The Difference Between the Terms Niche and Keyword
ByMany people seeking a niche are confused about the difference between the terms niche and keyword. The way it often works is that a beginning marketer finds ONE keyword that has good numbers and then they automatically think THAT is their niche.
That may or may not be the case.
For example, a beginner may find the tiny niche “insect kit” very attractive. The Samurai Tool does not show a lot of searches, but the competition is low and VERY doable for getting on the first page. So the beginner thinks “insect kits” is their niche. They then come up with other keywords like best insect kit, insect kit reviews, cheap insect kit, insect kit for kids, etc.
That is fine if they just wanted to keep it at that, but let’s look a bit further. Market Samurai also shows related searches…such as butterfly garden, ant farm, frog kits, etc. In fact, the Google keyword tool confirms that Google DOES associate these terms with “insect kit”. (LSI at work) Plus, the numbers for all these related terms look good too.
Therefore, a description of the niche should be: Methods and information about keeping and observing insects. THAT is the niche. (Notice that for the description of the niche I didn’t even use one of the long tail keyword.)
Again, a distinction between the chosen niche and the keywords used to market the niche must be made.
Too many beginners would decide on “insect kits” and then put the blinders on and think THAT is their niche. Sure, it is their niche in a way, but they don’t take it far enough and really understand what it means.
The point I am trying to get across here is the EVERY “niche” has keywords associated with it that are not even a part of the niche description. In this case, I really like the “insect kits” niche because there are a LOT of related keywords to it. If there were only keywords like “insect kit reviews”, “best insect kits”, etc. I would not be excited about it at all. But when the keyword tools tell me the search engines associate all those other phrases with the term, that means I’ve landed possibly on a great little niche that can produce significant traffic.
Niche marketing is the key for beginners’ success. Once you understand how the overall niche and all the related keywords tie together, you are about half-way there. Next comes all the work!
By the way, keep in mind I just used “insect kits” as an example here; I am not endorsing it as a great niche. Do your own research before deciding.
Good Stuff Steve. But I’ve got a question. Once you’ve researched on a good niche and done all your keyword research. And you have decided…this is what I want to promote etc… Where does the content come from. Do you use your own even though you might not have enough knowledge on the niche or subject.
Do you out source it? Maybe PLR. I am all ears.
Paul
Well, in the beginning, when you have to do so much of the work yourself, it is best to stay in some areas you know something about or at least are interested in. (there are MANY available that would fit that criteria for you).
Also, it just depends on the niche and how technical it is. Even if you don’t garden, it would be pretty easy to come up with and create “how to grow tomatoes” content. Other, more technical type niches may not be so easy.
But basically, for just a small info type Adsense site, you can find info out there just like you would for a college term paper and then reformat into your own, original content. You can do it or you can outsource it.
This is another great posting. I know it’s time to rethink and redo my keywords on my sites and blogs. This posting really helps me zero in on that. I definitely will be back to check out more of your great resources. Thanks!
Steve,
I’ve been following you for some time, and I must say that this article really peaked my curiosity. I have done a number of niche site tests to get on the first page of Google for testing purposes to see how good I’d be at it. To my surprise, I’ve been able to place a number of pages of sites onto the first page of Google. It seems some of it was by accident (getting hits from long keywords I didn’t intend to from the beginning), or by the one’s I’ve tried.
Concerning your example, I still would focused my domain/niche on insect kits. However, it is the content in the site where I would have branched out (no pun intended) to more specifics. Your examples of frog, butterfly, etc. kits are a great way to fill rich content in a niche site.
Hopefully, this is another avenue for your readers to consider.
hey Steve! this post really helped clarify the distinction for me. Thanks!
sounds like the problem and solution you’re describing may be not be so much how the 2 terms are defined as it is making sure the degree of LSI with a search term will allow a broad enough marketing focus.
do you agree?
Hi Danny, Yes that was my intent…for them to go after those “other branches”…
Yes, a lot of success is about that….Whether it’s via LSI or even broader subniches within that niche, it’s always good to have a large amount of possible keywords to optimize for. I don’t like to go with niches that only have 10 or 20 choices….most have a lot more, but there are some I have looked at that don’t have many.
thank you for that informative article. I think Keywords are subset of a niche. For me, if I discover that a keyword have a high search in search engine, then I will convert it to niche and form another set of keywords.
Making money online is all about doing maths – Demand and Supply.
Hi Steve, I have not tried the Samurai Tool. Have you written a review of it?
Hi Kim, I have a page of their video tutorials here: http://www.weberinternetmarketing.com/keyword-rules/
I am planning on writing more about it; it’s an awesome tool!
Steve
I have not try the Samurai tool, I guess I should. Thanks for the tip Steve.
Thanks for the information, even sometimes i’m still confuse decide the good niche.