So, You Want to Start a Blog…

Do you have a blog idea, but don’t know if it’s an unexplored niche or an overcrowded stadium? Then try this:

1. Got to the blog search engine Technorati.
2. Enter a topic in the Search Field.
3. Click Search.
4. When the results come up, filter your results using Search Blogs.
5. Click Search again.

Take note of the results. Now, don’t be disheartened if you discover there are thousands of blogs concerning your favorite topic. It is important to know what you are up against. (Believe it or not, you might make some friends if you start reading the best sites.)

In the case of gardening, there are about 17,850 like-themed blogs. Some are good, some are bad, some are probably dead.

As you peruse the sites, consider what will make your blog more desirable: better writing? Original content? Pictures or diagrams? A strong marketing campaign?

While not definitive, Technorati is a great place to start researching your competition. There are several things to learn from the blog results after clicking on the site link:

1. The higher the authority, the more respected the site.
2. The blog’s overall rank on Technorati.
3. The digest of recent blog posts can give you a quick idea of the writing.
4. Which tags or keywords seem to work.
5. See what others, via comments, think of the site.

Another way to make your mark is to find a missed niche. In the crowded food category, for example, experienced blogger Jennifer McCann began a simple new blog called Vegan Lunch Box. The idea was to post about the vegan lunches she prepared for her son and eventually use the site to sell a book she was planning.

The blog exploded into the stratosphere in a manner of weeks and months. It didn’t hurt that her food pictures were fun, her writing clear and her voice down to earth rather than preachy. By the way, Vegan Lunch Box has an Authority of 306 and a Rank of 5,743.

The key to understanding the blogosphere, and web-publishing too, is to recognize that great writing or even a great topic doesn’t guarantee a well-read blog. Some rise slowly, after a lot of work. Some never rise at all. Most just hang around for a few years until the writer gives up.

And then there are exceptions such as It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It! or This is Why You’re Fat. Sites like this are obviously funny and bring in thousands of readers seemingly overnight.

Regardless, it is essential to be realistic: What is the audience potential for your topic? Food is an easy topic, but incredibly crowded. Ditto for mommy blogging. And the audience potential for Theremin or potato beetle blogs may be too small.

Still, there is terrain to explore. Good financial blogs seem to take off despite competition. New topics and issues seem to crop up over night.

The good news: original content wins over rehashed, which gives journalists a distinct advantage. And having any advantage in today’s world of blogging is a good thing.