When starting a blog or online business, the most important decision you’ll have to make is what niche to focus on. There are several factors that go into choosing a niche (we’ll cover them) and you want to make sure you give this decision the attention it deserves. If you choose the wrong niche, you could build an excellent blog, but ultimately not make any money.
By choosing a niche that’s already proven to be popular and profitable, you’ll know that making money with the blog is possible if you’re able to grow the audience.
What Makes a Profitable Niche?
When you’re evaluating a niche, it’s not always easy to determine the income potential. Here are a few key factors you can observe that indicate whether a niche is likely to be profitable.
1. Plenty of Products and Services for Sale
The more money that’s being spent in the niche, the better it is for your potential to make money. This includes physical products, digital products, and services. If people are already spending a lot of money on related products and services, there’s a better chance you could make money with your blog.
It doesn’t matter how you plan to monetize your blog. Of course, creating your own products and offering services are options. However, you could also use affiliate marketing to promote products and services being sold by other people. Advertising is also heavily impacted by the products and services being promoted to the audience you’re reaching. The more companies are trying to reach your audience to promote their products and services, the more money you can make from advertising.
2. Passionate Audience
The most profitable niches offer plenty of income potential because readers are very passionate and willing to spend money. They may be passionate because they have a serious problem they’re trying to solve. Or they could be passionate because the topic is related to a hobby and how they like to spend their free time.
3. Evergreen
The best niches are not trends or fads that are popular today but will be gone a year from now. You don’t want to put in a lot of time and energy growing a blog only to find that people are losing interest in the topic. Instead, choose evergreen topics that will remain popular for years to come.
Niching Down
We’re going to be looking at the most profitable niches, and since people are making a lot of money in these niches, they’re also very competitive. You’ll need to create a blog that stands out if you want to make money, and one of the best ways to stand out is to drill down deeper by focusing on a specific sub-niche.
By drilling down deeper, your blog content will be highly focused on a specific top rather than cover lots of different sub-topics that fall under one main topic. For example, instead of starting a general personal finance blog, you could start a blog specifically about investing. You’d ignore other topics like frugal living, debt payoff, credit, and anything else unrelated to investing.
Taking a narrow approach allows you to brand yourself as an expert on the topics and helps your blog to stand out to visitors who are extremely interested in the topic.
As we look at each of these popular and profitable niches, I’ll also list some examples of sub-niches you could choose. There are many other possibilities aside from the ones I’m listing, but they should give you an idea of what’s possible and get some ideas flowing.
Related: Blog vs. Niche Website: Which is the Better Way to Make Money Online?
Most Profitable Niches
We’ll take a look at 11 niches that are proven to be popular and profitable. That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to make money if you start a blog on these topics, but it does need that you won’t be held back by a lack of options.
These niches are not ranked or listed in any particular order. All of them offer plenty of potential.
01. Health & Fitness
One of the most profitable niches is health and fitness. Think about all of the exercise and weight loss programs you see being advertised online and on TV. There are millions of people who want to improve their physical fitness, and they’re willing to spend a lot of money to do it.
Aside from people who want to lose weight or get in better shape, there are also millions of people who are already in great shape, and they’re passionate about staying in shape and getting even stronger.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Health & Fitness:
- Dieting
- Weight Loss
- Bodybuilding
- Yoga
- Running
Real-World Example: Jessica Casteneda runs Easy Living Today, where she publishes recipes and fitness tips. Her sub-niche is fitness for moms, with more than 80% of her readers being moms.
Although she no longer publishes income reports, a few years ago Jessica wrote an article at Start a Mom Blog where she shared that she was making $20,000 per month, just three years after starting her blog.
02. Food
Food is a passion for many people, and it’s also an essential part of life that we deal with everyday. For some people, food is also a career.
There are plenty of opportunities to make money with a food blog. While there are many popular food blogs that are already well established, the constant demand for these topics also leaves the door open for new bloggers like yourself to jump in and get a piece of the action.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Food:
- Recipes
- Baking
- Specific Diets (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Keto, etc.)
- Home Brewing
Real-World Example: Jamie from A Sassy Spoon has published income reports on her blog at times in the past. Her most recent monthly report that was published showed $8,724 of income in April of 2020. Some months, she’s brought in more than $10,000.
03. Personal Finance
Many of the most popular niches are the ones that impact everyone. Health and food would fall into that category, and so does personal finance. We’re all impacted by money, and there’s a huge audience of people who are actively searching for ways to improve their own financial situation.
While some aspects of this niche are better left to professionals, there are plenty of topics that the average person can cover. In fact, many of the most popular personal finance blogs were started by “regular” people, not financial professionals. Readers often relate to bloggers who have gone through some of the same challenges, so there are opportunities here for everyone.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Personal Finance:
- Debt Payoff
- Financial Independence
- Family Finances
- Frugal Living
- Investing
Real-World Example: One of the most well-known examples of a blogger making money is Michelle Schroder-Gardner from Making Sense of Cents. Michelle’s income reports were extremely popular. She stopped publishing them a couple of years ago when her monthly income was typically around $150,000 per month. Michelle generated the majority of her income through affiliate programs and then created her own course on affiliate marketing. The course diversified her income and allowed it to grow significantly.
04. Make Money Online
There are millions of people looking for ways to make money online, and there’s a lot of money in it for bloggers who cover these topics.
I highly suggest that you don’t start a blog about making money online until you’ve actually made money with another website or blog on another topic. A common mistake is to start your first blog in this niche, which really doesn’t make sense. If you don’t have experience creating a successful online business, you probably won’t be successful at teaching others how to do it.
However, if you do have experience building your own online business, this could be a profitable niche for a future blog.
Be aware that there are a lot of scams and bad information floating around in this industry. You’ll have to be able to prove yourself and show that you’re different to have success.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Making Money Online:
- Blogging
- Affiliate Marketing
- Writing and Selling E-Books
- Passive Income
- Side Hustles
Real-World Example: Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income is another blogger that had epic income reports and eventually stopped publishing them. When Pat stopped publishing income reports he was consistently exceeding $100,000 per month, and in some cases more than $200,000. Pat now runs a team, and SPI has become much more than just a blog.
05. Relationships
There’s a lot of money to be made in topics related to relationships. Think about all of the dating apps and websites out there. Additionally, people are spending a lot of money on books, courses, coaches, and therapy to improve their relationships with others.
Not only are people interested in the topic, but many people have challenges or problems they’re looking to overcome, and they’re willing to pay for products and services that help. That means you’ll have opportunities to create your own products, promote other products as an affiliate, and earn from advertisements on your blog.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Relationships:
- Dating
- Dealing with Breakups
- Marriage
- Divorce
Real-World Example: There aren’t many income reports or publicly available details for the income of relationship blogs. However, you can get some details about traffic to get an idea if a blog is successful or not. One of the top relationship blogs is The Gottman Institute.
According to Ahrefs, their blog is generating more than 50,000 search visitors per month, and the website as a whole is getting more than search 100,000 visits. Keep in mind, that is only search traffic, so the total traffic is probably significantly higher. While we don’t know how much the site is making, it’s clear that traffic potential exists, and there are plenty of ways to monetize this traffic.
06. Family & Parenting
Another topic that’s relevant to everyone is family. Not everyone is a parent, but there are plenty of parents, and expecting parents, who are looking for information online. Mom blogs are extremely popular, and dad blogs also provide excellent income potential.
While there are some broad family blogs, most of the successful blogs in this niche take a specialized approach. From moms who want to find natural solutions for everyday problems to parents who are looking for fun entertainment ideas, there are plenty of possibilities.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Family & Parenting:
- Pregnancy and Newborns
- Special Needs Children
- Large Families
- Blended Families
- Family Entertainment
Real-World Example: Alida from The Realistic Mama has published income reports in the past. She eventually stopped, but she had been making $20,000+ per month for a few months (working part-time) at the time of her last report. The majority of that income was from affiliate programs, with an online course and advertising accounting for smaller amounts.
07. Travel
The travel industry, including blogs, was hit hard last year by the pandemic, but this seems to be bouncing back. Travel is a passion for many people, and even those who don’t travel extensively enjoy reading and seeing photos of new places.
One of the perks of starting a blog is that it’s a legit business, and business expenses can be deducted for tax purposes (be sure to get personalized advice based on your own situation from an accountant or tax professional). Incorporating travel into your business is an ideal way to fulfill your wanderlust.
Aside from the money, monay travel bloggers also get free trips or perks that aren’t available to the general public.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Travel:
- Family Travel
- Solo Travel
- Digital Nomad Lifestyle
- Travel Hacking
- Destination Guides
Real-World Example: Goats on the Road is a travel blog run by Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift. They generate more than $100,000 with the blog, while doing plenty of traveling.
08. Technology
Technology impacts all of us in countless ways every single day. This is a really broad niche and includes lots of different sub-niches that are highly popular and profitable on their own. Whether you’re reviewing gadgets and devices or providing technology-focused tutorials, there’s a lot of potential.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Technology:
- Mobile Apps
- Software
- Smart Home Devices
- Product Reviews
- Programming and Development
Real-World Example: In 2017, 10Beasts became well-known within the internet marketing industry for reaching $80,000 in monthly affiliate revenue very quickly. The founder sold the site for more than half a million dollars. After the sale, the site was penalized by Google. Due to the penalty, the approach may not be the best to follow today, but it shows the income potential for a review blog focused on technology. This video interview is worth watching.
09. Pets
Pets are a part of the family for many people. It’s no secret that there are billions of dollars being spent on pets every year. As a blogger, there is tremendous upside to having a popular pet blog.
If you’re a pet owner or animal lover, this is an opportunity you should consider. There are endless products to promote as an affiliate, and you could also create your own digital products.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Pets:
- Dog Training
- Pet Toys
- Pet Clothes & Accessories
- Pet Health
- Pet Food
Real-World Example: Kimberly Gauthier runs Keep the Tail Wagging. She doesn’t publish income reports, but in 2019 she was interviewed by Side Hustle Nation. At the time, her blog was getting more than 2 million visits per year and earning $4,000 – $5,000 per month from advertising, plus an undisclosed amount from brand partnerships/sponsorships.
10. Hobbies
This is another broad category that could include a lot different possibilities. Everyone has hobbies and there are people searching for content on a wide variety of hobby-related topics.
If you’re considering starting a blog focused on a popular hobby, be sure that people are actually spending money on the hobby. For example, golf and photography are examples of hobbies that enthusiasts are willing to spend a lot of money on.
Example Sub-Niches Related to Hobbies:
- Golf
- Photography
- Gaming
- Hiking & Camping
- Arts & Crafts
Real-World Example: Mike and Matt Moloney run FilterGrade, which is monetized by selling digital products to photographers, videographers, and other creatives. The site was launched in 2013 when they were both teens and now generates around $30,000 per month.
11. Lifestyle
The standard advice for new bloggers is to pick one niche and only publish content that’s focused on relevant topics. That’s generally solid advice, but there are plenty of examples of blogs that break the mold by covering several different topics that aren’t directly related.
A lifestyle blog might cover topics like travel, finance, food, fashion, and any number of other things. Building an audience with a lifestyle blog can be harder because your visitors aren’t going to be interested in everything you’re writing about, but some bloggers prefer the freedom to write about a lot of different things.
With lifestyle blog, there’s really no limit to what you can write about.
Real-World Example: Chasing Foxes is a lifestyle blog run by Grace and Silas Moser. They do not publish income reports, but they’ve done several interviews in the past. In 2017, just a year and a half after starting the blog, they were making more than $20,000 per month.
How to Choose a Niche
Now that we’ve looked at some of the most popular and profitable niches, you may be wondering how you should go about choosing one for your own blog. Here are some of the important factors to keep in mind when you’re deciding.
1. Consider Your Interests and Experience
What is your area of expertise? What are the things that you’re passionate about? These factors should help guide you to a niche.
While it’s not 100% necessary that you “follow your passion”, it is definitely helpful if you at least have some interest in the topics you’re blogging about (especially if you’re going to be creating all of the content yourself).
Building a successful blog takes a lot of time, effort, and patience. If you don’t have any interest in the topic, you’re much more likely to give up and quit when you get frustrated or when things aren’t happening as fast as you’d like.
Aside from your interests, your experience should also be considered. You don’t need to be an expert on a topic to start a blog on it, but it does help if you’re not a complete novice. Any experience that you have will be valuable. Think about what you already know based on your experience from jobs, businesses, or even through your own hobbies.
Ideally, the niche you choose should be at the intersection of profit potential, your interests, and your experience. All of the topics covered in this article provide the necessary profit potential, so you just need to think about how your interests and experience align with the niches and sub-niches.
2. Consider Seasonality
Some blog topics are highly impacted by seasonal factors. For example, a gardening blog is likely to get much more traffic in spring and summer when people are working in their gardens and searching for information.
A skiing blog is likely to get much more traffic and generate more revenue during the winter months.
Seasonality isn’t necessarily something that you have to avoid, but you need to consider it and think about how it will impact your blog. If you’re going to pursue a seasonal topic, you need to be able to handle the ups and downs that come with it.
3. Think Long Term
Building a profitable blog is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Be sure you’re thinking down the road in terms of what your interests will be like a few years from now, what your readers will still be interested in a few years from now, and the general direction you expect the niche or sub-niche to go.
All of the niches covered in this article are timeless, but you’ll want to consider the impact of any sub-niches you’re evaluating. For example, if you’re starting a finance blog, cryptocurrency is growing in popularity really fast right now. Is that something that you think will continue? Will you be interested in it a few years from now? Those are questions you’ll need to answer before choosing a niche.
4. Consider Your Monetization Options
How will you make money with your blog in the niche or sub-niche you’re evaluating? You don’t need to have exact long-term monetization plans before you launch a blog, but you should at least consider the options that will be available to you.
Some niches are better than others for selling digital products, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or other monetization strategies. Take a look at other blogs in the niche and see how they’re making money. Does this approach fit with what you’d like to do with your blog?
5. Analyze the Competition
You should also consider the other blogs already in the niche to determine if how easy or difficult it will be to have success.
Analyzing the competition is a big topic that could easily justify its own article (or a book for that matter). However, a relatively quick way to evaluate the level of competition is to do some keyword research.
Keyword research will help you to see how much competition you’ll face for search engine traffic by targeting specific keywords and phrases people are searching for.
There are a lot of keyword research tools out there, but one of my favorites is KWFinder. I like it because it’s very simple to use. Before choosing a niche, you could do some research and see if you can find enough low-competition keywords that will give you a good chance to rank.
For example, if I’m considering starting a hiking blog, I would try to find at least 10 keywords or phrases that have a keyword difficulty score of 30 or less (from KWFinder) and a search volume of at least 500 searches per month. If I can find at least 10 low-competition keywords that have sufficient search volume, I’m confident that the niche is worth pursuing.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a niche is an important part of starting a blog, but this is also an area where many new bloggers get hung up. Don’t let indecisiveness stop you from starting your blog. Put some consideration into it, but then be sure to make a decision and move forward.
