Get some fantastic website ideas for your first blog!
Starting a blog is an adventure!
And it can change your life. But there is more to blogging than just starting one.
Finding website ideas is one of the biggest challenges for bloggers. What type of blog do you want, and is it one you can create or feel you’re not experienced enough?
This isn’t all about your blog niche, either. This is a topic about the framework of your overall blog plan.
This is how you will create your content strategy and marketing your website as a way to make money blogging.
What website idea you decide to go with can propel your blog to thousands of pageviews in only a short time or weigh you down so much that you are overwhelmed and can’t write anymore.
But I hope it’s not the latter! If starting a blog is something you’ve been thinking about for months, then I KNOW the website ideas in this post will help you form a blog plan like no other!
And I’ll help you with giving you some website examples and monetization strategies too!
So, let’s get to it! Here are 21 simple website ideas that can help any new blogger find the right path for them.
Website Ideas for the New Blogger
What is the best type of blog you can have? Is it a lifestyle blog or niche blog? What about a review blog?
Let’s look at the best website ideas you can start today.
1. List Website
A list blog is a blog that is mostly comprised of lists. These are roundups of ideas, tactics, products, and more.
These websites also create highly viral content for Pinterest because of their list articles.
You can see this executed beautifully with Jen’s site, This Tiny Blue House.
Jen’s ENTIRE website is filled with roundups of the best of the best. And they aren’t little lists; they are massive lists.
Having a site like this might mean:
- Hiring content writers to write massive list posts
- Hiring bloggers to help with research
- Spending time finding the resources and formatting your content
One thing you need to be aware of when you’re featuring other people’s sites or recipes/creations is to get permission to use their image. This might take time, but it’s well worth it as you don’t want to fight any legal battles.
To start making money with list websites, I would bank on using traffic to monetize your site.
This relies on Pinterest to grow your pageviews so you can apply to ad networks like Mediavine.
2. Co-Sharing Website
Some of the best website ideas are collaborative. Big news sites have hundreds of writers or guest platforms get bloggers to guest contribute.
But, you can also enlist the help of a family member or friend to start a blog!
For example, the We Three Shanes is a website that has 3 sisters that blog on that website!
What’s great about co-sharing a website is that you don’t have to have everything fall on YOU.
As well, you can have more than one topic and have the credibility in those topics! For We Three Shanes Kristy is the expert organizer, Kim’s the go-to cook, and Katie is the crafter.
Having experts in their particular niche topics can help your audience trust what you write about. They know that what you are sharing on your site is authentic, true and trustworthy.
To monetize a co-sharing site, you can do multiple tactics like product creation, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or ads.
Personally I feel sponsored content, and affiliate marketing are your best strategies for monetizing this type of website.
3. An Affiliate Website
Website ideas that are around making affiliate sales are a struggle for a lot of people.
I feel this is because instead of choosing a blog topic they like and enjoy, they pick a blog topic that is optimized for Google and income potential – product based.
There is enormous appeal though for these types of websites – they make a lot of money.
For example, Best Products is a website that is entirely affiliate/product based.
To create a highly successful and popular blog with affiliate marketing, you need to understand SEO – ranking in Google – and affiliate marketing.
And for new bloggers, this isn’t something that you can learn in the first month of blogging. But, it’s something you learn as you blog.
I suggest creating these website ideas as your second or third blog. And one more thing – for this blog to be successful, you need a lot of content.
This means having multiple writers on your team.
4. Contributor Website
An easy blog to run is one where you don’t have to do a lot of content creation. Creating content is one of the biggest tasks as a blogger and can take a lot of time out of your schedule.
But, if you create a website that has contributors, then you have others writing the content for you.
For example, my other blog, Imperfectly Perfect Mama, is a contributor blog with guest bloggers.
Many guest blogs don’t compensate their guest bloggers.
Instead, the website owner creates a stellar website with good traffic, readership, and content and can help new bloggers gain a new audience.
With Imperfectly Perfect Mama, it generates around 40k pageviews, and for many new bloggers, this is more than what they have for their blog’s pageviews.
So, they can contribute a guest post on my site and potentially get new readers to their blog.
To monetize a contributor blog, ads and sometimes sponsored content are popular to implement.
5. Review Website
Review websites are similar to an affiliate website. The main difference is that their entire blog reviews products while an affiliate website may do round ups or other types of content to market their affiliate products.
As well, review websites may generally have a URL that denotes this. For example, Best Baby Accessories is a website dedicated to baby stroller reviews.
The content on these review sites are primarily ultimate guides or buying guides. These compare and contrast products as well as provide a lot of information about the product benefits and features.
Sites like these take a lot of effort to create since these sites are highly competitive in Google.
But that’s not to say you can’t grow your review website on Facebook or Pinterest.
For monetization, it purely is to promote affiliate products on Amazon.
6. Niche Website
Some of the very popular and profitable website ideas all center around one main niche.
A blog niche is one main topic like parenting toddlers or yoga for moms.
You can go broad with just parenting or yoga, but to really gain some income, you need to speak to one type of audience.
For example, Heather Grace’s entire blog is about pumping and breastfeeding.
I know that when I land on this blog, I will find information for pumping moms.
This helps Heather Grace find her audience quickly and gain the trust of her audience by providing post after post on one main topic.
To make niche blogs work, it’s best to be experienced in the topic you are writing about. Heather Grace is a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor.
While you can gain the experience as you write – as I did as a freelance writer for my freelance writing for beginners blog – to help you rank in Google and grow your audience quicker, having those credibility signals is important.
To monetize a blog like this, the best is product creation. Since you are gaining the trust of your audience, having a product for them – an online course, an eBook or physical products – is ideal.
You will know your audience inside and out by the engagement you get with your blog posts and can tailor a product just for them.
7. Lifestyle Website
Having a lifestyle website is a popular choice for beginner bloggers. It’s something I tell new bloggers to have.
Why? Because lifestyle websites encompass multiple topics that center around a main theme or audience. This type of website idea is also very easy to quickly start. Generally, new bloggers have lots of ideas to write about and want to write about them all on their blog!
For example, Twins Mommy – this website – is framed as a lifestyle blog in a way. I blog about
- Productivity tips
- My twins
- Blogging tips
- List building
- WAHM tips
However, I do want to mostly blog about blogging tips as a way to signal to Google and Pinterest that my blog covers this topic more than my other topics.
But, I love lifestyle blogs because I can generate multiple blogging ideas and pull from many sources.
Lifestyle blogs can be monetized easily – with affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and product creation. The thing to remember with having a lifestyle blog is building a community around it.
I have a Facebook group for mompreneurs, and the topics on Twins Mommy can help them grow their blog while raising kids.
Whether you use Facebook, or create a YouTube channel, find a way to connect with your audience away from your blog.
8. Service-Based Website
The best website ideas are service based. Hands down, it’s the quickest way to make money blogging.
My very first website was a service-based website, and in about 3 months I earned my first $1k from client work – with no traffic or audience.
If you’re a new blogger, then why not consider this type of website idea? It’s a money-making framework, which is great because you don’t need to rely on affiliate marketing either.
To start a service based website, you need to have a service to offer. There are many side business ideas you can offer, like:
- Freelance blogging
- Pinterest management
- Virtual Assistant
- Email manager
- Blog manager
- Graphic designer
Once you figure out your service, you can create a website around that service and start joining Facebook groups to find your ideal clients. There, you can answer questions and show your credibility in your niche.
Over time, people will recognize your name and know what service you provide!
9. Educational Website
Educational websites are ones that primarily teach an audience something. I find homeschooling blogs or blogs that show you how to code or prepare meals are educational.
For example, Anna is a teacher and SAHM of six! Her blog, The Measured Mom, helps teachers and parents with helping their children learn.
Many blogs fall under the educational umbrella. For example, my freelance writing blog is educational since I teach new writers how to become a freelance writer.
If you are experienced with one main thing, you can teach your audience about it. And, by doing this, you can monetize your blog by using affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or creating products for your audience, like Anna does.
10. Home Renovation Website
Home renovations or DIY home decor is a HUGE niche on Pinterest. It’s highly visual, and many people want to save the extra bucks and do home projects themselves.
Hayley of Hello Hayley shared her before and after renovation, on her blog as a way to help others do the same.
What’s great about her website is that it lends well to decluttering and minimalism. After her home renovation she can still provide tips and help to her audience with home decor and minimizing clutter.
The best way to monetize this type of website idea is through affiliate marketing, ads, and sponsored content.
5 Easy Website Ideas to Start
- Travel website – people love travel websites, and it can prove to be highly profitable
- Parenting website – this type of website is best to grow on Pinterest. If you gain enough traffic, ads can be a great source of income
- Tech websites – people want to know more about tech for kids or tech for blogging or tech gadgets in general.
- DIY crafts – another HUGE website idea for Pinterest.
- Sewing – picking one type of craft and creating an entire website around it can prove to be highly profitable
5 Advanced Website Ideas
The next batch of website ideas are more advanced. These require more knowledge and experience.
1. Video Based
Video is becoming more and more of a main content creation strategy. If you can provide video content on your website, are can easily stand out in your niche and grow your brand quicker by using another platform.
YouTube is the main way to create video content (as well as Facebook Lives). Allison Lindstrom is a blogger that has grown her YouTube channel to over 43k subscribers!
Doing this strategy takes time as well as understanding how to properly do YouTube videos. But, if you enjoy this type of medium, then having a video-based website can catapult your brand!
2. Business Website
Do you have a physical product in mind? You can create a Shopify site or a website and sell your product. For example, Marian sells her First Aid Kit for children and has a website with a blog to promote her product.
While not every physical product needs a blog, everyone does need a website! You can also have an Etsy shop too and find many other ways to promote your business like having an email list and using Facebook groups to tell others about your product.
3. Work From Home Website
Working from home is a gigantic topic on Google. It’s highly searched every month as it helps people find other ways to generate income.
Any new blogger can create a work from home website, but it might take a lot of years to find it established on Google. For this to happen, networking is a MUST. Finding influentials in this niche to link to you or collaborate with you is key to getting your website up in the SERPS.
A great website idea in the work from home niche is Ashlee’s Work From Home Happiness.
Ashlee has great advice for those wanting to be a freelance writer, virtual assistant, or find any type of remote job. As you can see in her menu, she monetizes this site by:
- Career coaching
- Online courses
- Affiliate marketing
4. eCommerce Website
When you think of eCommerce you think of the big brands like Amazon, Walmart, or Target. But, you can have an eCommerce site and sell your products to consumers.
Julie Ball is the CEO of Spark Hustle Grow, a monthly subscription service for female entrepreneurs.
Creating this type of website means having the experience to run a business and have the marketing savvy to promote it. Networking and collaborating are also important for this type of website idea.
5. Make Money Website
The make money website idea is a very popular niche to break into. Google calls these YMYL sites. Sites like these are hard to rank for in Google, and Google needs a lot of signals from a trusted source to build trust with your make money website.
For example, Remit Sethi is well known in the financial industry and on TV and books. He also shares his credibility on his blog by saying he’s a New York Times Bestselling author and that over 1M people read his content.
While new bloggers can start a money blog, it will take time to build traction.
Using Pinterest might help you get there quicker, as well as networking with other money bloggers. Ideally, though, having a raving tribe of die-hard followers is what will propel your money blog like no other!
Wonderful Website Ideas for You
There ya go!
Did you enjoy all the wonderful website ideas you can start today?
For me, the most exciting part about blogging is finding that right blogging idea to start a growing blog. And you know what? It’s okay to not have your blog niche or idea when you first start.
Just start writing! Get your blog up and don’t hesitate to share it to the world!
Tell me in the comments which one is your favorite. I’d love to hear them!
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