Niche Blogs

One thing I’ve noticed is this huge spiral of “niche blogs” creeping up recently. Niche blogs can be great because they allow you to take a specific hobby or interest you have and spin a website out of it. For example, if you’re really into a certain style of dance you could setup a blog that just pertains to that one specific style. Maybe your niche is a certain style of cooking, or there’s a certain breed of dog you’re really passionate about. Whatever it is, whenever it’s something you’re interested in and have experience with, it becomes easy to write about and update. For this reason, niche blogs are great; as they give you a means of finding YOUR niche and expressing it with the world.

Most people have lost focus over what a niche blog really is, however, and have started using it solely as a means to generate income. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this, and I ENCOURAGE people who can generate income off of their blog to do so. There’s nothing wrong with getting paid for the valuable content you take the time to create and deliver. The problem is, people throw up these cookie-cutter niche blogs with recycled content that provides no real value and in turn generates very little money for the owner. It’s gotten so bad that a lot of these people don’t even WRITE their own content anymore, they either have someone else do it or they find free-to-use content on the web and simply recycle it.

If you’re seriously considering starting your own niche blog (or any website for that matter) DON’T get your content like that. Not only is most of it written very poorly, but it gives the impression that you’re not actually trying to help your readers, rather you’re only interested in gaining a quick profit. I mean, how could I honestly hope to provide real value and content to my readers if I’m not the one even writing it?! You may generate a quick buck or two, but in the long haul your blog will never have any hopes of making it big. You’ll have nothing of value to offer your readers, and the content you provide to them will be the same old stuff they can find anywhere on the web. Like marketing a physical product, if what you have isn’t something unique that your reader wants, then there’s little incentive for them to show up at your website versus the hundreds of others that are doing the same thing.

In this day and age it’s gotten to a point where people have this grand vision of getting rich via the internet, a goal that’s VERY attainable. The problem is, in order to achieve such a goal, real work has to be done; a turn off for many people. You’ll notice a lot of niche blogs these days are heavy on advertisements and low on content and value; the exact OPPOSITE of how you want your blog to look. There are a lot of programs out there that are designed to help you set up a quick niche blog, pack it full of recycled content, stuff it with ads, and then move onto the next blog. This allows people to have 15-20 different niche blogs they run (often about niches they have no experience with) in order to maximize their earnings. Some people may be able to make a few dollars with this, but it’s hardly going to churn out a good living.

If you’re considering a niche blog or any sort of website, I would recommend finding an area that interests you and using that as your theme. If you’re really into running, start up a blog that discusses running. If it’s a topic you’re truly interested in and have experience with, you’ll find that you have very little trouble coming up with articles and content to fill your site. Of course, actually writing article after article is going to take a bit of time versus the person who just copies someone else’s work onto their site, but the rewards are going to be more than worth the effort. If you want to actually earn a good chunk of change through blogging, this is the road you’re going to have to take. Anyone can throw together a cookie-cutter blog with recycled content and earn a few cents, but very few people possess the dedication to create a blog that delivers real, unique content day after day. Although it’s a lot of work and the earnings will come very slowly initially, if you can stay on the path and don’t shy away from the effort required, you’ll soon come to notice the fruits of your labor starting to blossom. There are few things as rewarding as EARNING passive income; knowing that even when you’re sleeping your readers are able to pull value from the content you’ve created, generating you an income throughout the day.

Also, keep in mind that there’s nothing wrong with running a variety of niche blogs. There are people who make a living from blogging, sometimes running 5-10 different websites. Even with all these different websites, they STILL create unique content for each one. So whether you have one website that your pour all your energy into, or whether you spread the energy out over 10 different sites, so long as you’re focused on creating and delivering content with value, content that your readers can benefit from, then you’re on the right track. Keep doing this and you’ll come to notice that you’re not only earning a good deal of income from your blogs, but you’re also helping your readers along the way, a reward that’s just as valuable.