How NOT to choose a niche!

Okay, so I've been here at Wealthy Affiliate since July of 2017. And to say the least I'm enjoying the heck out of it. I can't thank our creators (not the big guy in the sky) enough for this opportunity. The community is great! And I have had some success, I have my website up and running, 7 pages, over 26 posts, 63 comments. I've written over 20,000 words in the content editor. It's ranked number one on at least one Google search, and approaching the front page on several others.

And with all of this success, it isn't doing anything but sitting there. It's like a mantle piece, all shiny and sparkly, but what is it doing. I have come to the realization I dove into the business of choosing a niche a little too haphazardly. Meaning that a good niche is (to use a couple of metaphors), say, a five sided box with a nice light blue color. Or a circle with a mint green tint and paisleys all in a row. My niche is nowhere near that refined. My niche is more like a Van Gogh painting. Half a circle here, two sides of a box there. Some paint splattered all over, and there you have it... My Niche.

Out of those 26 posts, 6 are about the opportunity here at Wealthy Affiliate. One is a local restaurant review that garnered over 400 hits in three days (big pat on the back). Others are about health supplements, a coffee maker, keeping a positive attitude toward life, diabetes, cholesterol, reverse mortgages, etc, etc, ad infinitum. All of which are great niches in and of themselves. Which begs the question... What IS my niche? It started out as helping Baby Boomers, (as if that wasn't broad enough) it has progressed to a hodge podge of various loosely related topics, and I use that word "loosely," rather loosely. All of the feedback has been, "well written, try this," "nice website, but try that," "this could use a little work,"and other good constructive comments. ONE of the inputs hinted at the biggest issue... "What is your website about? What are you trying to promote?" And now I realize, I have no idea what my niche is. I have this beautiful website with great content, great pictures, but no direction... Whatsoever.

When you choose a niche, you're supposed to narrow it down, decide what section of the audience you're trying to serve, promote to, or accomplish, and stick with it. One thing I now know, is how NOT to choose a niche! How NOT to treat that niche! One thing I'm about to learn, is how to take a website idea and turn it into a real niche. Some people move one step back, two steps forward. I've moved three steps back. Period. No forward movement as of yet!

Someone once said there are no failures, only opportunities, and this is a good one! I came out swinging, I just hadn't decided if I was playing hockey or baseball. Now it's time to learn how to salvage a website!

What would you do in the same situation?

Steve