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If you missed the first and second parts of this article, click the links below to read them:
* Choosing a topic for your niche blog (part 1)
* Choosing a topic for your niche blog (part 2)
If you read the 2 posts, you’d realize we have treated 3 out of the 4 steps of the niche selection process. Now, the last step:
Step 4: Wrapping It All Up
After you have chosen your niche topic, ask yourself the questions below to make sure your blog is lucrative:
Will you get resources to produce plenty of interesting content?
Ensure you have plenty of interesting things to write about. You don’t want to get stuck after only 14 days and find yourself not having anything interesting to write about. This is not only frustrating for you; it is frustrating for the reader who is expecting more quality content from you.
Is your topic in demand?
Your topic should be in demand for you to be successful with your blog. People must be searching for the information you’re sharing, otherwise, you’ll be frustrated. One way to check if you have an in-demand topic is to go to http://amazon.com and see what kinds of books have been published on your subject. Also, check http://dummies.com, if there is a ‘dummies’ on your subject, you are most likely heading in the right direction.
Is the topic you chose in a very competitive market?
Checking for your competition is vital. This helps you see the kinds of sites you’ll be competing against. It also helps you look at their strengths and weaknesses as well as formulate a strategy to beat them. Just looking up your topic on Google will enable you see what’s out there and even if there are a lot of blogs on the subject, it doesn’t inevitably mean the niche is too competitive.
There are some other parameters to check like the page rank (PR) of the competing sites(the lower the better), their domain extension (.edu and .gov sites tend to be competitive). One thing is, I quickly check up the sites on the first page of Google for the niche and keywords I’m targeting. I check only the first page because they (sites) are the ones I want to displace; I want my sites to show up on the first page of Google or any other search engine.
Other times, I check what exactly the site is sharing, if I feel I can do better, I move on with the niche. And because I primarily use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to get traffic to my sites, I just do a quick run through. I must however say that your competition is not the number of pages that show on the first page of Google. This frustrates many would-be Internet Marketers; when they see they would be competing against 59 million other sites. For me, my competition is the sites on the first page of Google. Period!
How do you intend to make money from your blog?
How you intend to make money from your blog can also determine your choice of niche. For instance, do you have any plan to release a paid e-book after 1 year of successful blogging? Do you plan to release a physical product to sell? Do you just want to make money through affiliate programs or contextual advertising programs like adsense and chitika? Or, do you want to get direct advertisements alone or even sell your site 6 months after successful blogging? If you want to sell your site,checking flippa‘s recently sold sites list, might help you know the niches that are currently hot. You can then create a site on those same niches with the intention of selling in 6 months time.
Pick your favorite earning method and decide which niche will succeed with your choice. For example, if you want to sell physical products to your readers, you can choose to write about smart phones and buy, stock and sell blackberry phones. If your preferred earning method is direct advertisements or PPC ads, you can choose to blog about how to use smart phones, the best operating system, and a particular mobile brand. If you choose affiliate marketing, then try to blog about their online products, do reviews.
But,you’re not limited to just 1 monetization method per site. I advise bloggers to use at least 2 monetization methods,so that if 1 source dries up,the other can still make the site profitable. I have seen sites use 4 monetization methods; the most important thing is your ability to generate traffic. With a huge traffic base,you can monetize your site in more ways than 1. For instance,you can use adsense and affiliate programs on the same site. You can even add CPA programs. It all depends on you.
Closing Remarks:
Don’t go out there looking for a perfect niche because you won’t find one. Don’t go out there looking for money-making niches because they don’t exist. It’ll surprise you to hear this but I’ve got to say it: No niche is a money earner; it’s the people that run such blogs that make a niche a money-spinner. I adapted this statement from Ladi Olatunji’s book on ’66 Businesses You Can Start and Run on Your Own.’ In the book, he said “no business makes money; it’s the people that run the business that make the business make money.” How true!
Let’s assume a friend and I started a cat training blog the same day and after the initial chores, I abandon the blog for other ventures but my friend kept updating, building back links, networking with like-minded people, etc. What do you think will happen? Her blog will earn her money while mine won’t. Do you now realize it’s the people that run niche blogs that make them produce money and not the niches themselves?
A Peep into My Niche Choosing Treasure Chest
Let me just say I’ve been home all day (internet business doesn’t require leaving the house like other businesses) and I have seriously been thinking about parenting. I’ve also read a bit about it. I really want to research deep into it. This is because I’m at a stage in my life when I need more information on parenting, particularly, raising teenagers.
I feel the need to know more about this period that can make or mar parenting efforts. I also feel there are other parents in my shoes and if I can do the research and share it with them, it won’t be a bad idea. On one hand, I’d be helping my self, on the other hand, I’d be helping other parents. I feel excited about this and even thinking I should create the site during this authority niche blogging series to give the whole course a practical feel.
Don’t forget that when I started this course, I promised it was going to help people set up their own blogs. I believe this objective would be better achieved if I set up a blog during the course and show you what goes on in my mind each time I’m setting up a new blog.
Do you feel the same way I’m feeling? Please let me know by hitting the reply button.
PS: This is just another proof that choosing niches is easy if you relax: turning a challenge into a niche topic. If you’re facing it, other people are, so, why don’t you solve the challenge for yourself and other people? What’s more, you make money; just like an icing on the cake!
PSS: The course continues, please stay tuned to this blog and ask your friends to visit.