Don't Fear the Competition – Check Them Out!

It's easy to get discouraged when we think we have hit on a great idea for a hot new niche and then discover that it has already been done over and over again. That's when many would be niche marketers give up in frustration. Although there is such a thing as market saturation, don't give up just because you have competition.

Study Your Competition

Once you have discovered your competition, study them. Evaluate the site for both visual affect and content. Before you take too much time to look around a site, ask yourself what your first impression is. Does the site appeal to you? Why or why not? Are there so many graphics that it takes too long to load? What about the content? Do you immediately see a laundry list of ads or do you notice the ads after you begin reading? Ask some friends or family members to look at some of these sites with you to get a feel for what appeals to them and what it is that makes them want to leave a site.

What is Your Competition doing Wrong?

Make a note of the types of things you feel your competition is doing wrong. This could be anything from the fact that the site is overall boring, or it could be multiple spelling and grammatical errors, too many ads, not enough content or a number of other things. You don't have to be an expert on niche marketing to see what it is about a site that turns you off. After all, you will be marketing to people just like you; consumers.

What is Your Competition doing Right?

In the same way, make a note of what you think your competition is doing right. Did you get so caught up in reading or perusing the site that you forgot you were doing research? If so, that's a good sign that your competition is doing something right. How is the site laid out? Is it visually pleasing? Do the ads seem to blend seamlessly into the site? What about the content? Is it new, fresh, and interesting? While you never, ever, want to copy anything you find online, doing this type of research will ensure you avoid making some of the most common mistakes beginning niche marketers make. It will also give you an idea of the kinds of things that will attract visitors to your sites.

Check out the Affiliate Products

What products are your competition promoting? Do they seem to go well with the niche? Which companies are these products affiliated with? Just because your competition is promoting these products doesn't mean they are good products or that your competition is having any success promoting them but it will give you an idea of what other blogs and websites in your niche are selling.

As you can see, you can learn a tremendous amount of information from studying the competition. You may find that the market is saturated within a certain niche. You may also find that there are not enough quality websites or blogs in that niche and realize that yours is sorely needed.