19 Types of Avoidable Niches

Published: 16 Aug 2025

There are so many niches to choose from in the blogging world, and people often say that picking the right one can lead to great rewards. But did you know that some niches are best avoided? Yes, that’s right—some niches might seem appealing but can harm your success.

Table of Content

In this blog, I’ve compiled a list of 19 types of avoidable niches you should avoid.

Types of Avoidable Niches in SEO

When it comes to finding the right niche for your site, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Different users have different needs, and there are various niches available.

And each of these types of niches has its own unique set of challenges and opportunities, but some SEO niches are avoidable and non-profitable in various aspects; these include:

Google’s Knowledge Graph Niches
Branded Niches
Direct Copyright Niches
Sensitive for human health Niches
Gambling Niches
Drug Niches
Adult Content Niches
Human Trafficking Niches
Get Rich Schemes Niches
Illegitimate Products Niches
Weaponry Niches
Terrorism Niches
Political Content Niches
Hate Speech Niches
Unregulated Financial Services Niches
Malware Niches
Counterfeit Goods Niches
Misleading Content Niches
Pop-Ups Niches

Let’s start discovering all these avoidable niches in detail without wasting time.

1. Google’s Graph Knowledge Niches

Google’s Knowledge Graph is a system that organizes information about entities—people, places, and things—and their relationships. It uses artificial intelligence to understand the context of search queries and provide more relevant and accurate search results.

For example, if you search for a person, Google’s Knowledge Graph will find related information, such as the person’s place of birth, age, career, and other relevant details.

Here are some examples of such queries:

How is the CEO of Google?
Dollar to Pkr
City name Weather

Keep in mind that if you select the niches on which Google’s graph knowledge shows its result directly, it is useless to target them. But suppose you select a niche on which Google’s graph knowledge shows an organic result by mentioning or relating to any site. In that case, it is very beneficial to target such SEO niches.

2. Branded Niches

Branded niches are already associated with a particular brand or company. These niches are often difficult to target as SEO niches because they are highly competitive. Additionally, high competition makes getting a high ranking in these niches difficult.

For example, if you are trying to target the keyword “Apple,” you would compete with the company and many other companies that use the keyword in their SEO efforts. This makes it difficult to rank highly in search engine results.

3. Direct Copyright Niches

Direct copyright niches involve using copyrighted material, such as content owned by someone else. This could include music, films, books, photographs, software, etc.

These types of niches should be avoided in SEO because they can lead to legal issues. If you are using content owned by someone else and not legally allowed to use it, you could be liable for copyright infringement. Additionally, search engines like Google can issue DMCA takedown notices if they detect copyrighted material on your website. This can lead to your website being removed from search results, which could significantly decrease your traffic.

Examples of direct copyright niches include music streaming services, movie download sites, book download sites, and software download sites.

4. Sensitive Niches

Sensitive niches such as diseases, fitness guides, and supplements are not suitable to target because they have the potential to cause harm.

For example, if you target diseases without any medical background, you may provide wrong or inaccurate information that could lead to serious health issues.

Similarly, fitness guides may contain incorrect advice that can lead to injury or sickness. Finally, supplements may be dangerous if taken without proper medical supervision.

On the other hand, if done correctly, these sensitive niches can be a great way to target them. For example, you can target diseases by providing accurate and up-to-date information about symptoms, treatments, and prevention.

In addition, you can create fitness guides tailored to a specific body type or age group and provide advice from certified professionals. Finally, you can provide detailed information about the recommended supplements’ proper usage and potential side effects.

5. Gambling Niches

Gambling is generally not allowed on Google AdSense because it can be considered a form of gambling. Gambling involves exchanging money or goods for the chance of winning money or goods, and this type of transaction runs counter to Google’s policies.

Additionally, Google does not want to be associated with any online gambling activities and, therefore, does not approve any ads related to gambling.

For example, Google AdSense does not allow websites that promote online gambling, such as casino or sports betting sites, to display Google ads. Google also does not allow ads promoting real-money gambling apps like poker or other casino-style games.

6. Drug Niches

Drug niches are drug categories targeted by drug dealers, distributors, and users. These include alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and wine. These drug niches are not generally seen as good to target as they are illegal in most countries and can cause severe health and social problems.

For example, alcohol and tobacco use can lead to addiction and addiction-related health problems, such as lung cancer, heart disease, and liver disease. Cocaine and other illicit drugs can lead to addiction and other problems, such as violence, crime, and financial hardship. Wines, when consumed in excess, can also lead to physical and mental health problems.

So, we should avoid SEO niches that put human health at stake.

7. Adult Content Niches

Adult content niches are niche markets within the adult entertainment industry, such as pornography, sexual fetishes, and dating services. These niches can be lucrative, but they are not recommended for most businesses due to the controversial nature of the content.

For example, a business that targets the pornography niche would risk alienating potential customers and damaging its reputation. Furthermore, certain adult content may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions, making it difficult to operate a business in those areas.

8. Human Trafficking Niches

Human trafficking niches are areas of business or services designed to exploit people for labor or sexual purposes. Examples of these niches include forced labor, sex trafficking, child prostitution, forced marriages, and other forms of exploitation.

These niches are not suitable to target because they are illegal and unethical. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery and a severe human rights violation. It is estimated that over 40 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking.

Traffickers are often involved in organized crime and exploit vulnerable people for financial gain. They may use physical and psychological coercion to force people into these activities, and victims often experience physical and psychological trauma.

So, guys, try to avoid such niches.

9. Get Rich Schemes Niches

Get-rich schemes are plans or strategies that promise people they will become rich quickly. These schemes typically involve unrealistic promises of large returns with minimal effort and often involve illegal activities, such as fraud and manipulation.

The main problem with targeting Get Rich Schemes in SEO terms is that they are not legitimate and are likely to be seen as spammy. Search engines do not reward websites that use these schemes and, instead, focus on providing quality content and services.

Additionally, targeting Get Rich Schemes can lead to penalties such as being removed from the search engine’s index and hurting a website’s rankings.

10. Illegitimate Products Niches

Illegitimate products are not legally authorized or accepted by the authorities. They can be counterfeit items, stolen goods, or products not meeting certain safety and quality standards.

Illegitimate products are not good to target in SEO terms since they are prohibited by law, and search engines will not rank them. Additionally, targeting illegitimate products can have legal repercussions and damage a company’s reputation.

Examples of illegitimate products include counterfeit luxury items such as designer handbags and watches, stolen goods such as electronics or jewelry, and items that don’t meet quality or safety standards, such as expired food or unsafe toys.

11. Weaponry Niches

Weaponry niches refer to websites and blogs that sell and promote weapons and related products. These niches include firearms, ammunition, knives, and other weapons-related accessories.

While these niches can be lucrative, they can also be challenging to target with SEO strategies. This is because the content is often associated with sensitive topics, and the legality of certain items can be difficult to navigate. Additionally, the competition for keywords related to weaponry can be quite high and difficult to break into.

12. Terrorism Niches

Terrorism niches are related to terrorist activity, propaganda, or other related topics. They are not good to target in SEO because they are often associated with negative connotations and can be seen as offensive by some. Additionally, they could attract the wrong kind of attention from authorities or other unwanted sources.

Examples of terrorism niches include:

Terrorist recruitment
Terrorist propaganda
Political violence
Radicalization
Organized crime
Terrorist financing

13. Political Content Niches

Political content niches include international relations, political science, and election news. They are not suitable to target in SEO terms because search engines often filter out political content from their index due to their compassion. Search engine users may also be less likely to click on political content due to its complex and often polarizing nature.

Examples of political content niches include:

Political Science
International Relations
Government Policy
Election News
Political Commentary
Political Analysis
Ideological Discussions
Current Events

14. Hate Speech Niches

Hate speech is not a good keyword to target in SEO because it can lead to negative publicity, reputational damage, and potential legal repercussions. It can also decrease website traffic and brand loyalty, as people may be less likely to visit or purchase from a website associated with hateful content.

Additionally, search engines could prevent a website from appearing in search results if the content is flagged as hate speech.

15. Unregulated Financial Services Niches

Unregulated financial services are services offered by companies or individuals that are not subject to government oversight or regulation. Examples include payday loans, cryptocurrencies, and other high-risk investments.

These services are unsuitable to target in SEO because there is no consumer safety or security guarantee.

16. Malware Niches

Malware niches refer to websites or web pages that contain malicious software (malware). Examples of malware niches include sites that distribute or host viruses, spyware, ransomware, Trojans, worms, and other malicious code.

These websites are not suitable to target in SEO terms because they are often penalized or blocked by search engines. They can also infect visitors’ computers with malicious code, are often associated with illegal activities, and can damage a website’s reputation.

17. Counterfeit Goods Niches

Counterfeit goods niches are those related to selling counterfeit or fake items. Examples of counterfeit goods niches include replica designer clothing, fake designer handbags, knock-off shoes, and other fake products.

These niches are not good to target in SEO because they are against the law. Search engines generally frown upon websites that sell counterfeit goods and will penalize them in their search engine rankings. Promoting fake or counterfeit products is also unethical, so avoiding targeting these niches for SEO is best.

18. Misleading Content Niches

Misleading content niches are designed to deceive or mislead readers. This type of content often focuses on controversial, provocative, or sensational topics and is intended to manipulate readers into believing something untrue.

Clickbait articles, fake news, and health or legal advice that is not based on facts or research are examples of misleading content niches.

These content niches are not good to target in SEO because they will not increase organic traffic. Search engines like Google are designed to reduce the visibility of misleading content in their search results.

Moreover, readers are likely to be turned off by this type of content and may not engage with it. This means this content has no potential for long-term growth or conversions.

19. Pop-Ups Niches

Pop-up niches are areas of business or marketing that focus on reaching out to users through pop-up ads, that is, ads that appear suddenly when a user visits a website or page.

Pop-up niches are often used to promote sales, offers, discounts, products, and services. Examples of pop-up niches include online gambling and online retail stores.

Pop-up niches are not suitable to target in SEO for a few reasons. Pop-up ads are often considered intrusive and annoying, leading to a negative user experience. Additionally, the content of pop-up ads is often not relevant to the user’s search query, which can lead to a poor user experience.

Furthermore, pop-up ads can slow down website loading times, leading to a poor user experience. Finally, search engines do not index pop-up ads, so they cannot be ranked in search engine results on pages.

Characteristics of Avoidable Niches

Below are some key characteristics of niches to avoid:

1. Signs You’re Dealing with a Saturated Niche

A saturated niche is one where too many people are already doing the same thing. This makes it harder to stand out because many businesses are offering the same product or content. Here are some signs that a niche is too crowded:

Too many competitors: Many popular websites or businesses are already doing the same thing.
There is little room for new ideas. Everyone is already offering similar products or content, leaving little space for you to be unique.
Overused keywords: The keywords you plan to target are already dominated by bigger websites.

2. Red Flags for Low Search Volume Niches

A niche with low search volume means very few people are searching for that topic or product. Even if there’s little competition, you won’t get many visitors because not enough people are interested. Watch for these red flags:

Very few Google searches: When you research keywords, you find that few people are searching for your niche topic.
Limited online communities: You can’t find many forums or groups where people talk about the topic.

3. How to Spot Overly Broad Niches

An overly broad niche is too general, covering many different topics instead of focusing on a specific audience. Here’s how to recognize it:

Covers too many subjects: The niche includes a wide range of topics, making it hard to focus on one audience.
Difficult to target specific groups: You can’t easily identify a clear target audience because the niche is too big.

4. Challenges of Regulated and Compliance-Heavy Niches

Some niches are in industries that are highly regulated, meaning there are strict rules and legal requirements. This can create extra challenges, such as:

Legal restrictions: You may need special licenses or permissions to offer products or services.
Constant rule changes: Laws can change often, meaning you have to stay updated and adapt quickly.
Extra costs: You might need to spend more on legal advice or compliance tools.

5. Understanding Content Saturation

Content saturation happens when there’s already so much content available in a niche that it becomes difficult to create anything new or original. Here’s what it looks like:

Repetitive topics: Most of the information or content you plan to create has already been written about many times.
Low engagement: Readers or viewers don’t interact with new content because they’ve already seen similar material elsewhere.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have covered the most common avoidable niches in SEO that can waste your time, money, and effort. These niches often have high competition, low earning potential, or unstable trends that make them risky for long-term blogging success.

My personal recommendation is to stay away from these niches in the blogging field. There are many other profitable niches available that you can target to build a stable income and grow your online presence. I hope you enjoyed reading this article, and don’t forget to check out the FAQ section for more useful tips and insights.

FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about avoidable niches in SEO.

What are the most common avoidable niches in SEO?

The most common avoidable niches in SEO are:

Google’s Knowledge Graph Niches
Branded Niches
Direct Copyright Niches
Sensitive for human health Niches
Gambling Niches
Drug Niches
Adult Content Niches
Human Trafficking Niches
Get Rich Schemes Niches
Illegitimate Products Niches
Weaponry Niches
Terrorism Niches
Political Content Niches
Hate Speech Niches
Unregulated Financial Services Niches
Malware Niches
Counterfeit Goods Niches
Misleading Content Niches
Pop-Ups Niches

Why are some niches considered avoidable?

They are hard to rank because of high competition. Search engines keep a close eye on them. Rules change often, making them unstable. Some may even bring legal issues. Safer niches give more stable results.

What are the risks associated with targeting avoidable niches?

You can get search engine penalties that kill your traffic. Some niches may bring legal trouble. They often need extra work to get results. Earnings may be short-lived. You could waste time and money.

Can you still make money from avoidable niches?

Yes, but it’s difficult. These niches need more skills and effort. Rules can change anytime, hurting your income. Competition is tough, making it harder to rank. Safer niches give more reliable profits.

Is it worth it to target avoidable niches?

Usually, no. Risks and rules make them unstable. Earnings may not last long. Search engines can penalize you anytime. Safer niches are better for long-term growth and income.

How can you escape avoidable niches in your SEO strategy?

Start with deep keyword research. Look for topics with steady search demand. Avoid areas with legal or ethical risks. Create content that helps readers and follows rules. This keeps your site safe and growing.

What are some alternative niches to target in SEO?

Try health, home improvement, or personal finance. Hobbies like gardening, travel, or cooking work well too. These have steady audiences and less risk. They are easier to rank and make money from. They also last longer in the market.

How do you determine if a niche is avoidable?

Check keyword difficulty and search volume. Look for signs of strict rules or high penalties. See if other sites in that niche have ranking issues. If risks seem high, skip it. Choose a niche with safer growth potential.

Can you still rank well in avoidable niches?

Yes, but it’s harder and less stable. You need advanced SEO skills and constant updates. Rules can change and affect your rankings. Competition is often high. Safer niches give you a better chance at lasting success.