So, I get this question a lot, and so I decided to write a quick post about what is a niche site and how you should choose a niche and build out a profitable site.
First, what is a niche? A niche is a segment of the population that is interested in a particular service or product.
An example would be skateboarding. Skateboarding is a niche, but it’s pretty broad. If you say, women that use skateboards, this narrows down your niche considerably. We call these “microniches”, and given the right microniche, there is a lot of money to be made.
In affiliate marketing, you are going to build a website and review products and services relating to that niche. It’s important to begin your journey
Why Should You Choose a Niche?
The reason why it’s important to choose a niche is so that you can write your content directly to that particular population in hopes of ranking your content and helping people purchase products.
When you become an authority in a niche, then you are going to help a lot of people which results in you making a lot of money. An authoritative site means people go to you for information in which (using the skateboard example again) skateboards are the best, what equipment they should buy and other tools that they need to be an expert skateboarder. When people come to your affiliate site for help, they purchase your recommended products – affiliate links – which means you earn commissions.
I’m talking about passive income! I mean think about this for one moment, you’re sitting on the beach sipping whatever you enjoy, and someone comes to your website, reads your review, and buys your product on Amazon through your affiliate link – you get a commission. You wrote that article 2 years ago, but you are still making money and will continue to make money for years to come from that single article. That’s the power of affiliate marketing and the importance of knowing and growing within your niche.
So, choosing a niche is fundamental for several reasons:
– Focusing your attention on a particular market and becoming an authority with those customers
-Finding a less competitive niche and be able to be “first to market” will help you rank faster and become an authority sooner.
How Do I Choose A Niche?
Don’t over think your niche. When I first started with affiliate marketing, it’s precisely what I did. I couldn’t choose the right niche, and so I kept changing it trying to find that “perfect one.” Instead, I should have just started building content and began working on my site. I over thought the process and wasted valuable time.
Keep it simple, and remember this is not brain surgery.
Here is a good blueprint when choosing a niche:
- Do your research and find a solid niche
- Build your site and start building out your content
- Write about 30 articles to begin
- Stay consistent with writing and improving your site
- Give it at least 12 months.
So many people give up on a niche because they do not see profits right away – it took me 5 months before I saw my first dollar with affiliate marketing. I could have given up and changed the idea a million times, but by doing so, I start from the beginning again.
Give it time. Keep with it.
>> Motivational Quotes from Steve Jobs
Here are some thoughts about choosing a niche.
1. Use Your Passion. What is your passion? What are your pastimes or hobbies? It’s a lot easier to write about something that you are very excited about than something that you don’t care about doing. How can you convince someone to buy products you’d never buy yourself.
2. Educate Yourself. If there is a topic or product that you would be interested in learning about, then you should persue that niche. Niches that intrigue you will more likely keep your interest in the long run and help you stay focused and be consistent in writing content.
3. Follow the Money. Make sure that your niche is profitable by examining two essential factors: the size of the audience and the competition. Remember that every niche has competition, but too much competition will mean that you will never rank for relevant keywords. Here is a trick that you can use – use Jaaxy and search for the “BEST [your product]. An example would be the “the best toothbrush” and see how many people are searching for those keywords.
I like about 500+ average searches a month with a QSR (Competition) of under 100. Another helpful trick is to check out the domain names available; usually if the domain name best[yourproduct].com is available, it’s a good indication that the competition is low. If the domain name is not available, it may be for sale (Don’t buy it!!!!) Just choose another one. At least you know that someone hasn’t purchased the domain name and is building a site that will compete with you.
>> Sign up for Jaaxy for FREE here.
Step Away from the Laptop
Also, it’s important to step away from your computer and think about those searching for your niche and buying the product. Would those searching for your product even buy it? Maybe it’s a parent that would buy it and not the direct niche audience. It’s important to research the web, but at the same time, it’s important to step away from your laptop and think about those that are actually looking to buy the product you are marketing.
Here are some general niches that you can research. Take this information and look into some microniches that may be profitable. An example would be, the health niche, which is really big now and competitive. What are some miconiches that you could follow that are less competitive?
Keep Trying, Don’t Panic!
Sometimes you don’t hit the nail on the head your first try. Keep researching and trying. You will get there if you resolve to become successful.
There is gold out there. You have to look hard and find that sweet spot. It only takes one niche site to be successful. You can make a full income by creating one niche site that becomes an authority.