Keyword Research is a fundamental part of Search Engine Optimization.

Since the beginning of the internet, businesses have wanted to get their sites found at the top of the search engines.

But, what does that really mean?

“I want to be at the top of the search results!” is a rediculously vague statement.

The statement should read more like, “I want my specific content to be found at the top of the search results for specific search terms“.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is simply the process of determining how people find you.

What keywords do they use when looking for a particular solution to a problem?

Your goal, obviously, is to be found high in the rankings of the Search Engine Result Pages (“SERPs”) for those keywords.

But, what are the keywords people are using?

First step:  Get into the mind of the customer.

Identify their problems.  Understand what they need.  Know what they’re looking for.

The more you understand your audience, the better you can serve them.  The better you can serve them, the higher your rankings will result for specific search terms.

Next Step:  Provide answers.

That’s it in a nutshell:  You provide the solutions to people’s (more specifically, your target customer’s) problems or questions.

The “keywords” they’re using when they perform their searches are the keywords you focus on when determining how you write your copy, your titles, your links and more.

Why is Keyword Research Important?

Keyword Research is important, because you want to be found for the keywords people are actually using — not the keywords you think people use.

Moreover, with keyword research, you can uncover opportunities, as well as identify keywords that are so extremely competitive, that your chances of ranking well are slim.

How To Do Keyword Research

You can do keyword research for:

1)Identify keywords that are important to optimize for, on your existing site.

2) Identifying a niche you want to create a site for

You can do most of this keyword research for FREE, using freely-available tools, like Google Keyword Research Tool.

Otherwise, use the keyword research software that we’ve found at Search Engine Optimization Software – Keyword Research.

Keep up to date with our Keyword Research Articles.  Here are some of the most recent ones:

• Make Keyword Research Your Friend Have you ever felt that it's too complicated to do proper keyword research to improve your search engine rankings? There are so many different resources, tips, tricks, strategies, and tactics for keyword research that it may feel overwhelming. Don't let keyword research be so hard! So - How...