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When people talk about niches they tend to misuse the word. I am as guilty as the next person. The dog niche, for example, is a huge industry, not a niche.
The hiking niche is the same really. It can be overwhelmingly broad for a new blogger. Hiking is not the first blogging niche people think of. You can see that hiking and outdoors is still a huge business, according to this IBISWorld Report.
One that is big enough to cause problems for a new blogger trying to break into the SERPs. So the best course of action is to find a micro-niche. You can check out our overview of what to look for when starting a micro-niche in this article.
These smaller sub-niches come in a variety of sizes as well. Some can sustain a blog with fresh content for years while others are best used to build a new website and then expand into other areas. We will take a look at examples of both in this article.
Let’s take a look at 9 hiking blog ideas to start building your affiliate marketing business. This is just the starting point for a blog.
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Ideas For A Hiking Blog
Hiking Backpacks
The first micro-niche on our list is backpacks. It is the most obvious and probably one of the most competitive micro-niches for a hiking blog.
There are hundreds of backpacks that you could review and enough potential content to generate dozens of articles, both review-type money pages, and general information support pages. For more on why reviews are so important, you can have a look at our article here.
There is a huge amount of interest in this micro-niche. In fact, it might be a little too competitive and you could probably niche down even further for your blog. Concentrate on a particular brand to start off with or something along those lines.
Let’s take a look at the head keyword for this micro-niche. “Hiking Backpacks”.
You can see that there is a good amount of traffic for the base keyword. This particular keyword might be a little tough to get a high SERP position for a brand-new blog. But it lets you know that the niche is viable from a traffic perspective.
Information posts for hiking backpacks are going to be key in drawing in your traffic. These could range from how-to posts on the most efficient ways to pack your hiking pack to quick question-and-answer posts on the best materials to look for when deciding on what backpack to buy.
There are dozens of potential content ideas for these info posts. And hundreds of potential post ideas for your money posts as well. The tried and true review posts are going to be big parts of your hiking pack blog.
Best lists with carefully placed affiliate links will be a great way to promote a variety of affiliate programs for these products.
Final Thoughts on Hiking Backpacks
Hiking backpacks are barely a micro-niche. There is a ton of interest. You could have your entire blog be very successful and never leave this tiny little hiking topic. There is simply that much potential content for you to use.
With that said, this is also a great place to start a general hiking blog. Write 30-50 posts on backpacks then open your blog up to another micro-niche and repeat the process. Before you know it you will have built yourself a hiking authority site that can really start bringing in a great income for yourself.
Hiking Jackets
Next up is hiking jackets. That’s right hiking jackets. Jackets designed for hiking. You might be wondering if there is a market for this.
Is this a little too specific to base a blog around? The answer is absolutely not. In fact, this is one of the best hiking-related micro-niches you could possibly find.
Why? Because the products are in an almost perfect price range. 100+ dollars for a jacket is not uncommon and they go much higher depending on the brand and quality. There is some competition which is always a good thing.
No competition means no money. But it is not nearly as saturated as the hiking niche as a whole. So even a new blog can potentially break in and get a piece of the action.
A look at hiking jackets with the Keywords Anywhere extension for your Chrome browser shows a pretty nice search volume for such a specialized niche.
You would be able to get a good amount of content out of the long-tail keywords associated with this micro-niche. 20-30 good pieces of content will get your hiking jacket blog off the ground nicely.
A nice 50-50 mix of information posts and review or money posts would be a great way to kick off your new blog and then you can expand it by adding more hiking jacket-focused content or branching out into other hiking micro-niches.
Final Thoughts on Hiking Jackets
This sub-niche is considerably smaller and more focused than hiking backpacks or some of the other sub-niches on this list.
That just means there is an even bigger opportunity for you to build your hiking blog from this micro-niche. The competition will still be there and you should be able to find enough long-tail keywords to really start building your brand in the hiking sector.
Hiking Gloves
This is another super-focused micro-niche for a hiking blog. It is very much a place to start if you intend to expand into the larger hiking or outdoor niches.
Can hiking gloves make you some money just in this small niche? Probably, but there is going to be an upper limit on just how big you can grow a blog based solely on hiking gloves.
The interest in hiking gloves is a little trickier than some of the larger hiking sub-niches. They are not the first thing someone new to the niche is going to think about.
Gloves are probably going to be pretty far down the list so your audience will be made up of experienced hikers. This simply means that your knowledge and research must be on point or you could lose credibility pretty fast.
The search volume is a bit lower than some of the other topics on our list. But it is still more than enough to sustain a new blog, at least until you gain enough trust from the search engines to start expanding your hiking blog into some of the other areas.
And always remember that the search volumes are just estimates. Most of them are much lower than the actual numbers. Reviews and best-of lists will make up the bulk of your money pages for this micro-niche. There are plenty of gloves from a wide range of companies that will leave you with plenty of products to review and compare.
There is also a large number of potential information posts to support your money pages. The best materials for winter hiking gloves or how to choose the right sized gloves are just 2 general ideas that can be turned into your informational articles. There will be no shortage of content options for anyone willing to put in the work in this great little micro-niche.
Final Thoughts on Hiking Gloves
Hiking Gloves are really the very definition of a micro-niche. Good interest and decent competition. Still, there are massive opportunities to be found here. Good content and some outstanding keyword research can get your hiking blog off to a great start in this remarkable little niche.
Hiking Socks
You read that right. A blog based around hiking socks. Sound Silly? It is not. In fact, this micro-niche is one of the more competitive in hiking in general.
This is a case study in not dismissing anything when it comes to making money online. Even a humble little sock can be a real earner for you with the right promotion.
But why socks? The answer is pretty simple really. Feet are one of the first things a hiker is going to think about.
Hiking shoes and hiking socks are going to be at the top of the list for any hiker, new or experienced. It is imperative that you get things right for your feet or you are going to be miserable on your hike.
That is why the interest is so high for this micro-niche. People are looking for the best socks that are the most comfortable. And they are willing to pay a premium for that product. The perfect product for an affiliate marketer.
Content for this niche is going to be straightforward. Product Reviews are your money pages. Mostly made up of best-of lists. The best hiking socks for winter. The 8 best hiking socks for petite women. The list goes on and on.
For your information posts, you can compare the various materials socks are made of and rate the best ones for each situation. Or Compare different styles of socks.
Are compression socks better than wool socks for example? Again no shortage of content ideas for this remarkable micro-niche.
You can see in the image above just how much interest and search volume this seemingly innocuous micro-niche actually has. It could sustain your hiking blog for quite a long time. And it can give you the option of expanding into other hiking areas. Or even staying with just hiking socks and earning a nice side income passively.
Final Thoughts on Hiking Socks
This is a prime example of why you should research your niche ideas. no matter how silly or insignificant they might seem.
There are gems in every niche in every industry that you can use to start making a living online. Hiking socks are just one of the diamonds in the rough on this list.
Hiking Watches
Hiking watches are another great idea for a Micro Niche in the hiking space. It’s another one of those often overlooked little niches that can really be quite profitable.
The main reason for this is because these watches are pretty pricey Most of them are well over a hundred dollars making for some great commissions if you can find the right affiliate partners.
Technically, hiking watches could fall into the overall wash Niche if you wanted to have a website based on watches you would probably have a section specific to hiking washes.
But for our purposes, hiking watches are their own little micro-niche. You can start your entire blog around this particular product.
The bottom line here is that there are a lot of searches for these types of watches from hikers and Hiking enthusiasts. And you’ll be able to generate a ton of content based on these watches.
Your money pages consist of your standard reviews of an individual watch or more likely your best of posts ranking 10 or 15 different watches in a certain category.
So one example would be the 8 best hiking watches with GPS and you can build up new lists and reviews on just about any topic within the hiking watch niche.
Your information to post will be built on what types of materials are best and most sturdy for a hiking watch. You can go into the history of hiking watches for various producers of these watches.
Really your information posts need to be helpful and interesting and give people a reason to go to your site for more than just to read reviews.
The overall volume of searches it’s probably a little bit lower than some of the other niches that were taken to look at here today. The main reason for that is that hiking watches are a luxury item for a hiker.
At least for new hikers. so it’s something that they’ll pick up after they’ve got their backpack after they’ve got their good hiking shoes after they have really the essentials for hiking. That’s when they may decide to get an expensive hiking watch.
Final Thoughts on Hiking Watches
Don’t let the lower volume scare you off. The volumes are always estimates, anyway. The price of these products means you don’t have to get as many clicks or as many cells to generate a good amount of income.
That’s what makes this Micro Niche really appealing and one that you should definitely check out if you’re looking to get into the hiking blogging space.
Hiking Hats
Another Hiking product, another great hiking Micro Niche. Once again we find what might be an overlooked Micro Niche by simply examining what a hiker is going to want to take with them when they go on a hike.
At the top of that list, literally, is going to be a hat or headwear of some type. There are tons of different angles you can take for this microniche.
Almost everyone who’s going on a hike is going to wear a hat depending on what type of hike they’re taking. If it’s a stroll through the woods maybe not.
But if they’re hiking off a mountain in cool weather you’re going to want something to protect your head and your ears and your face from the elements.
so there’s going to be no shortage of people looking for these types of products. The interest is going to be there for just about everyone who is in the hiking niche that’s exactly what you want when you’re looking at a Micro Niche of this type.
You are not necessarily trying to draw in new audience members who have never been on a hike before with these Micro niches.
Your content ideas are going to be slightly different for this particular hiking Micro niche. The reason for this is there are so many different types of hats and headwear that have very specific uses.
You’re going to need to break it down into these little categories in order to get the best out of your content. For example, you can create an informational post on the best materials for winter beanie caps.
Another option would be to create an information post on what type of hat is the best for protecting your head ears and neck from the Sun if that is the type of hike you’re going to go on.
Your money posts are going to be, again, traditional review posts for this Micro niche. In addition, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do “best of” posts which are great at converting traffic into sales provided you have a good affiliate program waiting in the wings.
A quick look at the search volume for hiking hats and we see another fantastic example of a Micro Niche that can really generate some good then come for you.
The amount of long-tail keywords that you can generate out of just the head keyword of hiking hats is going to be quite robust.
Final Thoughts on Hiking Hats
To wrap it all up, we have another fantastic Micro Niche that you can use for a hiking blog or even for a Shopify store or Drop Shipping business if that’s the route you want to go. At this point, I would recommend a Blog but the ultimate choice is up to you.
Keep this in mind, however. Just because the competition for these micro-niches is slightly lower than it would be if you were going full-on with a general hiking website doesn’t mean you can skimp on content.
You’re still going to need great content and well-researched keywords in order to get the most out of this Micro Niche. You can check out our article on why content is so important.
Hiking Shoes
Hiking shoes/boots are one of the larger hiking micro-niches. It is going to be one of the broadest and most competitive micro-niches.
Hiking shoes are the first thing a new hiker is going to take a look at most of the time. Your audience will probably consist of new hikers and experienced enthusiasts in equal measure.
Given the broad appeal of this micro-niche, the interest is going to be much higher than some of the more focused niches. The content is going to need to reflect the diversity of your audience.
So your informational content will need to appeal to people who are brand new to hiking as well as more experienced hikers.
It is a little more complicated than some of the smaller niches. Your review content is going to be in-depth reviews of each hiking boot. You can do lists as well, but this type of product really needs a good in-depth review.
The search volume for hiking shoes really shows just how popular this niche can be. I would probably pick one of the smaller niches over this one. Hiking shoes are probably not the best way to get your feet wet
Wrapping Up Hiking Shoes
If you are looking to expand your hiking blog then hiking boots and shoes is going to be a great direction. Just starting out?
There are multiple paths of less resistance that you could take advantage of. Ultimately it is going to come down to keywords and content. Same as any other niche.
Hiking Walking Sticks
Hiking sticks and poles is another one of those overlooked micro-niches. These are not the first product a new hiker will think about but it is going to be one of the most important for them moving forward. Hiking sticks are just what they sound like, from the high-tech ultralight material walking sticks to your old-school hand-carved wood sticks there is something for any kind of hiker.
As an affiliate marketer, you need to be sure that all of these various types are well accounted for in your promotions and content. Speaking of that content, your informational posts are going to be the most important for this niche. These posts can range from an article on the best and lightest materials to look for when choosing a walking stick.
All the way up to how to choose the wood for your hiking stick and tutorials on how to properly carve one for yourself. In fact, that could potentially be an info product somewhere along the line.
Let’s have a quick look at the search volume. You’ll notice that is actually quite high. This is always nice to see, but the competition is still well within reach of a new blogger.
Just pick out some interesting long-tail keywords and work on your content from there.
Final Thoughts On Walking Sticks
This might be my favorite micro-niche on this list. It is pretty diverse in terms of the products offered. Or at least the materials used to make the products.
The competition is manageable if your content is good enough. Plus it is just a fun little niche that many of you are going to love writing about.
Hiking Compasses
Last but not least is one of the more overlooked but most important pieces of equipment for an experienced hiker. The Compass. For new hikers, this is not going to be a big product.
Why? Because new hikers are going to stick to well-trodden trails, with mile markers and everything else they need to find where they are going.
But at some point, if your interest continues with hiking, you are going to want to go off the trails and find new experiences. And for that, you need a compass. And there are plenty to choose from. It will be your job to find the best and pass them along to your readers.
This will be reflected in your content. Your information content can be built around how a compass works, common questions about compasses, what they are made of, and on and on. You are going to want to craft some very in-depth reviews on each compass for your audience. Leave no stone unturned.
The keyword situation is going to be a little interesting. Searching for just “hiking compasses” might not get you enough results and compass as a keyword is too vague and competitive.
You will need to find a happy medium with your longtail keywords so that you target people looking for the right type of compass. Writing a 5000-word article on a nautical compass is not going to help with your hiking blog.
This niche might be at the bottom in terms of raw profitability. You can certainly earn a little bit with this micro-niche but shoes, socks, and backpacks are going to be well ahead. The thing about compasses is this. You will have to write about them at some point if you are writing a hiking blog. It is unavoidable.
So you might as well have a good grasp and an even better monetization strategy in place to take advantage of this great little micro-niche.
The Big Finish
One of these micro-niche ideas could be a great place to start your new hiking blog. But these are only a small sample of what is out there. Your blog could have articles on the best hiking flashlights or it could be based around hiking vests or shirts. The possibilities are incredible for this and really any other niche or industry you could come up with.
There is so much search traffic, and so many people looking for so many things that you can find these little nuggets of gold just about anywhere you look. You still have to put in the work. You still have to write the content or produce the videos. But it is possible for anyone to step up and start building their financial freedom online.
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Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful day.
Hey Michael,
From this article alone people can get inspiration for a lot of different industries and break them down into micro-niches! If you’re blogging about exercise, for instance, you could break that down to running, then break running down to running shorts, running shoes, heart rate trackers, etc.
You’ve just given me a ton of ideas, haha. Thanks for the article!
Andre,
glad you found the article helpful.
You can break your niche down to the basic product if needed. Just as long as there is enough traffic to support your profit expectations
Thanks for the comment
Michael
Michael I so much appreciate your article and especially the idea of a micro niche. I have been with WA for a while now and have built a website based on Backpacking and you helped me to understand how saturated this particular ( Niche? ) Business, is, and have renewed my enthusiasm to make some changes, as to focus on some items in this business. Also it has shown me that I have a lot to learn. Of course with the training and “support” that seems to be inherent with WA It will be a pleasure!
Thanks again
David W.
I hope it helps you out. Start as small as you can and then build your site out.
Good Luck and thanks for the comment
This is a really incredible and in depth look at building a hiking blog. There are so many ways one could start this type of new blog, for example choose a broad name but start out in one of your micro niches.
What I really like about this post though is that anyone reading this can take the ideas from this and formulate them to any type of niche which is really awesome.
Do you have any tips on how one could build all these ideas for another niche? Like how did you come up with all of these ideas for building a business based on hiking?
This gives me some good ideas for a blog I’ve started, and we’ll see where it leads from there!
There are a few ways to find these little micro-niches. Searching on Amazon is one way to find some. Also just breaking down what a hiker would need and then doing some research on those.
And you can do it for just about any niche. If you wanted to do a running blog, for example, you could create a list of everything a runner would need and see which ones have a good amount of traffic.
Thanks for the comment,
Michael