So, if you are following along this series, then hopefully, you have now decided where you are going to host your shiny new website! Now, it's time to get down to work, and think about your niche. Remember, these initial steps are setting the foundation for long-term growth, so don't rush the process. 

Before you publish a single post, you need to know what space you’re stepping into. Blogging isn’t done in isolation. Every niche has people who’ve already been at it for years, and the surface view of their sites rarely tells the whole story.

Each style appeals to different readers. Studying the landscape helps you figure out what tone and presentation will set you apart. If every blog in your space feels stiff and corporate, you might win people over with a warmer, conversational voice. If every site is casual and disorganized, you might stand out by being more structured and authoritative. 

You should also track how competitors monetize their blogs. Are they selling their own products, relying on ads, or focusing on affiliate links? This tells you a lot about what’s working in the niche. 

It doesn’t mean you need to copy their exact model, but it helps you plan your own. If you see multiple successful blogs using affiliate links, that’s a signal the audience buys through recommendations. If everyone’s selling courses, it may mean the niche values in-depth instruction. But there’s always room to innovate. Competitor research gives you the baseline, and from there you can adjust. 

Don’t just look at the top players. Spend time on the smaller blogs too. Some may only post occasionally or have outdated designs, but they reveal something important. They show you what happens when a blogger can’t maintain consistency, doesn’t research properly, or fails to connect with readers. These cautionary examples are just as useful as the polished ones. They highlight the pitfalls you want to avoid. 

A critical part of this process is noting patterns. Do most competitors use the same headlines? Do they recycle the same five tips in different formats? If so, you’ve uncovered sameness that you can break away from. 

The internet doesn’t reward echo chambers. It rewards fresh angles and voices. Readers crave originality, and they notice when every blog starts to sound identical. By analyzing these patterns early, you can plan content that fills the gaps rather than contributes to the noise. 

It’s not enough to research once and move on. Competitor blogs evolve. They test new features, change their designs, and pivot to new topics. But at the start, your goal is to capture a snapshot of what the space looks like right now. That snapshot guides your first decisions about categories, themes, and positioning. It gives you the confidence that you’re not guessing, you’re acting with purpose. 

Competitor research is like surveying the ground before you build a house. If you don’t know what’s already there, you risk putting your foundation on unstable land. But if you take the time to study the terrain, you’ll know exactly where to build and how to make your structure stand tall among the rest. The effort pays off later when readers find you not as a copy of someone else, but as a voice with clarity and value they can’t get anywhere else.

Use this checklist:

• [ ] Identify 10-15 competitor blogs ranking on first page for your main topics
• [ ] Analyze competitor site structures, categories, and content formatting
• [ ] Note engagement levels (comments, social shares, email opt-ins visibility)
• [ ] Identify content gaps - topics they haven't covered or covered poorly
• [ ] Study competitor monetization methods (ads, affiliate links, products, courses)
• [ ] Analyze competitor branding styles (personal vs. professional, tone, design)
• [ ] Look at smaller/struggling blogs to identify common failure patterns
• [ ] Document recurring patterns and sameness across competitor content
• [ ] Create positioning strategy based on identified gaps and opportunities

And these two ChatGPT prompts, changing the wording in the brackets as appropriate:

Competitive Gap Analysis Framework: I'm entering the [niche] blogging space and want to identify opportunities my competitors are missing. Help me create a systematic framework for analyzing competitor blogs that covers content gaps, audience needs they're not addressing, monetization strategies they're underutilizing, and positioning angles that are underexplored. Include specific questions I should ask about their content quality, engagement levels, and brand presentation to find my unique angle. 

Market Positioning Strategy: After researching competitors in [niche], I've noticed these patterns: [describe 3-4 patterns you see across competitor sites]. My background includes [your relevant experience/expertise] and I want to serve [target audience description]. Help me develop a unique positioning strategy that differentiates me from the competition while serving an underserved segment of the market. Include suggestions for tone, content approach, and brand personality that would stand out.