I'm thinking of starting a new blog of a general nature writing on a variety of subjects. Is this a good idea or is it necessary to be specific and have a niche? Good comments appreciated.
start blog on something YOU love doing it nobody got money running after money, everyone who does what he loves to do, gets successful ( $$)
THAT topic is a good niche already. If you actually know what you're talking about and can give a unique spin to your tips and advice then you can definitely get people interested. Good luck.
The key with blogs is to make sure you are writing something you are passionate about. If general nature is your thing, then go for it. If you end up digging too deep into a more specific niche in the nature category it may end up being something that you don't want to continue to write about constantly.
It may help if you compare blogging to running a classifieds. The more choices you have the more interested people you will have out there. Another example would be this forum. Look at all the options it has. Imagine if it only had the Buy, Sell, Trade category. It wouldn't be the same forum, at all. Give people a variety of topics to get as many of those people as possible.
One important thing is not clear from your question - what do you want to achieve with your blog? Do you want to use it to monetize your blogging, or want to use it a personal space for sharing thoughts? Because if it is the second thing then you don't need to ask the question at all - you simply write about what you like and what you find valuable in your life. You don't need to think much about SEO methodology, gaining links and exposure, those things will come naturally with your audience. And if you want to monetize your efforts, choosing a niche might do you better, but at the end of the day, if you write useful, valuable content with the thoughts of user satisfaction you are doing it right
It depends on the kind of blog you want to develop. If you are developing a hobby blog then you should write about all kinds of general topics. On the other hand, if you are developing your blog for business (to make money), then you should decide on a niche topic. You want to develop a business blog on a focused topic. That focused approach will enable you to grow a minimum viable audience more rapidly and grow your blog as a business.
Being targeted gets you to the expert status better. Importantly, write on what you are interested in so it can be fun and productive at the same time. Cheers mate! All the best!
It increase your conversion I will advice you to narrow it down to a sub-niche, instead of writing on a board scale and having lots of bigger competition you will find difficult to beat or to rank well on first page of Google. Broad writing = large competition and little or no result niche writing = little or no competition and better result Which do you prefer?
People who specialize in something generally make more money than people who try to be a jack of all trades. In my opinion, it is better to focus on a specific niche topic and become the expert in the that area.