The advice here so far is great. Now i would like to tell you why you need to target the long tail keywords first.
The first reason is that they are easy to attain. This will give you some traffic, better quality traffic and will show you that it can be done. When you are learning, small steps are important. If you go out and try to target the harder words and phrases you will likely become discouraged and give up.
The next part is that you are building the strenght of your site, so the next step is easier, kinda like climbing a ladder. None of the work hitting the first step is in vain on your way to the more popular terms.
There are phrases that takes professionals 2 to 4 years to attain. So the chances of a beginner giving up are great if the top keywords are targeted by beginners.
Now let's get into the long tails. Long tails are phrases that usualy hint of a buyer. Which would you think would be easier to convert, "Bathtubs" or "where to buy bathtubs"?
Another example would be "t-shirts" or "Britney Spears T-Shirts"? sounds to me like someone is looking for a specific item with the second term. (these are just examples)
The longtail gives the best conversion rates overall because they are more specific to the searcher and may hit of a buyer looking to buy right now.
Everyone who buys online goes through a buying cycle. Try to catch the one's at the end of the cycle.
understanding your potential client will also help you find the right keywords that are easy to hit and make sales at the same time.
Keep it simple, get one way links, simple onpage and the rest will come togather.
Jim
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