Before you do any of the following things:

  • Buy a domain name
  • Decide what to sell
  • Purchase inventory
  • Choose your host
  • Write content

You need to do research to discover what niche of the web you want to attack and dominate.

The Internet is a land of niches. Up to 25% of keywords that are searched each day on search engines have never been searched before. I see that as a tremendous opportunity. If you think you are going to start a business and compete with the big boys you are in for a losing effort. Its very difficult to rank high for broad keywords with heavy competition. Some of the leading sites have spent years building up authority on their particular keywords.

However, there is an entire world of keywords out there ready to be discovered used to launch your business. There are dozens of free tools available to help you discover potential keywords. One that I have used recently is Google’s Search Based Keyword Tool. You can get keyword ideas, find monthly search levels, scope out the level of competition, and even find out how much certain keywords are bidding for in PPC advertising.

Before you do anything else, do your keyword research. Find a niche that offers a healthy level of traffic as well as a lower level of competition.

Day 2 of the SEO Starter Pack will show you how to choose a domain-name that lets you rank higher for your keyword.