Let's use an example. Pretend you have a great idea for an e-book, one entitled Top Ten Tricks for Barbecue Success.

So, where do you start?

Make sure that there's a market for your subject area. To see if there is a market, do some keyword research. This will determine if a lot of people are interested in that topic. The first place to start your research is with the free version of Wordtracker. Wordtracker will tell you how many people are searching on specific keyword phrases in your niche. It will also show you the number of websites that are competing with that keyword phrase.

Search engines will rank each webpage, depending on the keyword phrases found on the page. Look for a popular topic. Don't be afraid of a little competition - that competition is proof that others are making money, and you can too.

With Wordtracker, it is very easy to determine how many people are searching on the topic of, let's say, inexpensive weddings. You can find out what phrases they're typing into the search engines. Then you can look at all of the related phrases. Next, look up, "inexpensive weddings," "cheap weddings", "cheap nice weddings", "weddings on a budget", "saving money on weddings". You get the picture.

Wordtracker is helpful to uncover different combinations of keywords. With a bit more research, you can determine which keywords are popular, with few webpages competing for clients.

Once you have studied the market, you can choose the best topics for your e-book. By finding keywords with little competition, you can ensure a high ranking in the search engines. These keywords will also help you set up chapters and topics in your e-book, making writing easier.