Starting an online business? Where Should You Start?

Where do we begin when it comes to Starting out with SEO?  The first thing you should understand is the role SEO plays in the internet marketing world.  You see, SEO isn’t the beat all end all.  It’s actually just a part of internet marketing.

The important thing to know about SEO is that it’s the first place you should start.  It is the foundation upon which you should build all other internet marketing endeavors.

I hear people say all the time “I’m having my website built right now, I’ll call you when I’m finished for the SEO part” Huh?! That is probably the biggest mistake any one could ever make when starting an online business.

What your online business could look like if you don't first do proper SEO implementation

As my friend Steve likes to say, “Building your website with out first considering SEO is like hiring an interior decorator with out first talking to a contractor or architect. “  I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty crazy to me.

One of my favorite things to say to people is “Building a website without first doing SEO is like nailing your business card to a tree in the forest and saying come find me.”  Your pretty much setting your self up for failure.

SEO needs to start right from the drawing board. From company name selection, domain name selection, file naming to page and image naming.  SEO needs to be in the forefront of your mind.

The first place to start is Keyword research.  Take the guess work out of trying to find what people are typing into the search engines to find you.  Use one of the many keyword research tools that can target exactly what’s being typed into the search engines to find the products and services you sell.

One of my favorite tools is Google’s keyword research tool.  This tool is free and can show trending over the past year.  Another favorite tool of mine is Wordtracker.

Wordtracker also has a free version but that does not give you the necessary data to make an informed descision on which keyword will be best to target.

Wordtracker only tracks the last 90 days of data so if your in a seasonal business it’s a good idea to use something else in addition to Wordtracker that can give you data from a year ago.

The next thing to do after your keyword research is done is to research your competition.  You may already know who they are, but if you don’t, then go to Google, type in your main keywords and see who comes up on the front page.

Then, look at what they are doing to get there.  If you are wondering what that is then you should read my e-book Market Research On A Dime which will be available very soon if it’s not already.

Once you’ve completed your research check out my keyword placement post to find out where to put your keywords.