Marketing An Ultra Niche Website: SEO For The Extremely Specific

There are a lot of different kinds of businesses online, the specifics of the website SEO tactics used by each depends a bit on what kind of page is being serviced. For example, a website that has a very broad focus and invites user-generated content on a variety of topics (think wis.dm, for example) benefits a lot more from user-generated hubbub than an ultra niche website that zooms in on one aspect of one part of one category of one subject — think bettafish.com. That kind of supernarrow focused website has it’s own unique flavor of SEO that can be broken down into four general areas.

Part one: Finding An Audience

If you’re going to create the next ultra niche website, the first thing you need is an audience. You can make a website that’s all about using a 3D printer to create models of the characters from Magic: The Gathering cards — but how many people are going to get excited enough to pay for your guide to crafting the perfect Llanowar Sentinel?

Now, most people would tell you that this isn’t SEO-relevant, but that’s because they’re not thinking it out. What kind of communities online would be interested in this sort of thing? Forums. What do SEO companies think of forums? That they’re wonderful places to get backlinks from. So, when you find an audience for your product, you’ve also already set yourself up for your first stage of SEO!

Part two: Building A Following

The next step is to get people listening to you and interested in what you have to say. Coincidentally, one of the top-tier SEO strategies of the day is blogging. Get your blog set up by an SEO expert, post to it regularly using the keywords your expert gives you, and you’re well on your way to not only building a following, but getting some serious search engine love for your ultra niche site as well.

Part three: Build The List

Finally, you’ve got people waiting for your next post both on the forum and on your blog. It’s time to introduce the killer tool in the ultra niche arena: targeted Email marketing. Put up a squeeze page, offer something cool and unique (and relevant and free!) in exchange for an email address, and build your list. Send out Emails to your list about your topic — in addition to your blog and forum posts — and when you’ve got a decent following reading your emails regularly, drop in your offer. They won’t all buy — they never all buy — but many will, and those people you add to a second, more elite mailing list for repeat customers. They will be your bread and butter for as long as you love them.