Being a fiction blogger, you must have heard that fiction blogs can’t have a niche or get organic traffic from search engines. But let me bust this myth and tell you that fiction blogs can also get organic traffic by choosing a blogging niche.

Being a writer, you do not write in every genre. If you write thrillers, most likely 90% of your work is thrillers. Likewise, if you write self-help books, most of your books are in that genre only. So, when it comes to blogging, does your genre differ? No. You will still stick to your preferred genre. If you write short romance stories, you want to stick to that on your blog too. So, romance fiction can be the niche for your blog.

Let’s admit, you cannot possibly write about everything.

Niche is the most neglected word for a new blogger. But choosing a niche for your blog means that you are dedicated to your blog’s topic. Choosing a particular niche is also important to establish yourself as a blogger and sell your books.

The perfect formula to choose a niche

Generally, a profitable niche should have three qualities.

• There is enough search for the topic on search engines. It means there is a problem and people are using Google to find its solution. If there is little or no search engine traffic, it means the niche doesn’t have demand for your proposed blog. Competition indicates the good health of a niche.
• You have the experience, knowledge and willingness to read and research your niche. Your interest in the niche will help you to keep going over the coming years. Losing the motivation is common in the writing fraternity but when you have the willingness to share valuable information with your audience; it helps to keep blogging year after year.
• The niche has scope to monetise. In other words, people are interested in your topic to buy your own books or the books recommended by you.  

Actionable tips to choose a niche and rank for several keywords

Consider your blog as a place where people come to seek answers about how to write a story or a book.

Apart from writing your fiction posts, you love to answer topics like plot development, how to create a character, your association with character, how to write short stories, etc. The examples I took here are only a few things a new writer searches on the internet. They also search for answers on a book proposal, book pitch or how to write for literary magazines.

 If you know any of these topics, you can certainly rank for them as information is scarce on how the Indian publishing world works. You solve a problem which is common among a group of people who aspire to excel in a certain field. It can be how to write a short story, or creating the perfect book pitch, or writing for magazines. That certain problem is the base of your niche.

How to choose a topic to bring search engine traffic for fiction blogs

Keep in mind there are two types of niches. One your topic niche that we have already discussed and the other is your demographic niche. Both are equally important to choose the right topic and grow your blog.

Demographic niche is the age group that has most of your readers. There are certain things when you choose the topic for your audience. When you know who reads your blog post, where they live and how educated they are, it is easy to develop a content strategy. For example, the people who read your blog fall within the 30-45 age group, they want to write a book someday and are highly educated or on a break from the corporate world. They read how to write books/stories, fiction from a preferred genre and about digital marketing.

You want to be specific about your audiences, why are they reading these topics, and how do those topics intersect together to form a niche. If your blog falls in this intersection, there are chances that these readers would turn loyal readers and buy your books.

Choose the most relevant topics within your niche that can help that particular audience. You can also categorise your blog into two main categories, the main category i.e. your stories/poems/novella/novels/creative nonfiction and the second category where you answer specific questions about your genre and writing/publishing.

You can aim to rank for the second category and write SEO optimised blog posts for the second category. You can maintain your creative liberty for the main category and yet rank for your second category by choosing a niche for your fiction blog.