How to find your blogging niche for blog success
So, you want to start a blog… but don’t we all? First, you have to figure out what you want to blog about. Then secondly, you have to consider the market area, because does the world really need another mesothelioma blog? But while some areas are definitely over saturated, there is definitely room to find a blogging niche in a crowded blog market… and yes, even in the over saturated markets, so long as you are looking at it from a unique perspective.
Here are some things to consider before you decide if you really should add another mesothelioma blog to the world, or if you should perhaps chose something a little lower on the spam radar.
What do you like?
Sure, someone told you once that mesothelioma is the highest paying keyword on the net, and last I checked, it still was. But does this mean it would make the perfect blog niche for you? If you are a physician who researched it for a patient, or have a close family member with mesothelioma, then you probably know enough about the topic to easily start a blog. But if you had to check wikipedia just to find out what mesothelioma is, consider the fact that every time you want to write a blog post that you’d need to not only think about what to write about, but research it. And trust me, it is a much better idea to choose a topic that is much less labor intensive.
So what does this mean you should do? Think about the blogs you regularly read. Now think about what is missing from those blogs that you wish they did… that is probably a good niche idea that you should run with, because if you think it is something those industry blogs are missing, chances are other people do too, and you have just found yourself some readers. When you have less - or zero - competition, the better off your new blog will be.
Can you write about it?
Make sure it is a topic you can write about easily, with minimal research required. Perhaps you are just rewriting the latest Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan gossip while including your own cynical comments. If you just need to watch for anything newsworthy about the particular celeb in question and add your own caustic comments, that is a pretty easy blog to do.
Don’t forget that sometimes topics you are interested in can be very hard to write about. Maybe you consider yourself an armchair hockey player… but when you actually have to write a post a day about NHL, could you come up with something fresh and new while giving it your own unique spin? There are only so many ways to recap a hockey game with “He shoots, he scores!”
Do other people care about it?
Look to see if there are other blogs on your chosen topic. Does the blogger post frequently? Does he or she seem to have a lot of subscribers? Plenty of comments? Or are all the blogs on the topic more akin to a barren wasteland due to reader disinterest? Looking at competitive blogs in the niche can help you see if there are enough readers and interest to support another blog… or readers that care at all. Having a hard time finding if there is interest? Check out message boards that discuss the topic to see if there are people actively talking about your niche in a forum setting. If the most recent post you can find on the subject was back in 2003, interest could be an issue!
What is the competition like?
Can you even compete with the big boys or girls in the space? Unless you can provide something the others aren’t, or doing something to generate the readers, you might be better off choosing something a bit less competitive. Instead of an all-encompassing poker blog, maybe change it to a Chick Poker Players in Vegas blog instead or a blog catering to seniors who play poker. Poker isn’t niche. Targeting a specific demographic of poker player is a niche.
Is there money in it?
We all have niches that we could blog about until the cows come home. But just because you are passionate about underwater basket weaving doesn’t mean it is the best topic either, because last I checked, there probably aren’t many people paying to advertise on it. A quick way to check is to pick the main topic for the keyword, and then do a quick Google search for it. Are there millions of pages on the topic or do they number in the tens of thousands… or worse, hundreds? Then look at the AdWords advertisers. Underwater Basket Weaving with 47,000 results and no AdWords ads tells me that it probably isn’t going to make me much money. True, you could do the basket blog just for fun or to practice your writing skills, but if you are looking towards blogging as your day job, you might as well start with a blog that can be your day job.
Are there related affiliate ads?
Don’t just look at AdSense and consider it your get-rich-quick method of making money from your new niche site or blog. Are there affiliate ads that you can run alongside the AdSense to increase your revenue potential? Not sure about how affiliate ads work? Read my article over on JenSense, Supplementing AdSense with Affiliate Ads. But if there are targeted affiliate ads that are related to your niche - the more targeted the better - you can often make much more money with affiliate ads, and AdSense would end up being the supplement.
In the end, writing what you know and love will go a long way to help you become a successful blogger. Then, following the other tips to help you discover if your chosen blogging niche is one that will find readership and pay off financially, even in a small way… but preferably in a BIG way!
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May 20, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Useful post
I think however that there are very few markets that are too competitive to break into
The problem with most marketing blogs these days is that a lot of bloggers feel compelled to post ’something’ everyday. As a result blogs are full of a lot of drivel that does not add to the blogs reputation
A few well thought out, well researched posts that are search engine optimized work better