Research Before You Run

The Internet can be your best and worst enemy. In today’s age of immediate access, a quick search on Google is what people refer to as “research”. I was recently working with a business client on a start up business. When asked about market research they produced 45 pages of Google results about other web sites and business operators in their chosen sector. I applauded their initial step into the process, but asked for something even more simple. Had they determined market demand?

One of the simplest ways to determine demand for a business or an idea is to look at the search volume for the business or idea. Meaning, how many web users have searched for a particular term, key word or key word phrase in the last 30 to 60 days? Simple logic would tell you that if no-one is searching for your business type or business idea, then perhaps you are not headed in the right directions. This does not mean you should can the idea. Instead, this means you need to fine tune your idea.

For example, if you desire to open an interior design business in Naperville, IL you can very quickly determine market demand by determining how many times users have searched for “interior design Naperville, IL” or “interior designer Naperville, IL”. Of course, this is not the end of the research, but a solid beginning. You can then use this research to fine tune your idea. Perhaps you might find that a ton of people are searching for “home design consultants Naperville” and you can alter your business and marketing plans to coincide with the public demand.

The same exercise applies to any aspect of your business. If you are a magazine publisher looking to start a section in your magazine about woman’s running apparel, it is mission critical to determine if there is an interest for “woman’s running apparel” online. Are web users searching for this key word phrase? Are there companion phrases that will help better draw in users? Are my assumptions right or wrong? You can then build a successful section of your magazine around what people “truly” are looking for rather than what you assume they are looking for online. This helps you better align your new business idea with market demand.

There are any number of tools online to help you with this effort, but it often takes the careful eye of a professional SEO expert to help you find the magic mix of terms. The message of this blog entry is this… Research Before You Run.

About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com

Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow me on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.

Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.