Without a doubt, Google is the most popular internet search engine. So much so, its name has become a synonym for the act of running a web search (I could not find that site that posts the winning lottery numbers, so I just Googled it.) Many internet marketers make increasing their site ranking -the site appears in Google results using their keywords- one of the key components of their advertising campaigns. Obtaining a top 10 Google rank (appearing on the first page of search results) is akin to winning an Olympic gold medal in the marketing world.

How can this help you with your market research? By studying the top search results for pages you find through keywords relating to your topic, you can find out what these sites are doing to achieve search engine success. The following steps will help you run an effective and informative Google search.

1. List keywords and keyword phrases relating to your topic. For example, if your topic is -working from home- your list of keywords might be: work from home, working from home, work at home, telecommute, telecommuting, at home jobs.

2. Go to the Google home page and type in your first keyword or phrase, then click on Google Search.

NOTE: If you are not familiar with Google, clicking on -I am Feeling Lucky- will not produce a list of web sites. It will take you directly to what Google has determined the most relevant site for your keyword. But if you are in the mood for a laugh, you might try -I am Feeling Lucky- just for kicks.

When you receive the search results, check out the pages that are relevant to your topic (search engines are by no means exact, and sometimes you will find results that do not relate to your topic. Or at least, not in the way you had in mind). The best way to do this is to right-click on the links you want to visit and choose -Open in new window-. This will keep the Google search results page open so you do not have to backtrack through your browser to find it again.

3. Note the way the sites are laid out (is it appealing and easy to read, or does it make your eyes bleed?), what kind of text is on the front page (does it seem informative, or is it all hype? Are there a lot of spelling and grammar errors?), and whether there is an obvious available product. If there is a site counter, note how many visitors the site has received.

4. Repeat this process with the rest of your keywords. You will often find the same sites showing up in the top 10 for different, related searches. Pay special attention to these; they are the ones you may want to emulate when you create the web site for your autoresponder.

NOTE: If you run a Google search on your topic and find only two or three related web sites before the results turn up unrelated material, it may indicate there is a limited market for your topic. In this case you should either rewrite your keywords and try again, or consider choosing a different topic altogether.