So you want to own and website and post regular blogs. That’s great! It’s a terrific way to own a piece of internet real estate and get your thoughts, opinions, pictures, or whatever out into the public domain. There is something challenging and exciting about this...and also frightening!

But what is a keyword and does it mean there is only one word?

Not at all! A keyword could very well be a phrase or even an entire short sentence. The search engines have become smarter over the past few years and will find whatever it is that you enter as a search. You can try this out for yourself. Go to your favorite search engine and type in a phrase for something that you are looking for. You will get “hits”. That’s a keyword or a “ key phrase” and it is meaningful to the search engines.

And remember, the way that you enter search queries is the same way your visitors will. So be natural and in your keyword research and think like your visitor will.

One of the first questions new bloggers ask is: what will my target audience be? Meaning, what will my niche (or specialty be)? Great question and lets explore this further.

1. You should have a research plan in order to discover if the niche you want to write about is:

• available (including the domain name)
• is being searched for by others
• is something you can write numerous posts on
• has the ability to expand upon

2. You need to be aware of research tools that are available to assist you in your niche research

• there are many online tools available, either at no cost or a minimal monthly or annual cost
• search engines are an excellent resource as you can type in your query

3. Now you need to determine what you are interested in.

• Business interests: whether you want to blog about your professional interests or new ones, make a list of what those are. This includes if you think you want to have a website that you can monetize (make money with)
• Personal interests: what do you like to do? Photography, workshop, kids, or even travel could be areas of interest that would give you a lot of material. You will need to ensure that you have some experience with this or are willing to learn and take others on a “learning journey” with you.
• Passion: this is one key area that you cannot overlook. Whether it’s for a cause or a personal passion, make sure that it is something you can write about with passion because your readers will see that in your posts.

4. Put these 3 pieces of the puzzle together and you are well on your way to discovering what your niche will be. You will now take your research plan, determine your interests, and begin using your research tool to:

• start with a broad keyword search
• narrow this down to a specific subject
• narrow this down further to a specific “sub-topic”...better known as...your niche!

A final few words of advice:

• don’t stress over this
• don’t over think it
• trust what you know to be right and that's true about yourself

When you know what you want your website to be you also want to give it a “natural sounding” name and also make it easy to remember. After all, you want folks to come back.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please feel free to leave me a comment. I have committed to responding to all of them.