So you have developed your idea for a niche website and youre raring to go, but before you go ahead and start writing content there is another vital step you should take. It seems so obvious and yet many people make the error of failing to take it. What is this critical next move? Keyword research.

The importance of keyword research
The effective use of keyword research can mean the difference between a website that climbs the search engine listings, has thousands of visitors each day and generates an excellent revenue and a website that goes unnoticed. Using niche keywords can improve your sales and boost your profits. Keywords or keyword phrases are the terms that a searcher types into a search engine to find whatever theyre looking for on the internet. Keyword research is the process of selecting the most appropriate keywords on order to optimize your search engine rankings and help lead visitors to your site.

How to research keywords
You dont have to be a marketing expert to do your own keyword expert; there are already tools out there to help you. Two good examples are Instant Keyword Research and Keyword Elite. Both are simple tool to use and will save you a lot of time and leg work. The advantages of such a tool are obvious:

You can find more specifically targeted keywords
You can improve your search engine ranking
You can save time
You can increase your profits
You can generate large keyword lists
You can uncover negative keywords to avoid

Keyword analysis
Another advantage of using a keyword research tool is that it will give you an estimate on daily clicks per keyword and pay-per-click bid values. Why is this important? If you want to optimize your profits you need a heads up on the competition. These figures will allow you to analyze how many pages are competing for the top rankings and to focus your keywords.

How to use your keywords
Once you have completed your research and generated a list of targeted keywords you need to know where to place them on your website. Strategic placement will greatly improve your search engine ranking. Its important not to fall into the trap of overusing them otherwise the search engines may interpret them as spam.

Optimal use of keywords is 3-7 times on each page
The title tag should contain your most important keywords, usually 5-6
Headings tags should contain your most important keywords or keyword phrases
Use keywords in hypertext links
Keyword content should be placed in the upper third portion of the text

Most Internet marketing experts will tell you that keyword research and proper usage means more to your websites success than almost any other aspect. So take your time, do the research and create your content the right way.