Welcome to another article from Affiliate Mastermind. Here we’re talking about niche selection and we want to cover what it is and why it matters for your business.
I’ll then be showing you some really useful resources to help you get started and find your ideal, new niche today.
So What is a Niche?
A niche is simply what your business is about.
You can have broad niches, sub-niches and even micro-niches.
You’re going to want to find a niche that:
- You like
- That isn’t too competitive (but it can be broad if it’s what you want)
Examples of a niche include:
- Camping (camping gear could be a subniche and camping gear for snowy conditions could be a micro-niche).
- Dogs (you could have a niche on puppy training techniques)
- African Animals (you could further narrow this down to African birds).
Why Have a Niche?
You need to select a niche if you’re going to get into online business. At least, it’s a very good idea and that’s for many reasons.
Firstly, your niche being the thing you home in on and constantly gather information about and create content around, is going to become that thing that you are an authority in.
You’ve heard of the term ‘Authority Site’ have you? It just means a site that has, over time, been trusted by Google and gained good rankings in the search results because the content is good and people appreciate it.
The algorithm understands this which is why articles from say Wikipedia for example, are usually one of the first results of a search.
Here’s an example:
I’ll do a Google search for the term ‘pyramid scheme.’
Here is the result:
An article form Wikipedia ranks at the very top of the search results. And Google has kicked back a whopping 43 and a half million results.
Now if I had a new website and wrote an article about what a pyramid scheme is, I might even do a better job quality-wise than whoever wrote the article from Wikipedia. But my article, if indexed, might at first end up on page 50 because Google doesn’t yet trust or even understand what my website is about. Add to this, it is a broad keyword with lots of competition.
So, if you want to eventually stand out in your niche, you need to become something of an expert in it. But no one becomes an expert at anything overnight.
That’s why this is a long-term thing: becoming an authority in your niche.
Once you have that expertise and competitive edge, your business will turn into a roaring success.
Okay, a second reason why it’s always a good idea to have a niche when you get into online business is because having a niche is a way to turn an interest that you may already have into a business.
Now that can be hugely beneficial!
If you already have an interest, that means you are already competent to talk about it and probably even better, you bring passion into your content.
That is such an important thing and believe it or not, the Google algorithm has ways of detecting content that sounds robotic and content that has a passionate, one-on-one kind of vibe to it. Of course, the content also has to contain good, sound information, relevant to the keyword you’re targeting.
But a blog or YouTube channel based on an interest you have is a sure way to work up to becoming an authority in your niche and the best way to actually take the hassle out of working. Because hey! You enjoy it after all.
What About Multiple Niches?
Of course, there’s no problem at all with having more than one niche. A second niche can become a second income stream.
You’ll just want to make sure to keep things balanced. In the beginning it’s probably best to stick to only one niche and as this one grows and you have some success with it, then by all means, take on another one if you want to.
I know some successful affiliates who have more than one website, each one being in a different niche.
Both of them have a blog in the make money online niche. Then one of them has a travel blog and the other has one on gardening.
I suppose you only have time for so many real interests. One or two niches seems about right to me and ultimately, you need to ask yourself that question and just make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself by channeling your energy in too many directions.
Useful Resources
Niche finding and selecting! Let’s get that behind you so you can roll on with your business and never look back!
Here is a very useful resource for selecting your niche. It includes a link to a special niche finder tool:
Don’t hesitate to comment below if there’s anything else I can do to help you out.