Whether you are just starting out with search engine optimization or an old pro, keyword research is the foundation upon which top rankings are built and root keywords are the most important.

Keywords, keywords, keywords the term used so often in search engine optimization that it can get a bit overwhelming at times. What exactly are keywords? How do I find them? How do I use them? Why is the term spelled keywords instead of key words? Ah, there are so many questions we can go into. Of course, we should talk about something far more important.

The key to keyword research is focusing on the key word. How is that for a sentence? Okay, now for something understandable. When identifying terms you wish to use in the optimization effort for your site, you must look to the base word of the area you are researching. That probably is not much better, so here is an example.

Assume I am researching the keywords for an online internet marketing company, to wit, the site promoted with this article. Should I type in online internet marketing into my favorite research tool? No! By doing so, I limit myself to finding only those keywords that contain these three words. Taking this approach, I would even miss the basic term internet marketing. Obviously, I have not focused on the root word of my research.

Returning to my research tool, I should go ahead and find all the words for internet marketing, right? No! Doing so will return more keyword phrases, but I am still limiting myself to only those phrases that contain the two words. In this case, I will miss out on phrases related to internet advertising or online marketing and so on. By taking this approach, I have followed the seo herd and missed out on some juicy opportunities.

The best approach to the above scenario is to research two words first internet and marketing. Do them separately and then work your way into the various combination of words that will appear. These are your root words. Bow before them. Treat them nicely. Research them and you might just find some massive traffic with low competition, the stuff of dreams!

There is a tendency in seo to by into the hype of going niche. Yes, certain situations definitely call for focusing on a very defined niche. When doing your keyword research, however, always start with the root words. They will lead you to the niche you can make money in.