Prioritizing keywords

Be realistic about the breadth of your keyword profile: if you are just starting out in a competitive market, you may not realistically rank for all your desired keywords. Even experienced SEO professionals with tremendous link building power at their disposal will prioritize certain keywords for an initial launch and then introduce other keywords and keyword families in phases once rankings have been established.

It makes sense to work in phases, preferably in 90-day increments. Choose keywords that present a realistic and attainable goal of competitive rankings in three months. Once you meet your ranking goals for the first set of keywords, move on to the next set of keywords.

Building first, second, and third tier keywords

So, which keywords should you work on first? Generally, your first tier keywords should get attention first. First tier keywords are your primary, high-volume and high-relevance terms. First tier keywords are generally more competitive, but they're...