when it comes to building an online business, it’s pretty awful advice to give ” build it and customer will come”. And it’s a mistake I’ve seen many would-be Internet entrepreneurs make. if you want to go where the sales are, you need to know the best-selling niches online and get in on that action. You’ll discover your unique place in that overall niche, whether it’s with your own product or with someone else’s through affiliate marketing.
The reality is, in the offline world you can build a traditional brick-and-mortar business like a pizza shop, open it up, and people will just come in and spend money simply because the location exists – no marketing, advertising, or promotion needed.
In the online world, nothing could be farther from the truth. If you put up a new website without any marketing, advertising, or promotion nobody will ever find it.
Build It and They Won’t Come…
Some people, when first starting their online business, focus on creating a product, building their website, planning marketing campaigns, and setting up an online shopping cart/store. They have this great idea for a product. It’s a sure winner. So they develop a whole business around that product.
It sounds like these folks are covering all the bases for a thriving business. But the all-important first step is missing: figuring out if there’s a market for that product. Are there actual customers out there who want to buy it? That’s the first thing you must determine.
The reality is, in business, if you want to have the best chance of succeeding, rather than coming up with a great idea that nobody has come up with yet and hoping there is a market for; instead find out what people are already buying and create a service/product that fills that existing need.
The truth is, in most cases if something isn’t being done already; it’s not because nobody has thought of it before, but rather people have already tried it and it’s failed because there is no market for it.
if you want to go where the sales are, you need to know the best-selling niches online and get in on that action. You’ll discover your unique place in that overall niche, whether it’s with your own product or with someone else’s through affiliate marketing.
These niches aren’t “trendy.” They’ve been best-sellers for a long time because they appeal to people’s deeply-held wants and desires. The products may change, but these are core niches that will never go away and will always be part of the human experience. In most cases, these categories have been around long before the internet and are popular offline in bricks and mortars stores as well. And that means they’ve got staying power.
The idea here is you want to go into a bigger market that has longevity. An example (as you’ll see below) is the fitness and weight loss market vs the Keto market. If you focus a business around the fitness and weight loss market you’ll always have an audience. You can market and promote the hot trends of the day, but when those go away you can easily move onto the next big thing. If however, you go to narrow and build a site and audience just on the Keto market, when the health trend ends, so does your business.
If you want to start a profitable online business with the best chances of succeeding out the gate; you can’t go wrong entering a market that is already proven to be profitable.
These are the 10 most profitable niches on the Internet:
1. Fitness and Weight Loss
P90X, Weight Watchers, the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Keto Diet… the list goes on. For centuries, people have been obsessed with losing weight and getting in shape. And they’re always looking for the next fad diet, exercise program, or magic pill to help them do it.
Companies have been right there with them with products helping them do just that: supplements, diets, weight loss programs, exercise programs, and more. As a marketer, you can’t ever go wrong on this niche. Just about every demographic in every country in the world is into this.
Again, don’t let the idea that this market is very crowded fool you into thinking you can’t compete in it. Where there is a lot of competition there are plenty of profits to be made. Even if you only get a small piece of the pie; the market is so big you can build a six or seven figure business in this market.
Fitness and weight loss will always be a proven niche market that sells and anybody can grab their piece of the pie, or should I say apple.
2. Health
Health is closely related to the fitness and weight loss market and there is some overlap, but it’s different enough to merit its own entry onto the top 10 list.
People these days more than ever are taking their health into their own hands. They don’t automatically trust what the government or their doctor tells them about their health or what they should do to be healthy. You’ve seen products in this niche everywhere: gluten-free, herbal remedies, supplements, detoxing… healing arts and products of all types. Anything that will promote a healthy lifestyle that helps avoid disease and makes you live longer.
Alternative health is extremely popular here. We’re not talking about mainstream medicine. These are cures and alternative treatments that the pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know about after all.
The opportunities to profit here are endless: books, supplements, information products, physical products, coaching, etc.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there are always going to be new growth areas in this market. Right now medical marijuana and CBD oils are an emerging trend in this field. Unlike most other niches where having a certain level of expertise isn’t required, it could be helpful to either be an expert or team up with an expert in this field.
3. Dating and Relationships
Whether someone is looking for love… is into online dating… or is in a relationship but struggling and looking for a way to rekindle the passion, a whole range of products in the dating and relationships niche are there to help. People always need advice when it comes to this area — one of the essential elements in life but so difficult to navigate.
Possible businesses here include promoting dating websites, many of which offer commissions to marketers who send them new sign-ups. You could also promote “pick up” guides, books on building stronger relationships and communication, and more.
This is a niche where there is plenty of opportunities to even niche down further. You could approach dating for straight couples, dating for gay couples, dating and relationship for certain religious groups, etc… the possibilities here are endless.
Dating and relationships, whether for single people, couples, divorced people, etc. will always be a huge niche market that sells and is full of profit potential.
4. Pets
People love their pets. There are estimated 180 million dogs and cats in the U.S. alone.1 That’s not even mentioning all the snakes, guinea pigs, parrots, and other more exotic creatures people keep as companions. And if you’ve been to a pet store lately, you know that pet owners will spare no expense and will buy just about anything pet-relate. Gourmet dog food, pet toys, healthy treats, Heck, I’ve even seen dog strollers and cat leashes. I’m also sure there are a lot of dogs out there that eat better than I do! Maybe a bit silly, but there you go.
Dog training is also a huge market. When people get a puppy, they want to potty train the dog. For older dogs, people also want to train them for obedience, security, even to do tricks. If you have a passion for pet training you could create your own information products—like ebooks. Or you could simply sell books and courses of others as an affiliate.
The reality is many people treat their pets and spend more on their pets than they do on themselves, and this is a niche market that is only growing bigger and bigger each year.
5. Self-Improvement
Also known as self-help, this is a huge niche online. There are courses and programs, books, videos, online training, coaching. Whether someone wants to build self-esteem, experience career success, increase their confidence, set and achieve goals, overcome adversity or obstacles… there is a self-improvement product out there.
You’ve heard of Tony Robbins. Same sort of deal. It’s a massive industry that’s always growing. People want to feel happy, satisfied with life, and stress-free. And they almost never buy just one book or program, which lends this market well to repeat purchases and higher-ticket programs.
Again, you don’t have to be a big name like Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, or have a big brand like The Secret. A small piece of this big market can provide for a very successful online business.
6. Wealth Building Through Investing
Let’s face it, people want to make money. And they know that stocks, bonds, options, forex (currency trading), futures, and other investment products are a way to do that. They’ve seen the news and all those hedge fund billionaires and super-successful investors cashing in. They want to get in on the action.
Unfortunately, most people don’t really know what they’re doing. So they have to educate themselves. They need advice on which investments to make. That’s where a variety of products related to investing come in. Trading services, financial newsletters, trading systems… all different ways that show people how to invest successfully – whether it’s basic budgeting and investing advice or advanced day trading strategies and speculative penny stock recommendations.
This doesn’t have to be high level investing and complicated financial matters, this could simply be basic budgeting and saving as mentioned above. There are some people who have built six-figure businesses just teaching people how to save more money with coupons!
Whether the market is going up, down, or sideways… whether it’s a recession, depression, or boom time… bull or bear market… investment products do well. Because people always want to make money in the markets and you do so no matter how the economy is doing.
Even this field is constantly seeing new opportunities; right now Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are hot topics people want to learn more about.
7. Make Money on the Internet
This is a way you can share your expertise in making money on the internet. You could create your own information products, courses, ebooks, or coaching programs. And if there are any programs or courses from other big-time marketers that have been extra helpful… you can promote those too as an affiliate. You could be part of the next big launch campaign.
You could also get into network marketing (no, not all these “multilevel” marketing companies are scams). Some are actually valid ways to make money if you do it right.
Even if you’re building an online business in any of these other niches, you can teach others the strategies and tactics you’ve used online to build your own business, creating another side business of your own teach internet marketing.
8. Beauty Treatments
Having smoother tighter skin, being more radiant, erasing wrinkles. Looking younger and more attractive is a goal of many people. So any sort of creams, formulas, or similar products that promise to eliminate or reduce the signs of aging are very popular.
Anti-aging cosmetic treatments, skin care products, and more are a huge business. With more and more baby boomers aging and looking to reverse the signs of aging this is potentially one of the largest markets on our top 10 list of profitable niches.
Another opportunity ripe for this market is to start a YouTube video demonstrating health, beauty, and haircare type products. Just simply being an influencer in this market can be very lucrative.
9. Gadgets and Technology
Whether it’s a tablet or smartphone, computer speakers, mp3 players, smart devices for the home, thumb drives, cellphone cases, earphones… people are in love with gadgets and accessories. Everybody wants the latest technology (can anyone say new iPhone). And you can capitalize on that in a few ways.
The easiest would be to sell the products as an affiliate through an e-tailer like Amazon. Or you could import products through a site like Alibaba.com or Aliexpress.com, which link you to manufacturers and wholesalers abroad.
Once you have the products sorted out, you have to focus on marketing. One approach is to make money blogging where you highlight all the latest tech and products coming on the market. You could also have a review site in which you offer reviews on several different products in a category. Every product has a link to buy (with your affiliate link), of course.
You could also create your own tutorials, information products, and such as well.
Though not required, this is another market that would lend itself very well to videos and video tutorial type content.
10. Personal Finance
Credit scores, mortgage refinancing, debt relief, personal loans… there is a shortage of needs when it comes to the personal finance niche. People need help managing their money or securing money they need for important expenses.
Maybe they’re in debt and need help paying it down or getting a lower interest rate. Perhaps they’re facing bankruptcy and need help navigating that process. In severe cases maybe they’ve gotten that dreaded letter from the IRS saying they owe back taxes.
In any case, you won’t be offering legal help. But you can connect your prospects with expert providers, promote information products as an affiliate, or offer products like credit monitoring as an affiliate. This is a huge niche with a lot of opportunities.
You can also create e-learning and education products to help people navigate these issues and improve their financial situation.
