Niching is specialising.
It's going from being a developer, to being a website developer, to being a Webflow developer, to being a Webflow developer for restaurants, to being a Webflow developer for restaurant owners in San Francisco called Bob.
Niching is something that can often be feared, as it might seem like by specialising in a specific industry or for a specific problem, that you're reducing the amount of clients that you could work with.
What you'll find is that this isn't the case, as in reality niching could be one of the main factors that makes you a more successful web developer.
There are 3 reasons why niching will help you become a better and more profitable web designer, so let's start with the biggest misconception first:
1. Niching helps you get more clients
You might think by nicheing you are reducing the amount of potential clients that you could work with, but in most cases it's actually the opposite.
When you niche, though you end up targeting a smaller slice of clients, usually ones in a specific industry or with a specific problem they're facing, you're making it a lot more likely that clients will work with you because they see you as someone who is specialised for them.
If you wanted pizza, would you go to a restaurant that serves 3 different cuisines, or one that just does pizza? or if you lived in a windy city, like I do in Wellington, would you buy a generic umbrella, or one that is made specifically to not break in windy weather?
So by niching you're showing the right clients that find you that you're going to be the trusted option to go with.
and Overtime this gets easier and easier as your portfolio of previous work reflects the same kind of client, so when a new client finds you and looks at all your previous work, they can see that you've worked on the same kind of project that they have plenty of times before.
Surprisingly enough though, if your work is good enough then even if you niche, you will still get clients reaching out outside of the niche just because they want to work with you, such as if you have a specific design style that they their website to have, so by niching your not completely cutting away all other client work.
As a Webflow developer who niches in SaaS websites, most of my leads are websites for software products or apps, but not all. I'll also get clients from other industries wanting to work with me even though I'm not specialised for them just because of my design style.
2. Niching reduces your competition
There are a lot of fish in the sea, and there are a lot of web developers in the market. So finding a way to stand out amongst the competition is crucial for getting more clients, or if you're a fish, for not getting eaten.
When there is no discernible difference between you and another developer, clients are going to go for the cheaper option, but as soon as you fit a specific need for your client, you're more likely to be chosen to work with, and it's much easier to charge more.
Niching makes it easier for customers to build trust in a business because they know that they are focused on their specific problem or need. So when clients are given the option to work with a generic web developer or one suited to their specific situation, they will often pick the one that is more specialised to them.
This is because it's much less risky for a client to go with a developer who knows their situation compared to a developer who is just looking for any kind of work that comes their way.
