How To Find A Niche?

[darksaberco]

I am looking for my 1st real niche. I have made money online before but not much and I need suggestions on how you guys find your niches. I am stumped ...

I have a low budget (200 dollars) And have a good knowledge of HTML, can edit Wordpress templates, own XSitePro, have some money in my adwords account, among other things.

Any ideas on how I should spend my budget (backlinks, articles, etc.), and how to find a good niche? Any help is very much needed.

[crissanteiro]

I would start off by what do you like? What do you have an interest in that could hold your attention. You will probably dedicating a lot of time to this niche and writing about it. So make it something you like and will not bore you.

After that search on google to see if there is keyword traffic for this niche that you pick. Go to magazine stands and see if there are periodicals. If there are, it is probably a profitable niche.

This is just the basics.

[CDawson]

I like to use nicheaday.com, they give you 1 niche every day and list some of the main keywords involved AND how many searches those keywords get daily or monthly I can't remember.

[Adway]

Finding a niche, for me, is the most important step in starting an online website/venture. Your choice here is what decides if your successful with your venture.

What you want is a niche:

1.) that is popular
2.) that has a following or followers. example. active forums, multiple yahoo groups.
3.) that has products made after it

The best beginners guide (in my opinion) for something like this was put up right here in this forum.

Here is the LINK.... Hope this helps.

[cantik]

Use Google Keyword Tools or other keyword tools like wordtracker is ok. Try various of keyword so you can compared one and others to find the most wanted keyword on Google.

[tim254]

Read Xfactor's thread about Adsense and you'll get a great start on picking a product based niche for free.

[Tracey_Meagher]

Originally Posted by crissanteiro

I would start off by what do you like? What do you have an interest in that could hold your attention. You will probably dedicating a lot of time to this niche and writing about it. So make it something you like and will not bore you.

My method is quite the opposite. I seldom have an interest or passion for the niche I enter. What I suggest you do is think creatively about what people need, what they are looking for and the type of problems they are trying to solve by coming online.

If you find a a niche full of needy buyers, you will profit within it, whether you are running adsense, doing affiliate marketing or selling your own product.

[mystarter]

Hi,

I second all above reply especially the first reply.

Just to add, once you have some 'blind' idea of niche that you want to explore further, send me PM and i'll do some favor for you (as my sig said).

Cheers..

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by Tracey_Meagher

My method is quite the opposite. I seldom have an interest or passion for the niche I enter. What I suggest you do is think creatively about what people need, what they are looking for and the type of problems they are trying to solve by coming online.

If you find a a niche full of needy buyers, you will profit within it, whether you are running adsense, doing affiliate marketing or selling your own product.

I second this reply.

It doesn't matter what I'm passionate about. It's what people are ready to buy that matters.

[aboutalhah]

An other easy way to find a niche is to go on clickbank and find out what sells well.

Quick and easy.

Franck

[Adway]

Originally Posted by alexa_s

I second this reply.

It doesn't matter what I'm passionate about. It's what people are ready to buy that matters.

100% on the mark....

Many people get into a niche because they can relate to it, but what is the niche doesn't have a market, doesn't have potential for money? you would have wasted your time and alot of effort trying to get it to work when you where in the wrong place all along. Be sure to choose a good niche to start and don't look at whether it will bore you or not. It won't bore you when you start seeing money come in

[darksaberco]

The main reason I was having problems was due to the fact that I was kind of worried about competition. I am interested in many things like video games but they all seem to have too much competition. I think I found one though!

Also Thanks to all the quick replies, You guys Rock!

[Adway]

Hay Darksaberco,

Final remark: The more competition, the better. That only tells you that the niche is working for many people, which only means that it will work for you. Don't worry about competing with other people. There is plenty of room in any niche you enter. The point is. Competition = Potential

[ellewong]

Use these tools:-

Google Keyword Tool
---> provides you with keyword ideas

Google Trends
----> lets you see the trend of the market to see whether it's worthwhile to go in at this time

Google Insights
----> lets you compare search volume patterns across specific regions

Quantcast
----> lets you see the demographics of your site search

[Adway]

Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting

100% off the mark.

I completely disagree with you on this. (sorry Alexa, you can spank me later, your place or mine? )

A huge number of niches, the majority of them in fact, have a ready and waiting, willing market.

Think of any hobby out there or any pasttime, almost any subject you choose to think of, and people are making money out of it, or providing information relating to that subject matter, which other people are looking for.

Looking at this perfectly logically, it doesn't matter what the niche is, chances are, at an absolute minimum, that there is a ready and waiting buyers market out there, related to the niche in question.

To advise someone to essentially go into business for themselves, no matter how small that business start-up is, advising them to just go where the money already is, is incredibly loose advice, without any firm foundation in fact - no substance at all.

If you choose a niche, that you are not knowledgeable upon, how on earth can said poster, or anyone else for that matter, write authoritatively upon that subject, if they don't know a thing about it?

This is tantamount to advising an internet marketing newbie, to set up a niche site advising other newbie internet marketer's about internet marketing. It's folly and would be completely and utterly daft.

The obvious lack of knowledge would come shining through every single, solitary sentence. Who the dickens would take any notice of someone not completely familiar upon a subject or a niche? It's a completely preposterous notion, utterly absurd, no offence to anyone, but...it's just bloody daft!

How the flying hec is this person going to compete in a subject of which s/he knows nothing about? How the dickens will this new start-up business owner know what to write upon, if they not the subject matter in hand thoroughly? How will they know where to start, if they don't know the subject from the beginning, the first starting block? How will they know where the starting block is, if they do not understand the structure of the subject, the niche in question inside out?

As I stated above, it is much better for you to choose a niche, a subject upon which you are very familiar, then you can write, (enjoying the process) - your obvious knowledge within this niche of course will then come shining through your words, and visitor's / people are much more likely to buy into you -- the services or products that you offer, when you are an authority already...on any subject that you choose.

I mean that's just perfectly logical, complete and utter commonsense.

If you do as this other poster, with all due respect suggested to you, you might as well choose the copywriting niche - at least if nothing else, it might be highly entertaining watching someone with no knowledge upon the subject at all, advise others upon it, as this is what is being suggested above.

It just ain't gong to work mate.

This is why so many newbie 'internet marketer's' fail online very quickly indeed, because they waste far too much time, choosing niches they know not a thing about, and wonder afterwards why they made just a few cents in the past month.

If you want to do this seriously, you are going to have to think very seriously about your options.

Equate everything back to how much money you are going to make or lose by carrying out any said action.

Do something wrong, waste your own time with a strategy that isn't going anywhere from the start and it could end up costing you thousands of dollars, in potential lost revenue.

Get it right and you might just earn a six figure salary this year, which could make the world of difference to you and your families life.

That is how you have to think about it.

Everything starts with ideas.

Then you need a plan. What is your strategy etc?

Now, how are you going to implement this into a working plan of action?

Hope this helps you and one or two others out who might possibly be just starting out, asking the same kind of questions.

Thanks!


Mark

Hay Mark, I've seen you around, and every post you have ever made that I read seems to be on the mark, but I have to say, this one has a little room. You seem very passionate about this topic and really wen't all out in your argument. I wanna see what Alexa has to say about it

As for me, just a few things.

How is it that there are plenty of successful marketers dominating niches that they know nothing about? There are people out there who are in 20+ niches, they can't love them all...they can't be experts in all of them...Hell I know a guy who has a full time ghostwriter for this aspect of his business.

In your post your saying that one shouldn't bother entering into a competitive market, or a market in which there is already a steady stream of people ready to buy.

What you are advising is to get into untapped markets? or Micro Niches?

I think 100% off is a bit out there considering there are so many people, including myself who market in competitive niches and make a nice turn around from doing so. I don't know if its recommended to a newbie, but its a fact. Competitive markets means more money to be had, more potential....

Some niches have more competition then people ready to buy, like the web hosting industry, but you should be able to spot those types of niches from a mile away and simply run in the opposite direction.

[Adway]

Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting

What I'm saying is, that this is a complete newbie, so for their first attempt, with just $200 it might be better for them to make a start on a niche, a subject, which s/he already has a good deal of knowledge upon.

This will stand them in better stead of making a success of this, first time around, rather than jumping in at the deep end, choosing a niche that they know nothing about and cannot write authoritatively upon.

Obviously, $200 isn't going to go very far, so outsourcing is likely out of the question for the first 20 or so articles that they'll need, not to mention everything else, domain name, hosting and what have you etc etc.

When they have a little more experience, then they can delve right into other niches, but the chances of increasing their rate of success and ROI will be better first, if they choose a topic familiar to them.

100% off? OK, how about 90% off? (That's amazingly generous of me )

Alexa? Bless her cotton socks. Right most of the time, on this little point, I do disagree with her on, but I'm sure she'll be OK about that, as pair of us are on each others friend's list anyway.

Competitive niches are fine - don't get me wrong, but is this newbie going to be able to rank well in SEO terms within an established, very competitive niche? I highly doubt it.

It will be better for them to start as stated on familiar territory, this will make the whole experience, much more enjoyable and a lot, lot easier.

Wishing you an excellent weekend!

Best wishes.

Mark

It was because of the $200 budget that I said that, okay a newbie, but outsourcing is an option. Depends on how much experience he has in marketing. He mentioned he has made money before, but this is his first real niche. What if he understand the concept of online marketing, what if he knows how to implement marketing techniques, as there are many guides around here and I'm sure most newbies buy a few.

Anyways, you are 100% right when looking at it in a newbie's perspective, not 90% lol.... I put that aside and started talking about niche finding and niches in general for a person with some experience.

Hope you have a great weekend as well.

[Kappa]

I think of what people come on line looking for when they are ready with their Visa cards to buy. Like, the last time I bought something online it was for travel. I would not worry too much about niches are just people not trying to buy anything and are only looking for free information or research. This is just my opinion.

As of whether or not you can work a niche you are or aren't interested, I agree with all the posters above actually, you are going to have to do some self-examination to know whether the potential money alone will be motivation enough to follow through or if you will want the extra push of being interested in the subject. I for one am in a niche that's highly interesting to me, and since I'm still learning that help. Later, I think I could attack a niche that I don't care or know nothing about because I will know what I'm doing and what results to expect.

[newBum76]

Originally Posted by alexa_s

I second this reply.

It doesn't matter what I'm passionate about. It's what people are ready to buy that matters.

Very true. One of the basic principles of marketing is to let the market tell you what they want, not the other way around.

I could be really passionate about underwater basket weaving and know so much about it I could easily whip out 100 quality articles a day, but would many people actually buy an e-book about it? Probably not.

On the other hand, I have no desire to find out what acai berry juice tastes like, and I really have zero interest in the subject. But if I do some research on it, find some good keywords, and write some decent articles on it I'm sure I'll find people to sell to.

It's all about what the market wants.

[Josef_Benjamin]

Originally Posted by newBum76

Very true. One of the basic principles of marketing is to let the market tell you what they want, not the other way around.

I could be really passionate about underwater basket weaving and know so much about it I could easily whip out 100 quality articles a day, but would many people actually buy an e-book about it? Probably not.

On the other hand, I have no desire to find out what acai berry juice tastes like, and I really have zero interest in the subject. But if I do some research on it, find some good keywords, and write some decent articles on it I'm sure I'll find people to sell to.

It's all about what the market wants.

Seriously guys, this is it. 3 people on this board I 've seen nailed it on the head.

It is NICE if you can write and create products for a niche you ARE pasisonate about that DOES make money...but if it doesn't (because you've
done your research right?), than you SHOULD find a niche that IS profitable
that you may not be so knowledgeble about.

Hire a ghostwriter for niches you careless about. Point is, there is money sitting there, you just have to tap into it. Give people what they are already
looking for.

[rachaelgerk]

I use clickbank for ideas, google adwords keyword tool, and I make sure it's something I'm interested in. I think the key is being happy with what you're going to have to spend a TON of time on!

[peter gibson]

I'm gonna suggest something that may get me shivved, should I ever end up in some IM Maximum Security Prison.

Go for a niche that you are NOT interested in. When you do this you achieve something that most people don't realize quickly enough - that it's all about the Benjamins. If you are passionate or familiar in your niche area, you're so much more likely to be disappointed when sales don't jump at you and conversions right suck. You'll spend extra time trying to see sales and lose focus on other opportunities, you can get myopic and make it personal, saying things like "I know what I'm talking about, why am I not making duckets?" This all leads to tunnel vision. As a result, more times than not the guy willing to market a hemmhroid cure will be paying his car insurance while you're stuck taking the bus.

If you go for something based on sheer numbers, you have immediately erased the emotional connection to your work and can therefor do so in a completely pragmatic fashion, and without the pride and prejudice that can sometimes lead to giving up entirely. On a positive note, when you enter into a niche you know nothing about, you stand to gain knowledge from the research, which is always a good thing.