SEO Content Writing: Should You Niche It, or Not? AND How to Determine If a Niche Is Large Enough to Make a Living
One could argue that SEO content writing in and of itself is a niche. I sometimes refer to it that way, as it’s practically the only type of writing I do nowadays (besides writing my own ebooks and stuff, of course).
An aspiring SEO copywriter emailed me the following question though, which made me want to delve into this a bit deeper because I get asked this question a couple of times a month. He wrote:
QUESTION FROM A NEW SEO CONTENT WRITER
I . . . purchased your other ebook today about making money as an SEO article writer. I’ve read through it and I think it’s excellent and definitely something I could do.
I have a question though: my niches would be music . . . [and] foreign language learning (since I speak a couple of languages and could share a lot of wisdom about language learning). These are 2 niches I’m an expert in, but in your opinion would they be marketable niches as an SEO writer.
I can definitely write about any subject in these niches, as I have the knowledge and expertise, but it’s a question of whether I would get enough work as an SEO writer in these niches. If not, should I think about branching out into some more ‘generic’ niches? (Although ‘generic niche’ is a bit of an oxymoron I guess!).
Thanks for your help.
MY ANSWER
If you’re new to the field of SEO writing, and/or have been doing it for a while but are feeling like you need to specialize (or go in the opposite direction and generalize), following are a couple of guidelines you can use to help you decide.
Conduct Keyword Research: To find out if a market is broad enough, all you have to do is conduct some keyword research. As an SEO writer, this is something you’re going to have to know how to do anyway; not that clients will expect you to for the most part, but it’s part of your “learning knowledge base.”
In my personal opinion, I’d say this SEO copywriter has targeted niches that are definitely large enough to specialize in simply because the competition (especially in music) probably won’t be that much. And, it only takes a few steady clients to make a very good living as an SEO writer.
Develop Complementary Niches: While it’s good to niche (and if you read my stuff you know I’m a big advocate of doing this), develop complementary niches around your main specialty. That way, you don’t box yourself in too narrowly.
For example, when I first started doing SEO content writing, I got one major client because I knew how to write on mortgages. In my past professional lives, I’ve been a mortgage consultant and a real estate agent; I have friends and family members who are real estate investors; and my ex-husband is an architect, interior designer and general contractor.
So, I know the REAL ESTATE industry inside out – from buying and selling houses to decorating and renovating them.
So, my niche is REAL ESTATE writing, not JUST mortgages. See how broad this is?
The same can be done with the two niches this writer has pegged, ie, music and languages.
SEO Content Writing: In the End, Specializing Won’t Matter as Much
When you first start out in this freelance writing niche, niching it is very important in my opinion. I relay in the SEO writing ebook how/why I landed my first client because I specialized — and why it makes it easier to land clients in the beginning.
As your SEO content writing business grows, however, this will matter less and less. From that first client, I went on to write on everything from wedding cake toppers to wire jewelry to welding equipment. When he sent the keywords over, I never knew what I was going to be writing on next. And, this is what makes SEO writing fun in my opinion.
You see, once clients get confidence in you as a writer (because you prove to them that you can, indeed, write quality SEO articles), they’ll have you writing on everything under the sun.
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SEO Content Writing Marketing Tip – When Clients Disappear
Just yesterday, I heard from my very first client from 2007; it had been over a year since I’d gotten an order from them. FYI, this happens; sometimes clients will disappear out of the blue, then reappear for no apparent reason. If you stay in contact and you’ve serviced them well in the past, you have a good shot of getting work from them again – even years later.
But, I digress.
What do they want me to write about this time?
Content on beating addiction.
Now remember, my first article order from them was about mortgages; my specialty. But because I wrote at least a few thousand articles for them on everything under the sun, I doubt if they even remember that they first hired me because I knew about mortgages.
I hope this insight helps, and happy prospecting – whether you niche it, or decide to generalize.
Related Posts
Freelancers: How to Make the Transition from Another Specialty to SEO Content Writing
How Do I Find Higher-Paying Jobs When Freelance Writing Part-Time? 4 Things You Can Do
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