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One problem that many Internet Marketers face is coming up with ideas for niches to target in their online marketing. This can be equally true for both newcomers to Internet Marketing and also seasoned Internet Marketers looking for a new niche to complement their existing niches.

Fortunately there are a number of very useful websites that you can use as part of your niche research process. I have compiled a list of 20 such sites which should make your niche research much easier in the future.

What Are People Currently Searching For?

One way to gauge whether a niche is popular or not is to use some of the analysis tools provided by the search engines. These sites all use live information directly from the search engines to determine which topics are being searched for the most.

  • Google Hot Trends – This is a very useful site for finding out the top 100 topics that people are actively searching for on Google right now. It’s updated hourly and you can dig deeper into each topic to see related news, blog posts and web pages which gives you a clearer idea about why the topic is currently attracting so much attention.
  • Yahoo! Buzz – This gives you a list of the top stories that people are currently interested in. There’s also a very useful Top Searches panel that is updated hourly with the top 10 searches on Yahoo!
  • Lycos 50 – Another round of of top web searches. This site is updated weekly with the top 50 searches from Lycos.
  • AOL Hot Searches – Shows you what is currently hot on AOL Search.

What Are People Currently Interested In?

Another way to gauge what is popular right now is to look what people are interested in reading about. These sites provide you with information about the top stories and blogs that people are reading.

  • Digg - I’m fairly sure Digg needs no introduction, but it can be a very useful gauge in determining what people are interested in reading about.
  • Technorati What’s Popular – This gives you a very useful breakdown of the top blogs, searches, videos and news stories from the blogosphere.

What Are People Buying?

Obviously for a niche to be profitable you need to be sure that there is a hungry crowd of buyers waiting to spend their money. The following sites give you an insight into what people are buying:

  • eBay Pulse – This gives you a list of the top 10 things that people are searching for on eBay. Since eBay is one of the biggest marketplaces on the Internet you can be sure that anything listed here is currently something that a lot of people are interested in buying.
  • eBay What’s Hot – Another useful resource from eBay where sales data is combined with information from trade magazines and predictions from industry experts to give you a list of some of the hottest products for the current season.
  • Amazon Best Sellers – The most popular items on Amazon.com, updated on an hourly basis.
  • Shopping.com Top Searches – This shows you the top 100 products in each of Shopping.com’s many categories to help you determine which products are hot right now. The information is updated every two weeks.
  • mySimon Top Searches – Very similar to the Shopping.com site. This gives you details of the top searches performed by mySimon members in many different categories.

What Affiliate Programs Are Available?

In addition to looking at the trends of search engine users and online shoppers it can also be useful to look at affiliate program directories. These sites have many different products listed in a directory format. Examining both the categories that make up and directories and the products themselves can give you some good ideas for niches to consider. There are also very useful when you have already decided on a niche and would like to find a suitable affiliate program to promote.

What Are People Reading About?

Another way to determine popular niches is to look what magazines are available. If there are several different magazines available for a given niche then there is a good chance that there will be a lot of people interested in products for sale within that niche.

  • Magazines.com – A very useful site to help you find different magazines covering a variety of different topics.
  • Amazon Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions – A comprehensive directory of all magazines that can be subscribed to via Amazon.
  • Google Catalogs – Allows you to search for catalogs that are available for viewing online. All available magazines are organized into a very useful directory allowing you to quickly find magazines relevant to your niche,

Now that you are armed with this list of niche research websites you should fine it much easier to research and select a niche. If there are any other websites that you use as part of your niche research feel free to share them by posting a comment below.

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Filed under: Affiliate Marketing • Niche Marketing

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