Lets Start with Keyword Research

The search term that a user may enter at a search engine is called a 'keyword' or 'keyword phrase'. For example, someone who wants to find a site that sells Barbie dolls might enter 'Barbie dolls' at a search engine.

Keyword research allows you to:

1. Assess Demand - Certain tools allow us to see exactly how many times surfers enter a particular phrase or keyword over a given period of time. If enough people are searching for a particular topic, the demand may be sufficient to build a site around that topic.

2. Develop Keyword Lists - The second purpose of keyword research is to develop a list of keywords and phrases relevant to your topic. These keywords are used to build keyword-dense pages that act as 'magnets' to attract the search engines. If you plan to advertise your site, you'll also need a list of keywords and phrases to build pay-per-click advertising campaigns. (Pay-per-click advertising is covered in more depth in the chapter on marketing.)

3. Expand Your Concept - Lastly, keyword research will help you generate ideas that might not have crossed your mind otherwise. For example, if you are researching 'luggage', you may have listed the terms 'luggage, duffle, and backpack' but forgot to include 'tote'. Certain keyword research tools provide related terms as well as those that include the main keyword phrase.

Let's look at some tools that will help you develop those all-important lists of keywords.

Continue reading here: The sponsored listings at the top of the Google search results page look like this

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