I do agree with revisiting your KW research based on industry.

It is also true that you should add terms as you go. This is one reason why we build our client sites almost exclusively as blog sites. Once a term is identified you just add another post for it and you can cover your markets keywords with surgical accuracy and the speed of a ninja! ;]

A few other points to take into account are seasonality. If your business is subject to seasonal trends (ski lift, landscaping, beach rentals, travel, custom christmas do-dads et cetera) it will effect your results. In this instance take snapshots every month of your search counts and this will also tell you when to start pushing ranks to be ready for the upcoming season.

Pay attention to geographical or cultural differences such ie soda, pop, coke can all mean the same thing or for instance attorney, lawyer and solicitor. An attorney in the UK is known as a solicitor and it is critical to know if you sell law practice management software for instance.

Finally many make the mistake of starting with their competitors keywords. Chances are high that they do not know what they are doing. Don’t follow the blind – do your own homework. It takes longer, however your chances of finding undefended ranking opportunities are much higher given the fact that 95% of sites huddle pointlessly around the same blind market leader. The entrepreneur’s credo is go where there is no path and leave a trail… it holds true in SEO/M.

Nice blog.

John