You want a website that makes you money in your sleep.
Cool.
Everyone wants that.
Unfortunately, these types of websites don’t just happen to you.
They don’t appear like the cash you get when you win the lottery.
Nope!
A money-making website is actually a rarity.
There are around 2 billion websites out there, but only a tiny sliver of these sites even make it to the $100/month mark.
Of course, there are also websites that make six or seven figures.
Like Jon Morrow’s, which makes $100,000 a month.
You want yours to be like that.
That’s why in this blog, I’ve compiled together a list of the top six money-making website ideas for 2023.
I’ll show you:
-
How these nine money-making sites work
-
How to create your own site
-
Examples of successful sites
-
And more!
Ready to dive in?
Let’s go!
The Top 6 Money-Making Website Ideas for 2023
Ok, you have a website.
Now what?
Your grandma has read your stuff, your co-workers think of you as “the smart one,” and your ex uses it to spy on what you’ve been doing lately.
Great.
But you don’t make any money from it.
Should you ditch it?
Nope.
Instead, you should turn it into a money-making website.
Here are nine ideas you can try.
Website Idea #1: Affiliate Marketing Website
By now, I guess you’ve heard of affiliate marketing.
Or maybe you haven’t.
In case you’re still living in the Stone Age, affiliate marketing means selling a company’s products or services and gaining a commission for every sale you make.
Here’s how Big Commerce puts it:
Source: bigcommerce.com
They even have a cool graphic to show how it works.
Take a look:
Source: bigcommerce.com
It goes like this.
You publish awesome blog content on your site.
Maybe your content is about how to choose the right dog food for a canine. Or how to enjoy scuba diving in different parts of the world. Or how to start a thriving backyard garden.
In time, you gather together a band of readers who absolutely love what you write.
Once you have a strong following, you find brands with strong affiliate programs and send in your application.
For instance, if you have a pet care website, you can apply as an affiliate to brands like Purina or Whiskas.
If you’re accepted, you get special links to promote within your content.
And when any of your readers clicks a link and buys through it…
…voila!
You guessed it.
You make a commission from that sale.
So, does affiliate marketing make money?
You bet!
As inspiration, take Pat Flynn.
Source: patflynn.com
Pat Flynn founded Smart Passive Income back in 2008.
Today, his net worth is over $3 million, and he earns 80% of his income through affiliate marketing.
Inspiring much?
Ok, so here are some tips on doing affiliate marketing the right way:
-
Craft content that’s meant to transform your readers’ lives (a.k.a. Solve their problems so they can sleep better at night, whether that’s how to grow hair on a bald head or how to keep their dog quiet).
-
Once you have a strong following, sign up for affiliate programs with great offers (skip the programs that offer you 1% of sales on $1 items).
-
Never be sleazy. Run your affiliate site first to help people, and the money will follow.
For a detailed roadmap on how to start your own affiliate marketing business, go to our FREE course here.
Don’t have a website yet?
Don’t worry.
You don’t need a ton of cash to build one.
In fact, you can get hosting for only $2.95 a month with BlueHost.
Source: bluehost.com
Website Idea #2: E-Commerce Website
Ever pop over to Amazon to buy that backyard pool for this year’s summer party?
Or that wholesale deal on laundry detergent?
If so, you already know what an ecommerce website is.
But here’s a description of it to help you better envision exactly what it is.
Source: mailchimp.com
In short, an ecommerce website is the digital version of a brick-and-mortar store.
And yes, you can sell anything on your online store!
You can buy items from that antique shop down the block and resell them on your site.
You can sell digital products like websites and content.
The sky’s the limit (no kidding) to the ways you can make money with an ecommerce site.
Ready for an example to inspire you?
Check out Bonobos.
Source: bonobos.com
Bonobos is an ecommerce site that sells men’s clothing.
Sound overly simple?
Maybe.
However, the site has earned a whopping $128 million since its launch in 2008.
Not bad!
Now, here’s great news.
There are amazing platforms you can use that’ll make building your ecommerce site super simple.
Here are three I recommend:
Or, if you want to save, you can just build your own WordPress site (it’s free).
You can get hosting for as cheap as $2.95 with BlueHost, giving you no reason to put off building your ecommerce site.
Website Idea #3: Drop Shipping Site
Don’t want to go through the hassle and risk of stocking your own products to sell online?
You’ll love drop shipping.
Here’s exactly what it is:
Source: shopify.com
So basically, dropshipping makes you a kind of middle man.
Customers order from your site, and when they do, you purchase from a third party and have the items shipped directly to them.
Naturally, this model makes things super easy for you.
You don’t need to worry about capital, storage, and stockpiling items that don’t get purchased.
The downside?
Well, maybe it’s the fact that people can actually buy directly from the third party seller.
But if you build a strong name for yourself and gather a big crowd of loyal followers, this model could work perfectly for you.
For inspiration, take Irwin Dominguez.
Source: oberlo.com
Erwin was just an ordinary marketing consultant when he decided to try dropshipping.
He started with Facebook ads, and when he got his first order, he wasn’t exactly over the moon about it.
He thought it was a small thing, and had no idea how far it would take him.
But take him far it did.
In only eight months, Erwin’s dropshipping business skyrocketed to earn a whopping $1,000,000.
Wow!
Here’s how he got started:
-
He opened a Shopify account
-
He added drop shipped items using Oberlo
-
He created Facebook ads to sell his items
And that’s all!
In no time, he got his first sale…
…and more and more after that.
So, what about you?
Think you want to give this a try?
Website Idea #4: Portfolio Site
I know, I know.
Everyone is tired of the 9 to 5 rat race.
We all want to wake up at noon, lounge at the breakfast table for hours, and take a vacation across the world whenever we want to.
No one wants to be stuck with the daily commute and the fluorescent-lighted cubicle for the next 40 years.
If you’re nodding your head “yes” to all of this, then maybe it’s time to start freelancing.
And to do that, you need a portfolio site.
So, voila!
Website idea #4.
Turn your site into a portfolio site and sell your services to clients out there who so desperately need your help.
And here’s the cool news.
A portfolio site doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
It only needs to display your best work so you can impress those who are on the fence about hiring you.
If you’re a writer, you can show off with mouthwatering content.
If you’re a web designer, you can post the best work you did for past clients.
If you’re an SEO specialist, you can wow readers with SEO tips.
And so on.
As an example, take Elna Cain.
Source: elnacain.com
Elna is a mom of twins who made the big decision of being a stay-at-home mom.
But that didn’t mean she quit doing what she loved most: writing.
Elna started her own blog, and in only six months, she was earning a full-time income from her client work.
Today, Elna charges up to $1,000 for each blog she writes!
It all started with her portfolio website, where she showed off what she can do.
And if she could do it…
…you can do it too.
Website Idea #5: Online Course Site
These days, online courses are all the rage.
We all want to learn how to make sushi, become millionaires, or make our own goat cheese…
…from the comfort of our homes.
So if you’ve got some special skill to share with the world, turning your site into one that sells online courses is a great idea.
Don’t worry.
You don’t have to be some kind of “guru” to build and sell an online course.
You don’t have to be in Forbes Magazine or anything like that.
All you need is a special skill that others don’t have.
It can be:
-
Saving money while travelling
-
Making Thai food
-
Braiding hair
-
Building a small business
-
Making friends easily
-
And so on
Want to see an example of someone who has done this successfully?
Check out Haley of Recurring Profit.
Source: recurringprofit.com
Haley’s course is focused on helping students create and sell their own courses.
Is she successful?
You bet!
In fact, she earned over $10 million in sales in only three years.
Awesome!
Now, here are three reasons why you’ll love selling your own course:
-
You’ll get that sense of accomplishment that comes with helping others.
-
You’ll have a residual income source (meaning it’ll make money in your sleep).
-
The world is going online, which means tons of people want to learn from their own homes.
-
It’s fun!
Ready to get started?
You can use online course platforms like Teachable and Kajabi.
Then, use your website to direct your audience to your course.
It’s really that simple.
Website Idea #6: Gated Content Website
Ever click on a link on Google to read some content…
…only to find yourself on a page like this?
Source: nytimes.com
That’s an example of gated content.
It means content that’s not free, but created specially for subscribers who pay a monthly fee to access it.
Now, here’s the cool part.
You don’t need to be a famous journalist or news company to sell subscriptions to your gated content.
That’s right!
For example, take Mark Manson.
(You’ve probably heard about him.)
If you visit his blog, you’ll find a ton of blogs that are free for everyone to read.
But besides these blogs, he also has subscription membership to The Subtle Art School.
When you subscribe for $12.49 per month, you get access to specialized content like videos, bonus content, and webinars.
Source: school.markmanson.net
The truth is, monetizing your website this way is pretty easy to do.
All you need is a strong following of people who absolutely love your stuff, and are willing to pay more for specialized content.
Website Ideas for 2023: Which One Is Best for You?
Still here?
I bet you loved my list of the top 6 website ideas for 2023.
And you’re ready to get started.
Except you’re thinking, “All these are super cool, so which is the best one for me?”
My answer: it depends on you and what you want to do!
If you love selling stuff, try an ecommerce or dropshipping site.
If you want to use your skills to work for your own clients, start a portfolio site.
If you’d rather not work and have a source of income that makes money in your sleep, go for an affiliate website or course site.
The first step is to make sure you love your website idea so much, you can stick to it through thick and thin.
And the rest will follow like magic.
