Got an Online Business Idea – Before Approaching a Search Engine Optimization Firm Do Some Basic Level Research of Your Own

You don’t need to find a niche market to create successful online business. Many marketers would have you believe that finding an untapped market with potential is much easier than entering a market already well catered for. This isn’t necessarily true. Agreed, there are over-saturated markets which you may do well to avoid, but most markets have unplugged gaps that can be exploited with the help of an effective search engine optimization firm.

Before hiring a search engine optimization company, you should make a small business plan. This plan will help shape your idea and establish how realistic your vision really is.  You don’t need to be an expert to analyse a market at basic level and discover potential keywords, and doing this research will give you some solid background with which to consult your chosen search engine optimization firm.

The mistake people make is jumping in with two feet, setting up a website and trying to achieve success with obvious keywords that established businesses within the given sector already rank very highly for. Think smart, do your homework and consider the following:

Mission:

What are you actually trying to achieve? How can you do things better than your competitors?

Target Market:

Who is your target market and what are the needs of the market? What needs aren’t currently being served?

Territory:

Is there a territory within your sector that is under served by the current competition?

Market Size:

What is the market size of your chosen territories and what percentage can you realistically expect to capture?

Competitors:

Who are your competitors and how do they do what they do? Are they doing it well? What keywords are they using?

By answering these questions you will soon start to formulate a list of keywords that are under-utilised by your competition and describe the purpose of what you are aiming to achieve. This is vital to encouraging traffic that actually converts. Your chosen search engine optimization company will then expand upon your research, carry out deeper market analysis and formulate a strategy.