5 Steps to Start a Niche Blog

A niche blog is an extremely focused blog. In other words, all content published on a niche blog is directly related to a narrow topic. Niche blogs offer a great way for smaller bloggers to attract readers, monetize their blogs, and carve out a successful place in the blogosphere. Follow the steps below to start your own niche blog.

01

of 05

Choose a Topic You're Passionate About

A niche blogger has to write about a narrow topic a lot. That means you need to have strong ideas, feelings, and thoughts on that topic. While it's certainly possible to tie broader topics to a niche blog topic, your loyal readers will come to your blog to read your unique take on your niche topic. To be successful, you need to deliver what your readers are looking for. Stray too far from your niche, and they'll go elsewhere for the information and conversation they want and need.

02

of 05

Choose a Topic You Know a Lot About or Enjoy Reading About and Researching

The best niche bloggers know a lot about their topics. They might be experts in the subject matter related to their niche blogs, or they could just enjoy reading, researching and learning about their niche blog topic and then discussing those learnings in their own unique voice. A niche blogger can be successful following either path. The key to success is writing with intelligence, focus, and passion. Your unique voice will make your niche blog stand out from the crowd.

03

of 05

Choose a Narrow Topic and Stay Focused

Niche means focused. That means you need to choose a very narrow topic and stick to it, so you can position your blog as a true niche blog. For example, rather than blogging about a broad topic such as cars, you could choose a niche topic such as classic Ford Mustangs. Alternately, instead of blogging about a broad topic such as cruises, you could blog about cruises for families with small children.

04

of 05

Beware of Trend Niches

If you want to create a successful blog with longevity, then you should not choose a niche topic that's hot today but could disappear in the future. For example, choosing to write a niche blog about a specific television show you like might be a lot of fun, but if the show gets canceled, then what happens to your blog? Most likely, the traffic will slow until it finally fades away leaving you with a blog with no hope for revival. Make sure the niche topic you choose has staying power.

05

of 05

Do Keyword Research and Go for the Long Tail

Long tail search engine optimization relates to using very specific keywords to drive highly targeted traffic. It's hard to compete with the big blogs and Web sites with deep pockets, and that fact holds true when it comes to search engine optimization just as it does with everything else. For example, it would be very hard to compete with big sites for broad keywords such as 'parenting'. However, if you choose a very targeted keyword phrase that is closely related to your niche blog's content, such as 'teen allowance' for a niche blog about parenting teens, then your competition is smaller and your traffic is more targeted. You need to take the time to do keyword research and optimize your blog content for the best keywords.