11 Best Beginner Website Ideas to Get Started in 2024 (And Make Money)

Did you know that the New York Times bought “Wirecutter” (a reviews website) for more than $30 million?

There are many examples of side businesses being sold for millions of dollars.

If your website can generate a few thousand dollars per month, you can sell it for a very high price on platforms such as Flippa.

So, if you're looking for the best website ideas to launch in 2024 on a budget, this guide is for you.

In this FREE guide, you will discover;

• 11 Simplest Website Project Ideas for Beginners
• Examples of each of these ideas and
• How to Monetize These Websites

Are you ready ? Let's get into the details.

Table of contents ☰

11 UNIQUE Website Ideas to Make Money in 2024

1. Affiliate Website

An affiliate website is a great idea for those who want to build passive income online.

Did you know that the global affiliate marketing market is expected to reach $39,8 billion by 2031? As long as there is a demand for products online, you can build a successful career as an affiliate marketer.

What is an affiliate site?

An affiliate website is a website that promotes affiliate products (physical or digital products). 

These websites earn a commission every time someone purchases a product using their links. The best part? Most affiliate programs are completely free and don't put a cap on the amount you earn.

What is an example of an affiliate website?

NerdWallet.com is a great example of an affiliate site that mainly talks about money saving tips, credit cards, insurance, etc.

Writing unbiased product reviews is the best way to build a profitable affiliate blog. Write about products in a way that is authentic and actually helps your target audience. This is exactly how websites like NerdWallet build trust with their audience and drive thousands in sales.

How to make money with affiliate sites?

Here are some of the most common ways affiliate sites make money;

• Promote affiliate products and earn a commission on every signup or sale. You can use affiliate networks such as Rakuten Marketing, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, etc.
• Most affiliate sites like NerdWallet.com make money through advertising, promoting sponsored content, displaying banner ads, in-text links, etc.
• You can also earn money by collaborating with brands.

2. E-commerce website

If you plan to sell products online, e-commerce stores are the best choice.

What is an e-commerce site?

An e-commerce site allows you to buy physical products, digital products, services, etc., online. All transactions are done online, unlike offline businesses.

What is an example of an e-commerce site?

AppSumo is a great example of an e-commerce website (a daily deals website) where you can find thousands of digital products ranging from SEO, to marketing, to SEO tools.artificial intelligence, etc ...

AppSumo primarily earns money from product sellers (since it takes a 30% revenue share). It also offers a subscription service that provides access to exclusive offers.

How to make money with e-commerce sites?

There are many ways to monetize an e-commerce site;

• sell own products or products of other brands
• Promote other people's products or services on your e-commerce site
• Sell ​​advertising space on your online stores through banner ads, native ads or sponsored content.
• Offer a “Premium” plan (monthly or yearly) allowing you to offer special reductions to your customers.

3. Personal website

If you have crazy ideas for creating an impact or making a positive change in the world, personal blogs are the best fit.

What is a blog or personal website?

A personal website focuses on the experiences, ideas and thoughts of the author. You can create personal blogs on any subject, including marketing, fitness, arts, music, sports, etc.

You can read more about the meaning of a personal blog and find many examples.

What is an example of a personal website?

JamesClear.com is a great example of a personal blog.

His personal blog helped him create a best-selling book called "Atomic Habits", which sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

On his blog, James Clear is mainly about improving productivity and creating better habits. That's how he built up a HUGE email list of people interested in "habit changing" and then he created an entire book on small changes that went viral.

How to make money with personal websites?

Here are some of the most common ways to monetize your blog or personal website;

• You can sell your own products or services
• You can try affiliate marketing, where you can promote various products such as web hosting and SEO (whatever topics you cover on your personal blog).
• You can try donations if you are NOT monetizing using the methods above. If people find your content useful, they'll donate!

4. Quotes website

This can be one of the best website ideas for students or employees looking to earn a side income online.

What is a citation site?

A quotes website has a massive collection of famous quotes from various people including book authors, motivational speakers, politicians, celebrities, etc.

This type of site is easy to manage and maintain. This type of site is easy to manage and maintain. For what ? Compiling citations does not take much time.

What is an example of a quotes website?

BrainyQuote is one of the best examples of quotes website.

Did you know that BrainyQuote generates massive traffic? It receives more than 5,8 million visits each month.

This website also has millions of followers on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc.

How to make money with a quotes site?

Here are some of the BEST ways to monetize a citations website.

• Using ads from AdSense, Adthrive, Mediavine, etc. is the most common way to monetize your citations site (because most sites receive a large amount of traffic from search engines).
• You can also partner with sites selling quote-related products, such as t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc.
• You can also try selling banner ads on your website.

5. Dropshipping website

Dropshipping sites are great for those looking for a low-risk business model to generate passive income.

What is a dropshipping site?

Dropshipping is a business model where you don't keep products in stock. Instead, when someone orders a product from your dropshipping store, you are purchasing the item from a third party (usually a wholesaler or manufacturer).

The wholesaler takes care of everything else, such as delivering and shipping the products to the customer. You buy the products at the wholesale price and sell them at the price you want.

Here is a simple illustration that explains how the dropshipping business works; (Image source: Shopify)

What is an example of a dropshipping site?

NotebookTherapy.com is a great example of a dropshipping site that sells Japanese and Korean stationery. The most interesting ? It ranks for many keywords related to these terms in many countries, including the United States.

They also have a good following on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.

The key to a successful dropshipping site is finding a reliable supplier who can ship products quickly and efficiently.

How to make money with a dropshipping site?

Almost all dropshipping sites make money by adding a markup to the price of their products. This markup is your profit. You can find tons of bestselling items from stores like Alibaba, create your own dropshipping site, and sell for a higher price.

You can also create a list of email addresses of targeted people. You can use tactics such as SEO, paid ads, guest blogging, Quora answers, etc…. For drive traffic to your website.

Then you can offer special incentives such as free shipping, extra discount on bulk orders, etc. to turn those visitors into subscribers.

6. Review Site

If you are looking for a permanent business idea to generate money online, review sites are a great option for you.

What is a review site?

With thousands of products coming out every day, more and more people are looking for reviews online. If you manage to rank on product review sites, you'll get FREE traffic from Google and generate sales.

What is an example of a review site?

Wirecutter is the best example of review sites that generate millions of dollars every year.

On this blog, you will find an impressive list of reviews on the best home appliances, technology, equipment, home needs, and more.

The reason for the success of this site is that it performs a multitude of product tests before publishing reviews. Wirecutter also monetizes their site with subscription plans that cost $5 (for 4 weeks) and give you unlimited access to their content.

How to make money with a review site?

Here are some of the proven ways to monetize a review site;

• Ads are a great way to earn money from a review site. You can use platforms such as BuySellAds to contact interested brands or companies.
• You can also promote the products of other companies and earn a commission on the sales you generate.
• sponsored reviews, as a few reviewers earn over $1 for each article.
• You can offer “subscription plans” (like the Wirecutter site) to provide 100% access to all reviews posted on your site.

7. Service website

If you're passionate about helping other people (or businesses) with your skills, service sites are for you.

What is a service site?

A services website is managed by an individual consultant or a team that provides services to brands and businesses.

This is not a passive source of income, as you will need to spend time on projects to earn money. Only go for this idea if you have expert skills and are willing to trade hours for cash. The positive aspect is that your earnings are unlimited.

What is an example of a service website?

NPDigital.com (run by digital marketing expert Neil Patel) is one of the best examples of a service-based website.

It offers various services such as conversation rate optimization, SEO, paid ads, etc.

Neil has helped a number of Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, HP, Adobe, Tata, etc. to increase their online presence. Neil Patel charges up to $5 for a one-hour consultation.

How to make money with a service-based website?

Here are some other ways to monetize a service website.

The main method of monetization is to attract high paying customers to your services
You can also offer premium training courses on selected topics.
You can also promote relevant affiliate products to your customers.

8. Jobs website

We have all tried looking for a job on different platforms. This is why job posting websites are still so popular as they are in massive demand.

What is a job board?

A job vacancy website helps to post job vacancies, advertise various job vacancies and provide job seekers with different employment conditions.

What is an example of a job board website?

Problogger Jobs is probably the best example of a jobs website, where you can find lots of active jobs and post jobs if you are looking for employees.

As you can see, people can search for various jobs (especially in the digital marketing industry);

• Editors
• Ghost editors
• Editors-in-Chief
• journalists
• Researchers
• Specialists of Content marketing
• Social media managers

Problogger monetizes its job board through companies posting “new jobs” (starting at just $80).

How to make money from job boards?

Here are some of the best ways to monetize a job board in 2024;

• Get paid for people, brands or companies to post jobs on your website. For example, job posting site Problogger charges $80 for 15 days. You can also charge a flat fee for each job posting.
• You can sell banner ads, text ads or sponsored listings on your site
• You can also sell information on job seekers to companies, giving them their contact details, work experience, place of work, skills, etc…..

9. Event website

Event websites are one of the best website ideas for students and freelancers.

What is an event website?

Even blogs are created to write about a specific seasonal event.

For example, Black Friday (the biggest shopping event in the United States) takes place once a year in the month of November. You can launch a website dedicated to this event.

The biggest advantage of event sites is that you will focus most of your efforts over a month or two. It is only during this period that you will get massive traffic and significant revenue. This will allow you to focus on other activities once the event is over.

What is an example of an event website?

BlackFriday.com is a great example of an event website.

It not only covers deals related to Black Friday but also various events such as Memorial Day, Cyber ​​Monday, etc.

How to make money from event websites?

Here are some ways to monetize event websites;

• Partner with other brands to earn special mentions or sponsorships.
• You can use advertising networks such as Google AdSense, Infolinks, etc. to monetize your traffic.
• The most effective method is to use affiliate links to promote affiliate products on platforms such as Clickbank, Amazon Associates, etc.

What are some easy to launch website ideas?

Starting a “quotes” website may be the easiest website idea for beginners. You will compile a list of quotes from different genres in order to attract traffic. Remember that there is HUGE competition for this type of website, so be selective about the keywords you target.

10. Travel Website

If you are a travel enthusiast or passionate about sharing your personal travel experiences, a travel website is a great idea.

What is a travel site?

A travel blog or website covers various travel-related topics and offers travel reviews, travel prices, etc.

Here are some of the best travel blog ideas;

• Economy travel
• Solo travel
• Traveling with animals
• Gastronomic journey
• Adventure travel

What is an example of a travel website?

NomadicMatt.com is one of the best examples of a travel blog, founded by Matthew Kepnes, an American travel blogger and digital nomad . 

On this blog you will find lots of travel tips for budget travel including various travel destinations, planning tips, personal travel stories and much more.

The key to successful travel blogging is to be patient. It takes time to build an audience, especially in the travel niche. Make sure you identify a niche that has enough searches (with less competition) and start building an audience from day one.

How to make money with travel sites?

Here are some of the ways most travel bloggers monetize their sites.

• Sponsored posts and reviews are the common way most travel bloggers get paid.
• Brand collaborations with other travel websites and brands
• Sponsored Social Media Posts
• Promote affiliate products related to the travel industry
• Few travel bloggers also create and sell their own products, such as travel guides, checklists, etc.

11. News Site

If you are a large team and planning to start something huge, news sites are a great choice.

What is a news site?

A news website is completely dedicated to covering current affairs on topics like sports, politics, justice, entertainment, etc. These websites also cover expert opinions on important trends and events.

What is an example of a news site?

The best example of a news website is “HuffPost” (formerly Huffington Post) which covers aggregated news on various topics such as politics, business, entertainment, etc.

Did you know that HuffPost has generated over 40 million revenue last year? (Source: Zippia)

HuffPost monetizes primarily through display ad networks, banner ads, and sponsorships. 

Here's a fascinating timeline from HuffPost;

• AOL purchased the Huffington Post for a whopping $315 million in 2011.
• Later in 2015, Verizon acquired AOL for $4,4 billion (with HuffPost)
• In 2020, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Verizon Media in a stock transaction

Why are we sharing their acquisition schedule? There is a CONSTANT demand for "news websites" and their valuation usually increases from year to year due to demand. 

So if you really want to “start small and go big”, starting a “news website” is a great idea.

How to make money from news sites ?

Here are some of the common methods to monetize a news website.

• Display banner ads from platforms like AdSense, Media.net, Taboola, etc.
• Post sponsored articles (or paid reviews) as many companies and brands show interest in publishing them on news sites
• Promote Affiliate Products 
• Try Pay-per-Click Networks
• Offer a “paid subscription” where people would have to pay to read certain news (or turn off their ad blocking tools)

Besides the options above, you can ask people for donations if you have loyal followers on your news site. Most readers would pay for these independently run news sites providing authentic information. 

Related Resources:

• How to choose the best out-of-the-box solution for your online store
• How to start a lifestyle blog and make money? Beginner's Guide
• 10 WordPress themes to create an eCommerce website
• How to re-optimize your blog content to increase your search traffic?
• 10 simple methods to increase traffic on WordPress

---

FAQs | Websites for Side Income

Here are some questions people ask about “ideas for websites”.

---

Final Thoughts on Website Ideas

Coming up with an interesting website idea and launching it can be extremely simple. But it takes time and serious effort to make them profitable. Choose an idea, create a plan, and be consistent in your efforts to succeed online.

What do you think of the website ideas mentioned here? Which ideas did you like the most? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments.