A Comprehensive Guide to Free Niche Research Tools for Affiliate Marketers
Dec 14, 2023
A Comprehensive Guide to Free Niche Research Tools for Affiliate Marketers
Niche research forms the bedrock of a solid strategy for those venturing into affiliate marketing. While there is a myriad of premium SEO tools designed for niche keyword research, they often come with a hefty price tag that beginner affiliate marketers might find hard to shell out. Not to mention, everyone seems to be using them, resulting in decisions based on the same set of information. Want to stay ahead of the curve? The trick lies in using techniques and research methods that your competitors might overlook in favor of standard tools. In this article, we'll walk you through 9 of our favorite niche research tools that you can use for free, along with some tips and tricks on how to best utilize each one.
Table of Contents
Google Trends
Subreddit Stats
Localized Rankings
Google Search Console
Answer the Public
Answer Socrates
Exploding Topics
Statista
Similarweb
1. Google Trends
Google trends, boasting an impressive market share of 92.4%, stands unchallenged as the most widely used and popular search engine in the world. One of its many features, Google Trends, is an incredibly powerful tool. This tool diligently tracks and monitors the popularity of various search queries across the entirety of the search engine. This allows users to not only analyze emerging topics that are currently gaining traction but also to study and understand long-term trends that have been prevalent over time.
How to Use Google Trends for Niche Research
To discover intriguing niches, focus on specific geographies rather than country-level statistics. It helps you identify trends that may be starting locally but have the potential to spread to other geographies. Here's an example:
Limitations of Google Trends
While Google Trends is a go-to for niche research, it's important to note its limitations. It shows you relative numbers and not absolutes. Hence, even if two terms rank at 100, it doesn’t mean they have equal demand.
2. Subreddit Stats
Reddit, known as a thriving and bustling hub, is home to a myriad of niche communities, each with its own unique interests and discussions. In this context, Subreddit Stats emerges as a dedicated platform. It serves to provide comprehensive ranking lists, closely monitor subscriber trends, and offer a wealth of other relevant statistics. These services are specifically tailored for popular forums on Reddit, helping users to navigate and understand the dynamics of these vibrant communities better.
How to Use Reddit to Find a Niche
By utilizing the analytical tool known as Subreddit stats, it becomes possible to examine and identify those subreddits that are experiencing a swift surge in popularity.
3. Localized Rankings
Localized rankings, which are essentially a snapshot of what people are actively searching for within a specific country, region, or even a city, can provide valuable insights. If you find yourself operating within a niche that is characterized by an extremely high level of competition, these localized rankings can be a game-changer. They can assist you in gaining a foothold by allowing you to concentrate your efforts on a particular geographical location.
How to Use Localized Rankings for Niche Research
You can either start with the offer and use a tool like 5 minute site to figure out which zip codes search for that offer the most, or start with the location and then look for what people are searching.
4. Google Search Console
Google Search Console, a complimentary Search Engine Optimization tool provided by the tech giant Google, offers you valuable insights by displaying the specific keywords for which your website or page ranks. Furthermore, it provides a detailed breakdown of the number of page impressions that are generated from each individual keyword.
How to Use Google Search Console for Niche Research
The key lies in zero-volume keywords. When you have a zero-volume search word or term with a relatively high number of impressions, you may have found a niche gold mine.
Limitations of Google Search Console
While Google Search Console is an extremely helpful tool to analyze your own traffic and impressions, focusing on low and zero-volume search terms is still a gamble.
5. Answer the Public
Answer the Public is a highly useful tool designed to display a variety of search queries, particularly those that are structured as a question, providing you with a comprehensive view of potential search terms.
How to Use Answer the Public for Niche Research
For example, searching the term "email marketing" shows that people looking into email marketing are also searching for information about direct mail, Facebook ads, and software tools.
Limitations of Answer the Public
You only get a couple of free searches per day.
6. Answer Socrates
Answer Socrates, a viable alternative to Answer the Public, offers the advantage of unlimited free searches. This tool ingeniously amalgamates data from a variety of sources including the 'People Also Ask' section, the autocomplete feature provided by Google, and the insightful Google Trends.
How to Use Answer Socrates for Niche Research
Put your seed keyword into the tool and see which questions come up. It's a great way to discover buyer intent keywords.
7. Exploding Topics
The digital platform, which goes by the name of Exploding Topics, provides invaluable and insightful observations into the realm of emerging trends, often identifying them even before they manage to achieve widespread mainstream popularity.
How to Use Exploding Topics for Niche Research
Start by visiting the homepage and see which trends the team has selected.
Limitations of Exploding Topics
If you find an exploding topic that sparks your interest, use SEO tools to validate that it’s an upward trending market (and not just a fad).
8. Statista
Statista, which is often characterized as a "business data platform", provides an extensive collection of statistics that span across a wide variety of different and diverse industries.
How to Use Statista for Niche Research
You can find studies, reports, and analyses by Statista, which can help you determine whether the niche you want to enter is growing, shrinking, or stable.
9. Similarweb
Similarweb is a traffic analysis tool, which unlike keyword research tools, also tries to tell you how much traffic a given website is receiving from non-organic channels like Direct traffic and referral traffic.
How to Use Similarweb for Niche Research
If your strategy for acquiring traffic is purely SEO, but your competitors are receiving most of their traffic through referral or direct sources, this could be an indication that search demand for the topic isn't very high.
Conclusion
Once you've successfully pinpointed your specific niche within the vast market, it becomes absolutely essential, not to mention non-negotiable, to diversify and broaden your revenue streams. This is a crucial step towards ensuring the sustainability and growth of your business. In addition, it's equally important to make sure that your affiliate tracking is set up correctly and efficiently. This is a critical step in the process that cannot be overlooked or underestimated.
This trial, designed with your convenience in mind, allows you to consolidate all your affiliate networks into one easy-to-use, user-friendly dashboard. This is a feature that not only simplifies your work but also enhances your productivity. But the benefits don't stop there. It also enables you to attribute your conversions back to the specific content on your website. This provides a clear, unambiguous picture of what's working and what's not, giving you valuable insights into your performance.
This is a tool that can truly streamline your affiliate marketing efforts, making it a must-have for anyone serious about their affiliate marketing journey. It's not just a tool, but a partner in your success, helping you navigate the complex world of affiliate marketing with ease and confidence.
FAQs
Q1: What are some free tools for niche research?
Answer: Some free tools for niche research include Google Trends, Subreddit Stats, Localized Rankings, Google Search Console, Answer the Public, Answer Socrates, Exploding Topics, Statista, and Similarweb.
Q2: How to use Google Trends for niche research?
Answer: To use Google Trends for niche research, focus on specific geographies instead of country-level statistics. This helps you identify trends that may be starting locally but have the potential to spread to other geographies.
Q3: What is the purpose of Google Search Console in niche research?
Answer: Google Search Console is a free SEO tool from Google that shows you the keywords you rank for and the number of page impressions that come from each keyword. You can find niche ideas and keywords within your own website that your competitors will have a hard time finding.
Q4: How can I use Answer Socrates for niche research?
Answer: Put your seed keyword into Answer Socrates and see which questions come up. This is a great way to discover buyer intent keywords that you can write buying guides for.
Q5: What is the use of Similarweb in niche research?
Answer: Similarweb is a traffic analysis tool that tells you how much traffic a given website is receiving from non-organic channels like Direct traffic and referral traffic. If your competitors are receiving most of their traffic through referral or direct sources, this could be an indication that search demand for the topic isn't very high.
