Keyword research is one of the most crucial aspects of any SEO campaign. It is one essential factor which maximizes the effectiveness of search engine optimisation efforts. In any SEO strategy the first step is keyword research. It is just like laying a strong foundation for constructing a beautiful building.

Prior to starting any internet marketing strategy, the website owner must do thorough keyword research to determine the core terms beneficial to the business. The website owner must focus on key areas such as relevance, search frequency and competition. The selection of keywords should be based on high relevancy and lower competitiveness - the higher the competition, the lower the chances of achieving strong rankings.

Steps to perform keyword research: * Create a list of relevant keyword phrases: list keywords related to your business including root words and long tail keywords. Use synonyms, colloquialisms, and root words along with modifiers while making the list. * Select a keyword research tool: there are numerous keyword research tools in the market, some are free and some are paid for. Popular tools include Wordtracker, Overture, Adword keyword research tool, Miva and Keyword Discovery. * Perform keyword research: categorise 5-10 keywords each and run a search query on the tool. * Check search frequency for keywords entered: list the search count of all the selected keywords which will help in short listing the keyword list. * Check the competition: in order to shortlist the keywords the final deciding factor is competition analysis. It is always beneficial to select keywords of average competition.

After finalising a long refined list of keywords, utilise this data for meta tag creation, copywriting, PPC campaigns, link building, directory submissions and other internet marketing techniques. Moreover, to keep pace with the dynamic environment of internet marketing, perform the keyword research process from time-to-time and update the content accordingly.