoo lenses. You cannot just throw random content or banners on a lens and expect hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to flood your accounts.

Squidoo calls these free web pages a "lens" for a reason. A lens on a camera will focus in on a subject. So should these free web pages. Further, each lens should not just give info, it should also point readers to MORE info. Your lens should tell quality information and then send readers on their way to what the reader is looking for. All of this is started with proper keyword research and by learning how to put it all together into an effective lens. Quality wins this game. Squidoo is FAR from a Get Rich Quick scheme or concept, sorry. However, Squidoo IS a free way to get online presence for whatever you want to share with the world.

Focus, Tell, Send

Think of a layover at an airport. You get off the first plane and go straight to the info you need to find where you want to go next. You find what you need, then go on your way. Sometimes, you are sent to a flight on the same airline...sometimes you are sent to a different airline. Get my drift?

Where you send your readers to find the info they are looking for can be to another one of your own sites, or totally off somewhere else on the internet. This is totally up to you - and this is where your monetization of a Squidoo lens REALLY happens.

I hope this LONG post has helped someone get an idea of how much you can earn from Squidoo. I know it has really helped me.

I now know that if I get back on my create-a-lens-a-day track, I can have a nice additional income stream from Squidoo. A free web site that will pay ME to use it. All I have to do is continue to follow my own advice in my Squidoo Profit System over and over. I can just about create lenses in my sleep now! =)








Brand New to Internet Marketing? Read my four-part blog series - How to START Making Money Online