Blog Ideas for Profitable Niches

Looking for blog ideas?

If you want to start a blog for fun and income, coming up with a profitable niche topic is one of the most important steps to successful blogging.

When I started my first few blogs, I really didn't know what I was doing or how much I could earn from blogging. I was basically blogging for fun and to build back-links to my other sites and content. But now, when choosing a topic for a website or blog, I look at a few factors to determine my blog's focus.

1. Interests and knowledge base. Why start a blog on something I won't enjoy or don't know much about? This would likely result in neglecting my blog and it not living up to its income potential. Also, readers can tell when you're an authority on the subject and when you're just writing SEO content articles. To make your blog stand out, think of blog ideas that truly interest you -- maybe even something you're passionate about.

2. The competition. What other blogs are there on my topic? If the niche is already crowded, with many relevant, quality blogs, it might be wise to consider other topics and different blog ideas. A simple Google search for your topic and the word "blog" will give you an idea of what else is out there. But keep in mind that if you can find a different angle or focus on the same general topic, your niche may have very little competition.

3. Keywords. To ensure you'll have plenty of material for your blog, check out related keywords and topics through keyword tools. There should be a large variety and number of keyword combinations for your topic to be viable in the long run. I use Wordtracker's free keyword tool, and plug in my main keyword to see how often people are searching for it and related terms.

After considering your interests, niche competition and the quality and number of related searches for your blog ideas, you will have an idea as to whether your topic will be profitable. Run the numbers on several different topics so you can get a feel for where different niches stack up and make a educated decision.

If you still find it intimidating or confusing to come up with blog ideas, I will again recommend an awesome resource for new and pro bloggers, which hundreds of people have used to build a blog from the ground up: The Niche Blogger.

This program, which is run by a stay at home/ work at home mom of four as a way to show other moms how to earn a passive income with blogging, began as a very successful attempt to show the method to her own mom.

Her end result is a step-by-step program that literally covers every thing you need to know about blogging ... far more than I have shared with you in my posts, since space and time, as well as my lesser knowledge on the topic, preclude me from presenting as in-depth material as she covers.

An impressive aspect of the program is how Amy shares her method for coming up with good blog ideas. It really simplifies the niche research process, making it doable for any level blogger.

Don't forget, niche blogging is more than just picking a topic, it also involves finding one that will actually make money -- the most important thing for many professional bloggers!

Do you blog to earn money? How did you choose your niche topic?

Does Blogging Make Money?

Are you wondering, does blogging make money? The short answer is yes. But the reality is that only a small percentage of blogs are successful. There are many gems in a large mountain of ordinary rocks, and some of those gems do quite well.

J.D. at Get Rich Slowly now blogs as a full-time occupation as of this month. He worked hard to get his blog up to speed, and a venture he started as a hobby became an excellent source of income over the course of a couple years.

I am a daily reader of Survival Blog by J.W. Rawles, author of Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse. This is another very successful, and apparently lucrative, niche blog. It will soon reach the impressive feat of 3 million visitors, with over 69,000 unique hits each week.

So does blogging make money? Only when certain factors coincide. To be a successful blogger, you'll need to:

• Know basic SEO (search engine optimization) and keyword techniques. I gained this experience writing $10 web content articles for a company that had a contract with a well-known website. There is a plethora of information available; some of the best can be found in the free Site Build It Netwriting Masters Course.
• Find a niche. What is your passion? What do you love to research and write about? What skills do you have? Choose a topic that leaves you room for years of great content, not a passing fad. Findout what people are searching for by using Wordtracker's free tools.
  
• Promote your site. Use social networking, link building and other techniques (check out Copy Blogger for more in-depth traffic-building information).
  
• Monetize your blog with affiliate products, Google adSense and paid sponsors.
  

My own little blogs, Raw Milk Mama and My Work at Home Mom Blog, both in their infant stages, have already earned a few pennies in Google ad sense revenue as well as a few dollars in Amazon commissions.

Following my own advice, I hope to grow them into profitable blogs. I'm not in it for the money, yet, but as an eventual outcome, I'd be pleased.