Targeting a niche can be an extremely effective internet strategy. There comes a time, though, when that niche can be a little small for your business goals. Never fear, as there are ways to grow beyond your niche without having to give up everything you’ve worked so hard for.
Why choose a niche in the first place?
Many a search engine optimization agency will recommend that their clients target a niche as part of their SEO campaign. The niche strategy involves targeting an area of your industry that hasn’t been fully covered by competitors, leaving a gap for you to establish yourself as an authority. It can be an effective SEO strategy because it offers a lower rate of competition on some keywords, and a great strategy for the internet in general because it’s a way to establish a following.
Working toward establishing yourself in a niche is a little more step-by-step than struggling in the mainstream, as well. Just as with every small community, a niche community tends to promote sociability simply through its small size. Simply by dropping in and offering your knowledge will go a long way to establishing your position, as long as you’re truly knowledgeable and you don’t ruffle any significant feathers. You can talk to us at SEO Consult about niches in your search engine optimization campaign.
Moving out of the niche
Once you’re established in your niche, though, it’s a good idea to start thinking about expanding. It sounds like a difficult thing to do, but it’s not. Either by moving out gradually, or through altering the perception of your subject, you can move your business on and up.
Let’s look at altering perception first. This is the more difficult move, but, like many online options, it’s the quicker road if it works. This involves raising awareness of your subject by bringing it to those with more general interests. Most niches develop because there is a core of people interested in the subject. Most subjects, though, have an application that’s a little wider.
You can sneak your subject into the public eye by linking it with already popular topics. Magazines do this all the time, linking new concepts and products to celebrities to give them a boost. This doesn’t always work, though, as you’ve got to hit the right spot at the right time.
Your other option is to slowly expand. This requires you to slowly explore subjects related to your topic, establishing some authority on them, then moving further out. By doing this, you can increase your authority from, for example, parakeet breeding to information on all birds in general.
Do you want to move out of your niche?
One thing to ask yourself is whether you really want to expand at all. Although businesses require expansion, moving to cover topics that aren’t pertinent to your business is not always wise. It can be a good SEO strategy, netting you more traffic which you can then filter toward your conversions. It can also be a waste of time. Consider carefully before proceeding.