Why is my website not showing up when I search using a generic phrase?

This one is very common. The client comes to the webmaster with the following question:-

Why is my web site not showing up when I search using "generic phrase here"?

You will never be able to compete against the big players if you try to find your own site using a generic set of keywords. For instance if you search for DIY, guess who shows up – B&Q. You may try to find yourself using a larger phrase such as “closed circuit television cameras” but still – how many company's offer CCTV services in the UK alone?

Achieving high search engine rankings is a taxing task indeed. You are best to do some market research first to determine how big your market is, and then try using keywords you think customers may try. From your findings you can then narrow down some more phrases unique to your business/area and focus on them