If you are looking to start a cohesive, popular and successful blog, you need to pick a niche. We are simplifying this process for you by sharing 3 steps to help you choose a blog niche.

Choosing a niche is one of the most important decisions you will have to make as a blogger. This decision often deters people from starting a blog or delays their blogging journey as they get stumped deciding what to blog about.

Don’t make the (very common) mistake of getting stuck for too long at the stage of choosing a blog niche.

Some bloggers have a million niche ideas bouncing around while others are unable to come up with a single topic for their blog. 

Hopefully, finding a niche to focus on will not seem as overwhelming once you read our steps and tips.

What is a Blog Niche?

Your niche is the main topic for your blog.

Having a niche ensures you publish cohesive content.  Your niche will be the focus of what you write and the driving force behind all of your blogging strategies. 

To choose a niche, you can narrow down any broad topic. 

Let’s say you are interested in Photography. You can choose “Phone Photography,” “Solo Travel Photography” or “Product Photography” as potential blog niche ideas.

Choosing a niche simply comes down to selecting a narrower topic from a very broad industry or space. It’s like choosing a specialty. 

Why Choose a Blog Niche?

Deciding on a niche is important for both you and your audience. 

Your blog may be more successful if you have a clear niche and audience profile as opposed to trying to cover a wide range of topics. 

Benefits of Choosing a Blog Niche:

Goal Setting.

• Choosing a niche will give you a sense of purpose and direction. It will be a lot easier to establish your goals and create the content and strategies that will help you reach them once you have a defined topic. 

Audience Definition and Clarity.

• A well-defined niche will give you and your audience a clear idea of what you blog is about. This clarity can aid you in crafting your blog and will keep your readers coming back. 

Establish your Expertise.

• By selecting an area of expertise, you can become an authority on that topic and turn your blog into a point of reference your readers can rely on. You become an expert on your specific blog niche when your readers know your specialization and come to you for information or advice. 

Reduce your Competition. 

• If you write about a range of random topics you will be multiplying the number of sites you are competing with for each one of those topics.  You can greatly reduce your competition once you focus on a specific niche.

Monetization Becomes Easier. 

• When your audience (and search engines) know exactly what you blog about, you have a higher chance of increasing your traffic so you can monetize with ads. In addition, you will make it easier to secure partnerships and get accepted to affiliates programs related to your niche. 

Let’s have a look at the 3 steps you can follow to help you choose your blog niche.

Step 1 – List your Experience and Qualifications

Start by writing down a list of topics you know by heart – based on your experience, expertise and knowledge. 

Narrow down your list by asking yourself these questions:

• Is there a gap that could be filled by your blog? 
• What problems am I best equipped to help people solve?
• Am I excited to share my expertise and knowledge on this topic?
• Can I easily come up with at least 20 blog post ideas for this niche?

Your blog niche can also provide information that could have been useful to you or you wished you had found in the past. Think about challenges you have overcome or how you have gotten from point A to B in your life. 

When you write about topics you know, you use up less resources by saving time on research. This translates to less time maintaining your blog. 

Step 2 – List your Hobbies, Interests and Passions

Come up with a list of ideas for the things you love.

What are some topics you are interested in now or are willing to learn? What are topics you can write about even when things are hard? 

Some blogs can take a long time to see success. You have to love your niche through the highs and lows. 

Your audience can also tell when you write about topics you are enthusiastic about. 

If you are not sure about which topic to choose, you can always ask for the opinion of your friends, family or people who know you well. Ask them to tell you what they see you writing about as  a blogger. The answers might surprise you or even make you consider topics you didn’t previously contemplate!

Just like you should think about choosing a niche that you know and love, you should also avoid topics that you are not willing to learn more about in the future. 

Step 3 – Validate your Blog Niche 

After you have settled on a niche idea based on what you know and love, it’s time to validate it before you jump into creating a blog. 

There should be an audience and demand for your blog niche idea. 

One of the best places to start validating your blog niche idea is Google Trends. Head there and type your blog niche idea to gauge its popularity. 

An upwards arrow from Google Trends is not enough to give you a green light. I have a complete post on how to validate your blog niche that you should read before you commit to a blog niche. 

If you are investing time and resources on creating a blog, it makes sense to first make sure that idea will yield results and align with your blogging goals. 

Blog Niche Tips

Now that you have gone through the 3 steps to choose your blog niche, here are some additional tips to help you succeed on your blogging niche journey:

• Stay true to your chosen niche. 

Don’t stray too far away from the topic you have selected. You can always expand your ideas, but don’t confuse your audience by posting about topics completely unrelated to your niche. 

• Make it different

Do you have a unique angle for your blog niche? Find a way to stand out from your competition. You could create a unique value proposition, too. 

• Center your blog around your audience

You are writing for them so practice social listening and give them what they ask for! Moreover, the value you can provide for your audience is what will keep them coming back to your blog.

• Don’t choose an overly narrow niche. 

Keep your niche specific, but broad enough to allow for future expansion. Being too specific means you have a smaller audience and it can limit the growth of your blog.

• Don’t let high competition stop you. 

Competition means demand. It can be difficult to rank in a highly competitive niche, but it’s not impossible. If you focus on good SEO practices, you can get there. 

If you are still stuck on choosing a blog niche, check these 125 Profitable Blog Niche Ideas to point you in the right direction. 

Final Thoughts on 3 Steps to Choose a Blog Niche

Setting a good foundation for your blog from the start can increase its potential to thrive which is why you should follow our 3 steps to choose a blog niche. 

Picking the right blog niche for you will define your blogging journey.

Before you identify a blog niche, you have to find something that is rewarding to you, but also has an audience looking for the information and content you want to publish. 

Even if you aren’t looking to monetize your blog, you should still aim to provide value to your readers.  

Your blog niche is essential to identify your audience, drive your strategies and turn your blog into a point of reference in the online space.