There are literally tens of thousands of websites online that generate real income despite being focused on a highly specific topic.
As proof, check out this article from Niche Pursuits that shares 26 highly specific niche websites that generate revenue through a combination of courses, e-books, coaching calls, physical products, affiliate links, and ads.
Along with that list of 26 niches, here are a few other niche sites I’ve come across that are crushing it in highly specific categories:
Attorney Rankings: A firm that provides SEO services specifically for lawyers.
ProChurchTools: A site that provides tools and digital marketing strategies that leaders of churches can use to spread their message and their church presence more effectively online.
52Kards: A site that sells accessories to magicians along with digital courses on how to perform various magic tricks.
The Math That Explains Why Niches Get Riches
There are two facts that explain why niche businesses can generate a surprising amount of income, despite being focused on hyper-specific topics:
- There are a lot of people in the world with access to the internet. (4.5 billion according to Statista)
- You only have to capture a small percentage of people looking for your specific niche to generate a healthy income.
As a real-world example, consider my statistics educational site Statology. It’s a site that has written tutorials on how to perform introductory-level tests and functions in statistics. When I tell people that I run this site, most can’t believe that it’s profitable because it seems too niche. But it is profitable because of the two facts mentioned above.
Let’s run the numbers* to prove it:
1. According to Statista, there are around 20 million college students around the world.
2. What’s fascinating is that even though most of these students will not major in statistics, about 60% of them will have to take one mandatory introductory stats course to fulfill an elective requirement, or 12 million students.
3. Let’s assume that 90% of these students have access to the internet, or 10.8 million.
4. Suppose just one in four will search on Google for help with some statistics topic during the semester, so 2.7 million students.
*These numbers are based on a combination of real-world estimates and made-up assumptions, but you get the point.
With 2.7 million students searching for help with statistics each year and only a handful (I’ve checked) of helpful statistics sites out there, my site doesn’t even need to capture a majority of these readers in order to make a decent income in the form of banner ads and e-books.
Granted, my website actually needs to be helpful or else it won’t get any attention on search engines. But the point is that a massive audience exists for this highly specific niche! I simply have to do the work to create something valuable that can earn money from this audience.
And on a broader scale, there are millions (or at least hundreds of thousands) of people out there looking for resources related to all types of niches.
Lawyers looking for SEO services.
Churches looking for digital marketing help.
Magicians looking for tutorials.
There are almost an infinite amount of niches that are just waiting to be monetized.
Attract Income by Creating Niche Value
The way to attract income with a website is to create value for a specific group of people.
Most people do this by providing value to a single employer. For example:
- A data scientist for Company X creates algorithms that help the company earn more money.
- A social media manager for Company Y publishes content on social media platforms to grow the company’s online presence.
- A software engineer for Company Z writes code to help a company reduce expenses or increase revenue.
By providing value to an employer, people attract money. The more value they provide, the more money they attract.
Another common way that people attract money is by freelancing – providing value to different individuals in the form of specific services: coaching calls, SEO services, web design, social media management, strategic consulting, etc.
However, thanks to the internet, there is now a third way to attract money into your life without working with anyone face-to-face: Create online businesses. This is my preferred way to earn income and it’s how I currently make a living.
By creating content on various websites focused on specific topics, I’m able to find people out there online who are searching for help related to the topics I write about. Then, when these people visit my site I’m able to earn income through selling digital products, through ad revenue, and through affiliate links for recommended products and services.
Niches get riches. Keep this in mind when you’re contemplating starting a website in a certain niche, but are hesitant because you’re not sure if there’s enough demand for it.
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