This article is not aimed at the advanced level reader here folks. I talk to many people that don't even spend a passing thought on the KW/P research - this posting is written to give the reader a foundation - not as an advanced guide. Of course, this being an in-exact science, there could be some gems in here for the ragged SEO warriors as well.

For a while now, I have been intending to give my perspective on Keyword/Phrase ( KW/P ) research and targeting. Why? Because I think it is an essential if not mandatory part of any SEO campaign. Each and every term you target will have a cost associate with it. This is where the rubber meets the road. In simplest terms, if I spend $500 on link building, $200 on content creation, $100 on site adjustments then I am looking at $800 invested. Once we reach the desired ranking, how long will it take to recoup that cash (including ongoing maintenance). In short, where is the ROI and what is the ‘break even’ point? That is a very simplistic example, but hopefully you get the idea.

Simply aiming to be #1 on Google is foolhardy since some terms contain little reward (traffic). Remember, cash that gets tied up chasing non-performing terms is money that could have been used elsewhere in your marketing endeavors. So, this is certainly an important step in the SEO process. Mistakes here can be very costly later on and in the over-all ‘big picture’ that is the sites financial health.