Learn Internet Marketing > Weekly Tips > SSWT 5/10/05
 

Finding Niche Markets

   
In our last few issues we've discussed Keywords, Optimization, Converting Visitors into Buyers, and how to build a List of potential Customers, encourage repeat visits & "free linking".

By now you are getting a very good idea of how to develop a website that appeals to both Search Engines *AND* Visitors!

 
You can view these 3 issues online at:

Understanding Keywords: Choosing Them & Using Them

Optimizing for Search Engines AND Visitors

Pricing: How Much to Charge, When to Give it Away

 

This week, I am going to share some tips with you for Finding Niches. A niche is basically a topic or a market that you can develop a website or a product around.

One of the things that I hear most often from people who would like to start their first online business is this: "I don't know what topic I want to use" or "I haven't found a niche yet".

(If this is YOU, following the steps outlined below will help you find your niche TODAY!)

Even if this isn't YOU, you can easily use these same tips to EXPAND on what you already have. I'll give you more details & ideas on that in next week's issue - for now, back to finding & choosing a niche:

 
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Finding New Niches
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This is very simple, and requires only two tools - both of which are FREE to use. Start out by making a quick list of 5 things off the top of your head. Just five very general off-the-top-of-your-head things.

Example:

Bird
Garden
Swimming pool
Grill
Birthday

Everyone will have a different list, obviously. If you have a hard time coming up with 5 things off the top of your head, step outside and look around - or browse through a magazine you have nearby until 5 things come to you.

Go to Overture's Search Term Suggestion Tool

Start with the first word/phrase on your list, and type it into the search box. Using my example list above, I'll type in "bird". Here are the first few results (showing the number of times each term was searched last month):

372923 bird
170576 bird house
146621 bird watching
130362 bird feeder
110256 bird bath
100609 bird t shirt
99064 bird watching tour
97678 bird cage
96375 bird figurine
92860 bird watching vacation
85051 bird flu
75391 humming bird
66766 exotic bird
57663 bird jewelry
52324 bird food
51515 bird lover gift

 
The word "bird" is entirely too generic, obviously - so I am going to choose one of the terms listed above.

NOTE: If I were going to build a large content-based website, I would choose one of these terms as my "niche" and then dig deeper to choose categories and sections for the inner pages of this site.

If I were going to build a Mini-Site or a "Micro-Niche Site", or possibly develop a product around a particular niche, then I would choose a general topic from the list above and continue "digging" until I found a specific micro-niche to work with.

Two of the phrases above appeal to me: "bird watching" and "bird feeder". It was just a personal preference - there was no logic or 'marketing magic' that went into that decision. The fact is, you can "dig" any topic or niche you like... even ALL of them if you really want to compare them!

 
While you are on that Overture Search Term results page, you can simply click on one of the terms to "dig deeper" and bring up a page that only shows phrases that include "bird feeder" (or whichever phrase you clicked on).

You want to look over that list very carefully to see what 'stands out' to you, and also compare the results with those you get using the free trial at WordTracker.

Go to WordTracker's Free Trial

NOTE: You will get different results from WordTracker than you do at Overture. Each of these tools gets their results from different sources. Also, Overture shows you the number of searches per MONTH, and WordTracker shows you the approximate number of searches per DAY.

 
What stands out to me about Bird Feeders? Looking over the list, I notice "how to make", "how to build", "homemade", "plans" etc. These people are looking for free information.

I also notice on WordTracker's results (for "bird feeder") this phrase which gets approximately 142 searches a day: "buy bird feeders online".

Now if that isn't a "money phrase"... I don't know what is! The searcher that types that into their search box is obviously looking to BUY a bird feeder ONLINE.

A quick look at the Google search engine results for that term tells me that it is NOT very competitive - that a person could easily obtain a top 10 ranking for "buy bird feeders online".

(You determine this by looking at how many Inbound Links those pages have - and the quality of those links. If you need help with Competition Analysis, join us at the SSWT Discussion Forum in the SEO Section)

 
You could easily put up a mini-site featuring various types of bird feeders, or put up a large information site about bird feeders and direct your traffic to your sales pages, and also earn revenue on Adsense.

How would you know what type of information to use on a large content site? Simple: look down the list of topics listed at Overture or WordTracker for ideas! Those keyword lists that are just more specific terms than the one you originally typed in, will make great navigation for your site (with a bit of pruning).

 
Let's take another word from my original "list of 5". We'll look at: Birthday. Looking over the results on both Overture and WordTracker, "birthday cake" looks to be a fairly popular search so I'll dig there.

Now everyone has a birthday... and birthday's aren't seasonal, or limited to certain geographical locations. And since "birthday gifts" and "birthday party supplies" are both VERY popular, you certainly wouldn't have any problem finding link partners or JV Partners if you decided to create a website or product around "birthday cakes".

A quick look at the Google results for "birthday cake design" (140 searches/day) shows that it is NOT very competitive, and someone could *easily* rank in the top 10 for that term!

Even "birthday cake" which has over 1500 searches a day, isn't *that* competitive!

 
I'll stop there and let you work on researching your own interests & potential keyword phrases for new niches. You should be able to EASILY come up with a niche for your own
website or your own product by the end of the day (if not by the end of the hour *wink*).

 
To learn even more about researching Niche Markets,
grab this FREE REPORT on "Finding Products That SELL!"
Click Here -> www.webservicenetwork.com/free-report.htm

 
In this report, you'll find out "how to locate little-known areas where the "fish are biting". Paul even shows you how to use PayPal for niche marketing research... and much more!

It's free, so be sure you grab your copy at:
www.webservicenetwork.com/free-report.htm
 

  

The Easy Way to Create an Endless Stream of
Income-Generating Niche Websites in MINUTES
-- not days or weeks... Check it Out!
  

 
Have a Super-Successful Week!