Are you looking for website ideas for a side business to start in the new year?

There are numerous opportunities online for profitable website ideas that can easily be turned into a sustainable side income.

In this article, we will discuss the best website ideas for this year. We’ll also show you how to get started quickly and cheaply.

What You’ll Need to Make Your Website Ideas a Reality

It is a common misconception that in order to start a website, you must be technically savvy or a programmer. This was most likely true in the 1990s, but nowadays you don’t need any special skills to create a website.

What you actually need to create a website is as follows:

A web address. This will be the internet address for your website (for example, wpbeginner.com).

Account for web hosting. This will be your website’s home, and it will contain all of your website’s files.

A website creator. We recommend WordPress.org, the best website builder that powers more than 43% of all websites on the internet.

We recommend Bluehost for creating your website. They are one of the world’s largest hosting companies and are officially recommended by WordPress.

They are providing WPBeginner users with a generous 60% discount on hosting along with a free domain name and SSL certificate. In essence, you can start a website for $2.75 per month.

They will install WordPress for you automatically, and you will be able to start working on your website idea within minutes. If you need more assistance, you can set up your website by following the steps in our WordPress installation guide.

That said, let’s look at some of the most profitable website ideas to launch this year and turn them into a viable business.

Create a personal website or blog.

Blogs are a popular website concept that has been around for a while and is still going strong. Entrepreneurs such as Darren Rowse, John Lee Dumas, and Pat Flynn all began as bloggers and have since amassed six-figure fortunes.

Syed Balkhi, the CEO of our company, started this blog, which led to him building an eight-figure business (see: WPBeginner income).

It is relatively simple to start a blog on any topic about which you are passionate. The advantage of starting a blog is that you can use it as a platform to launch many other website ideas later on.

There are also numerous monetization options, making blogging a profitable website concept. You can display ads, promote affiliate products, sell direct advertisements, or even sell your own products to your readers, such as online courses, eBooks, and so on, using programs like Google AdSense.

Do you require assistance? See our step-by-step how to start a blog tutorial, which walks you through each step of the process.

If you require professional assistance, we also provide a free WordPress website setup service in which one of our WordPress experts will set up your blog for you.

Create an Online Store

Another popular website concept is to create an eCommerce store. Many people believe that it is probably too technical to get started, which is not entirely correct.

WooCommerce makes it simple to launch an eCommerce website. It is the most popular eCommerce platform in the world, and it is built on top of WordPress.

It is extremely simple to use and enables you to sell any type of digital, virtual, or physical product that requires shipping. Accepting online payments is simple with PayPal, Stripe, and a variety of other payment services.

You can get step-by-step instructions on how to start an online store by reading our beginner’s guide.

Do you need ideas for what to sell in your store? See our guide on how to find products to sell online.

Create a Website for Membership

Another popular website concept that is gaining traction is the creation of a membership-based website.

Essentially, you restrict access to some content on your website to paid members only. This could be anything from an online course to a members-only forum to audio or video content.

The simplest way to accomplish this is to use MemberPress. It is a WordPress membership plugin for creating subscriptions, restricting access, and selling membership plans on your website.

For more information, see our step-by-step tutorial on how to create a membership website.

Market Online Courses

Another popular website idea that is rapidly expanding is the creation and sale of online courses.

The modern gig economy, in which people need to learn new skills to find new jobs, improve existing skillsets, or simply learn something new as a hobby, is fueling this growing website niche.

MemberPress is the best WordPress LMS plugin for creating and selling online courses on your website.

Establish a Dropshipping Website

Dropshipping is another growing website idea that you can start with little money. A dropshipping store is an online store where you sell products but the vendor ships them directly to you.

This relieves you of the burden of managing and storing items, maintaining inventory, and shipping items. It also enables you to sell a wide range of products.

See our step-by-step guide on how to start a dropshipping business for more information.

Starting an affiliate website is one of the most popular website ideas.

Affiliate marketing is a referral arrangement in which an online retailer (advertiser) pays you a commission when customers buy their product through your referral link.

Because this is a massive industry, you can start with a niche affiliate website and build from there. Affiliate programs can be found in nearly every industry, especially if you join an affiliate program like Amazon Associates or ShareASale.

For example, you could create a website solely dedicated to reviewing the most recent women’s handbags, new internet routers, new smartphones, and so on.

You are paid a referral fee when users make a purchase based on your recommendation.

See our beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing for a more in-depth discussion and step-by-step instructions for new affiliate marketers.

Establish a Dropshipping Website

Another profitable website idea with a lot of potential is fashion and lifestyle. There are many fashion bloggers and influencers who earn six figures.

It is preferable to have your own website rather than relying solely on social media because there are more opportunities for monetization.

You can earn money through display ads, affiliate marketing, Instagram brand partnerships, and other methods.

You can use WordPress to add all of the tools you need to grow your brand. You can connect your Instagram feed and other social media accounts, watch YouTube videos, find fashion website themes, and use advertising plugins, among other things.

Establish a Dropshipping Website

Another great website idea that is simple to implement and expand on is creating a travel blog.

You could be a seasoned traveler, vlogger, or marketer promoting various tourist destinations. Display ads, travel partnerships, earning perks, and other methods can be used to monetize your site.

Influential travel bloggers are using their travel blogs to launch new products and generate substantial passive income.

Create a Food/Recipe Website

Food and recipe websites are already popular website ideas, and there is still plenty of room for new ones.

You can easily start a blog or website to share recipes, talk about food, weight loss, health, or other related topics. The majority of recipe websites make money through advertising, affiliate marketing, and membership subscriptions.

WordPress includes plugins that make it simple to write recipes in SEO-friendly format. For more information, see our tutorial on how to create a food website and make money online

Create a Food/Recipe Website

Another popular website idea that you can implement is podcasting. It is a rapidly expanding niche with numerous monetization opportunities.

A podcast is an episodic series of audio files that users can download and listen to by subscribing to them.

Successful podcasters make a lot of money online through sponsorships, advertisements, product sales, and other means. It does necessitate a small amount of hardware as well as some practice with recording and uploading files.

We have a comprehensive guide with step-by-step instructions for starting a podcast website.

Create a Job Search Website

Another popular website concept is to build a job search website. It is simple to monetize, and you earn money from user-generated content.

A job board website, in essence, allows companies to post job listings and job seekers to browse and search for jobs.

WordPress plugins exist to assist you in quickly creating a job search engine. You can even accept online payments from employers in exchange for posting listings.

For more information, see our guide on how to set up a job board in WordPress.

Create a Coupons Website.

Customers can find coupons and deals for their favorite products on a coupons website.

It connects businesses with customers and provides tools to help them find deals and discounts. Affiliate links, partnerships, and display ads are used to monetize the site.

You can completely automate your website and allow businesses to directly submit deals. This enables you to earn money online by using user-generated content.

More information can be found in our guide on how to create a coupon site in WordPress.

Establish an online marketplace

To make money, many successful marketers employ ideas that involve user-generated content. Creating an online marketplace website is one such website idea that is simple to implement.

A marketplace website is one in which you offer an eCommerce platform for others to sell their products. You earn a commission on each transaction completed on your website, while the sellers handle shipping and fulfillment.

For more information, see our detailed article on creating an online marketplace website.

Create a Website for a Restaurant

Making a restaurant website is a concept unique to the restaurant and food industry. Making a restaurant website allows you to accept table reservations as well as online food delivery orders.

You can accept bookings and food delivery orders with WordPress by using tools such as WPForms. It also gives you access to a plethora of professionally designed restaurant templates that you can customize to meet your specific requirements.

Creating a restaurant website also allows you to easily promote your company, reach new customers, and strengthen your brand image.

Create a Review Website

Before making a purchasing decision, the majority of users read online reviews. As a result, a reviews website is a very profitable website idea.

Your review website can focus on any niche or topic that interests you, such as digital cameras, video games, or other products.

A reviews website may use both user-generated and original content. You can earn money through display ads, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and other methods.

We have an article with step-by-step instructions on how to create a niche reviews website.

Create a Photography Website.

Launching a photography website is another exciting website idea. This could be a photography blog, or it could be a place to showcase and sell your own photographs.

You could also set up a marketplace similar to Shutterstock where users can sell and buy photographs, illustrations, and other graphic design items.

For more information, see our article on how to create a WordPress photography website.

Create a Review Website

Making a portfolio website is a fantastic website idea. A portfolio website can help you showcase your work and find new opportunities if you are an artist, photographer, musician, or videographer.

You do not, however, have to be an artist to create a portfolio website. The same concept can be applied to any type of professional, including writers, web designers, developers, fashion models, and others.

You can use portfolio plugins to display your work or start with one of these beautiful portfolio themes.

Launch an Online Food Delivery Service

The online food delivery business is booming, and with a little bit of investment, it could be a profitable website idea.

You can find local restaurants and build a website that showcases them and allows customers to order food online. You can then give the order to the restaurant, and they will bring the food to you.

WPForms can be used to collect food delivery orders. After submitting the form, you can redirect users to a page with an estimated delivery time and a phone number for the restaurant.

Online Handicraft Sales

Do you want to sell your handcrafted items on the internet? It’s very simple to do and could be the start of a profitable business venture.

You can start an online store with WooCommerce, which is extremely simple to set up. Unlike other platforms, WooCommerce does not take a cut of each transaction, which is critical for home-based businesses.

For more information, see our guide on how to create an Etsy-style store in WordPress.

Open a Pet Store/Community

Another simple website idea is to create an online pet store. Because it is such a large industry, there are many untapped niche ideas catering to specific customers.

Using WooCommerce, you can sell anything in your pet store. You can also use MemberPress to create a members-only community, which will generate even more revenue for your company.

Launch a News Website

If you’re interested in current events and politics, starting a news website could be the money-making opportunity you’re looking for.

You can start a news website and monetize it by selling membership subscriptions and display ads. Many traditional newspapers are already monetizing their content by putting it behind paywalls.

You can begin with a few articles per week and gradually increase your output. You can even invite guest authors, start a podcast, and sell merchandise to build a long-term business.

With local newspapers struggling, there is a strong demand for hyper-local niche news websites, which we believe will be a huge trend in 2021 and beyond.

We hope this article has assisted you in determining the best website idea to launch in the new year. After you’ve launched your website, you can check out our tips for increasing website traffic and our guide to the best WordPress plugins for growing your online business.