This is a guest post by Mkakan and you can read his blog at Mkakan.com for useful blogging tips.
One of the most popular blog niches in the blogosphere is blogging about blogging and the make money online niche. Many bloggers, old, new and emerging are running or starting blogs about blogging.
Is there anything wrong with this?
Well, very many.
But before you read on, this post may only apply to bloggers who want to make money from blogging or bloggers who want to make an impact in whatever niche they are in.
It also depends on the purpose of your blog.
Let’s continue.
Now, there are millions of blogs in the blogosphere and many niches one can start a blog on.
But the most popular blogs and niches seem to be blogs and bloggers teaching other people how to blog and how to make money online.
These blogs are helpful and are so many in the blogosphere.
Here Are Some Questions About blogging
Do you blog about blogging? Do you blog about other very popular topics online?
If I asked you to rank your blog in these niches, what would be your position? Where would your blog rank in that niche?
Let’s fast forward a little.
What would happen in 5 years time? Will your rank improve?
Here is the deal.
There are so many top blogs that blog about blogging and make money online niche. Your blog may actually have few visitors and do really help people with great information.
- But is there anyway you can overtake these other big blogs?
- Can you have more impact like or more than them?
Well, it is possible but the odds against you are more than overwhelming.
Why Is This So?
The reason is that the vacuum for blogs about blogging and blogs about other popular niches has been taken.
In fact the first 10 places have been taken.
Let me be straight with you, you cannot have more impact (as long as you blog about blogging) than Darren Rowse of www.ProBlogger.net or the other remaining 9 bloggers in the top rank.
The best approach is to find a space not yet explored. Look for a niche not yet over competitive and rule.
The Problem With Blogging In Popular Niches
Let’s do a little experiment, Which blog would make the most impact…
A blog that ranks 1000th in a niche with a million blogs, a blog that ranks 10th in a niche with ten thousand blogs or a blog that ranks 1st in a niche with 1000 blogs.
Let’s put it in another way.
Which of these blogs would make the biggest impact?
A blog that ranks 1000th in a niche with 10 million readers, or a blog that ranks 10th in a niche with 1 million readers or a blog that ranks 1st in a niche with 100 thousand readers.
The answer for me would be the last blog.
But I know the usual argument.
Impact is a relative thing.
Well, you’re right but if you ask me, I would rather prefer to have the last blog, with 1st position in a niche with 100 thousand readers.
Seth Godin always opines that it is better to be known as the first or best in anything than second best for that same thing.
I would love to add that it is still better to be 10th best in a small niche than 1000th best in a big niche.
Why We Like Popular Niches?
So why do we have so many blogs blogging in popular topics like the make money online niche and blogging niche.
Well, because of the advice that says
“Blog about what people want or want to learn about”
It is good advice.
And also bad advice.
This advice is rooted in the pursuit of reducing or escaping failure. After all, people would not be in those niches if they were not succeeding.
So it seems logical to try to do the same thing because it works and could be the best way to succeed.
But this is a big problem.
It’s like starting a dry cleaning business in a town because over 1000 dry cleaners have somewhat successful dry cleaning businesses already exist in the town.
Conclusion
Forget about popular niches. Forget about blogging about blogging and the make money online niche.
You will hardly make any impact or be known because other people are already known in the niche. You can remain in the niche if you can target a sub niche in the blogging about blogging niche or the make money niche.
You can make some impact in the niche if you can bring something totally new to the niche.
But if you want to make a great impact, find a new unexplored, non competitive niche and rule.
If you remain in niches with many top players you may not make any impact.
Do you agree with me or disagree with me…please share and tweet this post.
Although I will admit that one of the overall themes of my blog is make money online, I always try to expand into the micro niche by exploring eCommerce, article marketing and business.
I chose the niche because I work full time at a successful eCommerce company which allows me to constantly test new ideas and implement them.
It’s okay if you’re writing about blogging or make money online as long as you explain more than just theory. Theory, in my opinion, is merely introducing a topic but not entirely going further into it to explain why it’s worth doing, what you’ve learned from doing it and how others can replicate the success.
There’s always a gap which can be filled within each of these subjects on blogs. Take the initiative and fill the gap with the best content you can possibly create.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Blog =-.
I agree with the theme a 100%. There are so many “how to blog” sites now that you just don’t know which ones to follow. I’ve got one or two of those in my reader and don’t even bother visiting new ones even when real friends send me links via twitter.
On the other hand, everybody gets lured by the make money online dream while others blog about how to blog even when they’re newbies in those fields. When we get to this, it means that the whole niche is now being polluted.
.-= Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius´s last blog ..Google MAYDAY update is affecting long tail keyword rankings. =-.
True, very true… Its one of the many things I’m sure we know and know we should do, but end up not doing it.
I guess, it also depends on what you do in real life, like Murlu said. If you’re a blogger in real life, that’s what you would tend to talk about. I work for an SEO company, so I go along that way. And anothery thing, remember another golden rule on blogging. You blog on what you’re passionate about. If you’re passionate about blogging, well then, go figure! 🙂
Nicely written Mkakan
.-= Tola @ SEO for Beginners´s last blog ..A Simple SEO Case Study – Connect4Free =-.
Haha,
It’s so true, there are so many blogs that teach you how to blog and make money online, and I’m guilty as charged. 😛 It’s obviously really tough, but it’s still very profitable if you do it the right way and make sure your blog can hang with the major players in the game.
I agree with this statement, but people want to be seen as winners. They believe they can compete with major web pages. Most do not see how hard it is.
@Murlu,@tola
iagree with your positions but as long as you are coming after another person and do not bring something totally new to the table ,you may only become second best…
@Sachin..well i would not say poluted because many bloggers in these niches still give great content and sometimes much better than the top guns,but i know that the early bird usually eats the early worm..meaning when you start something first and is known for it,it takes a lot to push you out of that spot …
i have nothing against blogging and people who write stuff about making money online..their content is very helpful and valuable after all iwrite about the same subject.
It may also seem ironic that i blog about blogging .well, i am doing it for a very different reason and purpose .it may sound pessemistic ,but i know i may not make my best impact on the internet if i follow this crowd.
it is also okay to blog your passion and about know stuff you know…but you can only stand out more when you go against the crowd…
thanks for the comments and tweets
This article critical of meta-blogging is itself a blog about blogging on a website about making money from blogging. The examples of blogs mentioned are both blogs that blog about blogging and how to make money doing so.
“Be remarkable” is what every blog author says (starting with Seth Godin on down), hence the message “be remarkable” is itself unremarkable.
What would be remarkable is if someone were to actually make a living doing something other than meta-blogging.
.-= Duff´s last blog ..Can We Love Our Enemies Without Idiot Compassion or Shaming? =-.
I totally agree, which is why I’ve decided to start one of each, but with specifics…sub-niches I guess you could say, and practical action advice and not just theory.
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Web Income Experiments DotCom Wins Hands-Down! =-.
It is recommended that blogging on make money online, if you actually making money from your blog. I think most of internet entrepreneur already know the possible way of making money online. Again during these tough competition you can not achieve the top ten rank on google for keyword “make money online”. I fever that only blog in which field you have enough knowledge, it will make easy for write for your blog.
.-= chandan@work at home blog´s last blog ..7 Best Work At Home Marketplace For Freelancer =-.
People have managed to break into blogging about blogging by going about it with new tactics(grey hat tactics). They had to reach the top of the search engines though or get links from people at top of the search engines(See blogger illustrated). Mostly people visit blogging about blogging sites for some way to get links(Darren’s blog is do-follow) or ideas of how to get links. You can never have too many links
.-= Tyler Davis@Increasing Height´s last blog ..Grow Taller with Hyaline Cartilage? =-.