Howdy, young grasshopper!
If you wanna know how to find a niche for creating a successful Affiliate Marketing business, then you’re at the right place!
As a newcomer to affiliate marketing and building an online Biz from scratch – the word “NICHE” is a scary thought.
Wouldn’t you agree?
But embrace the idea because choosing a niche is VERY exciting. It’s not frightening, one bit.
Trust me, I’ve gone through the process many times. You’ll have bags of FUN!
Before we get down to the nitty-gritty of choosing a direction and building a free website for your new home-based biz…
What is a “Niche” When It’s at Home?
To some folks, a niche sounds really complex. But in essence, it’s a really simple concept to apprehend.
Simply put, it’s a small segment of the market.
Every niche market consists of a group of people (an audience of MILLIONS of potential buyers) who need your help in a certain area.
They may need solutions to problems or guidance on products/services to assist with their buying decisions.
This is where you step in with in-depth “How To” articles, hints n’ tips, advice, and also honest reviews.
You’ll be building your brand and authority in the online space, and gaining people’s trust which in turn can lead to a full-time income.
Why Choosing a Niche is Important
A niche can either make or break your business and success as an affiliate marketer.
If you pick a niche at random (something that you have no interest in) for the purpose of “money-making”, the chances are you won’t be profitable.
You’ll basically have little to zero value to offer and throw in the towel a short distance down the road because your heart’s not in it.
So it’s vital to choose a topic that you enjoy or you’re highly passionate about because you’ll go on to create an uber-successful business on the net.
Whether your hobby or passion is an outdoor pursuit like hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, scuba diving, snowboarding, jogging or walking your pet dog Daisy, etc.
Or whether you’re an indoor type of person who prefers reading books, decorating, painting masterpieces, family games, Xbox/PS4 time, or knitting, etc.
Maybe you’re into the gym, fashion, beauty, cars, dating, football/basketball/baseball teams or internet marketing.
Almost any subject that pops into your head is a niche. The list seems endless!
Choose an area that you’d love to help people in and make money from.
How is an Income Actually Generated?
Great question and glad you asked!
Making money within your chosen market is a straightforward process that only consists of 4 simple steps.
Let’s say, for example, somebody is interested in finding out more about a particular coffee and Espresso maker before buying the product.
#1: They type the name of that product into Google followed by the term “review”.
#2: Hey presto, they come across your website product review on Google page 1.
#3: He/she visits your review and makes a purchase via your affiliate link.
#4: Boom, you make a nice affiliate commission from the sale of that coffee machine.
Now, imagine making hundreds or even thousands of sales per month – not just from that one review but from multiple coffee machine reviews on your blog and 1st page Google rankings!
What an amazing thought, hey?
That’s how you could potentially earn a full-time income from affiliate commissions.
==> Learn About The 4-Step Money-Making Process in More Detail Here!
How to Choose “The Right” Niche
Picking a niche is one thing, but to become a successful affiliate, you must narrow it down to a more specific market – targeting a small group of people.
It’s one of the secrets to success online. But SHH, that’s between you and me! 😉
The problem is that many newbie affiliate marketers cover far too much ground by trying to reach anyone and everyone within a generic niche, which can lead to failure.
So to choose a market that has the potential to be profitable, here is what you must do:
Say for example, you’ve chosen “TOYS” as your niche.
You must narrow it down to target a specific group of potential buyers.
- Inexpensive kids toys
- Wooden kids toys
- Kids ride toys
- Soft play toys for toddlers
- Electronic toys for kids
- Lego toy sets for boys
- Disney toys for girls
And the list goes on…
Every single niche can be broken down into TONS of ideas.
Dig down deep to find the one area that you’d like to focus on. Google can be a great resource for helping you to get started.
But also ensure that you don’t dig too deep, otherwise you could hit a brick wall – meaning you’ll have very few topic ideas to blog about and products to review.
Keep things tight but not too tight lol.
3 Awesome Tools For an Extra Helping Hand
If you’re still struggling to come up with a niche idea to roll with that will give you plenty of subjects and products to write about.
There are a few tools that I like to use because they give you heaps of inspiration.
1: Amazon
Amazon is the world’s biggest and best online retailer where you’ll find tons of categories and millions of products across various niches.
It’s my top go-to marketplace if ever I’m looking for products to promote, especially when products are broken down into price, brand, and top seller categories, etc.
In my opinion, Amazon makes research really easy and gives you a good idea of what markets are performing well.
2: Jaaxy
The Jaaxy keyword tool will help you to discover gazillions of keyword term ideas that you can easily build a website from.
Check out an example of a search I performed for “Digital Cameras” using the platform.
It’s just a small-taster of camera niche ideas. But can you see the potential for your own hobby/passion?
When it comes to researching topics and products, Jaaxy is my favorite tool that I highly recommend. Get 30 free searches here.
#3: Google Alerts
Setting up Google Alerts is highly effective for exposing many niche ideas and “golden opportunities” based on the keywords you choose to watch.
The great thing is that when new content gets indexed in Google’s search engine, alerts are automatically sent to your email inbox.
In addition, the tool will help you to learn more about your niche, making you more of an expert.
How To Build Your Free Niche Website
So now you finally have a direction for your new online business startup, your next step is to build a niche website (aka BLOG) for free!
The reason is that you can’t become a successful affiliate marketer without having a platform in place for sharing your passion and helping others.
But I know what you’re thinking:
“Gosh, how can I build a website when I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, Neil?!“
You’ll be pleased to know that you can easily build a free WordPress site in under 30 seconds (with ZERO technical knowledge!)…
==> Click Here to Build Your Free Blog Now!
Wrapping it up…
By now, you should have chosen your niche, whittled it down to a specific targeted audience and have a website in place that’s ready to get your affiliate marketing business off the ground.
So congratulations is in order!
Your next task is to LEARN HOW to build out your website with high-quality content and become a successful affiliate. Go here for more info.
Your Friend, Neil 😀
If you have any questions or thoughts on niche selection, we’d LOVE to hear your comments below…
Hey Neil, you have done very well. I learned many things and I found a real way for success.
Hi, Alex!
Thanks for your kind words, and it makes me so happy knowing you’re on the right road! 😀
This is where I got stuck on choosing a niche when I was a member of WA and left after 1 month and especially because I could not afford to pay another $49. I live in Africa, what advice would you give me because there is not much one can promote from this side of the continent?
I tried to look around for fellow Africans to see what niches they have come up with but did not find a single human being especially from my country. I got the impression that only members in tier 1 countries can possibly market their niches because they have the market.
If you have an interest or a passion, then choosing a niche can be a simple job. You just need to ensure you don’t go too wide or too narrow with it.
My best advice would be to do some thorough research on Google to find the products/services available for you to promote as an affiliate marketer. Try searching Google for “affiliate programs for africans” or “african affiliate programs” because you’ll find plenty of resources to start you off on the right foot.
I think there’s room for anyone from any country to earn a living on the web. However, I guess the type of strategy and training course you choose depends on your budget. There are some Africans making money online but they are very few and far between.
If you need more help with your niche, then try ‘Question & Answer’ sites like Quora.
YouTube is another awesome free resource.
Also, check out ‘Free Internet Marketing Project’ (FIMP) which provides you with heaps of 100% free step-by-step training for choosing a niche and turning it into a successful online biz.
Hope this helps you, Shami. 🙂
Hey Neil!
I had never heard of DMOZ before today. I’ve been affiliate marketing for almost four months now. My first site is up and running and I’m currently working on my second niche site. To anyone that wants a financially stable career, I say to you, join Wealthy Affiliate!
Hi, Steve!
You’ll discover DMOZ to be a great online directory to gather niche marketing ideas from.
Good for you, man! Welcome to the world of affiliate marketing and building successful niche sites! If ever you need help with your online biz, feel free to drop a comment anytime.
I really appreciate your WA recommendation too! 🙂
Neil
You discuss niche marketing as a segment of market dealing with a product. You can build a niche market and rake in a bunch of money. Online Affiliate Marketing can work for you, either as a part-time business or a full-time business from the comfort of your home. I agree with your analysis.
Edward
Hey, Edward!
Indeed, I do! Thanks for explaining my article in a nutshell 😛 lol.
Success in the affiliate marketing arena is also down to how much work folks are willing to put in. If you treat affiliate marketing as a “full-time” business, then you can certainly accomplish financial freedom, in my book.
Very interesting article on niche marketing from you Neil.
Choosing the right niche is a very important step for anyone planning to start up a business online.
Thanks, Vallery!
Indeed, picking a niche market you a true passion for is essential because it will enable you to create a highly successful and enjoyable business in the long-term.
But those who choose a niche just for the purpose of “making money” won’t get very far, in my opinion.
Thanks for writing such a great article on niche marketing and the process of online revenue generation through laser targeted affiliate sales.
Many newbies in online entrepreneurship think that the concept is so hard but it actually is not.
It’s No problem at all!
Picking a niche market only becomes a difficult task when people try to overcomplicate the process. When it’s simplified and done right, it can be a goldmine when you work hard.
I fall into the category of trying to please everyone. I’m working my way out of this and becoming more specific as I progress. I really appreciate your reminder about how important it is to narrow down the niche. The DMOZ organization and categorization is quite helpful. This is not something that I have heard of previously (or if I did hear of it, it has escaped from my memory).
Great overview of how to get started in niche and affiliate marketing. Reading this has reinforced some concepts that I need to incorporate more. Thanks.
Trying to please everyone on the internet never works. It’s the same in real life too. Focus on a specific segment of the market and keep working with it until it pays off for you.
I’m glad my guidance has been of great value. If you do need further help with choosing and working with a niche market, then please do drop a reply. 🙂
Neil