It's worth the pain though, because it is - without question - THE most crucial stage in the development of effective web content. We'd never dream of putting pen to paper on some new web copy without going through a comprehensive (and yes, possibly quite tedious) keyword study.

Why? Well, the Internet is a very competitive place and without suitable, relevant keywords to focus on, there's a very good chance that no-one will ever stumble upon your site, read what you've written and make that enquiry.

It's no exaggeration to say that the process of keyword research is one of the most important jobs we do for our clients. That's why it has to be approached with no small amount of patience and a tried and trusted method.

So how do you know which words will perform well, drive traffic and convert sales? What is a suitable, relevant keyword?

Over the next few weeks, we'll run through the main points of our method, highlighting the various stages we go through when developing an effective keyword strategy.

Next time - Stage 1 - Starting from scratch