Squidoo Policy Update- What’s All The Voodoo Hoodoo!?
OK, well you should know the vid I’m gonna pop on the bottom of this one, right? 
Anyway, there’s a huge fuss going down in the Wealthy Affilate forum and in loads of other IM forums and blogs about an upcoming Squidoo Policy Update.
More details here from the Squids themselves.
Whole topics (like weight loss) are gonna get canned. Yep! No matter how good your lens is, no matter how non-spammy you might think it is. Come mid July they’ll be gone. Poof!
So, what to do?
Well, first check out that lens about the changes and think about how it applies to your own lenses. Do it before the clampdown… and if in doubt pull the lenses. You do NOT want your whole account locked!
Next… I don’t think people should abandon Squidoo, etc… just make sure you create good quality original non-spammy content (but not in the ‘banned’ topics).
And remember the bigger picture…
The thing is, if you are making any kind of sales with Squidoo, you should already have started thinking about branching off, having your own site, getting other traffic sources…
I mean, Squidoo has got to the point where it’s almost as complicated to build lenses and get them indexed as it is to build your own site and SEO it, so start thinking about that.
Squidoo is certainly good to use in some ways, but to build an entire business and income source around it, is probably NOT a good long time plan anyway.
These so called ’slaps’ have happened before… at Ezine, at Squidoo, at Hubpages… and they’ll happen again!
So start preparing now!
I have to say that you’re better off in the long run creating your own sites and blogs on your own domains.
It is NOT that hard to do. Even with something like Dreamweaver, if you can do the HTML stuff on a Squidoo lens you’ll soon get the hang of it.
Ditto Wordpress. But with WP make sure you host those on your own domain and use Themes. There are plenty of free ones and some really good paid ones (for a one off fee).
And before you dismiss the idea of investing in Dreamweaver or some of the better Wordpress Themes consider this…
How much would it cost you to set up an offline shop (or business)? An awful lot more than the cost of DW or a good WP Theme. And you can set up an unlimited supply of online ’shops’ with either.
Check out Affilate Theme for example. Couldn’t be easier to set up a really professional ‘review style’ landing page.
Building sites is just another learning curve…
And if I can do it, anyone can.
Hell, I’ve even got a lens on it.
Oh… before I forget the vid…
Don’t panic and blunder about blindfold…
Get a plan… stick to it… small steps… Into Action!
Related posts:
- Niche Marketing Reaper – A New Fun Squidoo Lens!
- Squidoo 101 – A Great FREE Squidoo Guide from PotPieGirl!
- New Squidoo Themes – Easy Street or Purple People Eater!?
- Using Squidoo For Marketing – Post July 2009
- Squidoo Policy Updates – Still Feeling The Pain?
Tagged with: affiliate theme • affiliatetheme • building websites • dreamweaver • How to Beat the Squidoo Slap • squidoo changes • squidoo help • Squidoo Policy Update • website design • working with squidoo
For them to ban lenses on a whole topic is just retarded. They could have simply implemented a review process or something. And they keep coming out with these stupid slaps that affect affiliates. It doesn’t affect me anyways cuz I dumped the Squid since 2007.
I keep seeing emails and posts saying that certain topics such as ‘weight loss’ are going to be booted from Squidoo. This is not what they are saying. If you have a spammy lens just promoting a clickbank product to ‘lose belly fat’ or promote acai berry monthly subscription packs, then your lens will be booted. If you have a lens full of useful information about how you lost 100lbs in 6 months and how you did it, then it will be fine.
Yep! I don’t agree with their lazy blanket approach either… nor do I agree that Giant Squids should be exempt. Some of them are the biggest spammers of the lot!
Should be one rule for ALL. And they keep changing the rules… as do other similar Web 2.0 sites… Hubs, Knols,etc.
Just kinda reinforces the whole ‘do your own thing’ argument.
Why haven’t they sent out an email explaining the changes and when it will take place. Do they think they’re google?
As far as using squidoo in the future. Why? If it takes as much effort to build a lens as it does to build your own site then why use squidoo? There are way to many other web 2.0 properties then to rely on just one.
They made their bed, now they can lie(pun intended)in it.
Grace, I’m sure you’re absolutely right… and maybe I should have worded that better. Bottom line is at this point no-one really knows what will be acceptable and what won’t.
And the fact that they are openly going to have a two-tier system is wide open to abuse IMO.
I’m certainly NOT saying affiliates should abandon Squidoo but rather use it (as it’s always really been intended for, from a marketing point of view) as a supplement to your campaigns or to test them out.
Once you make some sales in any niche you should be expanding anyway.
NEVER keep all your eggs in just ONE basket.
Hi Steven,
Well, I did get a mail. In fact I got several as I have several Squidoo accounts.
But it’s still not absolutely clear IMO what will be regarded as ‘overly promotional’ for example. That could mean different things to different people.
You’ll only really know if your lenses are OK if they don’t lock ‘em.
I’m certainly not just giving up on Squidoo but as I’ve said it is just one string to your bow. Make sure you have some others.
You’re right Dave – I would never keep all my eggs in one basket, in fact I use hubpages and my own blogs more than Squidoo these days as they’re more profitable.
Steven – all lensmasters did get an email.
Squid lens as a supplement – okay.
Others are better.
Which ones? See Goo Trends or Quantcast – compare.
Your own site and SEO promotion – YES – always
(if you want to build a better biz) and have something
to sell if you wish!
Overly promotional – look at Squid pages, EA pages and other
so-called Web 2.0 properties – do they squeeze each of our pages
with enough “promotions” to have some sweet FREE juice
from our hard work on these pages? You answer.
Now, what’s stays what goes – flip a coin – that’s at least
what it sounds like so far.
Risky?
Still unsure about building your own sites?
And even on wrongly locked lenses – no answer from SQ
bunch even after multiple AND polite emails.
Rudeness and indifference towards lens-cast-ers?
Now: WP vs. SQ – which one will you keep if you are
in charge (or you thing you are in charge).
Flip that lens – Maybe?
No Voodoo or Hoodoo – just a good sign to reassess your
efforts and REALLY focus on what you can control
and what gives you back what you want for all your
combined efforts.
Need a drink of water after that much talk…;)
Lew
Don’t know what all the fuss is about, it’s just a commonsense approach taken by Squidoo. If you’re doing the right thing you don’t have to worry. (Stating the obvious, huh?)
I’ll be happy to see these ‘lowlife’ spammers and junk site-makers shut down. The only problem I see is that they’ll simply move on and pollute the web somewhere else like they always do!
I totally agree John. We could certainly use much less junk out there.
The main thing is I think Squidoo should have acted on it a lot sooner. The problem they created by letting too many spammers and junk lens creators run wild for so long, is they now end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater and canning a lot of good lenses too.
I think Hubpages did the smarter thing by clamping down early on with some anti-spam measures. It keeps them from having to take more extreme actions later.
It’s a good reminder though for people to always keep in the back of their mind that any 3rd party site can ban anyone or change anything at any time for any reason…which of course can also create new opportunities.
What grates with me most is that Giant Squids are exempt. A lot of them are the ones who promote the ‘make $000s from Squidoo’ which have caused the problem in the first place!
Same crap is happening right now on Twitter.
Well, I’m inclined to agree with that. So, now they’ve got two tier system in there. Never good to have that.
But just to reiterate. First, do NOT panic. Do NOT give up on Squidoo. Just be aware of the changes and make sure you are producing good quality informative lenses and stay clear of the ‘banned’ topics.
Here’s an acid test for ya…
Strip out the promotional part of your lens…
Yep! Just look at it again and imagine it without any kind of promotion on it.
What would be left? If it’s nothing… then you have no lens… at least not in Squidoo eyes and I have to say I support that 100% because if you are not adding value yourself to the reader, not only should you not be there but you are doing it all wrong.
HTH