A key component to any successful online marketing campaign is keyword research. We have been researching things ever since we came out of our moms womb. Whether it’s researching how the world works around us or researching which keywords people are typing into Google without research how would we know anything?

Here’s a good way to break down your keyword research into a meaningful marketing strategy.

1. Isolate the keywords that are currently driving traffic to your site and sales to your company. Keep these ones, they are the effective traffic builders

2. Identify which keywords, or meta tags, aren’t driving traffic to you site. Keyword research is an ongoing process and every keyword you buy or go after isn’t always going to be successful. The important thing is you recognize this and adjust your marketing plan accordingly to generate higher quality and targeted keywords.

3. Research what people are typing into the search engines. Bing, Yahoo, and Google all provide excellent search tools to help you determine what people are looking for. It’s important to not only chase after the highest volume of keywords, but also go after the mid sized volumes as well. You won’t be able to gain an organic listing on every large volume keyword possible, and the less searched keyword can play a major roll in driving traffic if you’re optimizing for those keywords. If you need any links to these keyword tools just drop us a comment on this post.

All good SEO campaigns should start with keyword research, period. If you don’t know what people are typing into the search engines to find the services and/or products you provide then how will you know which phrases and keywords to target both organically and paid? Keyword research is HUGE in the new economy and can tell you a lot about market trends and the consumer.