Now, don\u2019t go Googling how to choose a domain name, or how to set up hosting for your blog just yet. Your very first step should be to learn how to find a niche market for your blog.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll want to choose wisely, because this will have a huge impact on how profitable your blog can be further down the road.<\/p>\n
In this guide, I\u2019ll walk you through step by step on how to find a niche for your blog and most importantly – how to find a niche that is profitable.<\/p>\n
Contrary to popular belief, this isn\u2019t as simple as looking at your passions, and deciding which one of them you want to focus on.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll need to evaluate the profitability of your potential niches, and check out the competitors in each niche\u2026 trust me, there\u2019s more to this than meets the eye!<\/p>\n
Step 1: What Makes A Good Niche?<\/h1>\n
There are several things to look out for when you\u2019re brainstorming ideas for your niches. A good niche should be one where:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Consumers are willing to spend money online<\/li>\n
- Consumers are facing problems in<\/li>\n
- There are products that you can promote or sell<\/li>\n
- You have a decent understanding about<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Alright, let\u2019s break it down, starting with the first criteria\u2026 consumers in your niche should be willing to spend money online.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0.png\")
Now, there are certain niches where you\u2019ll find it extremely hard to get consumers to part with their money (online, at least).<\/p>\nSay you\u2019re trying to sell mattresses or furniture online, for example. Regardless of how optimized your website is, and how many trust badges you include on your checkout page, you probably won\u2019t get much sales — simply because consumers want to test out their mattresses and furniture before spending money on them.<\/p>\n
Next, consumers in your niche should have several problems that they\u2019re experiencing. This makes it easier to market to them — you can simply position your product or service as a solution to that problem.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-1.png\")
Third, make sure that there are products in your niche that you can promote or sell as well.<\/p>\nYou don\u2019t want to have to invent something from scratch — there\u2019s too much hassle involved, and if your product is any good, there\u2019s a high chance that you\u2019ll get knocked off.<\/p>\n
A much easier way is to simply sell whatever products are already in the market (you can get a manufacturer to whitelabel the product and brand it with your company name, if you\u2019re concerned about that).<\/p>\n
Last but not least, you should have at least a decent understanding of the niche that you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying that you need to be an SEO guru if you want to go into the SEO niche, but at the very basic level, you need to know what it\u2019s about, and why it matters to your consumers.
\nHow will you be able to convince your consumers to buy the products you\u2019re marketing otherwise?<\/p>\nStep 2: The Passion Vs Money Dilemma<\/h1>\n
Since we\u2019re on the topic of understanding your niche, let\u2019s talk about the passion vs money dilemma.<\/p>\n
This is a question that I get a lot: should you focus on how to find a niche that you\u2019re passionate in, or should you go for finding something that you know will make you money?
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-2.png\")
<\/p>\nLet\u2019s look at your first option: find a niche that you\u2019re passionate in.<\/p>\n
I find that the folks who are biased towards this option often quote the saying \u201cChoose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I have to tell you, though, that this is 100% untrue.<\/p>\n
Sure, you might find it more enjoyable to build a blog in a niche you love, but at the end of the day, you\u2019ll still have to grit your teeth and get through the menial, mundane tasks that nobody likes to do.<\/p>\n
All the administrative work, the filing of taxes — it doesn\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-3.png\")
<\/p>\nPlus, what happens when you\u2019re 9 months into running your blog, and you realize that you just can\u2019t monetize your niche? Are you going to throw in the towel, and start again from scratch?<\/p>\n
Now, let\u2019s go to the other end of the spectrum, and talk about what happens if you find a niche that is profitable, but you don\u2019t have any interest in. (Right now, cryptocurrency and forex are very much in trend, but who knows what it could be six months down the road?)<\/p>\n
If you choose to go with one of these niches (and I\u2019m assuming you know absolutely nothing about them), chances are that your content won\u2019t be very convincing.<\/p>\n
So, yes, you might get a few readers who are complete beginners, but beyond that, you won\u2019t be able to attract quality readers who will stick around and buy the products that you\u2019re selling or marketing.<\/p>\n
So you can\u2019t choose a niche that you\u2019re passionate in (but isn\u2019t profitable), and you can\u2019t choose a niche that is profitable (but you know nothing about).<\/p>\n
What you should be doing is to find a niche that straddles both sides of the equation.<\/p>\n
You need to know enough about this niche to be able to explain the basics to someone at a dinner party, and at the same time, the niche should be one that\u2019s decently profitable.<\/p>\n
Got it? Great! Next up, we\u2019ll talk about how you can find blog niche ideas.<\/p>\n
Step 3: How To Find A Niche Market<\/h1>\n
In this section, I\u2019ll outline three methods that you can use to generate ideas for niches to go into. Put on your thinking cap, and let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n
1. Look Inwards<\/h2>\n
The easiest way to generate niche ideas is to start from what you know.<\/p>\n
What are your hobbies and interests? What have you been meaning to get into, but haven\u2019t had the chance to? What\u2019s a skill that you\u2019d like to learn? What are the problems and challenges that you\u2019re facing?<\/p>\n
IMPORTANT<\/strong>: Don\u2019t self-censor, or hold back when you\u2019re doing this step. You can always prune your list of niche markets and narrow it down later on — so just focus on coming up with as many ideas as possible as of now.<\/p>\n
2. Research Online<\/h2>\n
Now that you\u2019ve identified your own interests, hobbies and challenges, let\u2019s move on to looking at what other people are interested in.<\/p>\n
A great way of doing this is to check out Amazon\u2019s list of bestsellers<\/a>.<\/p>\n
You can filter this by department, and go further into the different categories within each department.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-4.png\")
<\/p>\nAmazon aside, you can also get more inspiration by looking at these other platforms:<\/p>\n
- \n
- ProductHunt<\/a>, which curates the best tech products<\/li>\n
- Shark Tank<\/a>, which is a show that features innovative products and services<\/li>\n
- Clickbank<\/a>, which is pretty much the Amazon of digital goods<\/li>\n
- Mix<\/a> (previously known as StumbleUpon), where consumers can curate the \u201cbest of the internet\u201d<\/li>\n
- Alibaba<\/a>, where you can find suppliers to manufacture any product under the sun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When adding niche ideas to your list, don\u2019t think too much about whether a certain niche is profitable, or whether it makes sense for you to enter that niche.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll get to that further down the road — so just focus on building up your list for now!<\/p>\n
3. Ask Your Friends<\/h2>\n
After you\u2019ve done your online research, the last step is to go to your friends and family, and pick their brains.<\/p>\n
Ask them what they spend most of their money on — you might discover that they have some cool hobbies and interests that you never knew about!<\/p>\n
Step 4: Checking The Profitability Of Your Niche<\/h1>\n
At this point in time, you should have a nice, long list of niches that you can potentially explore.<\/p>\n
The next step on how to find a niche for your blog is to check whether each niche is profitable, and evaluate whether it\u2019s a good fit for you…<\/p>\n
Google Trends<\/strong><\/p>\n
Google Trends is a great tool that you can use to determine how well-received a niche is, and the best part is that it\u2019s 100% free.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how you use this tool: log on to Google Trends<\/a>, type in your niche, and then wait for your graph to be generated.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re planning to sell only to the US for a start, make sure your location tab is set to the US; otherwise, you can change this to \u201cWorldwide\u201d or whatever region you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n
I also recommend switching the timing tab to \u201c2004 to present\u201d, so that you get a bird\u2019s eye view of how your niche is growing (or not!) within the past decade or so.<\/p>\n
For example, when I search for \u201cKombucha\u201d, here\u2019s what I get\u2026<\/p>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-5.png\")
<\/p>\nThere are some fluctuations in the graph, but overall, it\u2019s a nice upward trend that we\u2019re looking at.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are other things to take into consideration, but at this point in time, it seems as though the Kombucha niche is a pretty good one to enter.<\/p>\n
If you want to, you can also use Google Trends to compare different niches. Just click the \u201cAdd comparison\u201d tab at the top right hand corner, and enter a second keyword.<\/p>\n
After inputting \u201cYoga Pants\u201d as my second keyword, here\u2019s what I get:<\/p>\n
![\"find](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/big.png\")
<\/p>\nLook at the graph on the left (below the text that says \u201cInterest Over Time\u201d) — this shows that there are more searches for Yoga Pants as opposed to Kombucha.<\/p>\n
That said, you can also see that interest in Yoga Pants peaked somewhere in 2014, and less people have been searching for this term ever since.<\/p>\n
Since Yoga Pants is on a downward trend, it\u2019s obvious that Kombucha would be a better niche to go into.<\/p>\n
Affiliate Programs<\/h2>\n
How to find a niche for affiliate marketing?<\/p>\n
There are plenty of affiliate network platforms that you can use to check out the affiliate programs that are available within your niche.<\/p>\n
Personally, I like to use Commission Junction (also known as CJ) to do my research.<\/p>\n
To view the affiliate programs on CJ, you\u2019ll have to sign up for an account on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click on \u201cSign up\u201d. (Don\u2019t worry, signing up for an account is completely free!)<\/p>\n
Once you get redirected to your dashboard, click on \u201cAdvertisers\u201d on the top panel, and enter your niche in the \u201cKeywords\u201d section.<\/p>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-6.png\")
<\/p>\nAs you can see, here\u2019s where I hit a dead end. Since there are no affiliate marketing programs that deal with Kombucha, this means I wouldn\u2019t be able to promote someone else\u2019s product, and make a profit off it.<\/p>\n
Now, if I really<\/em> want to pursue this niche, I could still go on Alibaba and purchase Kombucha-related products to resell. But I\u2019m not too keen on dealing with inventory, shipping, and all that jazz – so it\u2019s back for the drawing board for me.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll pick another idea from my list of niches, and research the profitability of that niche instead.<\/p>\n
Forums And Message Boards<\/h2>\n
Last but not least, check out if there are forums and message boards where consumers go to discuss your niche.<\/p>\n
Why is this important?<\/p>\n
First, if consumers hang out at forums to talk about a certain niche, this means that they\u2019ve got more than a passing interest in that niche. This, in turn, means that they\u2019re more likely to spend on that niche!<\/p>\n
On top of that, if there are forums and message boards that you can advertise on, this means it\u2019ll be easy for you to reach out to your target audience, and drive traffic back to your site.<\/p>\n
Yes, you\u2019ll have to spend some money on advertising\u2026 but if you can reach out to high-quality consumers who will buy your products, then it\u2019s worth it!<\/p>\n
To search for forums, use FindAForum<\/a>, and click on \u201cAdvanced Search\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-7.png\")
<\/p>\nFrom here, input your niche, choose your category, and under \u201cShow Forums With\u201d, check the \u201cAdSense\u201d, \u201cSponsorship Potential\u201d, and \u201cDonation Requests\u201d boxes.<\/p>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-0-8.png\")
<\/p>\nAdditional Questions To Ask When Evaluating Your Products & Niche<\/h2>\n
Now that you have a rough idea of how popular and profitable your niche might be, here are a few questions to assess how easy it is for you to serve the consumers in that niche.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Are the products in your niche available locally?<\/strong> The tougher it is to buy these products at local stores, the more likely consumers will venture online and make a purchase from you.<\/li>\n
- Who are your target customers?<\/strong> Do they have disposable income? Are they comfortable with shopping online?<\/li>\n
- Is your niche seasonal?<\/strong> Seasonal niches aren\u2019t bad per se — but you will have to deal with having next to no income for the bulk of the year, and having a ton of sales during the months when your product is in season.<\/li>\n
- Is your product subject to trends?<\/strong> If you find a niche that is cyclical and has a quick turnover (eg fast fashion), what will you do with your unsold stock?<\/li>\n
- Is your product consumable?<\/strong> If you\u2019re dealing with a consumable product, it\u2019s much easier to retain your customers.
\nAssuming your product meets their expectations and fulfils their needs, they\u2019ll be back to make a second purchase when they run out!<\/li>\n- Are the products in your niche regulated in other parts of the world?<\/strong> This one\u2019s a biggie — plenty of countries impose restrictions and regulations on items such as food products, chemical products, alcohol, etc.
\nIf you find a niche for your blog that involves selling products to overseas markets, then steer clear of these niches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nFor those of you who are planning to sell your own products (instead of doing affiliate marketing), here are some other questions to consider:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What is your markup?<\/strong> There\u2019s no hard and fast rule when it comes to this, but I personally recommend aiming for 50% at the very least.
\nThis way, you have enough to cover your marketing budget, your shipping fees, and other miscellaneous costs.<\/li>\n- How will you price your products?<\/strong> Too high, and you might find that your customers are picky and hard to serve.
\nToo low, and you\u2019ll need to move a great deal of inventory in order to generate a decent income.
\nFor most eCommerce stores, the sweet spot ranges from $75 to $200.<\/li>\n- How large and heavy is your product?<\/strong> Will your product be prohibitively expensive to ship?
\nConsider shipping costs from your manufacturer to yourself, and from yourself to your consumer.<\/li>\n- Is your product perishable?<\/strong> Products with expiry dates are tricky — you can\u2019t have them sit on your shelves for too long, because then you won\u2019t be able to sell them.
\nIf your products need to be refrigerated or stored in a certain way, this complicates things as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nStep 5: Conduct Competitor Analysis<\/h1>\n
Cool beans — you now have a clear understanding of how profitable your niche might be.<\/p>\n
Moving on, your next step is to get the lowdown on your potential competitors. It\u2019s important to know who you\u2019re up against!<\/p>\n
Identify Key Competitors<\/h2>\n
How do you identify your key competitors?<\/p>\n
Simple — just do a quick Google of your niche (and related products), and see what sites come up.<\/p>\n
Then proceed to dig up as much dirt on these sites and businesses as possible!<\/p>\n
Here are some things you could do:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Check out their site traffic using SimilarWeb<\/a>. (You can also use this tool to check out their traffic sources, their top referring sites, and their best-performing organic keywords).<\/li>\n
- Get a free SEO audit of their site using SEOptimer<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Look at their website, and evaluate if it\u2019s user-friendly and optimized for conversions.<\/li>\n
- Sign up for their newsletter, and see if they use an automated email campaign to nurture and eventually sell something to you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Once you\u2019re done, identify each company\u2019s overall strengths and weaknesses, and think about whether you can serve your (potential) customers better than them.<\/p>\n
Think About How To Brand Your Blog<\/h2>\n
Now that you know who your competitors are, take some time to think about how you can brand your blog and business to stand out from them.<\/p>\n
This is a crucial<\/em> step — if your grand plan is to just emulate your competitors and copy whatever content they\u2019re putting out, you might as well just give up now.<\/p>\n
![\"define](\"https:\/\/www.caffeinatedblogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/pasted-image-9.png\")
<\/p>\nRemember, your competitors have already established themselves in the space, and you\u2019re starting from scratch.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have anything new to bring to the table, you won\u2019t be able to carve out a name for yourself.<\/p>\n
Say you want to start a blog about parenting, and the eventual goal is to promote affiliate products in the parenting niche.<\/p>\n
Well, there are a gazillion and one parenting blogs out there, so how do you differentiate yourself?<\/p>\n
If you have a degree in Early Childhood Education, play it up, and use this to establish yourself as an authority and a thought leader.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve travelled to 20 different countries with your kids in tow, make this part of your story. Use whatever helps you stand out!<\/p>\n
Step 6: Test Your Niche<\/h1>\n
We\u2019re almost done! There\u2019s just one last step you should take before you throw yourself into your chosen niche\u2026 and that\u2019s to test your niche.<\/p>\n
How do you do this? Here\u2019s a step-by-step guide:<\/p>\n
- Get a free SEO audit of their site using SEOptimer<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- How will you price your products?<\/strong> Too high, and you might find that your customers are picky and hard to serve.
- Who are your target customers?<\/strong> Do they have disposable income? Are they comfortable with shopping online?<\/li>\n
- Shark Tank<\/a>, which is a show that features innovative products and services<\/li>\n
- ProductHunt<\/a>, which curates the best tech products<\/li>\n