Single Topic vs. Multi-Topic Blog: Which is Better and Why?

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Single Topic vs. Multi-Topic Blog
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This post is part of our question & answer series.

Here are a couple common questions asked by many beginning bloggers:

  • Should I blog on one topic or should I blog on multiple topics?
  • Should I create one blog for multiple topics or different blogs for each topic?

In blogging, we often refer to a blog’s topic as its “niche”.

Single Topic
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Here are some examples:

  • Blog:MOZ
    • Niche: Search engine optimization
  • Blog:Dailyblogtips
    • Niche: Blogging
  • Blog:Labnol
    • Niche: Technology
  • Blog:ShoutMeLoud
    • Niche: Internet marketing, blogging, and entrepreneurship

Yes, there is some overlap between certain niches, but what’s important is that you stay consistent. Don’t talk about finance one day, and then talk about pet care the next.

The most important questions you should ask yourself before starting a blog is:

  • What will be the topic of my blog? (i.e. What will I be writing about?)

Often when I talk to a new blogger about their niche, I hear something like this:

“I have an interest in lifestyle, fashion, photography, travel, and health –  and I want to write about all of these topics on my blog. I think that’s going to be the USP (unique selling point) for my blog, as I will be covering all of these topics in one place, and this will attract more readers.”

Prior to answering this in detail, let me make this clear:

  • This is the wrong approach when you are planning to monetize (make money from) your blog.
Multi-topic
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If you are planning to create a personal blog in which you write about many different topics, then this is fine, as money is not the primary reason you are blogging. If you’re blogging because you love to write and want to write about multiple topics, and any consideration of earning money from the blog is secondary to that, then by all means, write about anything and everything you wish.

However, if you are creating a blog from which you wish to earn an income, a multi-topic/multi-niche blog is a bad idea.

Let me explain…

Why a multi-topic blog is bad for readership, SEO, and making money:

We’ve established that if you’re blogging for fun and not for money, you can write about anything. This is because you do not need to be concerned about traffic when working on a personal blog.

However, in a strict business sense:

  • Traffic = Money

If you are blogging because you want to make money, you have to take a proper business approach.

Note: Making money from blogging is not as easy as it looks, but it’s also not that hard. If you do it properly, you can make good money, or at least enough to cover your cost of living. I earn my entire living from blogging.

When trying to monetize, there are several downsides to a multi-niche blog:

1. It will be difficult to cater to your readers need

Ask yourself a few questions:

  • What compels you to subscribe to a blog?
  • If you have an interest in a topic like “relationships”, what kind of blog will you subscribe to and read daily – a blog which is dedicated to relationships, or a blog in which the author posts about relationships, blogging, the forex exchange, and smartphones?
  • If you subscribe to a blog which has “blogging” as its topic, and suddenly you start seeing posts about dog care, will you remain subscribed to that blog, or will you unsubscribe?

Surely after answering these questions you can see why multi-niche blogs will not hold a reader’s interest for very long.

When searching for a blog on any given topic, we have thousands (sometimes millions) of options.

As a blog reader myself, I like to subscribe to blogs dedicated to topics that are specifically interesting to me. I don’t want to be bombarded with information about a wide variety of topics when I set out to read about a particular topic. I prefer to keep my focus on those topics which I enjoy reading and learning about.

If I subscribe to a blog related to SEO, and later I start finding posts about the author’s dogs, or their new house – subjects with no connection to the main topic of the blog – I will click the unsubscribe option straight away, and some other blog related to SEO will get a new subscriber.

2. The SEO of your multi-niche blog will be tough.

Search Engine Optimization of Multi-topic blog
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Search engine optimization, particularly for a blog that is created and maintained as a source of income, is very important. To maintain good SEO, your blog should have a single focus.

Here’s why:

Let’s say you operate a search engine like Google, and you have to rank a blog for a topic like “how to take the best photo in daylight”.  You have a choice between the following blogs:

  • A blog which is dedicated to photography tips.
  • A blog which contains posts about religion, photography, and dog care.

You would probably select the first blog, as it is likely to offer more quality content (because it is a blog dedicated specifically to the topic of photography), and there’s a higher chance that it will offer a better user experience.

The face of search engine optimization is changing, and search engines like Google are ranking blogs based on brand and authority. A single-topic blog has a better chance of creating a position of authority on a topic compared to a blog containing posts on multiple and varied topics.

As a matter of fact, I recently created a blog on a niche-specific topic, and with 12 blog posts and almost negligible SEO, that blog is getting 7,000 page- views per day.

Takeaway: A niche blog always performs better.

3. Making money from multi-niche will be challenging

Money from your multi-niche blog
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Now let’s consider the final and most important question:

  • Which will make more money for you — a single-niche or a multi-niche blog?

Remember this important point:

  • Income from your blog is directly proportional to the quality of targeted traffic your blog is getting.

You may have previously assumed that with multiple topics, a blogger can drive more traffic. But you now know that is not the case.

But even if that is the case, targeted traffic matters more.

Here’s an example…

Let’s assume you are a company that has developed a camera, and you have a limited advertising budget. You are creating an advertising plan and you have two blogs you’re considering placing advertising on:

  • Blog #1: This blog gets 10,000 page views per month, and all of the traffic coming to the blog is for topics related to photography and cameras.
  • Blog #2: This blog gets 50,000 page views per month, and the traffic coming is for various topics including photography, dog care, baby care, blogging tips, fitness, makeup, and many other things.

Which of these two blogs would be ideal for the advertisement of your product- a camera? Probably #1, as you will be getting a better ROI (return on investment) for your advertising budget. Why? Because you will be getting targeted traffic from blog#1, whereas blog#2 will be sending traffic which might not be relevant to my product.

Now that you understand what kind of blog you need in order to drive more traffic and thus create more income, let me quickly address how to choose a topic.

How to find a topic for your blog

If you wish to write posts on multiple topics, you can take one of two approaches:

1. Create different blogs on different domains:

2. Create different blogs with a sub-domain of the original blog:

  • Tech.ShoutMeLoud.com
  • Hosting.ShoutMeLoud.com
  • Bitcoin.ShoutMeLoud.com

Although, I wouldn’t recommend starting a new blog on a sub-domain. It’s better to start a separate blog.

Tip: If you are just starting out, don’t start multiple blogs. First, create a blog on a particular topic/niche, and once that blog is well established and is driving lots of traffic for you, only then should you start a second blog.

If you are confused about how to choose topics which you can write about regularly and consistently, here is a very simple approach:

  • Take a notepad and paper and create columns for topics that you wish to write about. For example, Dog Care, Baby Care, Facebook Tips, Photography, etc.
  • Once you have created your columns, write down 20 post ideas for each topic. When you are writing down the post ideas, think about what you are going to write in those posts.

This process alone will help you remove 2-3 topics from the list.

  • Now, start blogging for two weeks on the topics that remain on your list. In two weeks, you will be able to determine which is your strongest topic, and thus the one you should use.

If you don’t have a blog yet, read my guide on how to start a blog and launch your blog today.

The Hard Side Of Creating A Niche Blog

Just to be fair, there are a few things that are difficult. For one thing, you have to become an expert so that you can write in the niche. This may take some research and study at the beginning of your online venture. It’s also time-consuming to come up with lots of different subtopics for just one niche.

One more challenge is that you have to choose the niche carefully, and this takes some time to do marketing research to make sure it’s profitable. Since you are doing this for money and hobby (I assume) your keywords have to be money-related.

There must be key phrases, which prospective clients type in Google to find what they want to buy. Remember that it’s not the number of visitors, but the quality which counts.

That is, having hundreds of daily visitors who will likely increase the bounce rate or give you some cents from ads cannot compare with 40 or 50 targeted visitors who will land in your pages with their credit card on hand.

Not only is it easier to make money with a niche blog, but it’s even better if you target a long-tail keyword. There is less competition for these, so you’d be able to completely dominate it and rule the niche. This will put you higher in the search engines and convert to more cash more quickly.

If you have any remaining questions about niches, feel free to ask them via the comments section below.

If you find this article useful, do share it with your friends!

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Authored By
A Blogger, Author and a speaker! Harsh Agrawal is recognized as a leader in digital marketing and FinTech space. Fountainhead of ShoutMeLoud, and a Speaker at ASW, Hero Mindmine, Inorbit, IBM, India blockchain summit. Also, an award-winning blogger.

111 thoughts on “Single Topic vs. Multi-Topic Blog: Which is Better and Why?”

  1. Nitish

    Very nice work..It really helped me out for choosing my niche..Keep posting such outstanding articles

  2. samuel

    Thanks for the useful information Harsh. I wanted to find out how much you are now making from your niche sites. I was thinking of creating one and how often do you post per week. thanks.

    1. Harsh Agrawal

      I post once a month & they are generating close to $1000 each.

      1. Komal Singhania

        Hi Harsh,

        Its quite an informative post. I am a newbie in this blogosphere and would like to know one thing, was thinking of starting a lifestyle blog. Although its again a multi faceted topic as there could be n no. of things in lifestyle section to write about so just wanted to know that will that be a good idea for future prospects if I want to monetize my blog or rather I should again select something like travel or fashion or any specific topic in the lifestyle segment. As well, if you could please tell me what are the chances of getting it a hit thing in the long run.

        Thanks 🙂

  3. Tanzil Akhtar

    I was wondering about the topic for my blog with many topics, now it is clear to me how to start a blog with a specific topic and niche. thank you Harsh…

  4. Blessing Noah

    This blog post has helped me focus my energy on running a single topic blog. All thanks to you, Harsh.

  5. Mia

    Hi Just received and worked through the first lesson… I have one question I have three sub categories for my blog which are Lifestyle, places and food. However I classify my self as a lifestyle blogger where I write about my day to day life, what I eat and where I go. Would this be classed as multiple topic as it is all under lifestyle ??

    1. Harsh Agrawal

      @Mia
      This would be categorize as Lifestyle blogger. Should work for you!

  6. Maria Cartagena

    Just the topic I was looking for. I have been a blog writer for fashion for over 5 years. However, for the past year I have really been pushing to get posts up and finding motivation. My interests have changed which is all part of life as we grow and develop new ideas. I am more interested in motivational and personal development type writing. I am very interested in discussing topics also including spirituality. How can I transition from fashion to these new topics? Is there a way to combine both? The latters subjects are things I would like to develop into a book as well.

  7. Meena

    Hi Harsh,

    This blog has clarified my main concern about single/multiple niches. I have 2 questions:

    1)As you mentioned blogspot.com, once I create would it always be permanent as I do not want to loose any posts or subscribers.
    2) How can I track viewers and on what stage should I start monetising it?

  8. partner

    Thanks, Harsh, this post clear my concept on single & multi-niche blogs, I was really confused about this and I was on the wrong track, now I will make micro niche site, and I think now a day google also prefer micro niche and rank it well without any backlinks n PBNs.

  9. Oladimeji Shadrach Aliu

    Hello harsh, thanks for the information but I own a blog and I blog about different things like..tech,pc games,android games,cybersecurity and stuffs like music and movies..but I do get low traffic..I want an advice in which aspect should I concentrate on..

  10. Shivam Diwedi

    Thank you Harsh for this post.
    I want to blog on two different topics.
    Tell me, Should I take two different domains?

  11. Monika Singh

    Hi Harsh, Very nice post. I wanted ask that how many articles one must write in the beginning. I can write articles 7 days a week but is that useful for blog to write daily?

  12. Neha Rathi

    Can we earn money with the blog having free blogspot platform? And in future can we change it wordpress without losing backlinks, traffic and other data? As I can’t invest right now in any paid form of blooging. Pls reply m waiting

  13. Akash Mohol

    Hello Harsh,
    I referred your tutorials on how to start a blog and then I started blogging 2 months ago. I did the same mistake and created a multi-niche blog. Today, I read your first tutorial on how to select a niche ? Single or multiple? and It was super easy that made me understand to focus on single niche blog. Thank you for that! 🙂
    Waiting for your second tutorial..

  14. PEGGY

    Comment: Harsh, Well explained that is very helpful. i feel confident enough to give it a try thank you .

  15. Zahid Ahmed

    I always thought that maintaining a multi-topic blog will fetch me good traffic and some fame. So, in the same pursuit I wasted over 3 years as a blogger, but today I only blog about a fixed topic. Your blog is a must read kind of thing for budding bloggers. Nice tips to be on track.

  16. suraj kumar

    well, article was pretty good but I would disagree with your points because blogs with multiple topics will catch the attention of readers a lot.Because nowadays each of the third person is internet savvy if they are looking for a particular thing if they found something more interesting other than that particular topic.They will go for that.

  17. Precious Ochofie

    Thank you Harsh, you just made it easier and clearer. I will begin my blogging journey from Blogspot and later move it to WordPress.
    Watch out for me guys.

  18. Amit

    Hi Harsh,

    Thank you for this informative article, All my doubts cleared. I have a blog on which I am writing the articles related to blogging and technology. I was thinking its a bad idea but some of people commented that its good to have these two combinations. Mostly I prefer to write technical tutorial which is related to blogging like “How to create logo with onlinelogomaker” etc.

    Now I get some energy to write more about these two topics.

    Thanks, really appreciated.

  19. Tuluzz

    Ah, I think Multi-topic is much better than Single topic, cause your website gets stronger in a specific niche. So I would like to go with the Multi-Topic, Thumbs up for this one.

  20. Ani Henry

    Although this topic is educating I will also like to disagree with the topic having my reason to be that when you blog with multiple topics you tend to draw more attention. A bloggers work is only online as a brother said makes his work every second work, he doesn’t rest until he achieves what he wants, now what does he want? he want to make a living while working for himself now tell me even if you get 50,000 visitors today and you didn’t persist in advertising before a week and you come back to check your visitors number, I assure you of a drastic decrease which may reduce to only 5,000. This is a clear indication that you went sleeping while thinking that you have had it all. So saying driving visitors to your blog using different topic mechanism doesn’t work is a false. Now let me justify that, 50,000 visitors entering your blog will not have the same want, at least you are sure of 20,000 visitors who will like the kind of advert on your blog. OK if you have an advert showing company that sell shoes, clothing, etc will you tell me that 90% of your visitors will not be interested? So it depends on
    1. The type of advert you have one your blog.
    2. The extent you took your blogging whether as a life time business or for a short time interval.
    3. If you are giving your visitors what they have been looking for where to get.
    4. The sincerity of you passion on the topics you choose.
    5. Excellent presentations.
    6. Planning etc

    With these few points I would like to strongly disagree on the topic in question because you first of all have to access the importance of your topics to the readers.

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