How important is it to have a niche when it comes to blogging? As I navigate my journey as a blogger, and how I want to develop my page, I’m faced with this question more and more. But is it really necessary after all?
What is a niche?
A writers’ niche is their area of speciality. It is something they may have an extensive background, education or time spent in, and are considered very well-versed within the subject.
For a blog, it is the main subject area of their content. Blog posts will have usual themes relating to different aspects of their niche, giving the page and its content an overall purpose.
The benefits of a niche
On one hand, there are many benefits to having a niche within blogging.
As writers and bloggers develop their niche, it can get to a point where they are known within that subject and can even become an authority on the subject.
So if you are building your blog from a commercial standpoint, a niche enables you to break into the industry with expert knowledge and experience. You will be able to target a particular audience group that have a shared interest, tapping into a ready made loyal group of readers.
But on the other hand, it can be quite limiting depending on what you want to write about. As such, if you choose a niche that is too restricting, there is a great chance that you will find it tiresome after a while. This is something I was worried about in the initial stages of starting this blog.
Is it important?
As I touched upon in the previous section, it depends on what the purpose of your blog is.
My experience with writing blog posts for businesses would suggest that a niche is hugely important. The main driving point for blog posts in a commercial space is for SEO purposes, writing relevant posts using keywords that help to drive traffic and increase rankings within search engines.
Therefore, it is an extremely important aspect to consider, particularly if you’re looking to monetise the blog, or generate traffic and sales from your website directly.
Does it matter if you don’t have a niche?
This is the point in my blogging journey where I find myself at a crossroad.
At this stage, I personally think that focusing on only one subject would be quite restricting for me as a writer. The reason I started this blog in the first place is because I wanted an outlet to write what I want, without any constrictions. I can write about a range of topics, exploring what works well, and what isn’t much of an interest to anyone.
This is particularly important for me, even now when I get to write for living. This blog still provides me the opportunity to write what I want, when I want – which is something that is not quite possible within my 9-5.
When I’m writing blog posts for companies all day, there are times when I find myself stuck for ideas. This is something I rarely experience with my own blog. However, it’s important to note that I’m not in the business 24/7, the way that some people are. I think that if you were to fully commit to a niche, there are a vast range of tools available to help you with inspiration and to find new posts. I’m not quite at that stage yet, and I don’t particularly wish to be.
How will it affect your blog?
Again, it all depends on your blog’s purpose – which is the main takeaway from this post.
All of the guides and tips I have read suggest you should find your niche in the early stages of your blog. My journey with this blog has been about writing what I want, and learning more about the different topics I enjoy writing. I think if I had gone in straight away with a niche, I probably wouldn’t have stuck with it the way that I have done.
Another reason behind this blog is to create a portfolio of my writing, and to showcase my voice and style. Although one day I would like to have a wider readership, I’m not writing to monetise this blog. But if monetising and influencing is your goal, a niche is imperative in order to get the results you desire.
There will be an opportunity to focus on a niche in the future, and perhaps I will find it sooner than I think. But for now, my conclusion is that a niche doesn’t necessarily have to be important for a blog.
What do you think? Commercial or not, does a niche matter?
