Keyword selection is one of the first steps in implementing a search engine optimization strategy. It goes without saying that if you select and optimize for the wrong keywords, your overall optimization campaign is worthless. In this article we will cover the keyword selection process, tools available to assist you in selecting the right keywords, and how best to place keywords throughout your site. In this article, the term keyword or keywords will be used often. For our purposes, the term keyword or keywords includes the term "keyword phrase" or "keyword phrases". This article contains the following sections:

Keyword selection can vary greatly based on the type of Web site the client requires. Static sites (sites that are simple HTML pages and are not database driven) by definition are limited to a defined number of keywords, whereas, dynamic sites (sites that are database driven) can be optimized for an unlimited number of keywords. If your static site is predetermined to contain 5 pages, then the number of keywords is limited to those five pages. I do not recommend optimizing a single page for more than five or six keywords, unless necessary. With dynamic sites it is easier to optimize for single or two word keyword phrases as well as plural and singular terms.

If you are creating a new site from ground up, it is wise to select the number of possible keywords you want up front. Then you can plan the architecture of the site based on your keyword selection criteria. If your client sells 10 different products, create a 10-page site, plus pages for contact information and other boilerplate content.

Based on the type of site you decide you want or currently have, you must sit down and write down keywords. The first step in developing your keyword list is to have a brainstorming session. Anything that comes to mind should be written down. Keep building this list until you have enough to work with.

After you have built up your keyword list, you will want to prune the list down. There are certain factors one should keep in mind when pruning the list.

(1) Many search engines to not do "word stemming" (word stemming is adding on to the end of the word, for example the word "keyword" and "keywords"),

(2) most people type keywords into a search engine all in lower case, and

(3) it is generally easier to rank well for longer keyword phrases.

That covers the keyword selection process; you should however consult the help of the various tools available on the Web to help you select keywords.

Too often we run into a wall and can't go beyond 10 or so keywords for the site. Lucky for us there are plenty of free and low cost tools available on the Internet to assist in the keyword development stage. We will first discuss the free tools, and then go over one tool that you need to pay a fee for.