So many people are concerned with finding the “secret” or the “magic niche” that they fail to see the key to it all is right under their nose…hard work, testing, learning from mistakes, etc

You’re making awesome progress on your site since the NAMS event in August. I look forward to seeing you there again in January!

Sure – I share much of that here:
http://www.clicknewz.com/1822/market-research-or-finding-niches/

There are no magic numbers, as it depends on the type of campaign and other factors, but the main thing I look for in niche research is “market depth”.

It also pays to have more than one possible source of income just in case something happens to one of them. In my case you never know what Google might do so I always have my products that I promote on the sites.

Do you have a specific criteria that your keywords results must match when choosing your niche? If so…would you share?

In some cases I’ll do a comparative review between products, or even between merchants for the same product.

As for which merchant will convert best for any given product or market, that takes testing. You start with personal intuition. Does the merchant make the ordering process easy, do they charge too much for shipping – or offer free shipping, etc.

As for deep linking, or linking to individual products, that’s a must if it’s a multiple-product site, and most of those types of merchants offer that automatically. You’ll know when you read the affiliate details, or after you sign up and see the linking options.

Reason being i’m using pen names for 1-2 of my own niches as well, so was hoping to learn some ideas from you on how to maintain relationships & establish credibility when using pen names.

That said, not all niche affiliate sites require a “personality” or even “credibility”. Let’s say I create a website all about Elvis Bobbleheads. Someone is search for the Elvis Bobblehead 1957 Year In Gold (specific product) and my web page ranks #1. They click through to a page that shares the Top 3 places to buy one online including an overview of the prices, shipping charges and gift-wrapping options. They make a selection and click through to buy. They don’t really need to meet me as part of that process.

Sometimes I use photos, sometimes I don’t. In some cases I use older pictures, or more obscure pictures of myself. In other cases I’ve bought rights to a stock photo. In most cases it’s just not even necessary. The About page is about the site – not about me. But like I said, not every type of niche affiliate site revolves around the person behind it – but rather the product or the topic.