Keywords are Vital to your Internet Marketing

I'm sure you already know, but I'll say it again, "keywords are vital to your internet marketing" venture.
It doesn't matter if you are trying to market a product/service of your own, or if you are promoting the products/ services of others, I'll repeat it again...'keywords are vital to your internet marketing'. If you don't have the right keywords, how will anyone find you?
The biggest problem I have encountered, in trying to market my own products, is having keywords that are too broad.
In other words, what I didn't do was my, research!
I sell original paintings and prints on several sites and have for almost five years now. Luckily, for me, people have managed to 'stumble across them' and I've been selling the entire time.
Who knows what would have happened, if I had known 'anything at all' about internet marketing when I first started. (Unfortunately, now that I've finally 'figured it out', we find ourselves in the middle of a recession.)
Anyway, before you market ANYTHING do a little research first.

We'll use my own case in point, I have marketed my paintings and sites using the following keywords....I have listed my 'competition' beside each keyword.

1. Original art --- 34,600,000
2. Original paintings --- 2,990,000
3. Original paintings for sale --- 501,000

You see...I was getting 'closer' to having a shot at 'exposure' each time I 'refined' my keywords. But, a half a million others are using the keywords 'original paintings for sale'....and I really thought I could be found....REALLY!

But, I didn't know whit about marketing...and so this is how I've marketed my art for almost five years.

Now...these are my keywords.

"original dark art paintings and prints" and I am listed First on Google.
In "original dark art paintings and prints for sale" I am listed Fifth. But still on the first page.

I eliminated the broad keywords I was using and narrowed it down to the 'type of art I am doing on this site' AFTER doing the research.