The “quality score” of your pay per click landing page affects your cost per click (CPC) and the positioning of your PPC ad.   The Squidoo platform is purpose-built to achieve a high quality score for Squidoo lenses.  Here are ten top tips to create a quality pay per click landing page on Squidoo.

1. Use the Squidoo lens URL as the display and destination URL

Google now insists that the display and destination URLs point to the same domain.   Additionally, Google will not allow the redirection of the destination URL.  This means that when using Squidoo lenses as PPC landing pages, the lens URL must act as both the display and destination URL.

2. Incorporate your primary keyword in the Squidoo lens URL

Google AdWords allows a maximum of 35 characters for the display URL.  While you can omit the www prefix in the URL, this still means that the Squidoo lens name has to be brief (23 characters).  The lens name should incorporate the primary targeted keyword if possible but this is not essential if you follow the other tips in this article.

3.  Include your primary keyword in your Squidoo lens description

As the Squidoo lens description is used by Google to index your site, it is important to include your primary keyword in this area.  If possible, a variation of your keyword can be included as well.  For example, you could use “PPC” and “pay per click” as I have done in this article.

4. Focus content in the Introduction Module

You should make sure that your key message appears “above the fold” when your site is accessed.  So it is vital that your call to action (subscribe to a list or purchase a product) is very evident in the Introduction Module.  You should also include your primary keyword and a number of long tail variations (but avoid keyword stuffing).

5.  Use Technorati tags in the Introduction Module

Technorati tags attract Google’s attention and contribute to your quality score. I have even had my Technorati tags appear on the first page of Google’s results, for a relevant keyword search, with a hyperlink to my lens.  It is a good idea to place the Technorati tags at the end of the Introduction Module and to include the important keywords that you will use for your pay per click ad.    There are a number of software programs available at no charge that will auto-generate the HTML for you.

6.  Include the call-to-action in your first content module

Your first content module (following your Introduction Module) should reinforce your call to action.  This can be by way of a banner or a combination of an image and text.  The “black box” module is very useful here for highlighting the call to action as you can include an appropriate hyperlink.

7. Lensroll relevant lenses

It is advisable to lensroll other relevant Squidoo lenses to reinforce the relevance of your Squidoo lens to the targeted keyword(s).   Lensroll creates a linkage between your lens and the other relevant lenses, adding value to the content of your own lens.

8. Add a “Featured Lenses Module”

This module enables you to create hyperlinks to other lenses.  You just need to add the lens name and Squidoo will add the full URL and extract the lens image and description automatically.  This is a good way to introduce long tail variations of your keywords.  Again, the emphasis is on keyword relevance – introduction of irrelevant links will dilute your quality score.

9. Use your full allocation of Squidoo tags

In the first instance, make sure that your primary tag is the same as your primary keyword for PPC purposes.  Many Squidoo Lensmasters overlook the fact that Squidoo extracts the lens description as the default primary keyword.  This needs to be changed to line up with your pay per click campaign.   You should use the whole 40 tags allocated to you for each Squidoo lens. You need to make sure that the tags line up with the keywords you want to use in your PPC ad, as this reinforces relevance.

10.    Include original content modules and RSS feeds

Original content, such as a product or program review, strengthens your Squidoo lensrank and Google ranking and improves your quality score.  RSS feeds from relevant blogs provide further regularly updated content and help to keep your lens fresh.  Content freshness can be reinforced by regular updating of your lens.

Your Squidoo landing pages are most effective when they are highly consistent with your PPC ads.  If your ad is for a particular product at an established price, then both the product and the pricing should be featured in a prominent way on your Squidoo landing page.

Last but not least, make sure your profile on the Squidoo lens reflects the content of your ad.  This congruency strengthens your transparency score and, as a result, improves the quality score of your lens.

It is important, as with all PPC campaigns, to test and revise your Squidoo lens in line with revisions in your pay per click ad and PPC keywords.  The 10 tips in this article will go a long way towards improving the quality score of your Squidoo PPC landing page.