What is a niche site?
A niche site is simply a website that focuses on a small portion of a larger market with the end goal of monetization.
There are multiple ways to make money with niche sites, including through affiliate marketing programs, ads, online courses, digital products, advice, sponsored posts, etc.
My preferred form of monetization is affiliate marketing.
For a niche site to be successful, you need to:
- Create a website with a website creation tool.
- Conduct keyword research and write quality content with good search engine optimization (SEO).
- Strive to get backlinks from reputable sites in your niche in order to strengthen your domain authority (DA).
- Update your articles frequently to start ranking on Google's search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Join affiliate programs and place your affiliate links strategically to start earning commissions.
Then, once you reach a certain level of traffic (over 50,000 visits per month), you can add ads to get even more passive income. I recommend that you consult the AdSense alternatives like Mediavine or AdThrive, which offer higher revenues than Google AdSense.
Overall, to make money online with a niche site, you need to have skills in digital marketing, a methodical and energetic approach.
List of the best niche ideas
Alright, now that you know the main things I look for when creating a niche blog, here are some of the topics to explore right now.
1. Remote work tools
Here's a question I bet I already know the answer to, but I'm going to ask it anyway.
Raise your hand if you've had a Zoom or Teams call in the past two weeks.
Pretty much anyone would raise their hands on that.
With everything going on in the world, remote work has become more important than ever.
Since many people work from home, which doesn't seem to change anytime soon, remote tools are more in demand than ever.
Now, people need all sorts of things that they never thought of before:
- Noise-canceling headphones
- Glowing rings
- Laptop stands
- Second screen
- Wireless keyboards
And everything else, that they had in the office or that they didn't need at home.
Then there's the software - videoconferencing tools, team messaging apps, webinar software - these SaaS tools all require monthly subscriptions and many have affiliate programs.
Even when people start going back to work, there is a good chance that a good percentage of them will end up working from home, whether full-time or a few days a week.
So they're still going to need all that software and equipment.
That's why creating a niche site around work-from-home tools represents a huge opportunity.
An easy way to get started with a site of this type is to create a niche site that is based primarily on Amazon affiliate links.
While recent Amazon Associates affiliate program commission cuts have made it a bit less appealing than before, it's still an easy way to get started.
Choose the remote work tools you want to highlight, create powerful reviews about them, and publish them on your site.
2. Video and recording equipment
At this point, everyone except my mom decided to Start a podcast or a YouTube channel.
Even if you're not interested in podcasting or don't want to become a YouTuber, that doesn't matter, as there are plenty of opportunities for people who are looking for material.
I can talk about it myself.
I started my YouTube channel a few years ago and over the years I've equipped myself with more and more sophisticated equipment to try to keep up with people like Peter McKinnon (it hasn't worked yet).
But think of all those people who are in the beginner and intermediate stages of starting a YouTube channel or a podcast. They are just getting started, still need to make money with their podcast and are looking for tips and tools for beginners.
You can create a niche site all around the best hardware for that.
This can be anything from high-end hardware like cameras and lenses to more moderately priced hardware like microphones, tripods, accessories, video editing tools, etc.
Since the sound on YouTube and podcasts is what really matters to listeners, you can create a lot of content around audio techniques and audio editing software.
Gerald Undone is one of the most impressive examples of this approach and also illustrates how you can take advantage of YouTube and video to develop your niche site.
And the best part?
When you gain a bit of fame, most of the most important affiliate programs in this field, like B&H Photo and Adorama, will send you material that you can borrow to give feedback.
3. Credit cards
When it comes to make money online, three of the most popular sectors are money, weight loss/fitness, and dating.
The competition is tough in each of these categories, but if you can find the right sub-category and position yourself in the right way, the potential for a niche site to succeed is considerable.
As you might expect, a niche site around credit cards can be extremely lucrative.
Qualifying for affiliate programs is often difficult, but once you do, you can earn significant commissions.
The key to the success of a site like this is finding a unique angle. Are you going to focus on travel rewards? The students? Business owners?
Each of these target markets can work.
I would consider BankRate as a starting point to get started in this niche. It features all the big names on the map and you can manage everything from one place.
Another great thing about credit card affiliate programs is that they go across any and every niche and industry. Do you have a travel blog like my friend Nomadic Matt?
4. Outdoor equipment
An underrated way to find a good niche is to talk to your friends. See what they're obsessed with, and go from there.
Obsessive hikers and campers are willing to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to acquire the latest gear. Plus, it's a niche that's not oversaturated, and you can find all sorts of niche opportunities within a niche.
For example, you could create a niche site around female hikers, camping with kids, and hiking with dogs, to name just a few ideas.
Be that as it may, the fact remains that more and more people will seek to get out into nature in the coming years as the pandemic has changed travel priorities and plans.
5. Expensive sports
In the same way, you will find campers who will spend a lot of money to buy things; you will also find sports fans.
For example, in golf, it is very easy to spend hundreds of euros on a single club in your bag, not to mention rangefinders, balls and shoes.
Golf is not the only opportunity to do this.
Think of those who love stand-up paddleboarding; a single board can easily cost between 300 and 1,500 euros, or even more.
Create a quality paddleboarding site and you can earn money.
Plus, you can add any additional equipment you need to paddle, including oars, car racks, storage racks, life jackets, and more.
The same goes for a sport like cycling. You can see that with the Competitive Cyclist affiliate program, the average order value is greater than $250.
Consider other expensive niche sports as well: hang gliding, sailing, and fishing come to mind.
6. Hotels
You may be saying to yourself: hotels? Now? People travel less today after the pandemic!
Where there is change, there are opportunities.
There are a lot of commissions to earn in the world of travel, hotels and real estate in general.
By taking a unique approach to hotels, you could achieve excellent results in your own niche market thanks to a travel blog.
Maybe you're creating a site about 5-star hotels you can currently stay at for over 50% off thanks to COVID.
Or maybe you're reviewing the best “socially distant” hotels or travel destinations.
Be that as it may, there are currently a lot of people who have a strong desire to travel and a pent-up demand for travel.
Numerous travel bloggers have also closed their doors.
Over the next two years, a new generation of different niche sites will have the opportunity to succeed.
If the idea of this process seems daunting (and a lot of work), try to narrow it down even further.
Focus on a specific city, for example, and set up the right one travel affiliate program.
Keep in mind that commission percentages aren't huge, but when you consider that one-time bookings can easily reach a thousand dollars or more, that can add up quickly.
7. Domestic animals
Simply put, people love their pets.
And almost as much as that, they love spending money on their pets.
This sector is booming and goes far beyond chew toys and leashes.
Today, you can get high-tech equipment for your pets, known as pet tech. This equipment is expensive and affiliate commission rates are often higher than the usual 5 to 8% found in many locations.
For example, look at the Fi dog collar:
It takes your typical dog collar and turns it into a GPS tracking device.
You'll never lose luck with a product like this again, and at $150 per piece with a 20% starting commission rate, you can win $30 per piece for every sale.
If you want to devote yourself entirely to pets as a niche site, there are many different directions you can take. But a great approach is to combine a few key affiliates in pet technology with all sorts of other complementary, animal-related affiliate programs.
Consider combining pets and hotels, how about a niche site devoted to the best pet-friendly hotels in the United States or New England?
Another way to focus on pets and get some of these higher-commission links is to write about pet insurance too.
Most people end up getting pet insurance since a visit to the vet can cost a lot of money, and many of the biggest pet insurance companies also offer affiliate programs.
8. Web hosts
Do you want to start an online business? The first thing you need to do is go online by getting a domain name and choosing a host like Bluehost.
Just look at the number of times the phrase “how to start a blog” is searched each month in the United States alone.
Hosters are known for the high commissions they receive for each new customer. So there is plenty competition for the search terms that are related to them.
But if you get creative, you can always find ways to make a lot of money in this niche.
You may find that there is too much competition to opt for a simple “web hosting review site,” but by staying on the topic of a “niche within a niche,” you could focus a bit more and be successful.
Perhaps you are focusing specifically on helping retirees develop their independent business, and then recommend web hosts and domain name providers specifically for this market.
Or maybe you focus on an industry, like freelance writers who need presentation sites, and target your criticisms to their needs.
With this niche, target any audience of entrepreneurs first and then recommend web hosting second.
In 2021 and beyond, the most successful niche sites will be those that think outside the box and potentially combine two different industries to create something unique.
9. Home gym equipment
Simply put, with a pandemic ongoing, more people than ever are staying home rather than going to the gym.
Home gym sales are skyrocketing, and that's a trend that's not going to stop anytime soon.
Specialized home gym equipment is a great area to create a niche site. And where you can really find future niches is by studying growing training trends.
Some of the most “trendy” workout gear in recent years include cross-fitters, kettlebells, flexibility and mobility equipment, yoga mats, and more.
Here is one more example recent.
The resistance bands were gaining a bit of traction in early 2020, and then boom, watch them skyrocket during lockdown and summer.
If you've gotten ahead of the curve by creating a niche site around resistance bands, you've probably been able to earn nice commissions.
Not to mention more technological options when it comes to fitness, like Peloton or Nordic Track, or fitness trackers like the Apple Watch.
This is a booming sector that deserves a site and a presence on social networks.
10. Food and cooking
Les food blogs are among the most successful niche sites.
However, there are still plenty of options for you. The number of people eating at home has never been higher.
Think of the unique effect you can create on a site like this that doesn't have as much direct competition.
Think about what you already have in your kitchen and follow the trends. Over the past two years, InstantPots have driven all sorts of food and cooking sites.
Sites such as Wirecutter, managed by the New York Times, have been able to retain their users by reviewing a multitude of kitchen items.
Want to know the best cast iron knives, juicers, or frying pans? Wirecutter probably talked about it.
You can do the same thing, but limit yourself to a niche. Consider creating a niche site aroundone only of these types of products.
Maybe a site devoted to the best blenders for green or raw food lovers, or the best Japanese knives or marble pastry boards.
With high-end, niche cooking becoming more and more common, people are spending money to buy the tools that are normally seen in professional kitchens.
11. SaaS products
As part of the work-from-home trend, many of us need to rethink the way we work, master our tasks, and stay productive.
There are hundreds of software as a service (SaaS) businesses that focus on productivity and related topics. Whether it's aboutplanning tools Like Woven orproject management tools Like Asana, there are plenty of possibilities for a niche site that compares and contrasts these types of tools.
And productivity is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SaaS ideas. There are also email marketing companies, SEO tools, ERP systems — the list goes on.
A niche site dedicated to one of these sectors could be incredibly profitable.
Some of them even have affiliate programs that pay on a recurring basis, so you can make a referral and continue to reap the rewards as long as they remain a paying customer.
12. Livestreaming services
With the rise of services of Streaming, I haven't bought Blu-Ray or DVDs in years.
In 2020, there are more new streaming services than ever. There are not only incumbent operators like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but also Disney+, Netflix, Canal Plus, and at least a dozen others.
The good news is that between all of these programs, you can watch just about anything you want.
The bad news is trying to find out what you can watch and on what platform.
There are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of this growing trend by creating a niche site devoted to different streaming software and services, to reviews, to content updates, etc.
Affiliate opportunities certainly exist, but displaying ads would also be a great monetization tactic for sites like this one. Building a good email list and sending out continuous updates would also be a good strategy.
Importance of a niche site
You should think of your niche site as a business. That means a lot of planning and brainstorming.
Anyone can choose a subject of writing and stop there.
But that doesn't mean you'll get traffic, rank for quality keywords, or earn affiliate revenue.
To do this, you need to start with the right topic.
The main thing you need to focus on is the potential of your niche to make money. Otherwise, you only have a leisure site that will please you and not your bank account.
What you want is to start a blog that has earning potential right from the start. For more in-depth strategies, you can read my step-by-step guide to starting a successful blog this year.
So you should remember this and focus on the main success factors of any online site:
- Affiliate products : I'm looking for high-priced items where I can earn more by selling a single product than by selling dozens of programs to make a profit.
- Commission rate : Check out the various affiliate networks and individual affiliate programs on Google for their commission rates. This is the percentage you earn for each sale. Also, check the duration of the cookie, i.e. how long you are credited with the sale after clicking on the affiliate link.
- The keywords : Keywords are critical. I am always looking to buy keywords that have a high search volume but low competition or a low difficulty score. Different SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs will help you find good keywords.
- The competition : Are other people making money in this niche? I always keep an eye out for product reviews with affiliate links because that usually means it's a program with high commissions. In general, the higher a business is placed in an affiliate article, the higher its earnings.
Here is the basic formula that I like to use when thinking about niche topics:
Good buying keyword traffic+ journal articles with affiliate links + high-priced products that offer good commission rates = a good chance of people making money in this niche.
This is not an exhaustive approach to niche sites and affiliate sites, but adhering to this general framework has been quite successful for me personally.
Without any of these elements, it will be difficult to progress or make a lot of money from your site.
That's why it's so important to keep these three things in mind when choosing a topic. If you don't build your site around a topic with good keywords and affiliate programs, you won't get any traffic.
And that means you're not going to make any money.
What is a niche in a niche?
Before discussing the best niche ideas, it's worth addressing the idea of a niche within a niche.
It's one of the most important things you can learn if you're starting out in this field.
First of all, most of the “niche” ideas you have are probably more specifically industries.
Golf, travel, and video games, for example, are all industries.
To differentiate yourself and create a successful authority site, you need to think smaller.
For example, golf is a sector of activity where competition is harsh.
Golf equipment is a niche, but the competition is still quite strong.
Golf swing improvement tools are a niche within a niche. There's less competition, it's very targeted, and there's a lot of potential to make money more quickly.
We'll give you more examples of how this works throughout this article, but think about how you can take your big idea and scale it down to reduce your competition.
Remember that you need to be the undisputed leader in your specific niche. If you're not sure if you can be one of the top 10 golf websites, narrow down your niche and be known for something a bit smaller.
Ok, now that you know how important it is to choose the right topic, let's move on to the list.
Summary.
Regardless of the type of niche site you want to operate, there are plenty of potentially interesting ideas that can generate passive income.
All you need to do is take the time to find the right ideas and get to work.
Remember, you should approach your niche site as if it were a business; the end goal is to find the right combination of long-tail keywords, affiliate programs, and traffic that will bring people to your site and encourage them to buy.
From there, it's about creating quality content that educates your readers and instills their trust. If they can trust what you tell them, they will be much more likely to buy from you.
Build your niche site the right way and you can scale and repeat this process over and over again. I know that because I've done it several times.
All it takes is good research, time, and dedication.
Decide that you are ready to do it and take steps every day to get there. Taking this approach, rather than focusing on setting up something to make a quick buck, will pay off in the long run.
So if you've considered creating and running your own niche site, there's no better time than now.
I know you can do it.
