Finding Niches - I Just Dont Get It

102 replies
Okay,

Around 3 years ago I picked out around 10 micro niches based on furniture and built 10 very thin sites. I was only making around $100.00 a month and a number of people from affiliate forums advised me I should build one single authoritive site. Which I set out to do. After taking a year out to go college I have now built the site but I when do Keyword searches everything for furniture comes up as High competition. Even terms for 50 searches a month.

However when I check the terms below they have 100,000's of monthly local exact searches but are all marked as low competition.

Football - 301,000
Fantasy Football - 673,000
Fantasy Premier League - 165,000
Fish - 49,500

Its as if I can set up a site with 50 pages, slap some Adsense links, set up some Facebook groups for good measure any make some money from it.

However when I Google the top 3 terms they are all dominated by newspaper which have been online for 15 years and have very high PR rankings.

How can something be marked as low competition but have 100,000's of searches each month.

I also found one activity which has 50,000 monthly searches a month and is impossible to do without spending at least $100.00 on per person and yet is still marked as low.

Does the Competition level mean how competitive people are bidding for key terms through adwords?

Does this mean anything in term of selecting potential niches?
#finding #niches
  • Profile picture of the author VinnyBock
    Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

    Okay,

    Around 3 years ago I picked out around 10 micro niches based on furniture and built 10 very thin sites. I was only making around $100.00 a month and a number of people from affiliate forums advised me I should build one single authoritive site. Which I set out to do. After taking a year out to go college I have now built the site but I when do Keyword searches everything for furniture comes up as High competition. Even terms for 50 searches a month.

    However when I check the terms below they have 100,000's of monthly local exact searches but are all marked as low competition.

    Football - 301,000
    Fantasy Football - 673,000
    Fantasy Premier League - 165,000
    Fish - 49,500

    Its as if I can set up a site with 50 pages, slap some Adsense links, set up some Facebook groups for good measure any make some money from it.

    However when I Google the top 3 terms they are all dominated by newspaper which have been online for 15 years and have very high PR rankings.

    How can something be marked as low competition but have 100,000's of searches each month.

    I also found one activity which has 50,000 monthly searches a month and is impossible to do without spending at least $100.00 on per person and yet is still marked as low.

    Does the Competition level mean how competitive people are bidding for key terms through adwords?

    Does this mean anything in term of selecting potential niches?
    EDIT --> I just re-read your post and saw you are doing exact, sorry about that, but the next paragraph may still be useful..

    Also, while you should work towards those high volume keywords, you should also go for a few low volume low comp as well. If your able to rank fast for some easy keywords, you will at least be getting some traffic while you work towards the higher volume keywords which take more time...

    I think the comp levels are adwords comp, but they can still be used as an overall indicator to the level of competition...
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by VinnyBock View Post

      EDIT --> I just re-read your post and saw you are doing exact, sorry about that, but the next paragraph may still be useful..

      Also, while you should work towards those high volume keywords, you should also go for a few low volume low comp as well. If your able to rank fast for some easy keywords, you will at least be getting some traffic while you work towards the higher volume keywords which take more time...
      Thanks,

      I am trying to understand why some search terms have 100,000s of searches but are low competition.
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      • Profile picture of the author VinnyBock
        Just because they have high volume doesn't automatically mean people are paying for them... You would think high volume would equal high comp, but if they don't convert, than people won't pay for them...

        Sorry I misunderstood...
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        • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
          So does that mean...

          Lets say "Childrens Dress Up Games" receives 100,000 searches a month its not 25,000 parents a month looking to go online and purchase costumes for their kids. So there is not point bidding for the Google Adwords?

          Could someone pay 5c for a Google Adword and then list Adsense that pays 50c for terms very closely related and see if it makes a profit that way?
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Quit building sites based around keyword research.
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

      Quit building sites based around keyword research.
      What should I be doing. I thought that was the normal way of doing things?
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      • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        What should I be doing. I thought that was the normal way of doing things?
        Build a community/authority by demonstrating your expertise on a subject matter.

        In terms of choosing a niche, this might help you.

        How to Identify or Find a Profitable Niche Market Using Common Sense

        There have also been numerous threads posted about choosing a niche too. Search for them. Read the advice that myself, travellinguy and Alexa give. (apologies to the others Ive forgotten)
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        • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
          Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

          Build a community/authority by demonstrating your expertise on a subject matter.

          In terms of choosing a niche, this might help you.

          How to Identify or Find a Profitable Niche Market Using Common Sense
          Thanks,

          Isn't that going to be much harder to do if there is massive amounts of competition?

          I am finding with furniture that there is masses of competition.
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          • Profile picture of the author BobTheBostonian
            Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

            Thanks,

            Isn't that going to be much harder to do if there is massive amounts of competition?

            I am finding with furniture that there is masses of competition.
            Did you think business was easy?
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            • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
              Originally Posted by BobTheBostonian View Post

              Did you think business was easy?
              No of course not, but I wouldn't open a shop next to a supermarket.

              I would look for opportunities where their is little competition.

              Why try and battle against thousands of furniture companies when other niches have less competition. I dont really understand your methodology.
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              • Profile picture of the author Michael Rosmer
                Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

                No of course not, but I wouldn't open a shop next to a supermarket.

                I would look for opportunities where their is little competition.

                Why try and battle against thousands of furniture companies when other niches have less competition. I dont really understand your methodology.
                Ironically, opening next to a supermarket can actually be one of the BEST things to do. Ever notice how all the restaurants or furniture stores seem to cluster in the same parts of town? Often car dealerships as well? Do you think that's just a random coincidence? What that sort of thing does it creates hubs, the big supermarket is paying to get people into the area and they look across the parking lot and see you and say "hmm, maybe I'll check them out while I'm here". So long as you're competitive with them there's no problem. The problem is people don't work on making their businesses competitive and then they cry foul when someone whose more competitive than they are takes business away from them. Work on having a competitive business and you won't have anything to worry about.
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                • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
                  Originally Posted by Michael Rosmer View Post

                  Ironically, opening next to a supermarket can actually be one of the BEST things to do. Ever notice how all the restaurants or furniture stores seem to cluster in the same parts of town? Often car dealerships as well? Do you think that's just a random coincidence? What that sort of thing does it creates hubs, the big supermarket is paying to get people into the area and they look across the parking lot and see you and say "hmm, maybe I'll check them out while I'm here". So long as you're competitive with them there's no problem. The problem is people don't work on making their businesses competitive and then they cry foul when someone whose more competitive than they are takes business away from them. Work on having a competitive business and you won't have anything to worry about.
                  Thanks, you are right in many respects.

                  I am just s**t scared that there is loads of competition online in the furniture industry.

                  Tonight I have written a blog which I think is much better than my previous articles and focuses on improving peoples lives.

                  Trying to learn.
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          • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
            Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

            Thanks,

            Isn't that going to be much harder to do if there is massive amounts of competition?

            I am finding with furniture that there is masses of competition.
            Stop thinking short term.

            THINK LONG TERM.

            Imaging you had of had this mindset when you first got started 3 years ago? How successful would you most likely be now?

            Get started.
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            • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
              Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

              Stop thinking short term.

              THINK LONG TERM.

              Imaging you had of had this mindset when you first got started 3 years ago? How successful would you most likely be now?

              Get started.
              Thanks, I am trying to fix some technical issues with my site but almost their. I am trying to add title of the product into link whilst still running a query.

              But lets say I targeted the keyword "Furniture" I am surely bound to fail. Even if I spent 5 years at it.

              How do I find niches I can target with a broad furniture website?
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              • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
                Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

                But lets I targeted the keyword "Furniture" I surely bound to fail. Even if I spent 5 years at it.
                Get this "Google", "Keywords" thing out of your head.

                Go here....

                FREE Own The Racecourse Training
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              • Profile picture of the author searchnology
                You are correct in that you will likely NEVER compete for a keyword like "furniture' but those types of keywords convert very low anyway.

                You need to checkout the longtail keyowrds in your niche. Those are very specific and specific keywords usually convert better. The flip side is that they have lower volume and lower competition but you can make up for that by having content for lots of longtail keywords.

                Example: Focus on phrases in your niche that include words that have a purchasing intent such as "buy furniture" I used my KeywordNina tool (yes, shameless self promotion) and found over 700 longtail keywords that contain the phrase "buy furniture". Imagine if you had a page on your site focused on each of these keywords. Even if each page averaged 10-20 visits a month you are doing well.

                I hope that helps and good luck!



                Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

                Thanks, I am trying to fix some technical issues with my site but almost their. I am trying to add title of the product into link whilst still running a query.

                But lets say I targeted the keyword "Furniture" I am surely bound to fail. Even if I spent 5 years at it.

                How do I find niches I can target with a broad furniture website?
                Signature
                Google's Keyword Tool is Gone!..You will NEED this! - Watch Demo that Uncovers 1000s of KEYWORDS Other Tools Miss! »


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                • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
                  Originally Posted by searchnology View Post

                  You are correct in that you will likely NEVER compete for a keyword like "furniture' but those types of keywords convert very low anyway.

                  You need to checkout the longtail keyowrds in your niche. Those are very specific and specific keywords usually convert better. The flip side is that they have lower volume and lower competition but you can make up for that by having content for lots of longtail keywords.

                  Example: Focus on phrases in your niche that include words that have a purchasing intent such as "buy furniture" I used my KeywordNina tool (yes, shameless self promotion) and found over 700 longtail keywords that contain the phrase "buy furniture". Imagine if you had a page on your site focused on each of these keywords. Even if each page averaged 10-20 visits a month you are doing well.

                  I hope that helps and good luck!

                  Brilliant thanks,

                  How can I identify those key terms.

                  When I Google a key term what does "About 610,000,000 results" mean?
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        • Profile picture of the author James Woods
          Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

          Build a community/authority by demonstrating your expertise on a subject matter.

          In terms of choosing a niche, this might help you.

          How to Identify or Find a Profitable Niche Market Using Common Sense

          There have also been numerous threads posted about choosing a niche too. Search for them. Read the advice that myself, travellinguy and Alexa give. (apologies to the others Ive forgotten)
          I had a look at Johns link and he is right on the money. I have done similar things to what John describes and the key is to provide content that you have knowledge and a passion for, and then provide that to the net in a style that refelects you and your passion.

          It is obvious that you have some knowledge in furniture perhaps if you focused on give the content your market is looking for that you will out rank the competing sites.

          What about building a series of local furniture sites which target particular cities and link to each other.

          Good luck

          Regards James
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        • Profile picture of the author mervp
          Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

          Build a community/authority by demonstrating your expertise on a subject matter.

          In terms of choosing a niche, this might help you.

          How to Identify or Find a Profitable Niche Market Using Common Sense

          There have also been numerous threads posted about choosing a niche too. Search for them. Read the advice that myself, travellinguy and Alexa give. (apologies to the others Ive forgotten)
          The advice given here and in the article referenced seems to say "throw out all the objective metrics, just go with subjective criteria like having passion and being knowledgeable." The reason keyword research has been popular is that being "passionate" about a niche does not equate to it being anybody elses' passion, or anybody else caring about your knowledge, or the niche being profitable. Keyword searches, by contrast, can be tightly quantified and tracked, to clearly establish what real interest there is in a topic.

          Going back to the dark ages of "pour a million words and hours into a passionate site, and hope it translates into profitability" does not strike me as a realistic option for creating effective niche sites. Good resource management considerations would suggest the way to go is with specifically attracting traffic through popular keywords or links, to sites providing enough relevant content to bring people to the monetization aspect of the website.
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          • Profile picture of the author BobTheBostonian
            Originally Posted by mervp View Post

            The advice given here and in the article referenced seems to say "throw out all the objective metrics, just go with subjective criteria like having passion and being knowledgeable." The reason keyword research has been popular is that being "passionate" about a niche does not equate to it being anybody elses' passion, or anybody else caring about your knowledge, or the niche being profitable. Keyword searches, by contrast, can be tightly quantified and tracked, to clearly establish what real interest there is in a topic.

            Going back to the dark ages of "pour a million words and hours into a passionate site, and hope it translates into profitability" does not strike me as a realistic option for creating effective niche sites. Good resource management considerations would suggest the way to go is with specifically attracting traffic through popular keywords or links, to sites providing enough relevant content to bring people to the monetization aspect of the website.
            I agree, mostly. You don't throw out facts and statistics. You just shouldn't start with them in my opinion. You mix both fields of thought. You find something you care about for your first niche at least, and from there you add in keyword research and all that to find a way to make it work.

            Too many people don't have the mental cojones to make this stuff work, so you need to stack the odds in their favor as much as possible. They can deal with easy money but boring stuff when they know what the heck they're doing.
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          • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
            Originally Posted by mervp View Post

            The advice given here and in the article referenced seems to say "throw out all the objective metrics, just go with subjective criteria like having passion and being knowledgeable."
            The message in the video is to do ...

            a) something you're passionate about
            b) something you're knowledgeable in
            c) or both

            The reasons why are explained in the video. I never said at any point to throw out metrics. That would be foolish. Infact, I always encourage people track and measure EVERYTHING.

            Obviously researching a niche is always worth doing before you invest effort, time and money into it - that's just common sense.

            Too many people chase keywords and metrics for the wrong reasons. "Oh look, there's 20,000 spm for this keyword" (often based around a subject the author has no idea about) "I'm going to write this shitty keyword stuffed article and try and rank for it by throwing fiver gigs at it"

            How does that help anybody????

            Originally Posted by mervp View Post

            The reason keyword research has been popular is that being "passionate" about a niche does not equate to it being anybody elses' passion, or anybody else caring about your knowledge, or the niche being profitable.
            Being ranked in Google doesnt equate to instant riches either.

            Originally Posted by mervp View Post

            Keyword searches, by contrast, can be tightly quantified and tracked, to clearly establish what real interest there is in a topic.
            Have you read anything lately from Google? They're trying to move AWAY from keywords. The algorithm evolves as searching becomes more complex.

            As Google Moves Away From Keywords, Can You Optimize For Gist? | WebProNews

            The whole "get ranked in Google and be number 1 for EVERYONE/ALL SEARCHES" will eventually become a thing of the past given such customized/personalised search results. Infact, it's already happening.

            1. Write naturally for humans, not algorithms
            2. Diversify your traffic sources.
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            • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
              Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

              The message in the video is to do ...

              a) something you're passionate about
              b) something you're knowledgeable in
              c) or both

              The reasons why are explained in the video. I never said at any point to throw out metrics. That would be foolish. Infact, I always encourage people track and measure EVERYTHING.

              Obviously researching a niche is always worth doing before you invest effort, time and money into it - that's just common sense.

              Too many people chase keywords and metrics for the wrong reasons. "Oh look, there's 20,000 spm for this keyword" (often based around a subject the author has no idea about) "I'm going to write this shitty keyword stuffed article and try and rank for it by throwing fiver gigs at it"

              How does that help anybody????



              Being ranked in Google doesnt equate to instant riches either.



              Have you read anything lately from Google? They're trying to move AWAY from keywords. The algorithm evolves as searching becomes more complex.

              As Google Moves Away From Keywords, Can You Optimize For Gist? | WebProNews

              The whole "get ranked in Google and be number 1 for EVERYONE/ALL SEARCHES" will eventually become a thing of the past given such customized/personalised search results. Infact, it's already happening.

              1. Write naturally for humans, not algorithms
              2. Diversify your traffic sources.
              Thanks John,

              This is great advice. I am been interesting in targeting furniture for almost 4 years now. However, how I can research a niche. I dont want to spend 2 years targetting furniture only for someone experienced and inform me that I have wasted 2 years.

              One of the reasons I like furniture is that there are thousands of niches and masses content to write about. I was planning to target Vacuum Cleaners but the search results are dominated by "Vacuum Cleaners" which makes it nye on impossible to target.
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      • Profile picture of the author BizQ
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        What should I be doing. I thought that was the normal way of doing things?
        ......Like 7 years ago.


        It can still work but it is not the best long term strategy. It is nice to have a few in your arsenal though.
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  • Profile picture of the author BobTheBostonian
    I would look for opportunities where their is a hole that needs to be filled, a hole that I am capable of filling.

    Fixed that for you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
      Originally Posted by BobTheBostonian View Post

      I would look for opportunities where their is a hole that needs to be filled, a hole that I am capable of filling.

      Fixed that for you.
      Very well put!
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Here's a tip.

    Start asking the right people, the right questions.
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Thanks guys, this is great advice.

    It is completely, 360' degree to what people where telling me 2-3 years ago.

    I registered for that site but its now very late here in the UK so I'm off to bed.

    If someone told you had could only become an affiliate for furniture what would you do?
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    • Profile picture of the author jamesbrands
      Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

      Thanks guys, this is great advice.

      It is completely, 360' degree to what people where telling me 2-3 years ago.

      I registered for that site but its now very late here in the UK so I'm off to bed.

      If someone told you had could only become an affiliate for furniture what would you do?
      Are you really interested in furniture? Have you got a fair amount of expertise? If not you are going to need a decent budget.
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      • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
        Originally Posted by jamesbrands View Post

        Are you really interested in furniture? Have you got a fair amount of expertise? If not you are going to need a decent budget.
        Hi,

        Yes I am interested in furniture but Im not totally sure what you mean by expertise? What expertise would you expect to see in someone running a furniture affiliate site?
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    • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
      Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

      Thanks guys, this is great advice.

      It is completely, 360' degree to what people where telling me 2-3 years ago.

      I registered for that site but its now very late here in the UK so I'm off to bed.

      If someone told you had could only become an affiliate for furniture what would you do?
      See post #15.

      Learn to ask better questions.

      Get some sleep.
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  • Profile picture of the author BobTheBostonian
    If someone told you had could only become an affiliate for furniture what would you do?

    ಠ_ಠ

    You're just dying to find a way to limit yourself, aren't you.
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Haha,

    I can see where your coming from. But its just that the picture has changed so much.

    2-3 years ago it was all about getting back links for specific key terms.

    Now Im not totally sure what Im supposed be doing. How do I sell furniture on Facebook or Twitter.

    If was I was selling body building kit I could target gyms and body building groups. But how I can target people on social networks with furniture?
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesbrands
    Someone that has enough expertise to guide me on how to choose garden furniture? Someone that can guide me to create a great look for my home?
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by jamesbrands View Post

      Someone that has enough expertise to guide me on how to choose garden furniture? Someone that can guide me to create a great look for my home?
      Thanks, but in all honesty I haven't seen any great content out there. I do need to improve on writing blogs and having great titles.

      How can I present myself in this manner. For example, do I need an online version of Alan Titchmarsh. I have looked at many of merchants blogs and they are based on general discussions about furniture. For example how tall chests of drawers utilise floor space.
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      • Profile picture of the author jamesbrands
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        Thanks, but in all honesty I haven't seen any great content out there. I do need to improve on writing blogs and having great titles.

        How can I present myself in this manner. For example, do I need an online version of Alan Titchmarsh. I have looked at many of merchants blogs and they are based on general discussions about furniture. For example how tall chests of drawers utilise floor space.
        Just done a quick search and found:

        housetohome

        I'm guessing you will find plenty of ideas there?

        I have no experience in this niche, but im guessing there are plenty more sites like this one.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

          Now Im not totally sure what Im supposed be doing. How do I sell furniture on Facebook or Twitter.
          You don't, not directly, at least. Actually, no one sells "furniture" at all. They sell:

          > A comfy place to sit.
          > A look you want to go home to.
          > A design that will make [someone] impressed or jealous.
          > Etc.

          Back in your OP, you talked about keyword competition. The Google KW tool is showing you the competition for Adwords. Some terms have thousands of searches and little competition because they are so general no one can make a profit from the traffic.

          Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

          If was I was selling body building kit I could target gyms and body building groups. But how I can target people on social networks with furniture?
          Apply the same thinking to buyers of furniture - decorators/designers, new home owners, people whose business is renting furnished digs, remodelers, and so on.

          Don't look to sell them directly. Look to connect with them. Learn the language. If I had to tell the difference between a Queen Anne chair and a Scandinavian Modern chair, I'd have to look them up. Which colors create what moods, and how do you mix them? Etc.

          In short, look for the myriad niches within the "furniture" market, and learn them. Once you do, selling them is not that complicated.

          Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

          Hi,

          Yes I am interested in furniture but Im not totally sure what you mean by expertise? What expertise would you expect to see in someone running a furniture affiliate site?
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          • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
            Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

            You don't, not directly, at least. Actually, no one sells "furniture"at all. They sell:

            > A comfy place to sit.
            > A look you want to go home to.
            > A design that will make [someone] impressed or jealous.
            > Etc.

            Back in your OP, you talked about keyword competition. The Google KW tool is showing you the competition for Adwords. Some terms have thousands of searches and little competition because they are so general no one can make a profit from the traffic.


            Apply the same thinking to buyers of furniture - decorators/designers, new home owners, people whose business is renting furnished digs, remodelers, and so on.

            Don't look to sell them directly. Look to connect with them. Learn the language. If I had to tell the difference between a Queen Anne chair and a Scandinavian Modern chair, I'd have to look them up. Which colors create what moods, and how do you mix them? Etc.

            In short, look for the myriad niches within the "furniture" market, and learn them. Once you do, selling them is not that complicated.
            Cheers dude. So I should just forget about kry terms and write about the lifestyke of furniture
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    You have to make a marketing research and find out what people are buying online. Perhaps they are only looking for information about furniture and comparing prices, but they go to a store to make their decision after seeing/testing the furniture by themselves.

    You have to work on something you are knowledgeable about, but it must also be in demand.

    If your main knowledge is about something that doesn’t attract online buyers, you have to look for something else you know and you like, which will be profitable.









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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by clever7 View Post

      You have to make a marketing research and find out what people are buying online. Perhaps they are only looking for information about furniture and comparing prices, but they go to a store to make their decision after seeing/testing the furniture by themselves.

      You have to work on something you are knowledgeable about, but it must also be in demand.

      If your main knowledge is about something that doesn't attract online buyers, you have to look for something else you know and you like, which will be profitable.








      Thanks,

      I am very passionate about becoming a furniture affiliate. But I just dont know how I can compete with merchants. Regardless of what product it is.
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      • Profile picture of the author BobTheBostonian
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        Thanks,

        I am very passionate about becoming a furniture affiliate. But I just dont know how I can compete with merchants. Regardless of what product it is.
        I think you're having trouble understanding what passion is. I want you to try, right now, to quantify why you love furniture so much. Why, specifically, is this going to be your go to niche?
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      • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        Thanks,

        I am very passionate about becoming a furniture affiliate. But I just dont know how I can compete with merchants. Regardless of what product it is.
        I dont get the obsession with furniture? :confused:

        Anyway, thats irrelevant.

        Have a look at this....

        EricTheCarGuy - YouTube

        Have a look at his following. Quarter of a million subscribers, videos with hundreds of thousands of views.

        All he does is simple car repair videos.

        You could do the same with furniture.
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Thanks,

    Yes that is one of the most popular sites. It is a full time operation with quite a bit of money invested in it. How can I compete with a site like that?

    I have targeted my site as a typical furniture merchant with a blog to support it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mary Stevens
    You could always pay someone to do the research for you then once you get a few examples you can train yourself from their work. SEO, Keyword, Research is a chore to be sure but with the right tools and dedication you can master it.

    The only thing to be certain of starting out is to pick weak competition keywords so if you get to the top and nobody is home or they don't care you didn't waste time in your life getting there. Been there and bought the T-shirt
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  • Profile picture of the author dani0157
    Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

    Okay,

    Around 3 years ago I picked out around 10 micro niches based on furniture and built 10 very thin sites. I was only making around $100.00 a month and a number of people from affiliate forums advised me I should build one single authoritive site. Which I set out to do. After taking a year out to go college I have now built the site but I when do Keyword searches everything for furniture comes up as High competition. Even terms for 50 searches a month.

    However when I check the terms below they have 100,000's of monthly local exact searches but are all marked as low competition.

    Football - 301,000
    Fantasy Football - 673,000
    Fantasy Premier League - 165,000
    Fish - 49,500

    Its as if I can set up a site with 50 pages, slap some Adsense links, set up some Facebook groups for good measure any make some money from it.

    However when I Google the top 3 terms they are all dominated by newspaper which have been online for 15 years and have very high PR rankings.

    How can something be marked as low competition but have 100,000's of searches each month.

    I also found one activity which has 50,000 monthly searches a month and is impossible to do without spending at least $100.00 on per person and yet is still marked as low.

    Does the Competition level mean how competitive people are bidding for key terms through adwords?

    Does this mean anything in term of selecting potential niches?
    How are you doing your keyword research? Are you using Google Keyword Tool? If you are, then the column of "Competition" in your search results DOES NOT refer to Googles` search results competition BUT it refers to the competition within AdWords. In other words, how competitive is the keyword within their PPC network NOT the Search Engine Results.

    I also made that mistake initially until someone told me otherwise
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  • Profile picture of the author Murphysmurfy
    Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

    Okay,

    Around 3 years ago I picked out around 10 micro niches based on furniture and built 10 very thin sites. I was only making around $100.00 a month and a number of people from affiliate forums advised me I should build one single authoritive site. Which I set out to do. After taking a year out to go college I have now built the site but I when do Keyword searches everything for furniture comes up as High competition. Even terms for 50 searches a month.

    However when I check the terms below they have 100,000's of monthly local exact searches but are all marked as low competition.

    Football - 301,000
    Fantasy Football - 673,000
    Fantasy Premier League - 165,000
    Fish - 49,500

    Its as if I can set up a site with 50 pages, slap some Adsense links, set up some Facebook groups for good measure any make some money from it.

    However when I Google the top 3 terms they are all dominated by newspaper which have been online for 15 years and have very high PR rankings.

    How can something be marked as low competition but have 100,000's of searches each month.

    I also found one activity which has 50,000 monthly searches a month and is impossible to do without spending at least $100.00 on per person and yet is still marked as low.

    Does the Competition level mean how competitive people are bidding for key terms through adwords?

    Does this mean anything in term of selecting potential niches?

    The competition meter used by Google is for purchasing ads, and low competition just means that there are few people looking for ads with that specific keyword.

    Also, I would suggest not going the adsense route. In my honest opinion, it is a waste of time and does not make as much profit as does affiliate marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    When I was in TKA a couple of years ago EVERYONE was blogging about furniture!

    This isn't 2010 anymore.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Francis
      Originally Posted by brettb View Post

      When I was in TKA a couple of years ago EVERYONE was blogging about furniture!

      This isn't 2010 anymore.
      I started a furniture site when I was in TKA! I just finally let the domain expire a couple of months ago. What a waste of time and money that was!
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      • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
        Originally Posted by Mike Francis View Post

        I started a furniture site when I was in TKA! I just finally let the domain expire a couple of months ago. What a waste of time and money that was!
        Hi,

        Im not sure what you mean by this. What is "TKA" and are you suggesting that furniutre is to competitve?
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  • Profile picture of the author Borja Obeso
    Hey man, as many others have said here. Concentrate on creating an authoritative website/blog. Use your keyword research only to find low competition keywords you can start targeting for the long term.

    Then focus on other types of traffic that are quick and short term, stuff that not everyone notices how lucrative and easy can actually be.

    Don´t put all your eggs on the SEO basket, think of that as a long term project. There's a lot of people who get hundreds of thousands of visitors a month without a single one of them being from Google. John Chow is a perfect example of this.

    Don't get me wrong, if you have a blog for example, do your research PROPERLY to find out what to write about. Even if your site is not mainly a blog, i suggest you include one for marketing.

    And yes, the competition level you see on the Google keyword is for the bidding only, not for the organic ranking competition.
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Apologies John,

    Just watching your video now
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Hi John,

    I watched your video and ticks many of the boxes. I keep getting paranoid that I am targetting areas with to much competition.

    I have read that its useful to target up and coming markets however many of these dont interest me. Is it okay to focus on areas which maybe highly competitive.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
      Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

      I watched your video and ticks many of the boxes. I keep getting paranoid that I am targetting areas with to much competition.
      Too much competition typically means a niche is worth pursuing.

      You're still thinking Google Google Google, which will be your downfall if you don't change your mindset.

      By the way, to me it seems your problem is fear. Fear of failure. Address that and embrace fear as part of the learning curve. Anyone making any decent money failed big time (or had a mentor). Unless you're willing to accept fear, chances are you're going to be paralyzed.

      I failed for years, and wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars to be where I am today.
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  • Profile picture of the author Coby
    Here is a replay of a training session I did recently that will help you decide on a niche...


    Basically you should be looking to get into niches that you are interested in. Ones that you have a passion in. It will make it much easier to become an authority on the subject when you really like the niche.

    Good luck.

    Cheers,
    Coby
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by Coby View Post

      Here is a replay of a training session I did recently that will help you decide on a niche...

      Niche Selection: How To Pick A Niche - Internet Marketing With Coby Wright Replay - YouTube

      Basically you should be looking to get into niches that you are interested in. Ones that you have a passion in. It will make it much easier to become an authority on the subject when you really like the niche.

      Good luck.

      Cheers,
      Coby
      Thanks Coby,

      Just about to have dinner as its 9PM here in the UK and hungry.

      But are some niches to competitive. Ones that you simply wouldn't target?
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      • Profile picture of the author Coby
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        Thanks Coby,

        Just about to have dinner as its 9PM here in the UK and hungry.

        But are some niches to competitive. Ones that you simply wouldn't target?
        I think that if you are passionate about the niche than it can never really be "to competitive". I mean - my main niche is the IM niche and we know it's super competitive.

        You must think long term. That's why it's so important for you be passionate about the niche. If you like furniture and are passionate about the niche then I say go for it as you won't mind the extra work it will take to be successful.

        Cheers,
        Coby
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        • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
          Originally Posted by Coby View Post

          I think that if you are passionate about the niche than it can never really be "to competitive". I mean - my main niche is the IM niche and we know it's super competitive.

          You must think long term. That's why it's so important for you be passionate about the niche. If you like furniture and are passionate about the niche then I say go for it as you won't mind the extra work it will take to be successful.

          Cheers,
          Coby
          Thanks Coby,

          I want to give it 2 years but I dont want to waste it.

          I have heard of people making $1500 a week from car parking spaces at a single airport.

          Doesn't float my boat but amazing money.
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          • Profile picture of the author Coby
            Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

            Thanks Coby,

            I want to give it 2 years but I dont want to waste it.

            I have heard of people making $1500 a week from car parking spaces at a single airport.
            True. Sometimes competition is a good thing.

            Cheers,
            Coby
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    • Profile picture of the author vishyboy
      Originally Posted by Coby View Post

      Here is a replay of a training session I did recently that will help you decide on a niche...

      Niche Selection: How To Pick A Niche - Internet Marketing With Coby Wright Replay - YouTube

      Basically you should be looking to get into niches that you are interested in. Ones that you have a passion in. It will make it much easier to become an authority on the subject when you really like the niche.

      Good luck.

      Cheers,
      Coby
      I COMPLETELY DISAGREE

      Just doing niches because you have a passion for them, is a sure sign of failure. Its the hard way. The key is to find hidden niches and keywords that have low competition (although finding this is an art and the most important step you take) and simply dominate them with decent well written content and some real good and simple link building and SEO.

      I have no clue why I would do a niche I was passionate about - if it had tons of competition... sure waste of time and effort.

      Forget all the people who tell you to thin long term in this aspect and spend a ton of time and resources getting into a niche which looks good and you have a passion for. This should only be done if you have deep pockets of time and money to invest.
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      • Profile picture of the author Coby
        Originally Posted by vishyboy View Post

        I COMPLETELY DISAGREE

        Just doing niches because you have a passion for them, is a sure sign of failure. Its the hard way. The key is to find hidden niches and keywords that have low competition (although finding this is an art and the most important step you take) and simply dominate them with decent well written content and some real good and simple link building and SEO.

        I have no clue why I would do a niche I was passionate about - if it had tons of competition... sure waste of time and effort.

        Forget all the people who tell you to thin long term in this aspect and spend a ton of time and resources getting into a niche which looks good and you have a passion for. This should only be done if you have deep pockets of time and money to invest.
        I guess we will have to agree to disagree...

        I make a good living in a niche that has a TON of competition because I'm passionate about it...

        Why would I waste time creating content that I have no interest in... That just sounds like a J.O.B.

        To quote a famous saying... "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"

        To each their own.

        Cheers,
        Coby

        P.S. Obviously the niche you are passionate about MUST be profitable also. While all "passion" niches will not be profitable it's easy enough to find one that is.
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        • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
          Originally Posted by Coby View Post

          I guess we will have to agree to disagree...

          I make a good living in a niche that has a TON of competition because I'm passionate about it...

          Why would I waste time creating content that I have no interest in... That just sounds like a J.O.B.

          To quote a famous saying... "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"

          To each their own.

          Cheers,
          Coby

          P.S. Obviously the niche you are passionate about MUST be profitable also. While all "passion" niches will not be profitable it's easy enough to find one that is.
          Lots of interesting views.

          I am trying to develop ideas how I can get traffic from social networking sites for furniture. I have looked at the Twitter accounts for the merchants who I have signed up and many of them have adandoned their Twitter accounts.

          How can I find people other than Google who are looking to purchase furniture. I am currently joining as many property developer groups on Facebook as I can so I can post my ebook on there.
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          • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
            Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

            How can I find people other than Google who are looking to purchase furniture.
            Not sure about "purchasing", but there are plenty of people interested in furniture.

            This find took 10 seconds.

            https://plus.google.com/s/furniture/communities?hl=en

            BTW - Your target audience might be interior decorators.
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  • Profile picture of the author smith33122
    Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

    Okay,

    Around 3 years ago I picked out around 10 micro niches based on furniture and built 10 very thin sites. I was only making around $100.00 a month and a number of people from affiliate forums advised me I should build one single authoritive site. Which I set out to do. After taking a year out to go college I have now built the site but I when do Keyword searches everything for furniture comes up as High competition. Even terms for 50 searches a month.

    However when I check the terms below they have 100,000's of monthly local exact searches but are all marked as low competition.

    Football - 301,000
    Fantasy Football - 673,000
    Fantasy Premier League - 165,000
    Fish - 49,500

    Its as if I can set up a site with 50 pages, slap some Adsense links, set up some Facebook groups for good measure any make some money from it.

    However when I Google the top 3 terms they are all dominated by newspaper which have been online for 15 years and have very high PR rankings.

    How can something be marked as low competition but have 100,000's of searches each month.

    I also found one activity which has 50,000 monthly searches a month and is impossible to do without spending at least $100.00 on per person and yet is still marked as low.

    Does the Competition level mean how competitive people are bidding for key terms through adwords?

    Does this mean anything in term of selecting potential niches?
    Over the last week I have got the same thing from my keyword research tool everthing big is opening up - I wonder if Google have devalued some major link networks - I put the same keywords through 3 months ago and the competition was too tough
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

    Okay,

    Around 3 years ago I picked out around 10 micro niches based on furniture and built 10 very thin sites. I was only making around $100.00 a month and a number of people from affiliate forums advised me I should build one single authoritive site. Which I set out to do. After taking a year out to go college I have now built the site but I when do Keyword searches everything for furniture comes up as High competition. Even terms for 50 searches a month.

    However when I check the terms below they have 100,000's of monthly local exact searches but are all marked as low competition.

    Football - 301,000
    Fantasy Football - 673,000
    Fantasy Premier League - 165,000
    Fish - 49,500

    Its as if I can set up a site with 50 pages, slap some Adsense links, set up some Facebook groups for good measure any make some money from it.

    However when I Google the top 3 terms they are all dominated by newspaper which have been online for 15 years and have very high PR rankings.

    How can something be marked as low competition but have 100,000's of searches each month.

    I also found one activity which has 50,000 monthly searches a month and is impossible to do without spending at least $100.00 on per person and yet is still marked as low.

    Does the Competition level mean how competitive people are bidding for key terms through adwords?

    Does this mean anything in term of selecting potential niches?
    The problem is you're trying to do the wrong things and totally misunderstanding the data you're looking at.

    The 'low' competition the tool is showing is low competition for bidding on adwords.

    And the reason is because the terms are just too general, i.e. fish, football etc....people could be looking for almost anything fish or football related with those keywords. They aren't targeted enough.

    You're also thinking about how you can easily 'slap together' a site and make easy money. It's the wrong way to look at it. Build a quality site for PEOPLE not for search engines.
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Yes your right. I am now trying to develop a two year plan.

      I am just s**t scared I am going to waste 2 years whilst everyone else is cashing in on underutilised niches.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMChick
    I think that OP would benefit from using the search tool here and typing 'how to find a niche' or some phrase he drills down to find out how to choose a subject, then a niche and how to use the KW tools.

    My advice is to check your research with google kw tools and use it to build LtKwords.
    In addition, 'furniture' is not a niche. you'll need to be much more specific, as some posts above outline for you.

    Find yourself a method of niche-picking here, and apply it, NOT to furniture, but to a brand new niche to experiment on. What else are you interested in? See what this method does for you without any preconceived notions of the subject, just focus on the work in front of you without that furniture distraction looming large.

    Many of your questions tell me that you have not studied the niche choosing-building area, and you are weak in knowledge in the subject matter research. That's not a big deal because you can fix that by reading/searching here before choosing a niche, but, truthfully, it is probably why you're floundering for 4 years.
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by IMChick View Post

      I think that OP would benefit from using the search tool here and typing 'how to find a niche' or some phrase he drills down to find out how to choose a subject, then a niche and how to use the KW tools.

      My advice is to check your research with google kw tools and use it to build LtKwords.
      In addition, 'furniture' is not a niche. you'll need to be much more specific, as some posts above outline for you.

      Find yourself a method of niche-picking here, and apply it, NOT to furniture, but to a brand new niche to experiment on. What else are you interested in? See what this method does for you without any preconceived notions of the subject, just focus on the work in front of you without that furniture distraction looming large.

      Many of your questions tell me that you have not studied the niche choosing-building area, and you are weak in knowledge in the subject matter research. That's not a big deal because you can fix that by reading/searching here before choosing a niche, but, truthfully, it is probably why you're floundering for 4 years.

      Thanks, I did get first interested in AM 4 years ago but I quit when people where suggesting that Google had killed AM off and then went college for a year where I am now.

      I do have specific products I want to focus on. I did own around 10 micro-niche sites but only added up to $100 a month.

      I do have some plans for example an ebook which I can promote on Facebook and forums.

      The thing is I cant start promoting my site as it is not finished yet. Stuck on the htaccess file.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    I failed for years, and wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars to be where I am today.
    Which is where exactly out of interest?
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    • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
      Originally Posted by RockingLastsForever View Post

      Which is where exactly out of interest?
      Well yesterday I was in the United States. (Kansas) Today I'm in Sydney.

      Working (and making money) from my laptop.

      You?
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      • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
        Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

        Well yesterday I was in the United States. (Kansas) Today I'm in Sydney.

        Working (and making money) from my laptop.

        You?
        Haha,

        Thats funny. What percentage of your revenue comes from sources other than Google?
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        • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
          Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

          Haha,

          Thats funny. What percentage of your revenue comes from sources other than Google?
          Google makes up 28.5% of my traffic. So 71.5%
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          • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
            Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

            28.5% .......................
            71! I had no idea it could be that high. I would estimate 10% for any site.

            Is that from forums which are readily available or from followers which have taken a long time to build up?
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            • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
              Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

              71! I had no idea it could be that high. I would estimate 10% for any site.

              Is that from forums which are readily available or from followers which have taken a long time to build up?
              See post #17
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      • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
        Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

        Well yesterday I was in the United States. (Kansas) Today I'm in Sydney.

        Working (and making money) from my laptop.

        You?
        Thailand.

        Location independent for years.

        Have traveled the world and been to around 40 countries just in the past 5-6 years.

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        • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
          Originally Posted by RockingLastsForever View Post

          Thailand.

          Location independent for years.

          Have traveled the world and been to around 40 countries just in the past 5-6 years.

          That's one of the things that attracts me to affiliate marketing. That I can do it from anywhere in the world.

          Ive had one holiday in 15 years. I'm very much s stay at home bird anyway but would be nice to have the option lol
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  • Profile picture of the author sackboy127
    Check out Ultimate Niche Finder, it makes finding low competition keywords a breeze, very straightforward and easy to use.
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by sackboy127 View Post

      Check out Ultimate Niche Finder, it makes finding low competition keywords a breeze, very straightforward and easy to use.
      Thanks, how does it work and what does it do. What results am I looking for?
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      • Profile picture of the author mrdomains
        So far you have received a lot of do's and don'ts without anyone asking the real questions: monetizing your site. Where will the money come from? By whom, why and how will you be paid?

        When deciding on niches & figuring out traffic, the ONLY thing that really matters in the beginning is: Who Is Your Ideal Visitor because A LOT of the niches that may seem easier than others have no buyers, or the wrong type of buyers, or no buyers of products (furniture) but a huge appetite for information (how-to's, where to find retailers, etc etc)

        You can niche/keyword research all you want and build the max authority site that ranks nr.1 but not make a dime because your have the wrong clientele passing through..

        Start with the money. How will you make money from whatever it is you intend to build. Build it towards the money.
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        • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
          Originally Posted by mrdomains View Post

          So far you have received a lot of do's and don'ts without anyone asking the real questions: monetizing your site. Where will the money come from? By whom, why and how will you be paid?

          When deciding on niches & figuring out traffic, the ONLY thing that really matters in the beginning is: Who Is Your Ideal Visitor because A LOT of the niches that may seem easier than others have no buyers, or the wrong type of buyers, or no buyers of products (furniture) but a huge appetite for information (how-to's, where to find retailers, etc etc)

          You can niche/keyword research all you want and build the max authority site that ranks nr.1 but not make a dime because your have the wrong clientele passing through..

          Start with the money. How will you make money from whatever it is you intend to build. Build it towards the money.
          Thanks, so is that is specific products?
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            I ran out of "thanks" for the day, today (there must have been some pretty good posts about) and then found this thread, not having seen it before and read the whole thing ... and it struck me you could probably just about use up a day's allowance of "thanks" simply from showing Johnny's posts in this thread the respect they deserve.
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  • Profile picture of the author CPH007
    I have to agree with lots being said in here

    I personally think the Niche should choose you. Think what you are passionate about with hobbies etc. The think of what you used to love to do as an 8-10 year old child for a real look into what makes you happy even today. (not my advice it's from the book free range human)
    Then build a business based on what you are passionate about and what you enjoy. I have found out of recent I actually love writing and did as a child, until a soul sapping english teacher snatched it away!
    Any niche can be used to build a business you just have find your defining factor that makes you different from all the rest (not price and not being good)

    Best of luck

    Colin
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by CPH007 View Post

      I have to agree with lots being said in here

      I personally think the Niche should choose you. Think what you are passionate about with hobbies etc. The think of what you used to love to do as an 8-10 year old child for a real look into what makes you happy even today. (not my advice it's from the book free range human)
      Then build a business based on what you are passionate about and what you enjoy. I have found out of recent I actually love writing and did as a child, until a soul sapping english teacher snatched it away!
      Any niche can be used to build a business you just have find your defining factor that makes you different from all the rest (not price and not being good)

      Best of luck

      Colin
      Thanks,

      I do want to focus on furniture. I think about it alot.

      I am trying to develop a content strategy and what is actually awesome content. For example, do I write:

      How To Choose A Coffee Table

      or

      Which Furniture Is Best For Pet Lovers
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  • Profile picture of the author twinkenterprises
    Things marked as high means that a lot of people are bidding on the keywords. try bing advertising. It's the same as adwords and it might have some low competition keywords.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMChick
    ok, OP, what have you learned? Lots of excellent suggestions here, but by the questions you are still asking/commenting on, it seems to me that you are missing the boat. Best to ask a few warriors to come by later and spoon feed it to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by IMChick View Post

      ok, OP, what have you learned? Lots of excellent suggestions here, but by the questions you are still asking/commenting on, it seems to me that you are missing the boat. Best to ask a few warriors to come by later and spoon feed it to you.
      Thanks,

      I have learnt a lot, Im also bombarded with fanstastic advice. For example...

      Focus on Quality Content (But I don't know what quality content is)

      Use Niche Forums (But I dont know how I can do this without spamming them)

      I Can Use Social Media (But how do I actally find people ready to buy furniture)

      I want to understand the crucial details. For example, I have started work on an ebook but if I post it to heavily on forums could I be penalised by Google.

      I have learnt alot but the problem is I have is that my site isn't quite ready. I have some final frustrating issues to fix. I have posted adverts on PeoplePerHour and Odesk but no one is coming forwards.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        Focus on Quality Content (But I don't know what quality content is)
        I offer a simple, working, objective, practical definition: "quality content is content by which others in the niche (who have the already-targeted traffic you want to attract to your site) are sufficiently impressed either to re-publish it for their own readers/visitors/subscribers or to send them a link to it on your site, so they can read it for themselves".

        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        Use Niche Forums (But I dont know how I can do this without spamming them)
        By adding value, pretending that you're the forum admin/moderator who'll react by thinking "What a promising new member we have here", and posting as you would post without your sig-file or site-link in your profile.

        Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

        For example, I have started work on an ebook but if I post it to heavily on forums could I be penalised by Google.
        I can hardly believe it: after all this thread, after all the advice you've had from so many people, you're still asking questions about Google?!
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        • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          I can hardly believe it: after all this thread, after all the advice you've had from so many people, you're still asking questions about Google?!
          I think he's too far gone.

          He's an SEO Zombie.
          Signature

          BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

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          • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
            Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

            I think he's too far gone.

            He's an SEO Zombie.
            No im really trying to get upto speed. I want to be a killer affiliate and to do I need to learn everything, quickly and you guys are the best to teach me.

            I just read this post and it is a great idea but Im not sure how much I should offer for an advert. £10, £100 or £1000. I have no idea!

            http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...5-000-day.html

            If I could get my site working I would get cracking on one specific area.
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    • Profile picture of the author IMChick
      Originally Posted by IMChick View Post

      excellent suggestions here, but by the questions you are still asking/commenting on, it seems to me that you are missing the boat. .
      moving on...
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  • Profile picture of the author webrankingseoservices2000
    Banned
    That's not a very difficult question. Just follow your dreams and you will get all the answers. Also take care of the demanding field.
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Can anyone recommend a quality cheap programmer who can write a htaccess file and finish a cron job.

    Then I can actually start promoting my site
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Your right,

    When I first heard about affiliate marketing and went to college it was all Google, Google, Google. In many respects I am delighted there are alternatives.

    But lets say I found forums based on furniture how I can actually attract traffic If I dont have any links?

    Also I could write an article "Which Furniture Is Best For Pet Owners" I could add Adsense to the article and make money or I could add no Adsense links to it and make no money. These are crucial factors I am trying to learn.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

      how I can actually attract traffic If I dont have any links?
      The forum's search function is your friend. A quick search for threads with the word "traffic" in their titles will show you the most recent 500 threads many of which contain multiple answers to this question.

      Sorry, I know nothing about the "furniture niche" and can't make any furniture-specific suggestions.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMChick
    (you two are cracking me up.)
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    I don't have a home. I don't want one. Right now Thailand is my home.

    In 2 months time maybe Japan or Brazil or Cuba or Ukraine will be instead.

    I don't know.
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  • Profile picture of the author TemperThompson
    People searching those terms are not people looking to buy. If you want to profit off of those words, you will have to use Adsense or another ad network. Selling affiliate products, you will want to find a search term in which people are actually looking to buy. I made that mistake with my first site, kind of. It's based around the word "veggie juicer". It has low competition and aaround 13,000 searches per month, but not everyone searching for that is looking to buy. I've made $5 off of the site for these first 2 weeks so far, is that good? I plan on my next site being based around the keyword "buy a camera", which has high competition but it should convert much more, and it has over 200,000 searches a month.
    Signature

    [ATTENTION AFFILIATES:] Want to earn 100% commission on a powerful Kindle offer converting at over 20%? Go check out my JV page here:
    http://temperthompson.com/affiliates...ndle-promo-jv/

    Any questions at all? Feel free to send me a message.

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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by TemperThompson View Post

      People searching those terms are not people looking to buy. If you want to profit off of those words, you will have to use Adsense or another ad network. Selling affiliate products, you will want to find a search term in which people are actually looking to buy. I made that mistake with my first site, kind of. It's based around the word "veggie juicer". It has low competition and aaround 13,000 searches per month, but not everyone searching for that is looking to buy. I've made $5 off of the site for these first 2 weeks so far, is that good? I plan on my next site being based around the keyword "buy a camera", which has high competition but it should convert much more, and it has over 200,000 searches a month.
      Thanks TemperThompson,

      However if you put Adsense on it and wrote great content could you make $5-$10 from Adsense. Thats what Im looking to test and find out but I cant launch my site yet. Almost there with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author sparrow
    Finding a niche is to ask the right questions in the search engine

    Think about how people find what they are looking for.

    The emphasis is how do people look for what they want, too many are looking for the product to sell instead of filling a need whether it is for fun or desperate.

    Everyone has wants and needs, so asking a question reveals the niches.

    Ed
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  • Profile picture of the author vare
    Focus on solving the problem.

    Search for buying kewyords!

    It's not the same for example if you are looking for...
    soccer
    soccer jersey
    soccer Manchester United jersey
    buy/purchase soccer Manchester United jersey
    buy/purchase soccer Manchester United jersey Wayne Rooney
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by vare View Post

      Focus on solving the problem.

      Search for buying kewyords!

      It's not the same for example if you are looking for...
      soccer
      soccer jersey
      soccer Manchester United jersey
      buy/purchase soccer Manchester United jersey
      buy/purchase soccer Manchester United jersey Wayne Rooney
      Thanks,

      This does help to 'cement' things for me and improve my undertanding.

      However, Im still not totally sure what people mean by solving problems.

      For example, would I write a blog post titled "Where to Buy a Wayne Rooney branded Mancester United Soccer Jersey'.

      Or is it better to write a blog post profiling the career or Wayne Rooney?

      I take it its the former which is more direct content and targets people who actually want to purchase the jersey.

      However, I would then have to write a blog for "Where to Buy a Christiano Ronaldo branded Real Madrid Soccer Jersey'.

      Would Google penalise this?
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  • Profile picture of the author Klemen Znidar
    Don't look for search numbers and just go for something you have passion about. In the end google sends over 50% of traffic from long tail keywords you never target at all. It's the way search works really. Just make sure you have a lot, and quality content, so google can find those long tail phrases on your site (:
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Just watched this, Great Stuff.

    Thanks John,

    But when my site is finished I plan to target forums as a genuine member but could Google penalise me as they think I am spamming forums. I could join upto 20 forums in the first week. It seems catch-22 if they would penalise me.

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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by sparrow View Post

      The emphasis is how do people look for what they want, too many are looking for the product to sell instead of filling a need whether it is for fun or desperate.

      Everyone has wants and needs, so asking a question reveals the niches.

      Ed
      This is spot on.

      When people are looking for "cheap ACME 2000 rocket launcher", are they really looking for a rocket launcher? Or just a way to finally get that pesky Roadrunner?
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