{"id":18569,"date":"2024-02-09T16:07:29","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.webmonkey.com\/how-to-pick-a-blog-niche-45-profitable-blog-niche-ideas-examples\/"},"modified":"2024-05-24T19:41:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T19:41:53","slug":"blog-niche-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.webmonkey.com\/blog-niche-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Pick a Blog Niche (+45 Profitable Blog Niche Ideas & Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to starting a blog<\/a>, one of the most common questions people undoubtedly ask is how to pick a blog niche <\/em>or what is the best blog niche<\/em> out there?<\/p>\n

I've seen this type of question pop up on forums countless times, and I've even gotten a few emails asking for advice over the past 2 years.<\/p>\n

Now, I will say there is no cookie-cutter method for choosing a blog niche. However, this is probably the most important part in starting a blog, and there are quite a few things to consider.<\/p>\n

So, this post is going to tackle the topic of how to choose a blog niche, as well as some blog niche ideas for 2020 to help inspire you.<\/p>\n

What Is A Blog Niche? – Why You Need To Pick One<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A niche is defined<\/a> as a “distinct section of a market.” In terms of blogging, a niche is basically the topics you decide to write about on your blog.<\/p>\n

Picking a blog niche is a frequently discussed topic because it sets the entire outline for the future of your blog. Plus, there are a number of things to consider when making this decision.<\/p>\n

Bloggers often talk about the concept of “niching down<\/strong>” when deciding to start a blog. There are two main reasons why this is very valuable advice:<\/p>\n

Scaleability<\/strong> – As a single person operation, it's unlikely you'll be able to cover multiple niches with your writing in a timely manner. In other words, if you write about multiple topics, your blog will have very skeletal categories for a long time.<\/p>\n

Readability <\/strong>– It is very difficult to build a readership that shares the exact same interests as you if you write about a wide range of topics. Choosing a blog niche helps narrow your focus and attract a specific audience more easily.<\/p>\n

So, that, in a nutshell, is why it's a good idea to pick a blog niche.<\/p>\n

Time to break down some other important considerations.<\/p>\n

How To Choose A Blog Niche – 7 Important Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before selecting a niche and launching your blog, there are 7 questions I suggest spending some time on.<\/p>\n

Write out the answers if you need, and take a few days to think things over. Don't be afraid to ask people for their advice as well or to leave a comment on this post!<\/p>\n

If you're already prepared to launch your blog, you can also checkout SiteGround's affordable hosting plans<\/a> to get the ball rolling!<\/p>\n

1. Are You An Authority (Or Can You Become ONe?)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A lot of people think the most important aspect about choosing your blogging niche is if you love the subject or not<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is a factor, but, it's actually not the most important one.<\/p>\n

Undoubtedly, the most important factor in picking a niche for your blog is if you are an authority or not <\/strong>(or if you can become one).<\/p>\n

Here's the thing: Google, the absolute best source of blogging traffic out there, gets more competitive every single day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"google\"<\/p>\n

Additionally, author authority is one of Google's most important ranking factors.<\/p>\n

Google uses EAT, or Expertise, Authoritativeness, <\/em>and Trust<\/em>, in their ranking algorithm. If you aren't an authority, it will inevitably be harder to rank on Google with your blog posts.<\/p>\n

\"Google-EAT-ranking\"<\/p>\n

If you think about it, this is absolutely fair. After all, you wouldn't want to search for health advice and find content on the first page of Google that isn't authoritative.<\/p>\n

Now, you don't necessarily have to be an authority before starting your blog or picking a blog niche. This is because you can become an authority in your topic over time (depending on your niche)<\/p>\n

For me, a major turning point in getting my blog off the ground was having my phone farming guide<\/a> rank #1 on Google. <\/p>\n

Personal finance is a very competitive niche. However, by actually buying phones and running a phone farm during my time in college (and publishing honest income reports), I became an authority in that field.<\/p>\n

Google rewarded me, I got dozens of free backlinks from people mentioning that post, and my overall authority in the whole “passive income apps<\/a>” world grew as well. I now rank well for quite a few app related posts.<\/p>\n

\"my-current-phone-farm\"
I owe it all to this humble farm!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is an example of picking a blog niche and becoming an authority over time. However, this isn't always realistic.<\/p>\n

For example, if you decided to start a blog about being a pilot, the only way you can really become an authority on that subject is to start flying planes…you get the idea.<\/p>\n

So, the first question you have to ask yourself is if you're an authority in what you're going to write about or if you can become one.<\/p>\n

2. Is It A YMYL Topic?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part of Google's EAT algorithm update (which rocked WebMonkey way back when) is heavily related to YMYL.<\/p>\n

YMYL, or “Your Money, Your Life” refers to topics that can have a direct impact on your happiness, health, safety, or finances if information is not accurate.<\/p>\n

Google takes YMYL content very seriously, and this is again why authority matters so much.<\/p>\n

Here's what Google has to say specifically about YMYL websites:<\/p>\n

\"Google-YMYL-content\"<\/p>\n

Now, don't let this page on YMYL guideliens scare you.<\/p>\n

But, consider it in great detail before picking a blog niche.<\/p>\n

It is possible to write in a YMYL niche and find success if you stick to what you're an expert in.<\/p>\n

Again, this is a personal finance blog, but I stick to passive income ideas<\/a> and side hustles, not <\/em>topics I'm not qualified to talk about (like investing or retirement planning).<\/p>\n

The only one I'd really caution you against here is health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Unless you're a doctor or certified dietitian, I wouldn't touch the health blogging niche with a 10 foot pole.<\/p>\n

Niching down to something like yoga or personal training would work if you're qualified, but again, be cautious here and figure out if your blog niche idea is considered YMYL.<\/p>\n

3. Would You Write About Your Blog Niche For Free?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most bloggers don't make significant income from their blog.<\/p>\n

In fact, about 50% make between $0 and $200 according to a blogger survey from Digital Nomad Wannabe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"blogging-income-brackets\"
Blogging income brackets from a survey. Courtesy of Digital Nomad Wannabe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was definitely the case for me as well. It took roughly 6 months to steadily earn more than $100 with WebMonkey, and 18 months to surpass $500 per month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I now make more than $1,000 per month from blogging, largely thanks to Mediavine<\/a>, but there's no denying that the path to blogging revenue is a long one.<\/p>\n

So, is blogging worth it<\/a>?<\/p>\n

It is, if you enjoy what you write about, work hard, and have patience.<\/p>\n

Don't get caught up on how to choose a profitable blog niche or try to figure out which blogging niche has the most money on the table.<\/p>\n

Would you write about it for free? Because, chances are, you will be writing for free for at least a few months! \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n

4. Can You Come Up With 50+ Blog Post Ideas?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A great way to validate your blog niche idea is to make a content map of 50 to 100 posts.<\/p>\n

If you hit a brick wall 10 post ideas in, this might be a sign your blogging niche is too narrow.<\/p>\n

In contrast, if you hit 100 blog post ideas, look at your list, and can't explain what the website is about within a second, your focus might be too broad.<\/p>\n

Pick your overarching blog niche idea, and a few sub categories.<\/p>\n

For example, I selected the finance niche, and then came up with some possible categories like making money online<\/a>, saving money, and money apps.<\/p>\n

\"blogging-content-planner\"
A simple Excel spreadsheet with some ideas is all you need. Here's a screenshot from an outline I made in the early days of WebMonkey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Go through this process for your blog niche idea, and don't be afraid to adjust your scope.<\/p>\n

5. Will It Be Relevant In 5-10 Years?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This isn't always an easy question to answer, but hopefully, the answer is painfully obvious to you either way.<\/p>\n

Industries evolve all the time, and blogs can keep up for the most part.<\/p>\n

But, if you choose to blog about a single company, website, or service (I've seen plenty of blogs dedicated to a single app or platform before), know that this is a risk.<\/p>\n

Even the biggest companies can fail, and if your blog niche goes under, there isn't usually a way to pivot in time.<\/p>\n

6. Is Your Monetization Strategy “All-In?”<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is a bit more of a sophisticated consideration, and you don't need to worry about it if you just blog for fun.<\/p>\n

However, if you want to pick a profitable blog niche, this is an important question.<\/p>\n

An “all-in” monetization strategy means using only one source\/approach to make money with your blog.<\/p>\n

\"blogging-revenue-channels\"
Here is how my revenue broke down in Q1 of 2019 for an example of something that is more diversified. It' since moved even more heavily into ad revenue, so I'm trying to balance it with more affiliate income.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazon affiliate sites are a pretty common example of this strategy.<\/p>\n

Similarly, I've seen plenty of blogs that are dedicated to a single type of affiliate offer or specific product. There's nothing wrong with this approach, but again, it limits flexibility and is a business risk.<\/p>\n

Affiliate programs end or change rates all the time, and I personally don't like all-in approaches for making money with a blog niche.<\/p>\n

So, when trying to find a profitable blog niche, consider exactly what options you have to actually generate revenue.<\/p>\n

7. What Are Advertising RPMs Like?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Again, this is a higher-level consideration, but I think it's very important for anyone who wants to make money with blogging.<\/p>\n

Ads are an awesome way to monetize your website. However, not all niches are created equal in this regard.<\/p>\n

Your blogging niche has a direct impact on your ad RPMs. In other words, different blog niches are more profitable in terms of ads than others.<\/p>\n

To get a rough idea of what to expect from your blog's niche RPMs, take a look at this advertising chart from WordStream:<\/p>\n

\"adwords-industry-benchmarks-average-cpc\"<\/p>\n

This graph shows the average Google Ads cost-per-click, or CPC, for different industries in 2018.<\/p>\n

Now, this isn't a perfect translation to blogging, but it's an indicator of what to expect.<\/p>\n

Plus, the data makes sense. After all, if a certain industry is more expensive to advertise than others on average, that should usually translate to more competition and expensive CPMs for display ads.<\/p>\n

Some blog niches with historically strong ad RPMs<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n