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We begin our somewhat lengthy yet exciting journey focusing on what it is you as a blogger would love to be writing about, just what niche would you like to capture?

This is quite possibly the single most import aspect of the whole blog and community that you are looking to build and it might be worth grabbing a pen and paper to jot down a few of your ideas.

What is a Niche?

Before we just into the deep end let’s just clarify exactly what a niche is ..

“A position particularly well suited to the person who occupies it” (Courtesy of Google Define)

In simple terms a niche is a subject area that is well suited to you. So begin looking at topics you have some basic knowledge of and also have a keen interest in, it’s not a good idea to open a blog on a topic you have no knowledge or interest in.

Why do I need a niche?

Now you have got to grips with what a niche is you might be thinking..

Why do I need a niche?

Why can’t I just blog about whatever I want, when I want.. I don’t want to tie myself into a specific area..

The answer to this is that you don’t need to target a specific niche.. but.. it really helps if you do. By setting up a non-specific blog based on everything you find interesting it is a great deal harder to build-up a strong community as people may only visit the blog to read one of your posts, as that specific post is the only one relevant to what they are after or the only one they are interested in. Once that visitor has read that post they will more than likely move on.

To run a successful blog covering all manner of topics requires very experienced writing skills because many people would only come back if they really enjoyed how the article was written (eg funny).

By having a blog or community aimed at a niche subject you have a far greater chance of capturing a readership. If a visitor enjoyed reading a post on your blog they may be inclined to browse the site in search of more helpful information your site has to offer on the subject. If they enjoy reading further posts they may even become a subscriber.

Why is finding the right niche so important?

The niche topic you choose will be the whole basis of the community that your building.

If have little interest in the topic or have a little passion for it, there will be a time when the task of posting and looking for new content are no longer interesting nor enjoyable and as a consequence the articles you post will decrease in quality and quantity until you just give up on the blog all together.

It can still be tough posting articles on a topic you have a huge passion for, but the greater the passion you have for the niche in question the more likely you will be in successfully creating a popular blog.

By choosing the wrong niche you risk the chance of burning out very quickly and instead of being an enjoyable experience for yourself and your readers maintaining the blog becomes somewhat tiresome and more of a hindrance than a hobby. This also will begin to show through in your posts as they will become shorter, less organised and not as helpful and users may turn away.

The point I am trying to make is not to rush this step in search of more interesting jobs and to take a few hours to get all your ideas and interests down and develop them. This will help a huge amount in the long-run.

What niche is best for you?

After all this talk about what a niche is, and why it is so important, it’s time to begin investigating what niche is best for you?

If you haven’t managed to grab a pen and paper yet, now would be the perfect time (but that is because I have the memory span of a goldfish) as this is where we begin jotting down a few ideas.

Begin by thinking about things you do every day or every week that you enjoy (for example reading the paper or listening to music). Or a topic that excites when you discover something new. This way you are keeping within your own knowledge radius and you are looking at things you have a really interest in.

Here are a few examples:

• Daily - You read the paper or news online and get quite heated about certain discussions and quite often talk about them to family or friends, eg Politics or Technology.
• Weekly - Maybe you watch a lot of TV or a certain TV series and never miss an episode and love talking to friends about it, eg Lost or Heroes.
• Monthly - You often buy new computer games, and enjoy trying to persuade or dissuade your friends from buying based on your own opinion. You might be quite suited to game review, discussion or announcement blog.

From personal experience it can be quite hard to put your finger on what niche you are really interested in and have a passion for. But perseverance and brain-storming ideas will get you there in time.

Niche Saturation

Also major factor to take into account, is how saturated your niche topic may be. With millions and millions of blogs around and so many based on some of the very hot niches it can be very hard to make your mark on the web.

Finding a fan base within saturated topics is no easy job but with some unique ideas and effective networking nothing is impossible.

Just be careful not to splash your ideas to other websites as they will take your idea and develop it as their own.

Quick Summary

A quick summary of the above giving the key questions you should be asking yourself before you make your final decision on a niche:

• Do you have some knowledge of the subject you are looking to start a blog within?
• Do you have a passionate interest in the topic?
• Does the topic excite you?
• Do you have a few hours a week to write and research?
• Do you have a good attention span? (if no it might be harder)
• Can you write and organise articles well?

If you answered yes to all of the above, starting a blog might be just the thing you have been looking for and you may find it a really enjoyable experience.

If you answered no to one or two, you are still in with a good chance at succeeding, but it will require a much greater dedication to the areas you are weak in.

If no to 3 or more, starting a blog on this niche may not be the right thing for you at this time. It might be worth looking at a different niche or maybe looking into joining a community on that topic and gaining some experience and knowledge on this subject before breaking away and making your own community.

Benefits Of Getting The Right Niche?

Striking the right niche can be like hitting oil. Finding a topic your familiar with and have a keen interest for can be huge. Having a prior knowledge and an interest for the topic you are looking to blog on will help you to create new original material.

You will be more willing to spend greater amounts of time researching for a particular article and spend longer periods writing it and making it perfect, and subsequently make your website a success!

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