I believe that there are two mistakes people make in coming up with ideas about websites. First, they find the most searched for topic on Google and think that building a website about it is going to make them a small fortune. The fact is, rehashing old information on a subject about which there are already a million websites probably is not going to do well, especially if some of the established sites out there are well-positioned.

Then there are those that shy away from building a website just because there are a million other websites on the topic and its prominence in Google means that plenty of those other websites are dominating and domineering. Now, this sounds like a contradiction from paragraph one. However, a passionate, well-done website with a fresh perspective on an old topic, with just a little bit of public relations, will take off.

When writing for InDepthInfo, I am always looking for those nuances that make a subject interesting. What was it that drew my attention to it in the first place? How does it connect with stuff on which I have already written an article? This was what drew me to my most recent site on InDepthInfo, Composting. There are plenty of composting sites out there, but many of them seemed passionless. Being an avid composter myself, I have had my hands deep in decayed matter. Also, as a gardener, I frequently write about plants that I have grown, especially herbs, carrots, and leeks. All this ties together.

Never try to write about stuff that does not interest just because it is popular. I would never put fingers to keyboard for the sake of soap operas, or rap music, or anime. Why bother putting together something you would never get pleasure in reading yourself? Often, I have occasion to return to something that I wrote several years back. Most of the time I find it is still fresh and interesting (at least to me). When I cringe at something I wrote long ago, it is usually because I did not care about the subject in the first place.

So, it all comes around to: don’t write about something because it is popular, but then again don’t shy away from it because you fear the competition.