So, you want to be a blogger? Or maybe you already have a blog but want to start a new one in another niche. If so, you should choose carefully because the topic you pick will have an enormous impact on whether or not you are successful.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing a topic for your blog.
What is your passion?
Pick a topic you care about. Don’t go into it thinking “blogs about celebrity gossip make a lot of money so I need to start a blog about Lindsay Lohanâ€. I haven’t checked but I’m pretty sure there are already a lot of blogs about Lindsay Lohan and guess who will be maintaining those blogs… people who have a passion for celebrity gossip and love blogging about Lindsay Lohan. Do you really think you can compete with those people? If you have a passion for your subject, it will be much easier to create quality content.
Is the topic popular?
If you plan to monetize your blog you must balance your passion with the demand for your topic. In other words, are advertisers looking to sell products and services to the people who will be visiting your site? The ideal topic will have a high number of searches in the search engines with a high level of competition among advertisers.
Can you offer something different?
Have you already picked out a topic? Before you start blogging, visit other blogs in your chosen niche. Find the popular blogs and study them to see what makes them successful. Then look for a different angle. Can you provide something that they don’t? If you can provide a unique service or a different perspective on a topic you will have a much better chance of finding success.
Will you have enough to say?
The key to having a successful blog is posting quality content on a regular basis. You can always post links to the news of the day or interview other experts but eventually you will have to write some original content. Do you have enough to say on your chosen topic to allow you to produce content consistently over the long haul?
What is your monetization strategy?
Blogs can be very profitable and there are many programs available to help you make money with your blog. The problem is, not all programs work for every niche. For example, Google’s Adsense is the most popular way to monetize a blog but it performs very poorly in some situations. When this happens you must focus on other strategies such as affiliate marketing, CPM ads, paid reviews, or even selling site sponsorships.
Contrary to popular opinion, blogging is not easy. It takes a great deal of time and energy to create a successful blog but it can also be a lot of fun. And while no new blog is a sure bet for success, if you do your homework before jumping in headfirst, you will have a better chance than most.
