So we’ve been told and told some more about the miracles of a Squidoo lens. Now comes the little glitch. Your Squidoo lens is not the only one out there. It’s the marketing tool these days so you can’t expect others to sit still, right? They’re all there, creating lens after lens after lens, trying to drive more traffic to their website.

However, there are several ways to make your lens rise above the clutter. Heard that line before? OK, let me tell you more so that you believe me.

The secret code to high ranking lenses…

…does not exist. Secret codes make for good stories but this is business. If you want your lens to rank high, you have to think and work smart. It’s not very difficult but requires you to be agile. Let’s begin with a few simple tips.

Choose the right keywords

If you have a lens on music, come up with as many keywords as you can. Make a list of all the words that a visitor may use to find information pertaining to music. Once you think you have enough, start eliminating the unnecessary ones. If you get stuck in the process, look for a popular keyword research tools and dig out popular keywords. Remember, going for the most popular keywords is not always the solution.

Different but not obscure

So, popular keywords don’t always work. When you go for a very common keyword, say ‘music’, your lens will be relegated right to the bottom of a pile, with only a few hundred thousand entries lying above you. A better option would be to go for something more specific like ‘Chicago Underground’.

The-title-is-the-key

Whatever your keyword, it should be in your lens title. Next, add it to your URL. The search engines will love you for that. Before you rush, think about it. Once you’ve named your URL, you won’t be able to edit it.

Don’t just sit there

Creating a lens is just one part. Once you’re done with that, move around and join a few groups. When I say join, I don’t mean “barge in”. Much as you hate it, you won’t be welcome everywhere you go. Every group has its own rules and regulations and before joining, read through them. If you walk into a teens group with a Clark Gable lens, you may be shooed away.

Do also make your rounds of SquidU. Participate in the various forum discussions and interact with people. Having your lens in your signature line could leave a trail for the visitors.

Lensroll

Bloggers may be aware of a blogroll. A lensroll is similar. You can use it to link your lenses with each other. This means more links and a better chance of ranking high. Do not forget to click on the ‘del.icio.us’ and ‘digg this’ links on your page. This will also contribute to better traffic and search engine rankings.

Spot them coming

Squidoo offers you a tool to find out where your visitors come from. Use it to your advantage. If most of your customers follow a particular keyword or method, you can use that to optimize your lens and discard the ones which are ineffective.