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MHadit
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:15 pm
Post subject: figuring out if a niche is too competitive.
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I was just wondering if someone could give me a clue as to how to find out if a niche is too competive. I'm just starting out and I have a couple ideas for niche sites but I'm not sure if the keywords I want to use are too competitive to be worth the trouble. There's one key phrase in particular that gets a lot of seaches (according to overture) and there aren't that many sites that come up when I do a search on google. However, these sites are all highly optimized as far as I can see. Is there a way to tell, like with alexa, whether or not I have a shot at placing in the top 10 within a few months?
Also I have another key phrase, a bit less targeted, that no one seems to be optimized for but that only gets a couple hundred searches a month. How many searches would it take to make it worth my while?
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AllanGardyne
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:08 pm
Post subject: Re: figuring out if a niche is too competitive.
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| MHadit wrote: | | There's one key phrase in particular that gets a lot of seaches (according to overture) and there aren't that many sites that come up when I do a search on google. |
Sounds good but be VERY careful if you're making site-building decisions based on Overture stats. As Jay Stockwell likes to point out, Overture gives you the same stats for "bikini girls", "girls bikini", "bikini girl", "bikini girls" and even "bikinis girl". Think about how different those searches are. There's a BIG difference. If you were building a site, which phrase did you have in mind? Which phrase are searchers using? You don't know, if you use Yahoo/Overture.
Overture amalgamates phrases and so you can get horribly distorted stats.
| Quote: | | Is there a way to tell, like with alexa, whether or not I have a shot at placing in the top 10 within a few months? |
You can get a rough idea by typing a phrase in Google and examining the top 10 sites. Check their PageRank.
If most of the sites have a PageRank of 5 or more then you'd probably have a very tough job.
Look at the titles to see if the phrase is in the title. If it's not, then those pages haven't really been optimized for that phrase, so your task is a bit easier.
You can also look at links to the site, using Yahoo Site Explorer (NOT Google backlinks, which show only a partial picture). Sites with hundreds or thousands of links to them are usually hard to beat.
| Quote: | | Also I have another key phrase, a bit less targeted, that no one seems to be optimized for but that only gets a couple hundred searches a month. How many searches would it take to make it worth my while? |
You really want DOZENS of good phrases around which to build a site, not just one. Also, regard your research stats as just a rough guide, not gospel. You can build a page and get a lot less or a lot more traffic than you expect. Jay Stockwell wrote a really good article on KeywordWorkshop.com explaining why keyword research stats are ALL flawed. He also reviews keyword research tools.
Don't tell anyone, but you can also just use your gut instincts and hope for the best. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Been there, done that. 
Here's a post I wrote which may help:
Analyzing keyword supply and demand
http://www.associateprograms.com/discus/ftopic8210.html
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Andyz
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:26 am
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 That's the BEST I ever read about keyword research, thanks, Allan.
Didn't know that the keyword tools are SO flawed!
MHadit, a couple hundred searches a month are good for one phrase, but as Allan said, you need dozens.
Choose many longer phrases, each one for one page mainly, and even fewer searches are still good.
The best you can see what people are searching for, is when you have already your site running, from your site stats.
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MHadit
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dtran
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InternetMarketing_IQ
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:53 am
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"http://hadit.dayjobkill.hop.clickbank.net"
Maybe you should just focus on Adwords?
I mean afterall you bougth the book and you are promoting it... why not quit your day job and make it happen? 
The bottom line is cream rises to the top - it's an old cliche. And if you are good at what you do competition is just that - are you a competitor or a spectator?
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Last edited by InternetMarketing_IQ on Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dtran
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justman
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:21 am
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Good tip Allan, never thought of that before.
What I've learned is sometimes even in a very tight niche, there are still plenty low competitive keywords available especially the long tail.
I've tested with web hosting and use wordtracker to research. Yes those 2 and 3 phrases keywords mostly taken up but not those with 4,5 or even 6 keyphrases.
There are many ways you can look for "profitable" keywords. It is just you need to know how and where to look for by using the appropriate tools.
Lastly, never ever user overture's tool wher researching keywords. Are you doing keyword research for adwords or putting up a site? There's a difference in using the right tools.
jasman
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MHadit
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 5:08 pm
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Quest,
I plan to quit my day job. I've got solid plans and I'm not doing too bad, especially since I only started a few months ago. And I really don't think focusing on just one income stream is a smart thing to do. You just have to keep in mind that you shouldn't spread yourself too thin. Everything suffers when you do that but if you can strike a good balance (which I usually do) then having two or more projects going at once can be much more profitable than just one.
I am making it happen. I just like to minimize things that might set me back (when I can). I've also never been a competitor. It's a much too limited perspective (aggressor/defender), and spectators are merely hedonists. I'd much rather keep my options open and simply allow my true potential to flourish and take me where ever I'm willing to go. If all you see are two options you're constantly strugling with a decision. Add a third and the whole world opens up. It's best not to try to force a conundrum on people, no one is interested in having a more limited perspective. Everyone is interested in having a wider one. 
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