Anyone who has spent time as a freelance writer has suffered with it. Those who are new to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and keyword research are probably overwhelmed by it. So what exactly is “it”?

I fondly refer to it as “keyword analysis paralysis” or “keyword research paralysis.”

At some point (unless you are an Internet guru) we have all suffered with this dysfunction. After all, ever novice is drilled with the notion that keyword research, analysis, SEO, CPC (cost per click) and search engine ranking is the determining factor for earning residual income online. And in one respect, all these factors are vital. But these same factors that are vital to our success can also lead to our failure.

Anyone who wants to earn money on the internet from novice to expert knows that keyword research is an essential component to your internet success. After all, you can’t make money if no one can find your product or article. So you begin your online money making adventure doing keyword research or keyword analysis.

During the keyword research process, many Internet Marketers will tell you to focus on CPC. And this is an important dimension to earning money online too. Simply put some keywords have more “value” than others – and the higher the CPC the higher the residual earning potential.

Eventually you have to develop “long tail keywords” so you have an increased opportunity to gain a higher ranking (or higher index) in the search engines. For the internet novice, this is where the process becomes confusing and keyword analysis paralysis starts to gain a foothold. Because anyone who has done keyword research knows that long tail keywords generally have a lower CPC.

At this point internet novice and expert alike may begin to loose momentum. Why? Because you are stuck looking for the “perfect” keyword or keyword phrase with the “right” CPC – but guess what? The “perfect” keyword and the “right” CPC do not exist.

I am not saying you should ignore keyword research.

Ignoring keyword research is how I didn’t earn income in my first few attempts at earning residual income. Finding keywords, long tail keywords, niches, SEO and gaining high search engine ranking are all vital to earning residual income. But keyword research should not consume all your time.

First give up the search for perfection when it comes to finding keywords. If you search for the perfect keywords you will never get to earning residual income. Instead find keywords with a reasonable CPC, create searchable long tail keywords and focus on the volume of people searching for the long tail keywords.

Second, put a time limit on your keyword research. This is especially important for those who obsess on finding the “right” keywords on a regular basis. Once you have a list of keywords, move on too the next step. If you have reached your time limit move on too the next step with the keywords and keyword phrases you have created.

Once you have your keywords and keyword phrases (or long tail keywords) it is time too jump in! Otherwise you will never get to earning residual income – which is why you are doing keyword research in the first place.

Keep reading to find out another reason why “taking the leap” is vital to earning residual income.

I admit, I am a perfectionist and do frequently suffer from “keyword analysis paralysis.” It started when I learned how important keywords were to gaining internet traffic, gaining ranking in the search engines and earning residual income. However, I have learned one vital piece of information during this process.

Keyword research does not guarantee anything. You can do all the research in the world and still have a low search engine ranking, low CPC and low residual income. And there have been other keywords I have used that should have failed miserably – and didn’t. In fact these research “flops” have been my greatest successes. Don’t give up on a keyword because your research says it is a bad choice. Instead take a mini-jump and see where it leads. If the preliminary results look promising then jump in!