Previous articles have given an overview of the things you must consider before you even begin your career as an internet marketer. It may have seemed a bit overwhelming. So many options, so many business systems, so many methods to explore, so much to learn. I have emphasized that you must have a plan. A fully laid out plan that leads from A to B to C and builds upon itself as you complete each task.

It is here that many an internet marketer fails before they start. They figure they will learn as they go along.

This is very true. You do learn as you go along. You learn all sorts of terms that are specific to internet marketing. Keywords. Traffic. Domains. Hosting. PPC. PPV. CPA. The internet is replete with acronyms. And they all fit somewhere into your internet marketing strategy. But where?

As you begin on the internet it is easy to be distracted by each new, bright thing which is sent to you in your email. I can guarantee that once you start searching the internet for ways to create passive income in your life, you will begin to receive emails from friends you didn’t even know you had. All offering you access to the newest, most powerful internet marketing system you will ever find.

I have spoken of this inter-relatedness among websites and marketers previously. Buying their products is a learning experience. They will all teach you something. At the bottom end, they will teach you not to buy products from, or believe anything this person tells you, ever again. At the top end, they will expand your useful knowledge and give you strategies and methods that enhance your online efforts. The thing to ask before purchasing any sparkling new internet promise, is whether it is helpful to you, right now, in your present position. Buying a product that promises truckloads of traffic to your website doesn’t help if you don’t yet have a website.

This is the problem that breaks many a new interent marketer. A haphazard approach that takes a bit of this from here and a bit of that from there and hoping they fit together somehow. It is a learning experience. A slow learning experience. But internet marketing, in all its many shapes and models, has been done successfully by many people all over the world. Many of them offer to help you, (for a price!) to achieve similar success. Be aware of where you are on your journey. If you are brand new and just beginning, a product that integrates your Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, blogs and websites into one awesome online presence is probably a bit advanced.

I keep saying it. You need a plan. And you need to follow the plan. Take action. Complete tasks. Build an online, passive income brick by brick.

In these articles, I will commence at the beginning and we will work our way, brick by brick, through a simple internet marketing plan. If you are already a genius at this, then these articles will not be for you. If you are just starting out and would like some guidance, perfect. If you want to skip ahead and see the entire overview, click the link in the author’s box at the bottom and download the free plan immediately.

To get a feeling for what is available without having your email box filled with autoresponder messages, I suggest that you check out:

http://www.imreportcard.com

I am not affiliated with this site, but I wish that I had found it a few years ago. It would have saved me a lot of time and money. The site gives you an overview and reviews of many of the online products on offer, plus comments by people who have bought the product and used it. I have found it most useful and, from the products I bought before I found it, I have found its ratings to be pretty much spot on. As you build your online presence, you will find this site very helpful.

To begin at the beginning.

Keywords. What are keywords and why do I care?

The easiest definition of keywords to understand is that they are the search terms which people use to find information on the internet. Keywords range from very broad terms, such as “diets” to very specific terms such as “diabetic diets for children under ten”. Keywords are used to discover what sort of traffic is searching for these terms each day or month. Lots of searches equals lots of people looking for these keywords. This is good. However, the other side to the coin is, in many niches, the competition jostling for these keywords is huge.

For example, you are considering selling / creating a product that targets internet marketing. Google those two words and you find there are around 187,000,000 sites that respond to that keyword. I hope your little site is going to be awesome to compete with gurus with massive audiences, massive reach and massive marketing budgets, who have been doing this for years.

To get a feel for keywords and what they tell you before the next article, I suggest you think of some of your hobbies, interests, needs and desires and write down words that relate to them. Then add more specific words to these broad categories. For example:

1. Meditation

2. Meditation downloads.

3. Mp3 meditation downloads.

4. Buddhist meditation.

5. Meditation cushions. (Didn’t see that one coming, did you?)

6. Meditation rugs.

7. How to meditate.

8. How to use guided meditation.

9. Yoga meditation.

10. Beginner’s meditation.

The method is to find a broad category and then break it down into as many niches as possible. Whatever relates to your main category whether it be information, training, physical products that assist the experience. Whatever. Let your mind run free. Each one of the numbered items above are a niche. A smaller portion of a larger category.

When you have a list of keywords in several categories/niches, use these tools to explore the traffic, get more options for keywords and scope out the competition. Once again, I have no financial interest in any of the sites I recommend in the body of these articles. Except for Google. Which I own.

Type a search term into Google. The number shown just below the search term shows how many web pages directly relate to that term. For example, Google “meditation”. You will see around 225,000,000 results. Lots of results means lots of competition. Generally.

http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/

Another great free tool that allows you to find global search levels, check out the competition and also suggests other related keyword phrases that may be relevant. Brilliant!

Have fun with these tools and get familiar with them. They will be your friends on the internet for a long time.

In the next article we will discuss how to analyze the information you get from the above. You will find free tools to add to the depth of your research in surprising ways. We will discuss places to expand your range of possible niches and which can help you find thousands of possibilities to explore.

What we are doing, step by step, is following a plan that has succeeded before for many others.

To succeed as an internet marketer, you must have a plan. You must follow your plan.

I don’t really own Google.

Kindness is more important than wisdom.

Author Bio: Want to know how to create a $35k per month income? Then visit: Free Internet Marketer Plan right now, and grab your 100% free report which shows you step by step, exactly how to reach a cool $1k per day online, from the comfort of your own home. Martin P Kerrigan is an author, martial artist and successful internet marketer.

Category: Marketing
Keywords: internet marketer,passive income,earn money online