Keyword Research

The Importance of Keyword Research

Keyword research to a website is the same as market research to a business – you want to know if there is a demand for your product and if you have the means to supply it. With a website, there is usually less at stake than a conventional offline business as typically there is less cost involved with starting a website versus opening up a business. Regardless, keyword research is an essential step in starting a website.

One seemingly obvious exception is the case where an existing offline business decides to take their business online in establishing a company website. It would seem that keyword research is redundant since market research has already shown a need for the business before it’s inception.

This assumption is false; online and offline markets are two completely separate target groups. Prospective online markets are easier and more cost effective to target – with a few simple changes to a webpage, a completely different market segment will be reaching your website. Compare this to the intensive and expensive task of rearranging advertising just to expand your offline market base a little.

To explain, let’s use an example of a bicycle retailer. Using his website, he can rank in the number 1 spot for a Google search for “bicycles” in his local area. But why stop there? With some keyword research, he may find that other search phrases like “bicycle tires” and “bike repairs” may be drastically undersupplied in his target area. As a good businessman, he would incorporate those search terms into his website so he not is only ranked #1 for “bicycles”, but also for these additional search phrases. This will not only bring him the targeted traffic for his initial ranked search term, but the traffic produced from the additional terms – dramatically increasing the visitor count to his website.

Imagine the hassle of trying to let his offline customer base know that he’s now offering these additional products and services…he’d have to re-do his advertisements and promotional material, let everyone who comes into his store know of these changes, and possibly even change the name of his business. Ultimately, it is something that would be very time consuming and very costly. This is where marketing your business online has a distinct advantage. You save yourself the time and the money, and reap the rewards almost instantaneously.

In the world wide web there are also websites that do not sell products or services directly through the site – they exist solely for informational purposes. Think of websites that offer consumer reviews on certain products, or help connect one user with another. In fact, you’ll notice that the majority of websites on the net don’t directly sell anything, but that doesn’t mean visitor traffic is useless to them. The more people visit their website, the more people are being exposed to that website’s brand or message – in a sense, this website is selling influence. This is why many websites exist only to profit from advertising to visitors who see the website.

Whether it be selling a product, advertising for another business or brand exposure, there is no excuse not to research potential profitable markets for you before you launch your website. The returns you gain through this will vastly outweigh the little time required for keyword research.

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