Before you go to the trouble of doing keyword research and starting writing, you need to know, “What is the market willing to buy?”  There has to be a reason for them to pull out their wallet and go for that credit card. In general it is fairly well accepted around the internet marketing community that subscribers are willing to pay for information for pain or pleasure. Either they have a problem and want a solution (weight loss) or they spend a lot of money for pleasure (golf).

I think it is only fair to assume that your motivation in being involved in internet marketing is the money. It may be a hobby for some but I have not met any of them. Ask any marketer if they would continue to do all of the work if there was no prospect of making money.

Most beginning marketers fail in completing this step adequately. You have to dig really deep into your market with the critical last questions being, “What does your market want bad enough to pay for it?”

Take a quick look at your list created in the last lesson. These are the general topics you are going to be considering as you do this market research.

Since we are looking for problems that people need to solve, it is important to go to places where people are asking questions – How to fix, how to avoid, how to do it better, how to do it cheaper – problems that need a solution. An excellent place to look for questions is a forum on the topic. Search Google for “keyword + forum” or go to Board Tracker (www.boardtracker.com) where you can search for discussion groups in almost every imaginable field.

In the next lessons we will look at some of the other methods and do some experimenting.

Essentially the actual research is done using the free tool, SEO Keyword as we talked about in Lesson 8. What we will be discussing here is the method of tabulation. Any time you can save will give you more time to study the keywords themselves. Try it at least once or twice. You will obviously develop your own system as you get used to the process. But take a look at the plan that follows to see what you think.

Open a spreadsheet. These instructions are for Excel but you can always use the Calc program in OpenOffice. It is almost identical to Excel and is free.

At the top of the page, type the broad category from your list that you are going to research.Start out with the term that is of most interest to you.

Set up columns as follows, Type the words in bold.

Column A — Keyword Phrase    Column B — Wordtracker Search        Column C — Avg Est     Column D — Competition

Start typing on the very next row. Do not skip a row. Keep it open in another window while you begin the search.

Make the column A about 3” wide so that the keywords will fit. Move the cursor to the very top of the sheet where there are the letters naming the columns starting with A. Place your cursor over the line between the A and the B. Click and drag the line to the right so that the first column is about 3” wide. If you come to an entry that is longer than the column, simply go to the line described above and double click. That will automatically widen the column to accommodate the entry.

Searches and Competition will not be wide columns so should cause you no problems. If they do, increase the width following the same procedure described above.

Open the keyword research tool: SEO Keyword

Type in the broad keyword that you typed at the top of the spreadsheet.

You will be looking at a list of long tail keywords. A long tail keyword is a phrase that includes 2 or more words.

For example: if you type in CAMPING as your broad word, you would find things like “camping gear” or “camping recipes” which are long tail keywords.

Adjust both windows (spreadsheet and seobook) so that you can see both.

As a beginner, I feel you should look for long tail keywords that have at least 20 daily searches. Obviously the higher the number the better but the higher the number, the more competition it will have so there definitely is a point of diminishing returns.

During the first try, list any word that has between 10 and 200 searches. – using the column name Average Estimated. The first column with WordTracker is almost always smaller. It tends to just find the more exact matchs and eliminate the others. I listed it just for reference.

Type the entire phrase in column A.

Type the number from the WordTracker count in column B.

Type the number from the Est. Avg  count in column C.

You will be typing the competition number in column D.

Type all of the keywords that meet your criteria based on the Avg. Est. Daily searches.

I did not type entries like “oregon coast camping” or “washington state camping” because they were not the type of long tail keyword I was interesting in pursuing. I also skipped over “camping gear” because the 686 Wordtracker count was above my guidelines of 20 to 200. I continued on down the list to the first keyword under 200.

Some of these terms are over 200 but I am interested in looking into that term so I typed it in anyway even though it exceeded the limit.

As I continued on down the list, these are the 11 keywords I wrote down in the spreadsheet:

camping tips                 123   217   173,000    eliminate — competition

motorcycle camping         104   183   41,100

easy camping recipes      108   180   9,670

camping food               149   263   248,000     eliminate — competition

camping pranks              64     113   29,100

camping trip                   62  109   2,190,000  eliminate — competition

camping tent                117   206  436,000     eliminate — competition

camping cots               122   215    48,900

camping cookware         51     90   136,000     eliminate — competition

camping meals               51     90    23,900

camping supply list         83     146    4,810

I would like to point out that I also made note that there are lots of references to specific camping spots – Oregon, Washington, Arizona, etc. These could be used later to expand the topics for study. Another point – discretion being the better part of valor, I didn’t include nude camping and naked camping.

Go back up to the Google column and search the competition. When you hit the number beside the keyword, it will NOT have the speech marks. Click at the end of the phrase and type “. Hit HOME and type “. Hit SEARCH. You should then write that number in the competition column.

You can go back to the SEO keyword screen and click the next one like you did above. Probably an easier way to do it is to go to the Google search bar and alter the words for the next long tail keyword. Don’t forget the quote marks. Click search and write down the next number.

Write your competition numbers in column D of the spreadsheet.

This will save you a lot of time between switching back and forth every time and, after all, time is money. If you are lucky enough to have a partner with another computer, have them type in the spreadsheet as you search and call out the information.

This is a part of learning that I call “Work Smart, Not Hard”. Then when you put them together, work smart and work hard, you are doubling your achievement.

After completing the first group, eliminate any searches that have competition higher than 50,000. The decision now has to be up to you. Your objective is to find terms with high search and low competition. The higher search numbers will allow you to consider higher competition. Obviously, the ideal would be high search numbers and low competition.

Take a look at my keywords. Based on these numbers, I would discard Camping Tips, Camping Food, Camping Cookware, and Camping. That leaves me with 5 long tail keywords. Since I like the ones that are left, I would probably go back to the SEOkeyword list and investigate deeper some of the terms that I just eliminated.

Strive for 10 acceptable keywords in this topic. If you can do approximately that much, you have your topic. If you can find only 2 or 3, you may want to look at another broad topic.s

What is the importance of keyword research? This is the first really significant process that you are going to apply. The result of this task could well determine if your niche will be profitable or not.

Before we actually begin our keyword research, please read the two posts listed under Keyword Research — “Why” and “What is Relevant”.

You also need to make your decision about which niche you are going to do first.

Remember, if you have questions don’t let them go unanswered. Go to Wizard’s Classroom at Website Wealth Wizards Forum.

By putting “You” in the picture, you begin the creation process which will outdistance competitors. This is the reason you are looking for topics. It is the reason choosing a topic that interests you is so important. If you are going to put “You” into it, you must be comfortable with the subject. Passion is even better. Later on you may venture into areas that are just lucrative but I have found that for beginners, a niche in a field of interest makes the job much smoother.

Take a few minutes right now to download read the book The Secret To Winning Every Time . . . In Everything You Do. This book was written by Jim Edwards in 2003 but is still very relevant.

Pay special attention to the “4 Step Formula For Getting Out of Competition and In to Creation” that begins on page 11.

Your job now is to narrow your list down to the best 10 ideas. This is strictly according to your opinion. These ideas should be broad topics. That means you should use the topic Cooking, not How to Make a Pie. We will drill down into that topic later to come up with a niche within a niche.

This is a shorter lesson but get ready. In the next lesson we are going to tackle Keyword Research and Market Research so that you can zero in on the topic of your choice.

Be sure to file these papers away where they can be found. You are going to need even more great ideas in the future.

Go to the Wizards Classroom at Website Wealth Wizards forum and discuss 3 or 4 of your list.

I compiled this list of PLR topics available for purchase from the internet. I thought that by looking over these subjects, it might spark some ideas that had not come to mind as possible niches.

Animals
Cat Breeds, Cat Care, Cat Pampering, Dogs, Horse Care, Mini Pets, Pet Care, Pets, Small Animals

Cooking & Food
Breakfast Foods, Coffee, Cooking, Lunch

Computers & Internet
Blogging, Computers, eBay, Internet Marketing, Internet Privacy, Internet Security, My Space, Networking, Online Degrees, Online Gaming, Online Shopping, Opt-In Email, PC Tune Up, Photoshop, Spyware, Video Conferences, Web Conferencing, Web Hosting

Environment & Gardening
Alternative Energy, Environment, Flowers, Gardening, Global Warming, Hydroponic Gardening, Going Green, Landscape for Wildlife, Lawn Care, Niche Gardening, Pest Control

Health
Acne, Alzheimer’s, Back Pain Relief, Bladder Control, Cancer, Contacts/Glasses, Cosmetic Surgery, Dieting, Generation/Health, Halitosis, Health Insurance, Liposuction, Menopause, Mental Illness, Sexual Health, Sleep Disorders, Snoring, Stress, Vitamins, Weight Loss

Hobbies & Pasttimes
Antique Collecting, Classic Movies, Crafts, Digital Photography, Fly Fishing, Genealogy, Jewelry, Modeling, Music, Musical Instruments, NASCAR, Parties, Perfumes, Playstation, Poker, Powerball, Scrapbooking, Shoes, Shopping, Stamp Collecting, Travel, Vacation Holidays, X-Box

Miscellaneous
Airline, Aromatherapy, Audio, Barbie, Beauty, Bible, Bird Flu, Bluetooth, Borrowing Money, Bridal Showers, Building Relationships, Business Gifts, Business Leadership, Business Plans, CCTV, Christian Dating, Christmas, Classic Movies, Copyrights, Credit Repair, Curing Summertime Blues, Debt Consolidation, Discount Travel, Easter, Emergency Disaster Preparation, Finance, Forex Trading, Frugality, Goal Realization, Growing Beauty, Halloween, Harry Potter, Hedge Creation, Holidays, Home Theater, Honey Book, House Buying, Hurricanes, Hybrid Cars, ID Theft, Ipod, Las Vegas, Learning Disabilities, Lingerie, Motivational, Music, Pod Casting, Public Speaking, Pregnancy, Quit Smoking, Real Estate, Romance, Romantic Gifts, Secrets to a Better You, Self Confidence, Skin Care, Small Business, Stock Trading, Stress, Study Tips, Taxes, The SIMS, Time Management, Weddings, Wedding Situations, Wholesale, Work at Home

Parenting & Children
Baby Food Basics, Baby Names, Baby Nursery, Baby Shower Ideas, Child Care, Christian Kids Activities, Dads: Parenting, Education – Back to School, Education – Home Schooling, Kids Activities, Kids Toys, Mom and Stress, Mom and Time Management, Toddler Issues

Sports & Pasttimes
Baseball, Bowling, Exercise, Extreme Sports, Golf, PGA, Soccer, Sports and Recreation

After reading all of the topics in the above, were you able to add anything to your list? Go to the Wizards Classroom at Website Wealth Wizards forum and list a couple of ideas that you added to your list. How many items total do you have on your list.

This step #4 is all about finding a niche you’d Like to promote and that can be Profitable. To this end, you are going to: Brainstorm, Study the Market and Do Keyword Research.

Roll up your sleeves. Let’s get started. Read the information below on “Brainstorming”. If you are trying to follow the “Step-By-Step Plan”, you need to do these steps in order. Don’t forget. You can ask any questions you might have by going to the Wizards Classroom at Website Wealth Wizards forum.

Brainstorming — what does that mean? Wiki defines it as a “group creativity technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution to a problem.”

My contention is that it is an effective tool for one person. Admittedly, it is much better with two even if the other person is only acting as a facilitator. The purpose of the activity as it relates to you here is to stretch your mind and produce creative ideas.

Before you begin, make a list similar to the following:

• What are your hobbies?
• What skills do you utilize at work?
• What are some of your special interests?
• What are some of your favorite places to visit?
• What are your favorite pastimes?
• What do you know well?
• What do others come to for advice about?
• What education or training do you have?

During your brainstorming, you should use this as a guide. Start down the list and name 2 or 3 of the first, then move to the next. Name 2 or 3 of it and so forth down the list. When you get to the end of the list, begin back at the start.  If you can involve family or friends in this task, that would be very beneficial. If there is someone to act as the recorder it will make the process more effective.

Decide on an amount of time to do the exercise. I recommend 15 or 20 minutes. Once you begin, continue without stopping until your time is up. Once you start, say what comes to your mind. No going backwards. No erasing. It doesn’t matter if it is silly, impossible or daft. This is just forcing your mind to spit out ideas. If other people are present or participating as a favor to you, there can be no ridiculing or criticism.

When your time is up, go back and examine your list. Hopefully you will have a minimum of 25 ideas. Go ahead and sort out the obvious rejections. Some will indeed be too silly to include. Next time we will take a look at some possibilities of expanding this list.

You have just completed an exercise designed to start those creative juices flowing as you developed this preliminary list. Go to the Wizards Classroom at Website Wealth Wizards and list 2 or 3 of your ideas. In the next lesson, we will take that list a step further.

For this Step I want you to download the book and open it to make sure it is downloaded properly. Save the file someplace that you will be able to access it later when you have something to upload.

How’s this for a short and simple lesson.

The first thing to do is download the book, “The First Steps” This book will take you step-by-step through the tasks that I consider essential for the beginner to complete.

It is entirely possible that you have already completed some of these steps. Just mark it off and consider yourself lucky because you have it finished.

These are the chapters in the book:

• Building Your Online Business
• What’s in a Name? Your Internet Website Address
• Gateway to Cyberspace – Picking Your Hosting Company
• Setting Up Your Email – The First Line of Communication
• Zip It Up – Using WinZip Effectively
• Reading with Adobe Reader
• Opening A PayPal Account
• Web Browsers – Your Connection to the Internet
• Sending Your Files to the Internet – Using FTP – File Transfer Protocol
• Designing Your Web Page Using NVU

At the end of the book is a Check Sheet. Print out this sheet so that you can post it somewhere near your computer. Look at it every day. Working from lists is one of the best habits you can develop.

Go to the Wizards Classroom and let us know when you are finished with Step #2. Be sure to note any questions that might arise or places where you encountered problems.

Go to  Website Wealth Wizards forum

Register to become a member of the forum. It is free. I mentioned to you earlier that I am co-owner of this forum. Besides lots of friendly people there to support and encourage you in your endeavors, there is a section called Wizards Classroom. As you finish the different steps or phases of a lesson, I would like to encourage you to participate in the forum. This interaction will be very helpful and will keep you from feeling alone. Above all, it will help keep you focused on your goal.

Actually, this step is a two-part task.

Terminology and acronmys seem to always be  immediate stumbling blocks. Far too many times we are embarrassed to ask simple questions. Remember, “There are no such things as stupid questions only stupid answers.” You should always be at ease in asking your questions here. Our memories of wanting to ask those exact questions are still very intact. Complete the box in the right sidebar to receive a FREE copy of our book, Internet Marketing Lingo.

Keep this handy so if you are not familiar with a word, check the book. If the word is not there, list it on the forum immediately. I usually check the forum 3 to 5 times a day so I will see your question and answer as soon as possible

Move on to Step #2 as soon as possible.

Don’t forget. If you have questions, go to the Wizards Classroom at Website Wealth Wizards forum.I’ll see you there.