Chapter 3 – Picking the Right Topic can Make or Break a Blog

 

What is a Niche?

One of the very first decisions that you need to make when creating your blog is what is your “Niche“? A niche is a specific topic or subject matter that is of interest to a specific group of people.

This is actually one of the most important decisions you need to make when starting your blog because it will affect the total potential your site has for making money. A lot of “Make Money!” websites neglect to cover this very important aspect because it is so broad that they do not want to scare people away from the start.

Don’t worry. I will help you understand exactly why a niche is important, considerations to make when choosing a niche, and how to maximize the profitability of the niche you choose.

 

Some Examples of Specific Niches

As I mentioned about, “Niches” are category specific topics that appeal to groups of people that are researching information. They can range from almost any subject out there.

A good way to look at niches is as “hobbies”. Hobbies are good examples of niche information because there are so many strange hobbies that people pursue. Some good examples are, snowboarding, wood working, painting, video editing, cooking, cycling, playing video games, bird watching, etc.

This list could go on and on. As you can see these are good examples of niche topics because each hobby could be talked about in detail and would appeal to a targeted audience of people who are interested in information on that hobby.

When I say “Specific Niche” I am trying to help you narrow down your topic to pick a subject that will apply to a targeted range of people. The “playing video games” example I use could be narrowed down even more to focus on xBox 360, Playstation 3, or even PC gaming.

The more specific you get within your niche the more targeted your traffic becomes. Targeted traffic has the highest percentage of conversions, which means you will be able to make more money with your site.

There is a saying that goes:

• “Shorter keyword searchers are shoppers and, longer keyword searchers are buyers.”

What this means is that there is more implied intent behind long keyword specific searches. A person looking for information on playing video games may just be interested in general gaming info. While a person looking for information on “PC gaming flight stick controller” is obviously more aware of what they are looking for, and will be more likely to act on that information.

The more specific your focus is within your niche the more “long keyword searchers” you will bring into your site.

 

Examples of Popular Niches

There are a lot of popular topics out there because of all the various interests people have. If you read blogs and search the internet you will notice a lot of common themes that occur with niche sites.

Some examples of popular niches are:

• Self Improvement
• Computer Technology
• Home and Garden
• Internet Marketing
• News and Politics
• Business and Finance
• Health and Beauty
• Search Engine Optimization

There are many more popular topics, but these are some of the ones I see on a daily basis. Being aware of these topics can help you choose a good niche to start your first blog with because you may want to avoid popular subjects when you are new to blogging.

The reason I say this is because while these topics are highly searched they are also highly competitive. You may create one of the top sites in your niche, but getting the exposure it deserves could be very difficult starting out.

I recommend choosing something more specific for your first blog in order to learn in a less competitive environment. That way you can judge the results of the work on your site more accurately,

How to Choose the Niche that’s Right for Me?

Choosing a niche can be difficult for some people because they get caught up in the learning curve surrounding that niche. The way to avoid this problem is simple.

• “Write What You Know”

Choose a topic you are already familiar with. This way you do not need to learn an entirely new subject. This benefits you for many reasons.

• It is easier to write about a subject you already know.
• You can become an authority on your topic because your knowledge will show in your writing.
• You will have insight into the small details of the topic that will boost your credibility.
• You can offer trade secrets that others cannot to make your information invaluable to your readers.
• You will enjoy writing about your topic over the long haul.

Keep in mind that a blog that is designed to make you money will need to withstand the test of time. While information in your niche may change you need to be able to stay passionate about the subject matter. This will allow you to produce quality articles for the life of your blog.

Because of my background I have actually created several blogs covering different niches. This benefits me in two ways. The first way is because my long-term business strategy is to make money through multiple websites.

The second benefit is that having a blog for each topic I would like to discuss allows me to keep the focus on a specific niche. This way I can drive targeted traffic to each niche site I maintain. As a result these sites make more money than if I had one website that covered many topics.

 

Why is it Important to Choose a Specific Niche?

Taking the time to plan ahead and choose a specific niche will help you in many ways. It will allow you drive more targeted traffic, and make more profit with your site.

Many Pay Per Click services like Google Adsense generate relevant ads based on content. If you constantly focus on one topic the ads on your site will be more tuned in to the topics on your site, which increase the likelihood that a reader will click on an ad and make you money.

It also helps search engines index your site accurately which will drive the type of targeted traffic that will help increase the profit you make with your website.

 

Jack of all Trades, Master of None…

As the old saying goes, if you specialize in many different fields you may become well versed in a lot of subjects but you will never be recognized as an authority on one topic.

Depending on your business plan this may be a consideration to keep in mind. While multiple websites can make you good money by playing the numbers game, one highly successful site can make you just as much, or more than several smaller sites.

Since I have outlined what to consider when choosing a niche for your blog, you should have a much easier time creating a site name that will emphasize your niche.

Once you have decided on a niche, checkout my guide on “Choosing a Website Name that will help Sell Your Blog”. This will give you even more ideas on how to setup the perfect name for your new website.