Becoming An Outdoor Blogger
Welcome to Step 2 of how to become an outdoor blogger!
So, I’ve already decided that I am going to create an outdoor blog that I would like to monetize and make a little gear change with. My idea is to write about my geographical region, the pacific northwest or northwest region of the United States, and the outdoor activities that are available to those who live here. Technically, the northwest includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. I’m thinking I would like to focus on camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and related activities that northwest outdoorsman participate in.
Now, I need to determine whether or not it’s actually feasible by using a tool from Google AdWords called the keyword tool. If you don’t have a Google AdWords account, create one. Your going to need it sooner or later so dive in!
- Go to Google Adwords now and select the tab Campaign Summary.
- Under this tab click the link Tools.
- Under the column heading Optimize Your Ads click the link Keyword Tool.
- From here I tested the area that I’m interested in writing about.
- I left the radio button option Descriptive words or phrases checked and typed in the words “northwest” and “outdoorsman” to start.
- Then I simply clicked the button labeled Get keyword ideas.
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Looking at my search results (at right), I feel optimistic. I searched the terms northwest and outdoorsman and as you can see, in February 2009, there were 4,139,500 searches for those two terms. This is good, maybe too good in that my topic may be a little general but it is encouraging.
What’s also encouraging and what you can’t see from the picture is that a number of other terms show promise. For example, the word “outdoorsmen” also had over 8,000 searches in one month. That’s only one of many terms that received lesser results but may reveal an untapped mini-niche.
I also checked out Google Blog Search and Technorati. Much like Google AdWords, Google Blog Search has an advanced search feature that you can use to find how many blogs use a certain term. Technorati also highlights the most popular in addition to offering up the top 100 list. They both confirmed my initial results from Adwords, that those two terms, northwest and outdoorsman have potential.
The results of my research, which took about 4-5 hours in total, gave me enough confidence in the idea that NorthwestOutdoorsman.com would be a great name to base my new blog on. I think there is an interest and a large enough community out there that the outdoor market, especially in the pacific northwest, would support it.
I’ll touch on domain names during part 3 but it is always good to keep in mind possible domain names as you read throw your results and other blogs as well. Always be on the lookout. You just might find a diamond in the rough.
NEXT: Domain Names
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Mike – good post, and it brings back memories of my early days setting up my niche blogs. Your search count is good – mine were 1.8 and 2.2 million, but the good news is they’re going well. Good luck with it and I look forward to following your progress.
Hi Mike! Thanks for the comment and for the encouraging words. My hope is that by taking users through the process I can help others be successful bloggers as well. Thanks again my friend.
- Mike
Hi Mike,
I was wondering, I’m totaly new to blogging but which account would you advise starting in with AdWords?
Thanks
Hi Jeremy! Great question. I would definitely sign up for the standard edition because down the road you will want to use such services as advanced reporting, image ads, targeting, etc. So, pass on the starter edition, get the standard!
- Mike