5 Blogging Niche Ideas You Should Avoid

5 Blogging Niche Ideas You Should Avoid (And Where to Find Inspiration Instead)

So you’ve decided to dive into the exciting world of blogging! You’ve got the creativity, the drive, and a burning desire to share your knowledge with the web. But before you hit publish on that first post, there’s one crucial step: choosing your niche.

A niche is your blog’s specific area of focus. It’s the topic that will attract a dedicated audience and set you apart from the millions of other bloggers out there. While picking a niche you’re passionate about is essential, there are a few themes you might want to steer clear of, at least for starters.

In this post, we’ll explore five blogging niches that can be challenging for new bloggers and suggest alternative paths to consider. Each section will delve deeper into the reasons why a particular niche might be difficult, along with actionable tips to find inspiration for a more successful blog.

1. The Super Saturated Niche

The blogging landscape is vast, and some niches are simply bursting at the seams. Think fashion, weight loss, or personal finance. While these topics have massive audiences, the competition is fierce. It’s tough to stand out when you’re up against established blogs with years of content and a loyal following. Here’s why these saturated niches can be tricky:

• Content Shock: With so many bloggers churning out content in these areas, it can be hard to create anything truly original. Readers are bombarded with information overload, making it difficult to capture their attention.
• Low Barrier to Entry: Anyone with an internet connection can start a blog on these topics. This lack of barrier means you’ll be competing against a vast pool of content creators, some with more expertise or resources.
• Difficulty Ranking High: Search engines favor established websites with a strong backlink profile. In saturated niches, it can be challenging to get your content ranked high on search engine results pages (SERPs) where potential readers can discover you.

Finding Inspiration Instead:

• Go Granular: Don’t try to compete with generic fashion blogs. Instead, focus on a specific style like sustainable clothing or vintage finds. You could delve into historical fashion trends or explore ethical labor practices within the fashion industry.
• Offer a Unique Perspective: Are you a plus-size fitness enthusiast or a personal finance guru for millennials? Cater your content to a specific audience within the broader niche. You could offer body-positive fashion advice or money-saving tips for young adults struggling with student loans.
• Combine Niches: Sometimes the magic formula lies in merging interests. Fitness fashion or travel budgeting are examples of combining two niches to create a more focused and potentially less competitive space. You could create a blog dedicated to stylish workout wear for busy professionals or budget travel hacks for families with young children.

Example: Instead of a generic weight loss blog, you could target a niche like “Plant-Based Weight Loss for Women Over 40.” This caters to a specific audience with unique challenges and interests, allowing you to build a more engaged community.

2. The “Your Guess is as Good as Mine” Niche

Niches that rely heavily on personal opinions or beliefs without a strong foundation of expertise can be tricky. This includes topics like astrology, conspiracy theories, or hot-button political issues. While these niches can be passionate, building trust and authority is difficult when your content isn’t backed by research or data. Here’s what makes these niches challenging:

• Lack of Credibility: Readers come to blogs for valuable information and insights. If your content is based solely on personal opinions or speculation, it can be difficult to establish yourself as a credible source.
• Confirmation Bias: People tend to gravitate towards information that confirms their existing beliefs. This can create echo chambers where discussions become one-sided and fail to engage a broader audience.
• Potential for Conflict: Hot-button topics can be emotionally charged, leading to arguments and negativity in the comments section. This can drive away readers seeking a positive and informative online experience.

Finding Inspiration Instead:

• Focus on Self-Improvement: Instead of general life advice, share your experiences and learnings within a specific area like overcoming shyness or building a meditation practice. You could offer practical tips and techniques backed by research and personal anecdotes.
• Become a Curator: Rather than offering your own opinions on conspiracy theories, explore the historical and psychological reasons behind these beliefs. Present a balanced view with credible sources like academic studies and interviews with experts. This can spark critical thinking and encourage healthy debate.
• Educate, Don’t Preach: If you’re passionate about a political cause, focus on educating your readers about the issues and policies involved. Provide clear explanations of complex topics, analyze current events, and interview representatives from different sides of the spectrum.

• Encourage Discussion Through Well-Researched Articles and Interviews with Experts: Instead of inflammatory rhetoric, present facts and statistics to support your arguments. Interview political analysts, economists, or social scientists to offer diverse perspectives on the issues. This fosters a more informed and respectful dialogue amongst your readers.

Example: Instead of a blog solely focused on astrology, you could create a platform that explores the history and cultural significance of astrology across different civilizations. You could even delve into the psychology behind why people are drawn to astrology and its impact on human behavior.

3. The “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” Niche

The internet moves fast, and some trends fade away quicker than they appear. Building a blog around a fleeting trend like the latest celebrity gossip or viral challenge might bring short-term traffic, but it won’t provide long-term success. Here’s why chasing trends can be a risky strategy:

• Short-Lived Attention Spans: People are constantly bombarded with new information and entertainment options online. A trend that’s hot today might be forgotten tomorrow, leaving your blog with outdated content.
• Difficulty Building a Loyal Audience: Readers who come for the latest trend might not stick around for anything else. It’s challenging to build a dedicated following who appreciates your overall voice and perspective.
• Limited Earning Potential: Monetizing a blog heavily reliant on trends can be tricky. Advertisers are more likely to partner with blogs that offer long-term value and a consistent audience.

Finding Inspiration Instead:

• Focus on Evergreen Content: Evergreen content refers to topics that remain relevant over time. This could be cooking basics, personal development strategies, or historical analyses. Building a foundation of evergreen content ensures your blog offers lasting value to readers and attracts consistent traffic.
• Find the Niche Within the Trend: While fidget spinners might be a passing fad, you could create a blog on stress reduction tools and techniques, which has lasting appeal. Explore the psychology behind fidget spinners and similar trends, discussing their effectiveness and potential alternatives for managing stress.
• Offer In-Depth Analysis: Instead of daily updates on the latest celebrity romance, delve into the psychology of celebrity relationships or the cultural impact of gossip culture. Analyze how celebrity news is manufactured and consumed by the media, offering a deeper understanding of the phenomenon.

Example: Instead of a blog dedicated solely to the latest viral challenges, you could create a platform that explores the psychology of challenges and viral trends. Discuss the reasons why people participate in these challenges and how they go viral. You could even analyze the social and cultural implications of online challenges.

4. The “No One Cares” Niche

There’s a difference between being unique and being completely off the beaten path. If your niche is too obscure or has a very limited audience, it might be difficult to build a sustainable blog. Here’s why ultra-niche topics can be challenging:

• Difficulty Attracting an Audience: With a super-specific niche, it can be hard to find readers who are genuinely interested in your topic. This limits your potential reach and makes it difficult to build a community.
• Limited Monetization Options: If your niche is too narrow, there might not be a large enough market for advertising or selling niche-specific products. This can make it challenging to generate income from your blog.
• Feeling Isolated: Blogging can be a social experience. When your niche is ultra-specific, you might find it harder to connect with other bloggers and engage in the wider blogging community.

Finding Inspiration Instead:

• Validate Your Niche Idea: Before diving in, do some research to see if there’s an actual audience for your topic. You can use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or social media listening tools to gauge interest. Look for online communities or forums dedicated to your niche, indicating a potential audience.
• Make it Relatable: Even a niche topic can be successful if you can connect it to broader themes or interests. For instance, a blog on competitive rock skipping could incorporate themes of physics, outdoor recreation, or travel.
• Embrace the Micro-Influencer Status: If you’re passionate about a super niche topic, cater to a small, highly engaged audience. This can be lucrative through targeted advertising or selling niche products directly to your audience. You could create custom-made fishing lures for your rock skipping enthusiasts or offer online coaching for competitive rock skipping techniques.

Example: Instead of a blog solely on the history of typewriters, you could explore the history of communication technology, discussing the evolution from typewriters to computers and the impact on communication styles and societies.

5. The “I Can’t Believe This is Legal” Niche

Anything that promotes illegal activity or violates ethical boundaries is a definite no-go for blogging. Not only is it risky, but it will also damage your reputation and attract the wrong kind of attention. Here’s why this niche is a bad idea:

• Legal Repercussions: Promoting illegal activities can have serious legal consequences. Depending on the severity of the offense, you could face fines, imprisonment, or even the shutdown of your blog.
• Ethical Concerns: Blogging should be about sharing valuable information and fostering a positive online community. Promoting unethical behavior goes against these core principles and can damage your credibility with readers.
• Negative Attention: The internet is a watchful place. If your blog is associated with illegal activity, it’s likely to attract negative attention from law enforcement, security experts, and the general public.

Finding Inspiration Instead:

• Focus on the Ethical Alternative: Maybe you’re fascinated by hacking. Instead, explore cybersecurity best practices or ethical hacking techniques used for penetration testing with permission from companies to identify vulnerabilities in their systems.
• Channel Your Curiosity into Legal Pursuits: If the dark web piques your interest, write about online privacy or the history of the internet’s underbelly. Discuss the ethical implications of the dark web and the ongoing efforts to regulate it.
• Explore the Legal Gray Areas: There are many fascinating topics that exist in the legal gray areas. You could write about personal finance and explore strategies for debt management, ensuring you stay within the boundaries of responsible financial advice.

Example: Instead of a blog on how to commit credit card fraud, you could create a platform that educates readers about the dangers of identity theft and credit card scams. You could offer tips on how to protect yourself from fraud and how to recover if you become a victim.

The Takeaway

Choosing the right niche is a crucial step in building a successful blog. By avoiding overly saturated niches, unsubstantiated opinion-based topics, fleeting trends, ultra-specific niches, and illegal activities, you can set yourself up for long-term success.

Remember, your niche should be something you’re passionate about, but it should also have a viable audience and allow you to create valuable content.

Bonus Tip: Don’t be afraid to niche down further as your blog grows! As you gain experience and a loyal audience, you can explore sub-niches within your broader niche to cater to even more specific interests.

Now that you have a better understanding of the niches to avoid, get out there and explore the exciting world of blogging! With dedication, creativity, and the right niche, you can build a thriving online platform and share your knowledge with the world.