7 Blog Niches To Avoid (& What Makes Them The “Worst Niches”)
Last Updated on July 19, 2023 by Jordan Alexo
So, want to start blogging but don’t want to get stuck in a bad niche?
One of the biggest mistakes new bloggers make is choosing the wrong niche. It often costs them months of hard work and money without results.
And sometimes, they end up giving up on their blog altogether. So to avoid this:
In this guide, you’ll learn what makes a niche bad for blogging and how to avoid it. I’ll also share seven niches you should avoid, like the plague, and why they’re considered the “worst.”
And it doesn’t stop there. You’ll find out how to choose a good niche—one that aligns with your passion, has a demand, and offers ample growth opportunities. Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
- Niche Down: Don’t just pick a broad category. Get more specific. This cuts down a huge chunk of competition.
- Do Your Homework: Use tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, or Google Search to check out the competition and demand in your chosen niche.
- Passion and Expertise Matter: Choose a niche you’re somewhat passionate about. Also, if you have some expertise, then that’s a big plus. This helps you stick to your niche longer and write better content.
- Monetization Opportunities: Look for a niche with multiple ways to make money. Affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, selling products or services—the more opportunities, the better.
- Avoid Bad Niches: Some niches are just bad news. Oversaturated, low demand, controversial—stay away from them.
Do you have the right tools for blogging? Discover the top tools successful bloggers use. Read here.
6 Reasons & Solutions That Make A Blogging Niche Bad
So, the question of the day “What makes a blogging niche bad? I mean, if you can write about it, it’s a good niche, right?
Well, not exactly. There are a few red flags that can turn a seemingly good niche into a blogging nightmare. Let’s break it down:
Reason 1 – Oversaturated
Ever walked into a room so crowded you couldn’t even move? That’s what an oversaturated niche feels like. There are so many bloggers in the space that standing out becomes a Herculean task.
Look for niches that aren’t overcrowded. Use tools like Google Trends or SEMrush to check the competition.
The lower the competition, the higher your chances of standing out. If you see most of the search terms are dominated by authoritative websites or well-established bloggers, then probably it’s too competitive and not the best niche.
Reason 2 – Low Market Demand
On the flip side, a niche with low demand is a waste of time. You could have the best content out there, but your blog’s not going anywhere if no one’s interested.
Do your market research. Use keyword research tools to see what people are searching for. Once again, you want to find a niche with some competition but not oversaturated. It’s a thin balance between both.
If there’s a demand for the content, you’ve got a potential audience.
Reason 3 – Lack of Passion and Expertise
Blogging isn’t just about writing—it’s about sharing your knowledge and passion. If you aren’t at least half passionate or interested, it’s a pain in the back.
Just imagine writing content for the next months and years about something you don’t enjoy.
The other part is a lack of expertise. See, liking a topic and expertise go hand in hand. Because when you’re passionate about something, you won’t mind spending hours learning about it.
Plus, your passion will show off in your writing. If you hate writing about a topic, then you will reflect on the quality of your content.
Choose a niche you’re somewhat passionate about and, perhaps, have some expertise.
Although passion is the key factor. When you enjoy a topic, spending hours reading books, watching videos, and taking courses to deepen your knowledge is easier.
Reason 4 – Limited Monetization Opportunities
Blogging isn’t just a hobby for many—it’s a source of income.
But not all niches are lucrative. Some have limited monetization opportunities, making it hard to earn a living.
Let’s say you blog about “funny jokes for dads,” what are you going to promote? You may sell a related book, but what else? Thus, you always want to have this in mind.
Look for niches with several ways to make money online. This could be through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, selling products or services, etc.
Reason 5 – Controversial or Sensitive Topics
Controversial or sensitive topics can attract a lot of attention, but they can also attract a lot of criticism and negativity.
Plus, advertisers may be hesitant to associate with these topics.
Stick to topics that are generally accepted and stay away from controversial ones. Like p**is enlargement strategies and other less suitable topics.
Reason 6 – Trendy Niches
Some niches are great for a season but not long-term. It might be great to make some quick money online. However, if you want to build a sustainable business that will last the test of time, it’s essential to avoid trendy niches.
Don’t fall for niches that everyone all sudden starts talking about. Often these niches won’t stick around for long. And putting effort into building a blog to see it crash and burn because the trend fades away may not be worth it.
7 Bad Niches For Blogging & Reasons to Avoid Them
Here are seven niches that are notorious for being tough to crack.
1 – Make Money Online (The Pitfalls of Blogging About Making Money)
This niche is like a shiny object that attracts newbie bloggers like moths to a flame. But the harsh truth is that it’s profitable but oversaturated and full of misinformation.
Everyone and their mom want to learn ways to make more money. So naturally, it attracts many scammers and people trying to exploit others.
2 – Health and Fitness (A Saturated Market with High Competition)
It may be a risky niche if you aren’t a licensed professional. Because you’ll provide information that may affect someone’s life and well-being.
3 – Beauty and Fashion (The Challenge of Personal Branding and Massive Traffic)
Breaking into the beauty and fashion niche requires more than just great content. You need a strong personal brand and a ton of traffic.
Often people trust influences and bloggers to show off the latest fashion and beauty products.
So, you may need to build that trust before you can see success in this niche.
4 – The Lifestyle (The Struggles of a Broad Niche)
Lifestyle is a broad niche, which might seem like a good thing. What is a lifestyle? Is it a mindset? Being financially free? Finding the perfect partner?
Well, it’s all those niches in one package. So, that makes it hard to build a blog. If you go out there and focus on all these niches at once, you’ll struggle.
And the best way to succeed as a blogger is to focus on one niche at a time.
5 – Technology ( High Demand and High Competition)
Technology is a niche with high demand but also high competition. Especially for popular products like iPhones, gaming consoles, and other gadgets.
Most beginner bloggers often go after the most popular products thinking they will get rich overnight. But that’s the wrong move to make.
Rather target a smaller and less spoken sub-niche within technology.
6 – Food Blogging (The Challenge of Promoting Personal Choices in a Crowded Market)
Food blogging is more than just sharing recipes. It’s about promoting specific brands or unique dietary choices.
But with so many food bloggers out there, standing out can be tough.
7 – Trending Niches (Hi and Goodbye Niches)
Trending niches can make much money quickly if you get in early. But the downside is usually, it won’t last forever, and once the trend dies, your blog dies too.
For example, Yo-Yos may have been popular a few years ago, but now they’re less relevant.
How Can You Choose a Good Niche? (3-Quick Steps)
So, we’ve talked about the bad. Now let’s talk about the good. How do you choose a niche that’s just right for you? One that’s not too hot, not too cold, but just right? Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1 – Niche Down
Don’t just choose a broad category. Instead, niche down to a specific topic.
For example, instead of “health and fitness,” you could choose “yoga for pregnant women.” The more specific, the better. Also, that doesn’t mean you have to stick with that niche forever.
Nope, you want to focus on one niche until you’re successful and then pass to another relevant one. Here’s an example:
| Broad Category | Niche Down (Sub-Niche) |
| Health and Fitness | Yoga for Pregnant Women |
| Health and Fitness | Vegan Bodybuilding |
| Health and Fitness | Senior Citizen Fitness |
| Health and Fitness | Mental Health and Exercise |
| Health and Fitness | Home Workouts for Busy Parents |
| Health and Fitness | Marathon Training for Beginners |
| Health and Fitness | Gluten-Free Athlete Nutrition |
| Health and Fitness | Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Reduction |
| Health and Fitness | Post-Injury Rehabilitation Exercises |
| Health and Fitness | Fitness Routines for Shift Workers |
Although “Health and Fitness” is extremely competitive, you can easily niche down and find a sub-category less competitive and still profitable.
Look at the example provided on top and do the same for a “broad niche,” you’d like to get in.
Step 2 – Research the Market
Google search your niche to see how saturated it is. If every keyword you search always has popular websites with relevant content ranking, then probably it’s saturated.
You also want to see if you can find many affiliate products related to your niche. An easy way to check this is to analyze your potential competitors’ websites and YouTube channels.
Remember, you want to find competitors with a successful blog similar to what you want to create.
Step 3 – Identify Your Passions and Expertise
Are you an expert at something? Would you enjoy learning and teaching about that specific topic?
You want to choose a niche in which you’re at least half interested.
It doesn’t exactly need to be your “main” passion because sometimes that may end up being a competitive or not profitable niche.
Instead, go after something you can see yourself writing content long-term without blowing your head from boredom.
You still don’t know what niche to choose? Read my post, “10 Best Niches For Blogging with Low Competition (2023),” for more insights.
Last Thoughts
We’ve discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly of blogging niches. And went into what makes a niche bad and explored seven niches you’d be better off avoiding.
But remember, you’ve got plenty of great niches out there waiting for you to discover them. You just need to know where to look and what to look for.
So, keep these tips in mind.
- You want to niche down.
- Do your market research.
- Identify your passions and expertise.
- And always, always check for monetization opportunities.
Do you have any questions or tips you’d like to share? Leave them below. Thanks for reading.
