Simply put, keywords are the words that web surfers enter into search engines to try to find web sites that fit what they are looking for.

It is because of this fact that it is crucial your web site has strong search engine rankings for popular keywords that relate to the purpose of your web site.

In fact, the right keywords are imparative to the success of your ebusiness strategies!

It is rather pointless to focus your web site on keywords which are not used in the search engines. Also, it is important to focus your keywords on targeted terms and not make the common mistake of using too broad or too general keywords.

You need to always build a list of relevant keywords that people would use in searching for your web site. 

When starting out it might be difficult to decide on what keywords. It is helpful to use focused and targeted keyword phrases that are common enough so the web searcher will use these to find your web site, but selective enough that they don’t return millions of matches. Very specific keywords generate highly qualified, targeted traffic that will increase your sales.

The first step in choosing the right keywords is to make them very specific to your products or services. Some tips for doing this are as follows:

• use keyword phrases that consist of two to four words
• avoid very competitive keywords
• be specific
• only check the keywords that are important to you

For a successful online marketing campaign, you have to target the right keywords. Most people use a two to four word phrase in a search, so phrases are very effective. In fact, web users who use four-word searches are more likely to purchase goods or services than those using fewer words. (source)

Understanding that one aspect of keyword research will help you immensely in your ebusiness ventures. Single words cannot be promoted effectively. For example, it is uncommon that someone looking for “healthcare statistics” is going to just type in “healthcare” or, another example, someone looking for “best home loans in Utah” is probably not going to type just “loans” into the search box.

Avoid the most common and popular keywords. If you don’t you will be competing with millions of others for the search user’s attention. Many new-comers to the web are to enamored with the high traffic promise that they fall into this common trap. It is unrealistic to think that a new web site could rank number one on a popular phrase like “ipod.” More established companies who have been on the Internet for several years will have the big advantage of high link popularity. Believe it or not, you will gain more traffic and business by seeking after the more obscure keywords.