How do YOU select Your Niche

19 Mar 10 5:27 am

Thanks Chrisi,

My System:

1. Market & Trend Research
2. Target Market Profiling
3. Alerts
4. Keyword Research
5. Promotion

Market & Trend Research

First thing you need to brainstorm some niches but how is this done? I go to transparent marketplaces which reveal their best sellers or products or topics that are getting buzz. I also focus on desperate buyers and obsessive people.

Clickbank Marketplace (anything on the first page is usually a popular niche), Amazon Bestsellers, Yahoo Buzz, Digg.com, Google Hot Trends, Shopping.com and Ezinearticles most popular.

Once I have got a few ideas I will go to Google insights for search and type in the top level keyword or broad niche to check the overall trend. I am looking for something that is rising in trend or that is stable. If it is strongly trending down I move on to the next niche.

Once I have found a niche that is trending upwards I will check out the top searches and rising searches, paying particular interest in the breakout keywords. I will add these to a notepad document and any other phrases of interest. I will keep digging into these phrases until I find gold. This will usually be more product focused keywords or desperate keywords such as: problem, help, how to, improve. Or buying keywords such as: buy, sell, find.

This can take a while but it is worth it, add all keywords to notepad file.

Next I will use Google external keyword tool or traffic travis to do a quick check to see if there is interest (high search count and PPC ads running for the various keywords)

Target Market Profiling

Take the niche you found or keywords and find out more about the target market or the people who are interested in the product or niche. Forums are the best for this, also yahoo answers.

Use boardtracker, boardreader, omgili, to find hot topics and conversations that are going on in your niche and to learn more about the problems or troubles your niche market experiences. You may also come up with new keyword from looking at forums, so add them to a notepad doc as well.

Check out compete.com and quantcast.com for targeted information about your market. Age, sex, country, etc. Also you can find other authority Websites that your target market visits that will give you even more data.

Now you should have a good understanding of the person you are marketing to and you should understand their pains, their lingo and what the desire.

Alerts

Sign up for Google Alerts and add your broad keyword and more niche keywords as well. After a few days you will have your own research engine reporting back to you where all the buzz is, what conversations are happening and what is hot and what is not...this is invaluable! If you are blogging you can blog about the topics and conversations that are coming up from the alerts.

Keyword Research

I like to leave specific keyword research to the end after fully understanding my marketplace and knowing where the opportunities are.

Usually by now I will have a good number of keywords from Google Insights, forums, and from the Alerts all I want to do is enter them into either market samurai or traffic travis in order to find out two things: search volume and top 10 competition. Sometimes I will take the keywords I already have and build them out using market samurai or traffic travis.

I do not really care about how many competing Websites there are. The reason being is I just want to know the strength of the top 10. If I cannot get on the first page for a keyword within a few months I am not going to bother with it. I don't really care too much about the number of links to the domain as a whole, I care more about the links to the actual ranking page.

If majority of the spots are taken over by high authority Websites such as Wikipedia, about.com or any Websites that are PR 4 or over then I will discard the keyword and move onto the next.

I am also not too concerned with the amount of searches as I am more concerned with the intention behind the person who is typing in the keyword. What do they really want?

I mainly go for product related keywords, reviews and a few buzz keywords.

I find it hard to give a complete process for picking keywords because it's a mixture of art and science. As well as a feeling. But I do like to see keywords with searches over 50 day (if it's highly targeted), upward trend (insights), weak competition in the top 10 (under PR 3, bad on page optimization, backlinks to page under 100).

I will narrow down my keywords to about 5 top keywords which I want to promote the most (usually product related or desperate problems) and then about 15 - 20 keywords that I will promote but only after getting rankings with the top 5.

Promotion

After building my website or blog I will then start the promotional process. I will write the content or have my team produce the content and add it to my site. Then I will get an article created for every keyword I have an article on my site and submit these to Ezinearticles and wait to get them approved.

While I am waiting to get the article approved I will do a mini promotion on the each of the top 5 keywords using phase one of Web2Mayhem (see my signature file).

After the articles have been approved at Ezinearticles, I will take the 5 that are linking to my top 5 keywords and spin them using best spinner (I will use nested spinning) and then I will submit them again using Web2Mayhem syndicate Kahuna (like AMA but much better in my opinion) I will set this to drip posts in slowly.

I will then take the same spin code from the article and submit them to about 50 article directories using the free article submission tool called ASHelper (awesome), lots of these articles submissions take a long time to get indexed by Google so I am not worried about building links "too quickly"

Next I will focus on my top number one keyword and build about 3 - 4 high quality Web 2.0 websites that will each link to the keyword I am promoting. I like using Squidoo, Blogger, Weebly and Gather but I mix these up a bit. Once I have these sites I will once again use Web2Mayhem and run Web2co-op (underused by seriously powerful) and use it to juice up squidoo with high ratings, comments and favorites. I will also use this to bookmark all the web 2.0 websites.

I will basically keep running through the different phases of Web2Mayhem for the top 5 keywords and build the web 2.0 websites around each of top 5 keywords. This will be done over a period of about a month then once I start getting rankings and traffic I will focus this same promotional techniques on the other keywords while maintaining the others.

I always mix in other link building and promotional techniques such as video marketing, blog commenting, software submissions, press releases, etc.

Of course there are more specifics to all of this but this is the basic structure and process that I follow.

19 Mar 10 2:50 pm

Nice posts guys :) I have forgotten about Google alerts. I also check Amazon for the feedback and popularity. Good stuff here.

Thanks Digi and JM
Chrisi

20 Mar 10 12:55 am

I agree very good topic.
Digiblue, some good resources there..
I could add to the thread but I would just be repeating what you all said so well.
(To staff) I am making this a sticky..
Great thread.

Regards
Troy

27 Apr 10 9:12 am

Hi Guys

Great stuff here! Thank you for sharing all your info.

The only thing I can add is patience and perseverance. If you happen to fall flat with your first niche, write it off as good experience and move on to the next.

20 May 10 9:13 pm

Great post guys,
I am a newbie working on my first site I have written 15 articles myself and will outsource the last 15 due to time. AB suggests using AMA but the tools on board Web2mayhem look far better. My concern only is that all the money newbies have would normally go into outsourcing article to ensure good 100% content. AS Web2 Mayhem is >$100 even more for us Australians when we convert it puts a big dent in the pocket before we had started earning any money. I realize it is not all about money but results as well so;
If you were to start all over again what would be the minimum software you would use to get started?

22 Jul 10 2:32 am

great thread.

I'm a complete newbie... and I'm building my 1st real webiste with content... but I usually think about stuff I love or like. Then, I brainstorm phrases and pick the ones I think will work best and the ones that are my favourite. Once I have a good list, I go to the google keyword tool and type them to check the search volumes. I also have Market Samurai which is a great keyword research tool and it does the whole thing automatically.

20 Aug 10 10:29 am

Brewer wrote:Great post guys,
I am a newbie working on my first site I have written 15 articles myself and will outsource the last 15 due to time. AB suggests using AMA but the tools on board Web2mayhem look far better. My concern only is that all the money newbies have would normally go into outsourcing article to ensure good 100% content. AS Web2 Mayhem is >$100 even more for us Australians when we convert it puts a big dent in the pocket before we had started earning any money. I realize it is not all about money but results as well so;
If you were to start all over again what would be the minimum software you would use to get started?

I am doing everything myself and have never paid for any articles or relevant services. The fact that you have written 15 articles means that you are a competent writer and it seems that your real issue is the time factor and making money fast. That's only human but my advice is to be patient. Every bit of work you do yourself, culminates in experience and will stand you in good stead in future. I would invest in Rapid Rewriter to spin my own original articles.

30 Sep 10 9:54 am

Thank you all for this educational post.

01 Oct 10 7:33 pm

Hi Belinda, these are good money niches. however, unless you have some personal experience with them that you can draw on, and a huge interest, I dont recommend it for your first niche.

the first one is always the hardest, especially if you are on a budget and have to do everything yourself. Once you start making some money and reinvest it into outsourcing a lot of the work, these are good niches to get into without having to force yourself to do hours of work that you really are not interested in doing.

22 Oct 10 11:40 pm

I always choose topics that interest me and I have a good knowledge about. I thought I would run out of ideas after a while but I always seem to know what my next website will be about.

A tip I would give to newbies, always choose a small nichie topic to start with, you will be surprised at how many people search in these topics.

29 Oct 10 11:44 pm

I like to pick big niches where people are making lots of money. :)

Money, Health, and Relationships.

18 Jan 11 2:37 am

I Love keyword and niche research! I usually go for keywords that are at the end of the purchasing cycle and look at the type of websites on the first page. If there are two with a page rank of 0 my website or article will rank.

Buying domain names is a skill and I have the same criteria for them. If you pick the right name you wont have to do much work at all.

When I pick a niche I always make sure that the merchant is converting well by looking at the average per click.

I have a free niche keyword service in my sig

06 Mar 11 11:19 pm

jankles wrote:Usually I don't get to choose the niche. It just starts to niche somewhere, then I scratch it.

This is the way I also do it.
Or: I go with every affiliate program that approves. If I sale something / get a check ... that is my niche.

13 Apr 11 3:26 pm

That's a good formula, I also look for an audience that's hungry enough to buy right away, makes a big difference in how fast you can get it profitable.

26 Apr 11 6:25 am

I only pick niches with profitability and low competition.

SEO Quake on Firefox tells me all I need to know about that.

29 Apr 11 12:02 am

I use it for picking keywords out, but not for choosing a niche to begin with. I still say pick a niche that you will enjoy working in. it makes the job a lot easier. if you are just in it for the money, you will get frustrated and quit before too long.

13 May 11 1:11 am

Picking a niche that you are interested in makes a lot of sense. It would be easier to work on your website if it is about a topic you have a personal interest in.

03 Jun 11 3:04 am

I go for what is going to earn me maximum profit for minimal effort. Which boils down to choosing a niche that I am already an expert in. ( where I already know enough to communicate the products and services to the user effectively ) Then I follow The Great Formula to just scale it up big.

( if you haven't heard of the "The Great Formula," check out the book of that title by Mark Joyner )

05 Aug 11 2:40 pm

I usually find that part a waste of time usually I find the product with an affiliate program that pays decent. Then I find if there are keywords left that have any traffic to them that I can rank for. Then check the competition on the front page of google and see if I can get there with out spending a lot of time or cash.

Just going out looking for niches is a waste of time to me If there is no demand and product affiliate promotion what good is the keyword unless you can create your own product like an ebook or things like that.

After saying that it is really important to learn how to use keywords and to find them, there is an excellent set of instructions here under the name of Keyword Academy I got it as a jet pack bonus and have the link in my favorites this is a three hour set of videos that should be a must for all newbies.
I use most all free tools for finding and deciding competition I just check my post quality with Traffic Travis or the Product I have just purchased called "easy wp seo" it works better than seopressor as near as I can tell .
I follow nearly all what cterao does and agree with it as well I do not look for the keywords first until I have an affiliate. I have been working with a group that is selling for Amazon .com and starting to get sales now . I have ten websites now and growing.
I still have a jetpack as well but golfing is to seasonal and i am trying to find a better seo than Linkvana . I had good success with some of the article submission people that work here in affilorama services .

26 Oct 11 6:54 pm

Hi, all. My name is Anthony, and I am here on a $1.00 seven day trial membership. I am a 61 year old disabuled guy in Sarasota, FL, USA I have looked high and for 4 years to find somthing to make money on. I am living in a nusing home with nothing to do. Mark Ling's Affilorama looks good. I can tell from the forum posts that a lot of people are doing well. I got into BANS Build A Niche Store on E-bay, but it did not go anywhere. (all my fault) This looks good, and as soon as I get a few bucks togeher, I'll be in. Just looking at the free side, you can get a lot of ideas. See you all later.

27 Dec 11 12:09 pm

anthbls wrote:Hi, all. My name is Anthony, and I am here on a $1.00 seven day trial membership. I am a 61 year old disabuled guy in Sarasota, FL, USA I have looked high and for 4 years to find somthing to make money on. I am living in a nusing home with nothing to do. Mark Ling's Affilorama looks good. I can tell from the forum posts that a lot of people are doing well. I got into BANS Build A Niche Store on E-bay, but it did not go anywhere. (all my fault) This looks good, and as soon as I get a few bucks togeher, I'll be in. Just looking at the free side, you can get a lot of ideas. See you all later.

Hi Anthony, my name is Pam and I live in the US also. I feel like I am on niche overload! I have several ideas in mind but I don't want to take a "shotgun" approach to selecting a nice. I am going to try to be more lazer focused. Still going through the free lessons and so far Blueprint seems like a good place to start and will give me a good foundation on which to build. (I sometimes go off topic, that's why I deleted my other post)

10 Jan 12 6:36 pm

I am still in the process of deciding how to go about this situation. I like working with computers, but the computer or electronic niche is a really high competitive niche that I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't do all that well in making money online with this niche. So now I'm researching to see what is profitable. If it's something that I don't know stuff about, I'll be willing to research it.

11 Jan 12 8:12 am

I am still in the process of deciding how to go about this situation. I like working with computers, but the computer or electronic niche is a really high competitive niche that I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't do all that well in making money online with this niche. So now I'm researching to see what is profitable. If it's something that I don't know stuff about, I'll be willing to research it.

What aspect of computers/technology are you interested in? Technology/computer niche is broad and it might help if you narrow it down. Do you like writing review for various gadgets? Do you like giving information on how to take better care of your laptop or computer? I know of one person who is earning a bit online through AdSense ads on his review blog. He gets massive traffic on the site so much that vendors are now paying him to get to advertise on his site and he only started a review blog for the sheer pleasure of voicing out his opinions. :)

Not all niches are lucrative but just because a niche is lucrative means you'll earn a lot from it right away. Do a bit of market research and see what your target market needs. That should give you an idea of what angle and sub-niche to choose.

I feel your pain! As Cecille has indicated in a previous post to me, you've got to start somewhere. I think to go with your first instinct can sometimes be an OK thing to do. If it doesn't work out, you will still have learned something in the process. I want to do something in the self help area but have some concerns about liability if somone purchases something and has an adverse event or effect. Since I am not actually selling the product could I still be liable? That's why I am on the edge about switching to something else.

You are in a sense helping to sell the product as you are promoting/endorsing it on your site. Your question would be best answered by someone in the same niche (Unfortunately, I am not). There are members here who are in the same niche and I haven't heard of anyone having any issues with it. I guess you can ask the vendors for a review copy of the products so you can go through them yourself and discern if they would have any adverse effects. From what I have seen of self-help products, they are mostly products that promote a healthful mindset so I don't feel that this would cause any side effects.

Hope that helps. Have a good day!

12 Jan 12 11:01 am

Hi nm629593,

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it. Glad to help. :)
I hope you get feedback from members in the same niche soon .

Have a good day!

09 Mar 12 9:35 pm

You mentioned article spinners and automatic submissions to buy if you've got money to burn...

I've heard that TheBestSpinner, is actually the best spinner. They've got to keep a close eye on competitors with a name like that...

01 Apr 12 2:46 pm

Couple of important things needed to be considered
1.Do you like it? Cause you are going to be writing about it a lot. So better for you to like it )
2. It doesn't have to be Famous and popular. There is enough competition on the Big niches, you don't need to get your hands dirty right of the way when you are a beginner lets say. Smaller niches and less popular are the ones where you can start off, you can rank with long tail keywords with low competition and get steady, targeted traffic. Yes it wont be as big as in a big niches but here you should start with something where you can get steady nice results and not get burned on your first day.
3.Think- what do people actually need? this is where you will figure out which niche to go with.You will find potential and low competition in new niches .
4. Search for long tail keywords with low competition,- again, it will bring you much more results then the ones you're incapable to rank in at all.

Good luck to all!

20 Apr 12 8:33 am

I think most blogs start out quite innocuously. You are passionate about a cause and want everybody to know, you want to share how to make this and that, you are a new mother looking for support or want a little online space to vent and share... etc, etc. Once a blog has started, it pretty much can branch out to anything the blog owner/writer wants. Once it gains readership, well... your blog has definitely arrived. :)

Most get stuck with choosing a niche because it's easy to get drawn to what sells, what can make you money. After all, that's your main purpose. This should not be the case. Always go for what you want to research about, learn more of, write about. Keep in mind to choose a niche that you want and like.

30 May 12 3:53 pm

Still refining my keyword research but i actually like to reverse engineer squidoo and digg by using "site: " codes example site:squidoo.com "ranked #1..20 in" Gardening

10 minute video i created some time back if anyone is interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHKU6Bpz_xU

19 Jun 12 2:48 am

I always choose topics that interest me and I have a good knowledge about. I thought I would run out of ideas after a while but I always seem to know what my next website will be about.

A tip I would give to newbies, always choose a small nichie topic to start with, you will be surprised at how many people search in these topics.

19 Jul 12 1:07 pm

This is a great spot to hang out, because i'm still trying to find my niche. I found a lot of great information here that I will be implementing immediately. Thanks everyone!

Link removed by moderator

06 Aug 12 4:06 pm

For me, it comes down what I can create content for. So that means, I find niches that I have an affinity for and that I can write about all day long. But I also take a look at other sites with the same interest as mine. If they are more successful, it gives me an impetus to make my site similar to theirs.

19 Nov 12 9:13 pm

Your greatest interest is what will give you the greatest joy. Why not implement it to affiliate marketing as well? :)

25 Nov 12 11:47 pm

My system for choosing a niche is very simple. I basically choose and work with niches that make the most amount of money lol Any money I make from the Internet gets pumped into my shares, and this helps to keep my income growing even further :)

18 Jan 13 7:30 am

I agree with trawlers44. we should find the traffic first.
Now I'm going to find my niche.
Good luck to all.

08 Feb 13 1:21 pm

I am thinking that the best source for niche is within the physical world(not online) you find yourself. Building a niche should start with your close friends and relatives that really has the interest they can now invite their friends that has the same interest and their friends will now invite....and so on and on.... I see that one thing that will make a niche attracted to what you are offering is TRUST...

15 Mar 13 5:05 pm

Hi adficientppcmgt,

Welcome to Affilorama!

Don't worry if you don't have anything to contribute yet. Feel free to go over the lessons on our site, and if you need more information, you can post your inquiry here in the forums, or send us an email through the contact form on our support page.

All the best!