When it comes to internet marketing, you can't be all things to all people.

When you try to be broad, you don't end up being deep enough to do anyone much good. Those are the facts of life and they're also the facts of Internet marketing.

If you want to make money in the IM field, you're going to have to stake a claim on some particular topic areas and products. You're going to need a niche.

How do you make that decision? A few different factors can guide your decision making. Some are purely academic and dispassionate. Others are highly personal. Looking at them all should help you to decide where to concentrate your marketing efforts.

The dispassionate part of the decision is a matter of crunching numbers. You want to work in a niche that's going to allow you to generate a healthy income. While it is possible to "create a niche" from scratch with a truly game-changing product, it's usually necessary to make a decision based on the immediate potential for success.

You need to look at the products that are available in the niche.

You'll want to do keyword research to discover how competitive the topic area is. You'll need to evaluate your competition and their probable levels of success. You want to do everything in your power to make sure that there is a real chance of making money in a niche before you jump in.

It's ideal if you find a massive need in the marketplace and no one (or few people) trying to fill it. That won't always happen, though. In fact, it won't happen that often.

That means you'll probably be working in a niche that has some competition--maybe a great deal of competition. Don't let that scare you. It's a sign that someone is making money.

Doing your homework and crunching the numbers is important, but it isn't the only thing you need to do.

If you're going to be working in a particular niche, you're going to be spending a great deal of time on its issues.

Content creation, research, promotion… It requires some effort. You need to decide if you can put in the hours necessary to achieve maximum success. Part of that decision is going to rest on your interest level in the topic area.

While some people can work in any niche, whether they care about it personally or not, most find it easier to deal in an area that they enjoy. There might be a great opportunity out there for someone whose willing to work in the "orange widget" niche.

If you absolute hate orange widgets, find them dull, don't think they work worth a hoot, and roll your eyes every time they're mentioned, it's probably not going to be the kind of niche that will work for you.

When it comes to internet marketing what is the right niche?

Finding the right niche for your online business requires an examination with respect to potential profitability and a consideration of whether it's sufficiently in line with your personal interests.

If you keep both sides of the niche selection coin in mind, you're likely to make a good decision. Neglect either, and you might be cursing your shortsightedness as your project flounders.

Copyright John Adams.