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I was wondering if there is something called a niche within a niche? For example, my website focuses mainly on positivity and motivating people but I touch a bit on relationshi
Thanks for the uber quick response! I have another question: What if I talk about cooking or maybe fishing in my positivity/motivation website. It's not related at all. Will this affect anything?
If you write posts that are irrelevant to your niche, it might affect your followers. However, cooking and fishing can be an aspect of 'motivation' and positivity.
It's not recommended to go completely off topic. Now if you happen to mention that as a spin in the content relating it to the overall theme of your website, it may be okay. It all depends on how you want to target your audience and who you're trying to help, with what, in what way.
I would say it's very relevant. To be motivated and on point you need to be healthy and you need to eat healthy foods.
If I understand your question, there is nothing that could affect your rankings. As far as I see it, you are talking about a topic category within your niche ...
No, it will certainly not affect your ranking on Google, Michelle. It's just a good idea to write articles relevant to your niche, and 'relationships' is part of positivity and motivating people. So all good.
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Niche within a niche, acceptable?
I was wondering if there is something called a niche within a niche? For example, my website focuses mainly on positivity and motivating people but I touch a bit on relationshi
It is possible to dilute your content, but the bigger issue is how Google views your website. For example, if your blog is about motivation and positivity and you write a fishing article, your fishing article is not likely to rank very well because you're up against established fishing blogs that carry weight in that niche. Google does not view your blog as a fishing blog.
Likewise, if you want your blog to become an authority on a topic (motivation for example) but you're creating content that has little to do with motivation, Google's algorithm will not understand what your blog is about... and it will be a lot tougher to establish yourself as an authority on a specific topic.
Clickthrough and bounce rates can also be negatively affected. Most people don't read the URL on the search pages but when they do, fishing articles with a fishing related domain will likely see a higher percentage of clicks because people subconsciously view those sites as authorities (even if your article is better).
For example, if you're searching something like "How to improve my golf swing" you are more likely to click on a site that has golf in the name (or is golf related in some way) than one that is completely irrelevant to that topic.
If you can manage to rank your article, the same subconscious forces are at play when people do click on your article. The site that only has a single golf article and everything else is related to finance, cooking or something unrelated will not be able to keep that reader on site or engaged.
However... the site that is dedicated to golf, has a golf logo, has golf images, and all the posts listed in the sidebar are golf related... will be able to keep their audience on the page longer and encourage engagement with other articles, affiliate offers, lead captures, etc. That site will also do much better at building a community, and a dedicated following on social media and so on... (which are all positive metrics that Google recognizes and rewards).
Just some food for thought as you build out your content strategy :-)
Thanks for the uber quick response! I have another question: What if I talk about cooking or maybe fishing in my positivity/motivation website. It's not related at all. Will this affect anything?
If you write posts that are irrelevant to your niche, it might affect your followers. However, cooking and fishing can be an aspect of 'motivation' and positivity.
It's not recommended to go completely off topic. Now if you happen to mention that as a spin in the content relating it to the overall theme of your website, it may be okay. It all depends on how you want to target your audience and who you're trying to help, with what, in what way.
I would say it's very relevant. To be motivated and on point you need to be healthy and you need to eat healthy foods.
If I understand your question, there is nothing that could affect your rankings. As far as I see it, you are talking about a topic category within your niche ...
No, it will certainly not affect your ranking on Google, Michelle. It's just a good idea to write articles relevant to your niche, and 'relationships' is part of positivity and motivating people. So all good.
See more comments
Just a quick question, when writing content, do you have any min and max number of words per post? I know the training said to stick to at least 1k words but how much do you gu
Thanks for all the responses. Really helpful and have given me some insights on how to go about writing :) Hope it will be of help to others too.
Word count is something you'll have to balance with your time. With a background in writing and a blog before I joined Wealthy Affiliate, my problem was writing too many words and spending hours researching. My early posts were 4000 words and up... but, they took me a week to finish by the time I finished editing, added images, formatted, proofreading etc. And, to be honest... most of those long posts still don't rank well to this day.
I've tried all the tricks to improve my rankings and truthfully, the number one thing that lifted all of my rankings (not just a single post) was posting more frequently. So... word count is important because it's better (in my experience) to aim for 3 or more good posts per week than one long brilliant post... at least in the beginning.
When your site is established and starting to rank for the low competition keywords a few longer cornerstone posts that link out to your other posts is a good strategy.
Having said that...
Best practice is to go over the top 10 results on page 1 for the search term you're targeting and see what your competitors are doing. If Google is giving the top 10 spots to posts in the 500 word range... aim to write a better, more thorough article in the 800 word range. If all the posts are over 1000, you definitely need an article with at least 1000 words.
If all of the posts are a few thousand words or more, you're going to need a serious post to get it into the mix. You'll have to decide with your schedule if it's worth going after that keyword at that time. Instead of spending a week or more on one giant post, you might have a list of other keywords that you'll be able to knock of 3 or 4 posts in the same amount of time.
There is a caveat to this though... sometimes you'll find high authority sites ranking in the top spots with very little information and only a couple hundred words. But, because they're an authority on that topic, Google still ranks them well.
I always aim to be more thorough and provide a better article than the top results... but unless you're outsourcing, it's something that needs to be balanced with the time you have.
It could anything between let's say 500 and many thousands
Still the 1K "min limit" is recommended ... Fact is: the top 10 results for any keyword on Google are occupied with articles that are, at least, 2,000 words long. More is simply better.
The SEO industry is overwhelmed with endless debates regarding the ideal content length. I’ll accept, each and every concept or argument may have its ground, but in my opinion the whole issue is ridiculously overcomplicated and overemphasized. Why? Well, first of all, in my opinion the optimal length should vary from niche to niche, from communication channel to communication channel, from content type to content type, etc. Second: in its guidelines, Google has stated clearly the fact, that the length of the content is an important ranking factor.
In other words: Google doesn’t like short content. And it’s perfectly understandable. Search engines need more and more new content to deliver better and more relevant answers. Of course, the value is much more important than the length, but a value-packed long content is much more valuable for Google than a value-packed short content. This is the only rock solid golden rule, so focus on creating long, value-packed content for your target audience (not for search engines!), without literally counting your words just because you have seen another “the ideal length is 3,000 words” article …
Regards,
Zed
It depends what you are writing. You should never fluff out content just to up your word count! If what you can say can be said in 300 words don't try making a thousand. If it needs 2000 words to explain it don't try and put into two sentences. There is no minimum or maximum and if you're finding it hard to write at the moment you will find the practice will make the skill so much easier
Number of words, the min and max?
Just a quick question, when writing content, do you have any min and max number of words per post? I know the training said to stick to at least 1k words but how much do you gu
Thanks for all the responses. Really helpful and have given me some insights on how to go about writing :) Hope it will be of help to others too.
Word count is something you'll have to balance with your time. With a background in writing and a blog before I joined Wealthy Affiliate, my problem was writing too many words and spending hours researching. My early posts were 4000 words and up... but, they took me a week to finish by the time I finished editing, added images, formatted, proofreading etc. And, to be honest... most of those long posts still don't rank well to this day.
I've tried all the tricks to improve my rankings and truthfully, the number one thing that lifted all of my rankings (not just a single post) was posting more frequently. So... word count is important because it's better (in my experience) to aim for 3 or more good posts per week than one long brilliant post... at least in the beginning.
When your site is established and starting to rank for the low competition keywords a few longer cornerstone posts that link out to your other posts is a good strategy.
Having said that...
Best practice is to go over the top 10 results on page 1 for the search term you're targeting and see what your competitors are doing. If Google is giving the top 10 spots to posts in the 500 word range... aim to write a better, more thorough article in the 800 word range. If all the posts are over 1000, you definitely need an article with at least 1000 words.
If all of the posts are a few thousand words or more, you're going to need a serious post to get it into the mix. You'll have to decide with your schedule if it's worth going after that keyword at that time. Instead of spending a week or more on one giant post, you might have a list of other keywords that you'll be able to knock of 3 or 4 posts in the same amount of time.
There is a caveat to this though... sometimes you'll find high authority sites ranking in the top spots with very little information and only a couple hundred words. But, because they're an authority on that topic, Google still ranks them well.
I always aim to be more thorough and provide a better article than the top results... but unless you're outsourcing, it's something that needs to be balanced with the time you have.
It could anything between let's say 500 and many thousands
Still the 1K "min limit" is recommended ... Fact is: the top 10 results for any keyword on Google are occupied with articles that are, at least, 2,000 words long. More is simply better.
The SEO industry is overwhelmed with endless debates regarding the ideal content length. I’ll accept, each and every concept or argument may have its ground, but in my opinion the whole issue is ridiculously overcomplicated and overemphasized. Why? Well, first of all, in my opinion the optimal length should vary from niche to niche, from communication channel to communication channel, from content type to content type, etc. Second: in its guidelines, Google has stated clearly the fact, that the length of the content is an important ranking factor.
In other words: Google doesn’t like short content. And it’s perfectly understandable. Search engines need more and more new content to deliver better and more relevant answers. Of course, the value is much more important than the length, but a value-packed long content is much more valuable for Google than a value-packed short content. This is the only rock solid golden rule, so focus on creating long, value-packed content for your target audience (not for search engines!), without literally counting your words just because you have seen another “the ideal length is 3,000 words” article …
Regards,
Zed
It depends what you are writing. You should never fluff out content just to up your word count! If what you can say can be said in 300 words don't try making a thousand. If it needs 2000 words to explain it don't try and put into two sentences. There is no minimum or maximum and if you're finding it hard to write at the moment you will find the practice will make the skill so much easier
I have decided to choose food as my niche (chocolate,snacks in particular). I have a general idea on what to write but can't figure out how to write my first content post. Any
Hi Gan, just touching base... how are you doing with your content? There are some great ideas here and of course, I have to agree with following Kyle's lead. Writing is definitely a rhythm... I can't tell you how many times I've stared at an empty screen with no idea where to start. I do a lot of journaling sometimes where I write anything and everything I want with no agenda, just get the words flowing.
As far as content ideas, one place to start is by studying your competitors. Who are the successful bloggers in your niche? What are they writing about? That's usually a great place for inspiration. Don't get too caught up in comparing your blog to their's at this stage, but it can help you build your roadmap going forward.
Let me if I there's anything else you need :-)
Also, my apologies... It's been a hectic couple weeks in the summer here with kids home, family visiting, and some short getaways. I haven't been logging into WA as often as usual but try to check in with my phone here whenever I get a moment.
Jay
Hmm...I have a suggestion.
As you described your situation, you have written the 'about me' post/page-> now you would start the first content post with the rich keyword, right? -> do I misunderstand you?
One way to start is to read back your 'about me' post-> if the chocolate and snacks are your hobbies, passions-> you can share the first impression you have tasted the chocolate. Or You flashback to the first time when you fall in love with the chocolate/ snack-> what is your story?
Another way: read the local magazine about chocolate and snack -> find some food that goes with chocolate-> for example, in summer now, we usually eat ice cream-> you can start the ice cream with chocolate
Or you can start with trend food. I remember one trend about chocolate is we made the red strawberry with the chocolate as the coat of the fruit. We liquid the chocolate-> and then we choose the good red strawberry-> then just dip the red strawberry into the liquid chocolate-> we can replace the red strawberry with other food/fruits.
Sorry If I misunderstand your situation.
:) glad that you have some ideas now for your website. If you still stuck, you can reread your old posts/article-> maybe there are some potential ideas there.
Fighting!
hi -- simply start working through the OEC-Online Entrepreneur Certification... all the best, cheerio... :)
Are you following the training? Kyle lays it all out really well :)
Have you written your 3 Pages yet?
Yes, I am at level 2, lesson 3 where I am required to write my content. The example given is related to sports skills whereas for food related niche, I have no idea where to start. Should I write about some history, trivias related to food or directly into review of the food product?
What are you three category pages? Your posts will likely fall under them.
You'll want How-To and Information Posts, and Review Posts, and some Best-Of Posts.
Do you have a list of keywords?
You can start anywhere you want - I started with lots of How-To posts as I found these easier. But in the end, its the review posts that will be your affiliate link posts.
Maybe some info posts to start, and then get into the reviews?
This is a great training about the Best-Of Posts: How To Create a 6 Figure Website
What are the three category pages? I don't remember going through those in the lessons. So far, I have only created an about me posts and privacy policy page. Now, I am about to create the introductory content post according to the lessons.
History is always a good filler. Make the post interesting, engaging and answering a need of your audience. Make sure you do keyword research.
Steven
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How to start writing food website?
I have decided to choose food as my niche (chocolate,snacks in particular). I have a general idea on what to write but can't figure out how to write my first content post. Any
Hi Gan, just touching base... how are you doing with your content? There are some great ideas here and of course, I have to agree with following Kyle's lead. Writing is definitely a rhythm... I can't tell you how many times I've stared at an empty screen with no idea where to start. I do a lot of journaling sometimes where I write anything and everything I want with no agenda, just get the words flowing.
As far as content ideas, one place to start is by studying your competitors. Who are the successful bloggers in your niche? What are they writing about? That's usually a great place for inspiration. Don't get too caught up in comparing your blog to their's at this stage, but it can help you build your roadmap going forward.
Let me if I there's anything else you need :-)
Also, my apologies... It's been a hectic couple weeks in the summer here with kids home, family visiting, and some short getaways. I haven't been logging into WA as often as usual but try to check in with my phone here whenever I get a moment.
Jay
Hmm...I have a suggestion.
As you described your situation, you have written the 'about me' post/page-> now you would start the first content post with the rich keyword, right? -> do I misunderstand you?
One way to start is to read back your 'about me' post-> if the chocolate and snacks are your hobbies, passions-> you can share the first impression you have tasted the chocolate. Or You flashback to the first time when you fall in love with the chocolate/ snack-> what is your story?
Another way: read the local magazine about chocolate and snack -> find some food that goes with chocolate-> for example, in summer now, we usually eat ice cream-> you can start the ice cream with chocolate
Or you can start with trend food. I remember one trend about chocolate is we made the red strawberry with the chocolate as the coat of the fruit. We liquid the chocolate-> and then we choose the good red strawberry-> then just dip the red strawberry into the liquid chocolate-> we can replace the red strawberry with other food/fruits.
Sorry If I misunderstand your situation.
:) glad that you have some ideas now for your website. If you still stuck, you can reread your old posts/article-> maybe there are some potential ideas there.
Fighting!
hi -- simply start working through the OEC-Online Entrepreneur Certification... all the best, cheerio... :)
Are you following the training? Kyle lays it all out really well :)
Have you written your 3 Pages yet?
Yes, I am at level 2, lesson 3 where I am required to write my content. The example given is related to sports skills whereas for food related niche, I have no idea where to start. Should I write about some history, trivias related to food or directly into review of the food product?
What are you three category pages? Your posts will likely fall under them.
You'll want How-To and Information Posts, and Review Posts, and some Best-Of Posts.
Do you have a list of keywords?
You can start anywhere you want - I started with lots of How-To posts as I found these easier. But in the end, its the review posts that will be your affiliate link posts.
Maybe some info posts to start, and then get into the reviews?
This is a great training about the Best-Of Posts: How To Create a 6 Figure Website
What are the three category pages? I don't remember going through those in the lessons. So far, I have only created an about me posts and privacy policy page. Now, I am about to create the introductory content post according to the lessons.
History is always a good filler. Make the post interesting, engaging and answering a need of your audience. Make sure you do keyword research.
Steven
See more comments
Hi, I have a brief question regarding my niche. Which is better for my niche? Butter and chocolate spread or only chocolate spread? And is food a viable niche? Thanks!
Hey Gan, I agree with Loes... some really great ideas there. There's also a lot of opportunity to narrow down your niche or expand with different categories if you find a related topic interests you. Diabetic chocolate for example, or ketogenic chocolate which has some good keyword potential (image attached).
See more comments
Hi, I have a brief question regarding my niche. Which is better for my niche? Butter and chocolate spread or only chocolate spread? And is food a viable niche? Thanks!
Hey Gan, I agree with Loes... some really great ideas there. There's also a lot of opportunity to narrow down your niche or expand with different categories if you find a related topic interests you. Diabetic chocolate for example, or ketogenic chocolate which has some good keyword potential (image attached).
See more comments
It is possible to dilute your content, but the bigger issue is how Google views your website. For example, if your blog is about motivation and positivity and you write a fishing article, your fishing article is not likely to rank very well because you're up against established fishing blogs that carry weight in that niche. Google does not view your blog as a fishing blog.
Likewise, if you want your blog to become an authority on a topic (motivation for example) but you're creating content that has little to do with motivation, Google's algorithm will not understand what your blog is about... and it will be a lot tougher to establish yourself as an authority on a specific topic.
Clickthrough and bounce rates can also be negatively affected. Most people don't read the URL on the search pages but when they do, fishing articles with a fishing related domain will likely see a higher percentage of clicks because people subconsciously view those sites as authorities (even if your article is better).
For example, if you're searching something like "How to improve my golf swing" you are more likely to click on a site that has golf in the name (or is golf related in some way) than one that is completely irrelevant to that topic.
If you can manage to rank your article, the same subconscious forces are at play when people do click on your article. The site that only has a single golf article and everything else is related to finance, cooking or something unrelated will not be able to keep that reader on site or engaged.
However... the site that is dedicated to golf, has a golf logo, has golf images, and all the posts listed in the sidebar are golf related... will be able to keep their audience on the page longer and encourage engagement with other articles, affiliate offers, lead captures, etc. That site will also do much better at building a community, and a dedicated following on social media and so on... (which are all positive metrics that Google recognizes and rewards).
Just some food for thought as you build out your content strategy :-)
Very insightful! Will keep all that advice in mind as I build out my content.