Article Writing and Niche Blogging - a Perfect Couple

Niche blogging and article writing are a perfect pair. Research is a necessary part of the article writing process. Using that same research in a niche blog can yield twice the benefit without spending twice the time.

Niche blogs are tightly focused blogs aimed at a select group of customers. Blog posts tend to be shorter than articles. Experienced article writers can get as many as three (or more) blog posts from a single article. Options to monetize the blog via affiliate links embedded in article content, and/or advertising companies include Adsense, Clickbank, Commission Junction, and Linkshare.

Checking niche profitability can be a time-stealer if you aren't careful. I recommend this blogger's free tutorial. Although Sidhe's post is primarily directed at getting clicks on a certain type of article, the method works for blogs also.

Creating a niche blog doesn't have to be expensive. You can get a free blog at Blogger. Do remember that if something happens to Blogger, your blog goes with it. Wordpress also offers free blogs but they don't allow you to use affiliate links if you're blogging on their hosting.

One of the largest advantages that Wordpress has over Blogger is the fact that you can totally customize any blog using plug-ins. There are literally hundreds of plugins for Wordpress, with more being created every day.

The best blog setup is to use Wordpress on your own hosting. If you already have webhosting, you can often install wordpress with just a few clicks. Hostgator uses Fantastico and makes it easy. Hostgator also has inexpensive web hosting that allows you to have unlimited domains.

Successful niche blogs usually have their own domain names. Domain name registration runs from around $1.00 for .info names to around $11.00 for .com names. These are one-year term prices and, of course, subject to change at any given moment.

Some experts suggest starting with an inexpensive name and upgrading if the blog proves to be income-producing. By not reserving a .com name up front, you run the risk of finding it unavailable later. However, spending the money up front now may prove to be money wasted.

It is highly likely that your first choice of domain name won't be available in any form. You'll then have to add a suffix of some sort ( "site" "online" "biz" "now" etc.) to get a niche blog started.

Stocking a niche blog requires blog posts (A minimum of 7 seems to be recommended) and links to related affiliate products. If you can find no products that relate to the topic, it's probably time to start over. Since the blog posts should be made over a short period of time instead of all posted immediately, you can work the actual posting into your article writing schedule at regular intervals.

Market the blog via regular article marketing - post articles on various directory sites, a lens on Squidoo and a Hub page. Don't forget to direct the resource box link to the niche blog. Also take advantage of any in-article links allowed by the directory.

Remember that blog posts do not necessarily have to be as long as most articles. This seems to be the hardest part for many article writers. The tendency to write longer posts may actually be a blessing if the article is focused and well written. The more time the reader lingers on the site, the more the chance that they'll click on an affiliate link and potentially make a purchase.

If you are an article writer who truly enjoys the process, why not consider venturing into niche blogging? You can do so without spending a lot of money or time. If you don't like it, you can chalk it up to experience and go on. If it works, you've added another potential stream of income.