So what do you do with your keywords when you find ones that you like?

You save them to a keyword list. I typically recommend creating keyword lists that serve a specific function. If I am going to write 25 articles, I will create a list for that "function". If I am going to create a targeted ad group for Google Adwords, I will create a keyword list for each one.

Most keyword tools have the capabilities to store keyword lists right within them, including the WA Keyword tool and Jaaxy. I typically use this as it simplifies the process, but if you prefer to keep your keywords in a Google doc or Word...or even write them down on a piece of paper, that is fine too. Just make sure they are somewhere safe and somewhere readily available.

Here is an example keyword list that I created on the topic of parrots while creating this training:

Now that I have my list of keywords, I would start working my way through these by either creating a page on my "parrot" website or writing articles and submitting them to an authoring site like StreetArticles.com. These all fit the following criteria, which is optimal for obtaining SEO rankings:

(1) Under 400 QSR (competing pages in Google)
(2) At least 50 clicks per month traffic

And that is it. No other data is important for me in terms of getting rankings. Seriously. Those are the only two metrics that you should focus on, anything else can mislead you or act as an "paralysis through over-analysis" distraction.