In my recent income reports, I hinted at a new project I’ve been working on. Today, I’m excited to share the details with you!
I’m diving into building a niche website and monetizing it through affiliate marketing. For those who might not know, affiliate marketing involves promoting products and earning a commission on sales. You don’t need to create your own products; instead, you promote existing ones that you like and use. Companies provide you with a special affiliate link to track referrals and pay you a cut of the sales.
Most internet marketers create websites or blogs centered around the products they want to promote. However, you can also make money by sharing affiliate links on social media, Pinterest, or with friends and family. My goal is to generate online income by creating a niche website to promote my affiliate links.
A niche site focuses on a specific topic or market, such as a hobby like yoga or baking, a problem like acne or job hunting, or a set of products like baby toys or designer handbags. The idea is to create a helpful and informative site that attracts visitors. Some articles might include product reviews with affiliate links. Over time, as more people visit and click through your links to make purchases, you’ll earn commissions.
Niche sites require a lot of time and effort to set up but can eventually provide passive income. If your site ranks well on Google, it can attract hundreds or thousands of visitors even when you’re not actively working on it. This means you can take breaks or vacations while your site continues to generate income.
When choosing a niche, it’s best to pick something you’re genuinely interested in. This keeps you motivated and engaged, making it easier to produce quality content. If you’re knowledgeable about your niche, you can offer valuable insights and authentic recommendations, which can be more engaging for your readers.
While you don’t need a niche site to make money from affiliate marketing, focusing on a specific niche can be easier, especially at the beginning. It simplifies research and content creation, helps you find and retain your target audience, and improves your chances of ranking well in search engines.
To make money with a niche site, you need to find products to promote. Many companies offer affiliate programs, including Amazon, which pays commissions up to 10% depending on the product category. You can also promote digital products through platforms like ClickBank and JVZoo, which often offer higher commissions.
I’ve chosen to focus on building niche sites because they align with my long-term goals. Since starting my blog, Boost My Budget, in 2016, I’ve been exploring various side hustles. Now, I aim to build an online business that could eventually allow me to quit my day job. Niche sites offer the potential to create a passive income stream, are flexible, and involve writing, which I enjoy. They also have low start-up costs and don’t require special equipment.
My new niche site is more focused on making money than my blog, Boost My Budget, which also serves as a personal record of my experiences. My niche site is targeted, with a strong focus on keyword research, SEO, and analytics. I’m treating it as a business rather than a hobby.
To kickstart my project, I bought a small ready-made site from Human Proof Designs. This included a few articles, a premium website theme, plugins, a keyword file, and training videos. While there are pros and cons to this approach, it gave me the push I needed to get started.
If you’re interested in starting a niche site but are on a budget, you can build one yourself without spending money. There are free resources available that provide websites, hosting, and training. Blogs like Niche Hacks, Niche Pursuits, and Human Proof Designs offer valuable information. Reading about others’ experiences, like those shared by Essi at My Path to Passive Income and Nadya at Living Off Cloud, can be very motivating.
I’ve decided not to share my actual niche site to avoid copycats, but I can tell you it’s in the language learning niche. This area offers many products to review and promote, and since I speak the language, I can create a lot of useful content.
I hope this introduction to my latest side hustle has been informative. If you’re interested in starting your own niche site, there are plenty of resources to help you get started. Feel free to share your experiences with affiliate marketing—I’d love to hear how you’re doing!