Unlike an authority website which tries to be the undisputed expert on a broad subject such as TV shows, a niche website shrinks down the focus of the site to explore one favorite TV show or even a single character within a TV show in depth. Since a niche website’s topic is very specific, it will naturally have a smaller, yet more concentrated audience base which is a perfect situation for monetization.
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.
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Start a niche website by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Niche Website
- Form your Niche Website into a Legal Entity
- Register your Niche Website for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Niche Website
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Niche Website
- Get Niche Website Insurance
- Define your Niche Website Brand
- Create your Niche Website Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your niche website. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Niche Website Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a niche website?
The cost to start a niche website is extremely low. The main expenses are buying a domain name, paying for hosting, website design and any content-related expenses. It is possible to purchase a domain name online for around 10 dollars per year. The cost for hosting can range from two or three dollars per month to hundreds, depending on the requirements. Most niche sites which do not use streaming media should expect to pay around 25 dollars a month for quality hosting. Niche website owners can spend thousands of dollars on designing their website or they can download a free theme. Most niche site owners find that one of the many quality premium themes for sale for around $60 which are great a fit for their sites. Many website owners write their own content because they love the niche topic, but those who want to outsource content creation, can find writers online.
Depending how much a niche website owner is capable of doing on his own, it is possible to start a niche website for less than 100 dollars.
What are the ongoing expenses for a niche website?
Niche website owners need to renew their domain name yearly and pay for hosting on a monthly basis. Site owners who choose to buy content will have to make a room in their budgets to include that expense.
Who is the target market?
The target market is anyone who shares an interest in the topic of the website.
How does a niche website make money?
Many niche websites use multiple methods for earning money. Depending on the topic of the site, joining an affiliate marketing program is a good choice. Affiliate marketing is when one website receives a commission for encouraging their visitors to make a purchase at a third-party retailer. Other sources of income are traditional ads, direct selling to visitors or charging a subscription to access information. The best type of monetization depends on the niche and the number of monthly visitors.
How much can you charge customers?
Most niche websites do not generate a lot of revenue on their own. Many people who build niche sites would consider earning anything more than $500 a month on a single site as an outstanding return. The majority of niche site owners have multiple websites covering a variety of niches.
How much profit can a niche website make?
The profit of running a niche website varies, but depending on the niche topic and the experience of website owner, profits can range between four and 8 dollars per one thousand visitors.
How can you make your business more profitable?
Many niche website owners have multiple websites to increase their monthly profits. In addition, adding a store which sells products is a great way to cash in on a popular niche site.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your niche website is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your niche website were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a niche website business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
Trademark & Copyright Protection
If you are developing a unique product, concept, brand, or design, it is prudent to protect your rights by registering for the appropriate trademarks and copyrights.
Learn more about trademark and copyright protection
The nature of legal requirements in distance education is ever changing, especially in regards to copyright laws. Here is a frequently updated resource, which can help keep you aware of the legal requirements.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Niche Website needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Niche Website.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a niche website
Marketing a niche website is easier than marketing other kinds of websites. The pool of potential visitors is small and most likely the ideal audience is already concentrated at one of the existing authority websites. The goal is to convince some of the fans of the broad subject to explore a specific aspect of the topic at a niche site.
How to keep customers coming back
The only way to keep niche website visitors returning to the website is to provide meaningful content. Fans are willing to overlook a slow-loading or ugly website if the content is great, but will can’t forgive sites which don’t provide something new and valuable.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
A niche website is perfect for someone who has an intense interest in a specific aspect of a wider topic. Because of the limited scope of the topic, a niche site does not have to have as much content as other types of sites, and the information does not need updating as frequently. It is a great part-time business for anyone who can’t spend every day working on a website.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a niche website?
Owners of niche websites generally do not need to work on their sites frequently. The average niche website may require a week or two of active website design and content creation at first, but then there are only occasional updates. Using the example of a niche website for a single TV show, the site owner would only have to update the content of the website after each episode airs. Since most shows air only a few dozen times a year, the site owner doesn’t have to think about the site most of the time. Besides limited content updates, a website owner needs to find a way to monetize and market the site. The good news is marketing a website is much easier than marketing other sites.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful niche website?
Owners of a niche website need to know how to create high-quality content which ranks well in the search engines. They should also have experience with ecommerce and affiliate marketing to help they optimize the site’s ability to earn money. It is helpful to have some knowledge of content management system, like WordPress, before starting the business.
What is the growth potential for a niche website?
The entire premise behind a niche website is taking a large, popular topic and breaking it down into much smaller parts. Naturally this approach decreases the number of people who are interested in the subject and limits the potential number of visitors. Instead of attempting to attract more visitors by expanding the scope of the site, it is far better to create a separate, yet related site.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
How and when to build a team
One nice thing about a niche website is that they typically do not require a large team to run. Some owners like to outsource site design and content creation, but it usually is not a necessity.