Are you looking to start a blog but don’t know how to find a profitable niche market? We’ll show you how to do it.
A lot of entrepreneurs feel lost when it comes to this step. That’s why we’ve put together this article – to teach you how to find a niche that will be profitable for your blog and online business. We’ll cover common pitfalls, niche ideas, and steps you can take to identify profitable niches. So, let’s get started!
- Why do you need a blog and online business niche, anyway?
- What are some common traps people fall into when choosing their blogging niche?
- Should you focus on a Broad or Narrow Niche?
- How to Find Your Blog Niche
- 20 Profitable Blog Niche Examples
- Now that you know how to find a profitable niche, which one are you choosing?
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase. This helps me pay to keep this site going and to bring all these free resources to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Why do you need a blog and online business niche, anyway?
To become a successful blogger, you must focus on a specific topic.
This allows you to build an audience of loyal readers who are interested in what you have to say.
It also makes it easier to monetize your blog, as you can target products and services to your niche audience.
What are some common traps people fall into when choosing their blogging niche?
There are a few common traps that people fall into when choosing their niche:
Choosing a niche that’s not easily monetized
Choosing a niche that’s too broad
Choosing a niche that’s too narrow
Not doing enough research
Not considering the competition
Should you focus on a Broad or Narrow Niche?
Let’s define what we mean by “broad” and “narrow.” A broad niche is a topic with many different subtopics, while a narrow niche is very specific.
For example, the broad niche of “parenting” could be narrowed down to “parenting teenagers.” And that could be further narrowed down to “parenting teenage girls.” As you can see, getting increasingly specific as you choose your niche is important.
There are benefits to both broad and narrow niches. Broad niches tend to have more competition, but they also have more search volume and potential readers. So you don’t want a huge market.
Narrow niches are less competitive, but there are fewer potential readers.
A common approach is usually to start with a broad niche and then narrow it down as you go. That way, you can always expand your blog if you find that you’re getting too specific on your particular niche.
How do you know your niche is too narrow?
It’s important to be specific when you’re choosing the right niche market – otherwise, you’ll just end up lost in the crowd. Having said that, a niche that’s too narrow will present a few problems.
You know that your niche is too narrow when:
You run out of things to say
You run out of search terms and niche keywords to go after
You’re not attracting enough readers
Your niche is so small that it’s not profitable
If any of these things happen, then you’ve got a small niche, and it’s time to expand your focus.
How to Find Your Blog Niche
Step 1: Consider Your Interests
Start by brainstorming a list of topics that you’re passionate about. These don’t necessarily have to be business-related – they can be anything you enjoy discussing.
We recommend you start here because it’ll be easier for you to blog about something you enjoy. And, if you’re not interested in the topic, it’ll be difficult to keep your readers engaged.
Check your search and YouTube browsing history.
A quick and easy way to determine your interests is to look at your search and YouTube browsing history. This will give you an idea of the topics you’re already interested in.
Consider What You Know Best
What do you do for work? What topics have you studied? Do you have any hobbies? These are all potential sources of inspiration for your niche.
For example, if you’re a web developer, you could focus your blog on web development tutorials. Or, if you like to cook, you could write about recipes or healthy cooking tips.
Step 2: Do Some Keyword Research (it’s not that hard!)
Next, it’s time for some keyword research. This will help you determine how popular your chosen niche is and how much competition there is for it.
How to do keyword research easily and for free
Whilst you can certainly spend money on keyword tools, it’s unnecessary if you’re just starting and want to find profitable niche markets.
Here are some free SEO tools that will allow you to do keyword research:
Google’s Keyword Planner tool
Ubersuggest
Run a Google search using the Keywords Everywhere plugin for the Chrome browser.
Related: 5 Best SEO Writing Tools to Win More Traffic from Google
Signs that you’ve spotted a profitable niche market:
High search volume: A high number of monthly searches indicates that there’s a lot of interest in the topic. This also means there’s potential for a lot of organic traffic to your blog.
Low competition: You want to choose keywords that aren’t too competitive. This method improves your chances of ranking high in search engines and gaining website traffic.
Lots of keyword ideas and search terms related to your niche – these means you’ll be able to create content that appears in the search engine results. Look out for long tail keywords too.
Step 3: Plug brainstormed niches into Google Trends
Google Trends is a free tool that lets you see a given keyword’s popularity over time. This is helpful because it’ll give you an idea of whether or not people are actually interested in your chosen niche.
To use Google Trends, simply enter in your keyword and choose a location. Then, click “Show Trend.”
Is the Topic Trending Upward on Google Trends?
One thing to keep an eye out for is whether or not the keyword is trending upward on Google Trends. This indicates that people are becoming more interested in the topic over time, which is a good sign.
If the keyword isn’t trending upward, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should scrap it. However, it’s something to keep in mind.
Step 4: Determine Which Niche is Most Profitable
Sale Potential
As part of your niche research, consider the following:
How much potential is there for monetization?
Is it easy to identify pain points and offer solutions for your target audience that they’d pay for?
How easy will it be to find products that fit your niche?
This is important because you’ll need to make money from your blog to sustain it long-term. If there’s no monetization potential, it’s not worth your time.
Tip: Check out how many results come up on Amazon
Amazon is a great barometer for the popularity of a given niche. To do this, simply go to Amazon.com and type your keyword into the search bar. Then, take note of how many results come up.
The more results there are, the more popular the niche is – and the more potential there is for you to make money from it.
Can you find examples of existing online businesses selling digital products in your niche? That’s also a good sign that the niche is profitable and that you, too, can sell digital products.
Competition
Identifying and analyzing your potential competition is critical in determining whether or not a niche is worth pursuing. If there’s too much competition, it’ll be difficult for you to stand out.
To find out how much competition there is, simply do a Google search for your chosen keyword. Then, note how many results come up and how many of those are blog posts of authority sites in your chosen niche.
The fewer blog posts there are, the better. This indicates that there’s less competition in the space.
Having some competitors is a good thing because it indicates that people are interested in the niche. However, too much competition can make it difficult for you to get noticed.
Research Niche Forums / Communities
Are there forums and communities online dedicated to your niche? If so, that’s a good sign. It means that people are interested enough in the topic to create entire communities dedicated to it.
To find out if there are any forums or communities related to your niche, simply do a Google search for “[niche] forum” or “[niche] community.” For example, if you’re in the fitness micro niche, you might search for “fitness forum” or “fitness community.”
If there are results, that’s a good sign. If not, it might indicate that people aren’t as interested in the niche as you thought.
What’s even better is identifying paid communities for your niche idea, as that would suggest that people are willing to pay to talk about the topic, which is a good sign of profitability and a passionate niche.
Google Search Results
Finally, take a look at the Google search results for your chosen keyword. Note how many ads there are and how many of the results are blog posts.
The more ads there are, the more profitable the niche is. This is because companies are willing to pay to show their ads when people search for that keyword.
The more blog posts there are, the more competition there is in the space. However, it’s also a good sign that people are interested in the topic.
Social media platforms
Finding a profitable niche isn’t just about identifying keywords and conducting research. It’s also about understanding how people interact with each other online.
A good way to do this is to take a look at social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See if there are any popular hashtags related to your niche and groups where people gather to talk about your niche.
This will give you a good idea of how popular the topic is and how engaged people are with it. If there are active groups and conversations happening, that’s a good sign that there’s a market for your niche.
Find Affiliate Programs in The Niche
Another good sign that a niche has profit potential is if affiliate programs and products are available in that space.
Affiliate programs are basically when companies pay you a commission for referring customers to them. For example, if someone clicks on an affiliate link and buys a product, the company might pay you 5-10% of the sale.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money online from your blog because it doesn’t require you to create any products yourself. When you turn your niche website into an authority site, it’s much easier for companies to agree to pay you for referrals.
To find affiliate programs in your niche, simply Google “[niche] affiliate programs.” For example, if you’re in the fitness niche, you might search for “fitness affiliate programs.”
If there are results, that’s a good sign. If not, it might mean that there’s not enough demand in the niche to sustain an affiliate program.
20 Profitable Blog Niche Examples
Here’s a list of 20 blog niches, sub niches, and example websites for the most profitable niches:
1. Fitness
sub-niche: running
example: https://www.runnersworld.com/
2. Food
sub-niche: vegan cooking
example: https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/
3. Personal Finance
sub-niche: Investing
example: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/
4. Lifestyle
sub-niche: minimalism
example: https://www.theminimalists.com/
5. Travel
sub-niche: solo travel
example: https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/
6. Fashion
sub-niche: sustainable fashion
example: https://www.patagonia.com/
7. Marketing
sub-niche: social media marketing
example: https://www.buffer.com/blog/
8. Technology
sub-niche: Apple products
example: https://www.9to5mac.com/
9. Health
sub-niche: mental health
example: https://www.themindsjournal.com/
10. Self Improvement / Personal Development
sub-niche: Productivity
11. Parenting
sub-niche: homeschooling
example: https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/
12. Business
sub-niche: entrepreneurship
example: https://www.entrepreneur.com/
13. Sports
sub-niche: basketball
example: https://www.ballersguide.net/
14. Gaming
sub-niche: PC gaming
example: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/
15. Arts & Crafts
sub-niche: hand lettering
example: https://www.thepostman’sknock.com/
16. Home Improvement
sub-niche: tiny homes
example: https://tinyhousetalk.com/
17. Cars
sub-niche: electric cars
example: https://insideevs.com/
18. Pet niche
sub-niche: dog training
example: https://www.puppyleaks.com/
19. Makeup & Beauty
sub-niche: natural beauty
example: https://www.thegreenbeautyguide.com/
20. Gardening
sub-niche: indoor gardening
example: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it should give you an idea of the profitable niche markets that are out there and how to narrow down your choices.
It’s worth noting that many of these profitable niche site examples take the form of affiliate marketing site or authority site. Some have an online store attached.
A note about evergreen niches
Evergreen niches are often the best niches because they will always be popular. They’re not seasonal or fad-based, so you can count on them to be profitable year after year.
Some examples of evergreen niches include health, fitness, personal finance, and relationship advice. These are all topics that people are always searching for information on.
Now that you know how to find a profitable niche, which one are you choosing?
Once you’ve researched and narrowed down your list of potential niches, it’s time to choose one.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making your final decision:
What are you passionate about? Remember, you’ll be writing about this topic a lot, so choosing something you’re interested in is important.
What can you provide value on? What unique perspective or knowledge do you have that other people in the niche don’t?
Is there enough demand? Remember to check how many people are searching for keywords related to the niche and whether or not there are any affiliate programs available.
Is it clear who your target market is and what pain points you can help them solve?
Is there too much competition? Take a look at how many blog posts are already out there on the topic. If there is already a lot, it might be difficult to stand out.
Keep these factors in mind as you choose a niche you’re passionate about, can provide value on, and has profit potential.
So have you got your profitable niche in mind or seen other examples of profitable blog niches? Let us know in the comments!
