One of the first and foremost parts of starting any website to make a profit is choosing a niche that you can monetize. One of the first places you should visit is of course Commission Junction, where you can view a full list of advertisers and see what Earnings Per Click (EPC) those advertisers are paying.

You can also visit Overture Bids to see what the biggest bids are currently in the advertising market; this will allow you to find a high paying niche. Lastly, you will want to see what the hot items that people are searching for.

You need to see if your possible choice will have a lot of competition. To do this, simply type in your niche’s keywords into the search engine and see how many result come back. Not all of them will be competition so you can figure this out by simply multiplying the number of found results by .75 (75%) and these will be the amount of competition you will have in that niche. If it is too high, then you need to start back at the beginning.

Use your head. Obviously the electronics and computer markets are highly competitive; where as consumable items are always consumed and replaced.

Finally you will have to guess. Will this niche still be popular in 6 months or is it only hot right now because of a celebrity or television show. Always remember to use your head when making this decision.

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