Choosing a blog niche is, ultimately, one of the most important decisions you have to make when starting out.
Running a profitable blog that attracts readers is the same as running any other online business. And, like any other business, you need to have a concrete understanding of who your target market is and what your blog is going to be about in the first place.
The most important thing is to choose a topic you love. Something you want to immerse yourself in for hours a day for years on end. If you don't do that, you won't stick it out long enough to be successful. Honestly, if you just do this you'll be persistent enough to figure out how to make it work no matter what.
After that, find a niche that has ranking and monetization opportunities — and ideally is growing in popularity.
What is a Blog Niche?
A niche is defined as “a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.”
In terms of blogging, a niche is really the topic, or topics, you decide to blog about.
Blog niches can also be fairly specific or more general. For example, some bloggers cover the general fitness niche, while others narrow down to a specific sport or type of diet.
There isn’t a right answer for how to choose a blog niche. However, as we’re going to find out, picking a blog niche is critical to your blogging success and can also make your blogging journey more enjoyable overall.
Advantages to Picking a Blog Niche
In the early days of blogging, you could start a multi-niche lifestyle blog that covered several topics and easily grow your blog traffic. This is because the internet was simply less competitive back then, and there weren’t nearly as many blogs competing for readership.
These days, it’s a different story.
Nowadays, there are more than 600 million blogs on the internet. Plus, since new content is published every minute, the internet continues to become more saturated and competitive.
This level of competition is one of the main advantages to picking a blog niche. The reality is that growing a blog that focuses on one topic is easier than growing a lifestyle blog that writes about everything. After all, as a niche blogger, your only competition is other blogs within your niche. In contrast, multi-niche blogs have several niches to worry about.
Finally, choosing a blog niche also helps you narrow your focus. Once you define your audience and blogging topic, things like choosing a blog name and writing your first blog posts also come more naturally.
How to Choose A Blog Niche – 6 Questions to Ask
If you have multiple hobbies and interests, figuring out how to choose a blog niche might cause more stress than excitement.
However, one simple trick for picking a blog niche is to ask yourself a set of questions for any niche idea you have and to use the process of elimination to weed out bad candidates.
Start by brainstorming as many blog niche ideas as you can. Once you have your list, analyze each idea with the following questions.
1. Do You Love the Topic?
First and foremost, blogging is an act of passion. Are you ready to think about this topic for a large portion of your day — every day — for years and years? Do you feel a calling to help others learn more about your topic?
If not, it's not the right niche.
I blog in the personal finance niche. I'm going on 13 years of writing daily in that niche. I would have stopped a decade ago if it wasn't something I felt compelled to do.
Creating a successful blog is a marathon, not a sprint. I often say that if you start a blog just to make money, you will quit before you ever make your first dollar. In fact, it might take several months or even a year or longer for you to begin growing an audience for your blog.
First, you also need to practice your skills. Blogging isn't an innate ability we are born with. It takes time to get good. Then, you can begin to earn the trust of both readers and search engines to get traffic, which also doesn’t happen overnight.
Considering how long growing your blog takes, it’s important to choose a blog niche you truly enjoy. You might write for months before you get any traction, which means you’re really writing content for free.
Ultimately, be brutally honest with yourself when choosing a blog niche. If you love the topic and are willing to work for free because you feel this information simply needs to exsist in the world, it could be the right niche.
Learn how to write amazing blog posts with Hit Publish.
2. Are You An Expert?
Being an “expert” doesn’t necessarily mean possessing the top 0.01% of industry knowledge in the world. As long as you’re more knowledgeable than most readers and have the experience to write the best content possible, your blog niche has a higher chance of success.
That said, if you are passionate about your topic then you probably know more than average already. For example, I read tons of personal finance books before I ever started blogging about it… simply because it was a topic I had a lot of interest in.
According to Search Engine Journal, authority is one of the main ranking factors that Google uses to determine what content appears when people search for something.
Authority is a complex metric that consists of dozens of other factors that Google uses in their algorithms. However, authority really distills down to two areas: your content quality and how many websites link to your content.
This is SEO jargon, but it highlights the fact that the blogs that perform well on search engines are authorities in their niches. If you think about it, this also makes sense. After all, why would search engines award low-quality blogs that are ripe with misinformation over content that’s written by experts?
Ultimately, this means that choosing a blog niche where you’re already an expert puts you at an advantage out of the gate.
Examples of authority can include things like:
- Certifications you have, like being a CFA
- Previous job and industry experience
- A personal story. For example, if you trained and completed a marathon, you naturally have more authority for a running niche blog than someone who isn’t physically active whatsoever
Plus, writing authoritative content gives readers a reason to stick around. People read for entertainment or for education, so you better provide either source for readers if you want to grow an audience.
Related: Why Your Lifestyle Blog isn't Working (and How to Fix it)
3. Is The Niche Growing?
Another tip for how to choose a blog niche is to analyze trends to see if it’s a niche with a bright future.
Obviously, some niches are clearly going the way of the dodo; if you’re thinking of starting that blog on videocassette recorders, you might want to take a step back.
The reality is that readership interests change with the times and new technology. So, when picking a blog niche, try to find a niche that’s growing and that you can assume will be around for years to come.
One tool you can use to gauge niche interest is Google Trends.
Google Trends lets you enter specific topics to visualize readership trends for countries around the world. For example, take a look at the trend data for digital nomadism:
As you can see, interest is picking up for this niche, so hopping on the bandwagon isn’t the worst idea.
In contrast, Google Trends data often reveals that a blog niche idea is either stagnant or in decline. The keto diet is one example of a topic that surged in popularity but is definitely slowing down:
You don’t need to choose a blogging niche that’s exploding in popularity. In fact, these niches tend to explode with competition or could also be fads that die out (as Keto might be showing).
However, try your best to find a blog niche that’s trending in the right direction and is going to attract readers for years to come.
If you are passionate about a topic that seems to be on the decline that doesn't mean you should just give up. Taking “keto” as an example, perhaps the underlying passion here is nutrition.
Related: 6 Tricks to Choosing the Perfect Blog Name
4. What’s Keyword Volume Like?
Researching keywords, or what terms you want your blog post to rank for on search engines, is usually considered an on-page SEO tactic you use when writing.
But, did you know keyword volume can also help you choose a blog niche?
Alongside tools like Google Trends, keyword volume is an excellent indicator of how many people search for specific phrases every month. Keyword data also reveals how difficult it is to rank for specific terms on search engines.
Once you come up with your first batch of post ideas, take a handful of keywords and enter them into a free keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner or UberSuggest.
UberSuggest has daily search limits, so Google’s Keyword Planner is better if you want to do all your research in one sitting. All you have to do is type in your keyword and Google will display the monthly search volume, competition level, and even related keywords you can base other posts on.
Let’s take virtual reality as an example. With Google’s Keyword Planner, you can get thousands of keyword ideas on virtual reality, their search volume, and start understanding what specific questions people have:
If you’re targeting a specific country with your blog, make sure you change the location setting to only include search data from that country.
Ideally, your niche should have some keywords that have at least a few hundred monthly searches and low competition scores. You can filter to show low competition keywords first to make life easier:
Don’t worry if some of your blog post ideas are extremely competitive. After all, it can take years to rank for certain terms.
However, make sure your blog niche has some low competition keywords you can use to get your traffic started.
5. Can You Monetize?
There’s numerous ways to make money blogging, and many bloggers use a variety of methods to monetize their blog.
Examples of monetization strategies include:
- Running display advertisements
- Affiliate marketing
- Selling products or courses
- Offering coaching for readers within the niche
- Creating a subscription service
- Selling sponsored posts
There isn’t a single best way to make money with your blog. However, your most effective methods often depend on your blog’s niche.
For example, certain niches pay a higher amount of money with display advertisements than others. WordStream has a helpful Google Ads industry benchmark you can reference to find expensive verticals. Generally, topics like finance, insurance, and tech pay more than less expensive topics like crafts and food.
Affiliate programs are another monetization strategy that your niche influences. Some niches, like apparel, have a near endless amount of affiliate opportunities because there are so many clothing brands. In contrast, you’ll find that finance affiliate programs are often quite picky about the bloggers they accept.
When choosing a blog niche, put some thought towards how you can monetize if that’s your goal. Certain niches work better than others for different strategies. You don’t need to base your blog topic around this, but it’s another factor you should keep in mind.
If you are able to chat with someone who is already in the niche you are considering take advantage! Ask them what the top affiliates are in the niche and how they pay. This will give you a lot of insight into the business side of things.
6. Do You Actually Like Writing?
If you pick a growing niche you’re an expert in, you might think it’s time to register a domain name and begin setting up your blog.
However, while it’s great to be excited, another question to ask yourself before diving in is “do you even like blogging?”
Taking the time to write 10 blog posts before you do anything else is a good way to practice the art of blogging before you pay for a host and spend time getting your site live. You might find that you struggle to get these written and decide blogging is not for you.
Or you may find you love writing about your topic and can't wait to publish your articles! If this is you, then take that as a sign of huge success waiting for you.
Start by identifying a few pillar categories your blog will tackle. If you’re starting a finance blog, this could include:
- Budgeting advice
- Career tips
- Side hustle ideas
- Investing
Once you identify your pillars, write a few in each category and see how it goes. If it goes well and you actually write 10 blog posts before starting you'll have a bank of articles ready to go when you do launch.
Related: 5 Steps to Mapping Our Your First 10 Blog Posts
60+ Blog Niche Ideas
If you’re still stumped on choosing your blog niche, don’t fret!
Your blog is a labor of love, so it’s wise to spend time researching your options. Plus, if you need some extra inspiration, consider the following blog niche ideas for your next blog.
Health & Fitness
- A blog about a specific sport/ team
- Nutrition
- A bog about a type of diet, like the paleo diet
- Crossfit
- Outdoorsmanship
- Biking
- Yoga and meditation
- Stress and mental health
- Swimming
- Extreme sports
Travel Niches
- A blog about a specific city
- Digital nomadism
- Travel-based careers
- Family travel
- Backpacking
- Minimalist travel
Finance Niches
- Passive income
- Side hustles
- Investing
- The gig economy
- Financial independence
- Retirement
- Making money online
Food Niches
- Baking
- Exotic recipes
- A type of cuisine
- Cooking techniques, like smoking or barbecuing
- Travel and food
- Budget cooking
- Student-friendly meals
- Kitchen gadgets
Tech Niches
- Apps and gadgets
- Tech news
- Gaming
- Virtual reality
- Smartphones and tablets
- Tech repair
- IT security
DIY Niches
- Crafts
- Woodworking
- Home improvement projects
- Hand-made models
- Gardening and landscaping
- Car repair
Hobby Niches
- Sailing
- Playing an instrument
- Photography
- Graphic design
- Videography
- Learning new languages
- Reading
- History
Parenting Niches
- General parenting
- Work-from-home parenting
- Child education
- Learning disabilities or other challenges parents may face
Business & Career Niches
- Networking advice
- Resume and job hunting
- Starting your own business
- B2B sales
- Online business ideas
Summary
Starting and growing a blog is no small endeavor. However, the process isn’t as complex as you might think.
As long as you choose a blog niche you understand, learn how to write valuable content, and stick with the process, you can certainly grow an online audience overtime.
With enough hard work and practice, you might even find that you become an authoritative voice in your blogging niche over the years and make a difference for readers who share your same passions.
