You always hear people talk about a niche for your blog, or a topic. Which begs the question, “does a blog have to be about one topic?”. That’s a bit of a complicated question, so in this article I’m going to explain if I think you should stick to one topic in your blog, or cover many different ones.
Does a blog have to be about one topic?
Niche and topic are often used interchangeably when referring to a blog or niche website. Your topic and your niche are very similar, but not quite the same. Your niche is going to be a bit more general, a topic a be a sub-niche. When I think of a blog’s niche I think more of what the entire website is about. When I think of a topic, I think more of what a category or even an article on that website is about.
Here’s an example:
- Niche: Gardening
- Sub-niche: Indoor gardening (topic)
- Sub-sub niche: Growing tomato plants indoors (topic)
- Sub-niche: Indoor gardening (topic)
A blog does not have to be about just one topic to be successful, but you do need to have some focus to gain some topical authority. So let’s say a person starts a blog and the domain is their first and last name. So tinasmith.com, for example.
Next let’s assume that Tina wants 5 categories on her blog. I’ll give you 2 scenarios of categories, you tell me which blog will do better:
Category structure 1:
- Budgeting
- Favorite movies
- Knitting
- Being a vegan
- Politics
Category structure 2:
- Crock Pot Recipes
- Easy Dinner Ideas
- Meal Prepping
- Quick Vegan Meals
- Baking
Option 1 is all over the place, her blog is essentially about anything she wants to talk about. These types of blogs historically don’t do well, but you are welcome to have a personal “brain dump” blog where you just put your thoughts on paper, so to speak. Just don’t expect it to be successful in terms of organic traffic. Each category is for a different target audience and it would be hard to gain any traction.
Option 2 however is very focused on cooking. If Tina was serious about that blog she would likely do well, if she was persistent and patient. A person that visited her blog and viewed the first category would also likely be interested in the second category. Do you see the difference?
So when asking does a blog have to be about one topic, the answer is not exactly. But if you do have a multi-topic blog you need to be able to tie them all together. If each of the topics has absolutely nothing to do with the others then you’re going to have a hard time succeeding.
Can a blog be about anything?
More or less, yes it can. However you need to do proper niche research and make sure that there are enough people interested in the topic, or niche, that it warrants making an entire site about it.
I like to start with domain names that don’t pin me down to a topic that is too specific. I’ll still start writing about a certain topic, and cover it thoroughly. But once I have I can move on to a related topic and my domain name won’t hold me back.
So take care when choosing your domain name. Choosing a brandable domain name is always the best way to go. A brandable domain name is one that can really go in almost any direction. It can be a made up word or phrase, or even your name.
On which topic should I make blog?
When choosing a topic for a blog the first thing I ask people is: Do you have any hobbies? If you have a hobby, then you likely have more knowledge about it than the average person and are more interested in it.
If your hobby is baking and you’re a wiz in the kitchen, then consider a blog about that. If rock climbing is your thing then look at that as a niche for your blog. Write about what you know.
People get hung up on the fact that they aren’t experts so why would anyone listen to them.
You have to keep one thing in mind. You aren’t writing to experts, you’re writing to people that know less than you do.
In conclusion, write about what you are interested in and what you are interested in learning about. Above all, stay focused!