Niche marketing is the current buzzword in online marketing, with every internet enterpreneur jumping on the bandwagon to uncover and promote certain niches. Certain niches appear to be extremely popular with thousands of web pages being built daily on those niche keywords. Generally, the selection of niches is very much dependent on the preferences of the entrepreneur. However, the broad school of thought is to select keywords on certain niches based on their demand ( number of searches in the search engines ) and their supply ( current number of pages listed in the search engines ). The more popular measures of niche keywords being the use of the Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI) and the CID.

The availability of specialized softwares that are capable of locating such keywords make it easier to compile thousands of keywords covering certain niches within minutes. Other add-ons allow data from the keywords collated to be analyzed and broken down into more refined sub-niches.

But in doing all these, there is one pre-dominant consideration of selection of niche keywords that is often neglected.

It is fine and necessary to consider KEI, CID or any other adopted parameters of supply and demand.

But above all, one needs to consider whether the niche under study falls under the category of "sunset" industry or "sunrise" industry.

Sunset industries would refer to those areas of business that have gone through the process of time, and have or are going to fall into disuse or winding down or which will be completely abandoned in time to come.

We consider, for example the use of the manual type-writer, which due to the advancement of technology and process of time, has almost been completely relegated to the archives of history, with the electric type-writer or the computer driven word processor replacing it. The manual type-writer would represent one area of business that can be categorized as "sunset" industry.

If you research on an industry or a keyword, do not be overjoyed if there is a dreath of supply of web pages on that niche. Pause and consider whether it is a "sunset" or a "sunrise" industry, and whether it is worthy of your efforts to build a web site or web pages covering that niche or to promote the business as your adopted niche.

Consider that "sunrise" industries will revolve around the emerging technologies such as communications technology, say for example the VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), computer security and anti viral protection, bio-technology, medical science and anti-aging researches...and you can be sure these will be popular niches that will be around for many more years to come.

So on your next mission to build a web site, or to select a niche business for your online marketing efforts, pause to consider this aspect of niche marketing. It can mean the difference of a steady income that will spiral upwards as the niche develops and progresses, in comparison to the slow and eventual death of a "sunset" niche industry.