How impossible is it to find a profitable niche for cat care/tips?

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   mariexotoniposted 10 years ago

   Should I just completely step away from the cat market altogether?
   
   I chose this because I knew this topic would be easy for me because it is interesting to me. I want to make a site for cat lovers, who are curious about their cats behavior and how to give their cats a happy life. However, I am not finding a suitable niche. Can't tell the competition for search..
   
   Probably should just move on. Figured I'd ask for others opinions.

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      Mark Ewbieposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Do you own a cat?  Just curious.

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         mariexotoniposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I own 2. Am going to adopt a 3rd within the next few months.

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      lisavollrathposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think that's a niche that is already dominated by other sites, including corporations like Purina, and organizations like the ASPCA. It's hard to build a niche site, and put yourself out there as an authority, when you're up against that kind of competition for viewers.

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         mariexotoniposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I figured that was probably the case! Looking into other areas..

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      Victoria Lynnposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Dr. Mark and alexadry have a strong niche with their hubs about dogs. I think a cat niche would be great. Having had cats for 20 years, with five right now, I'm always looking up stuff. I would much rather read advice, tips, things that work from a real person rather than sites from corporations such as APSCA, Purina, and other sites who are mainly focused on their own products or services. I would say that if you have a passion for it, then go for it! I'll read!

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      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think you're overthinking it.   There is competition from big sites on almost any topic you can think of!   If you want to create a site about cats, create a site about cats.   You may not dominate the SERPs but that doesn't mean you can't earn some money from it - and because it's a subject you enjoy, you'll have fun doing it.
      
      I assume you are talking about a website or blog, not a sub-domain on HP.   If that's the case, then it's not a good idea to limit yourself to a narrow niche any more:  if you do that, you will run out of material far too soon.  Provided you're using Wordpress or some other category-based system, you can easily divide up your content in a way that's easy for readers to navigate, using categories and/or custom posts.   If you do that, you can easily add new specialist categories as you spot areas that are poorly covered by other sites.

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         mariexotoniposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         You're right. It was driving me crazy just trying to find a suitable niche. Can't imagine having a whole site devoted to cat beds or something of the sort.
         
         Any huge differences between WordPress and Blogger? Not sure which to go with.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You can put ads and Amazon capsules on Blogger.  If you're using the free version of Wordpress.com, you cannot put any kind of advertising on the site at all.  To use ads, you need to use the paid version of Wordpress.com ($99 a year) or get your own hosting and create a site using the free Wordpress.org software.   
            
            Most people object to using the paid version of Wordpress.com because compared to your own hosting, it is more expensive.  Personally I think it's a good option for complete newbies, because setting up hosting and building your site IS daunting for non-technical people.  Wordpress.com is a good way to ease yourself into it - once you've been going for a while, you can easily transfer the site to your own hosting because it's totally compatible with the Wordpress.org software.  Wordpress.com will even set up the 301 redirects for you.
            
            Blogger is a pain in the neck when it comes to categorising your posts.  Let's face it, no one cares WHEN you wrote a post, they want to find information on specific subjects, so monthly archives are worse than useless.  The only way to create categories on Blogger is to use Labels (most people make the mistake of using them as tags).  Whereas on Wordpress you have proper categories and sub-categories, AND tags.

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      kenneth averyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Carie, I want you to contact a fellow hubber, catgypsy, go to her profile page, then hit fan mail and send her a note. She is an expert on cats and such.

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   I bet that if you posted about how to solve cat related problems you would get traffic

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      sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I put in the word ' cat'  into a Google key words search - it was very enlightening - how about cat breeds?

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      mariexotoniposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I was thinking about cat training/cat behavior actually. Might move along onto a more unique area

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         littlecoltposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         having a page for cat lovers would be good, I have 11 cats and kittens, my cats range from age 5 months to 23 yrs old. most of my type of cats people don't want, they think they are mean.

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         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         If you look at what people search for there is a need to housetraining, clawing and aggression prevention advice.

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   Snakesmumposted 10 years ago

   As a person who has always had a cat in her life, I'll always read cat related articles.   
   Do you know how to get a fussy eater to eat more variety?  :-)

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      mariexotoniposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well, my kitties aren't picky eaters at all... they'd eat plastic if they could. Came home one day and found Lola ate a huge hole in my blanket! Now I have to be extra careful about what I leave out.
      
      But I think cats are usually open to eating a large variety of things.  Are you sure your kitty is a picky eater because of the food? There's no other reason that they are picky? I've read about some finicky eaters having a health related issue. Also, cats don't like eating near their water.. so if you have a water bowl right next to the food bowl, that may be an issue.. things like that.
      
      If you think it's the food, I know my cats go crazy when I slightly warm up their wet food in the microwave. The house is way stinkier though. I also add extra water too- makes it easier for them to eat it since they can just lap it up. Have you tried different types of wet food? My cats hate the ones with gravy.  Sometimes I'll add water downed chicken broth or tuna juice to their wet food just for some extra fun
      
      Have you ever tried freeze dried cat treats for you kitty? I bet my cats will go bonkers for those in the future. What are you feeding your cat?

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         Snakesmumposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes ,mariexotoni,  I'm sure she's picky because of the food.    One week she will eat a particular variety and next week, she won't touch it.   Nothing else changes.   I don't think the water bowl is a problem.
         
         One thing she never knocks back is the dry food, and I always get premium brands of that.   We've had many different types of wet food, from sachets to cans, and even fresh meat, and I do try to give variety.
         
         Food is always warmed in the microwave - it's more natural to a cat that way.   She won't eat the freeze-dried treats at all.
         
         Just thought I'd ask you, but she's a healthy cat, has her vet checkups, and is spoiled rotten!   So long as she actually eats well, I guess it doesn't matter, but I wish she'd eat everything I get for her, as I don't buy cheap and nasty.
         
         Thanks for your response!  :-)

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