10 Best Niches for Affiliate Marketing in 2024 (Curated for Beginners) 

Every successful affiliate marketing business starts with a profitable niche. But with big brands dominating popular affiliate marketing niches like finance, travel, and technology, there aren’t many slices left in the pie for newcomers like you.

For that reason, it’s best to choose a less competitive niche with high traffic potential before creating an affiliate marketing site. By targeting low-competition keywords, you will find it much easier to rank high on Google, attract visitors, and start making money online.

In this article, we’ll go through 10 profitable affiliate niches specifically curated for beginners. We will also explore some potential keywords and relevant affiliate programs within each affiliate niche so that you can get started immediately.

Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Niches for Beginners

You’ve probably heard the notion that the “riches are in the niches”. But in today’s saturated market, such advice is somewhat outdated.

To have any chance of ranking high on Google and driving traffic to your affiliate site, you’ll have to start with a very narrow sub-niche.

Only when your affiliate site has become an authoritative source on that topic, can you start targeting a broader niche with even bigger audiences.

Still trying to figure out where to begin? In this section, we’ve curated 10 specific sub-niches any beginner affiliate marketer can start with.

1. Daily Deals – Coupon Code

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 53,000
• Top countries: India, United States, Pakistan, Nigeria, United Kingdom 
• Traffic potential: 206,000

Everyone loves a good deal; it’s in human nature. The idea of spending less for items they love will prompt any shopper to hit the checkout button as fast as possible.

That’s why the daily deal niche is so popular. In fact, people search for terms like “coupons” and “coupon code” over 50,000 times each month.

So, it’s not surprising that daily deal sites like wethrift.com can generate 1.6 million monthly visitors by providing coupons and discount codes.

Potential Keywords for Coupon Codes

The daily deals market is vast, and you can sell pretty much anything as long as it has a valid coupon code.

For example, Wethrift has more than 200 categories for almost all kinds of products – car accessories, home appliances, computers, groceries, and insurance.

However, since you’re just getting started, using the same strategy will not be feasible. Instead, focus on a specific sub-niche to build your authority for that topic. When your site grows, you can then branch out to other products.

So, how do you decide on a niche? Start by listing all products and services you’re passionate about. For example, if you like jogging, promoting running shoe coupons can be a great idea.

Once you know which topic to target, use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs to check its competition and market demand.

Simply go to Keywords Explorer and type in your target keyword, ending it with the word coupons.

As you can see in the example above, the term “shoe coupons” has a good traffic potential, but the keyword difficulty (KD) is a bit high.

To find less competitive phrases, go to Matching Terms on the left sidebar. Set the keyword difficulty to a maximum of 20, and you will see all keywords you can potentially rank for, such as “shoe station coupons” and “show sensation coupons”.

Since both Shoe Station and Shoe Sensation have considerable traffic potential, promoting deals from these eCommerce sites is a great starting point.

Affiliate Programs to Join

Once you’ve decided on a daily deal niche, the next step is to find coupons and discount codes to promote. You can either join an affiliate network like FlexOffers or form direct partnerships with brands in your industry.

The first option is more accessible, as FlexOffers gives you access to daily promos and coupons from over 10,000 merchants in one place. However, the commission rate is limited to 10% for every successful transaction.

On the other hand, partnering directly with small or medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can take a lot of work. You have to manually find and curate coupon codes shared on social media platforms, email newsletters, YouTube videos, and other sources.

In addition, you still need to contact each brand individually and offer to help promote their coupons in exchange for commissions.

The good news is you will have more flexibility when negotiating for higher commission rates, especially when your site consistently delivers results.

2. Hobby – Unique Gifts

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 33,000
• Top countries: United States, United Kingdom, India, Canada, Australia
• Traffic potential: 214,000

People go the extra mile to make their loved ones feel special during celebrations, including weddings, birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries. However, many consumers are short on gift ideas and don’t want to ruin the surprise by asking.

This presents the perfect opportunity for you to create a gift aggregator website. But instead of promoting common goods, you can go for out-of-the-box items, just like what thisiswhyimbroke.com came up with.

Specializing in unusual gift ideas for different occasions, categories, and recipients, such an affiliate marketing site generates almost 200,000 visitors each month.

Potential Keywords for Unique Gifts

Despite strong competition from an established site like This Is Why I’m Broke, the keyword difficulty for “unique gifts” is still pretty low (39). Plus, the demand has been quite stable for the last 12 months, with an average search volume of 21,000.

In other words, you have a pretty strong chance of driving organic traffic as long as you target the right terms, like these:

• unique christmas gifts (KD: 16, search volume: 6,500)
• unique gifts for a 2-year-old girl (KD: 7, search volume: 3,300)
• unique birthday gifts (KD: 9, search volume: 1,500)
• unique wedding guest dresses (KD: 11, search volume: 1,500)
• unique gifts under $5 (KD: 4, search volume: 450)

Beyond keyword optimization, publishing helpful content is just as important to attract and build a loyal reader base.

For example, you can create unique and exciting gift suggestions that cater to different personalities, budgets, and occasions. Think about “10 Funny Gifts for Father’s Day (Under $25)” or “Unforgettable Presents for Newly Weds”.

If you have the technical know-how, you can also develop a system where visitors can answer questions about the recipient’s interests, hobbies, or lifestyle. This allows you to suggest personalized gifts that truly resonate with the receiver.

Affiliate Programs to Join

Due to the wide selection of products to promote, we recommend signing up for Amazon Associates. You can find pretty much any item you want to sell, with a commission ranging between 3-5% depending on your categories.

Etsy is also a great eCommerce platform for sourcing handmade, vintage, and unique goods. By joining Etsy’s affiliate program, you can earn a 4% fee for every successful transaction, regardless of the product type.

3. Technology – Web Hosting

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 92,000
• Top countries: United States, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, United Kingdom
• Traffic potential: 36,000

The fact there are one billion websites today means it’s still a popular marketing platform among entrepreneurs. Given its vast market size, it is no wonder web hosting is one of the most profitable topics within the tech niche. If you have yet to learn what that means, web hosting is a service that allows you to launch a site online.

However, according to the latest small business statistics, 27% of SMBs still don’t have a website. In other words, there are still plenty of untapped opportunities to explore in the web hosting sector.

Potential Keywords for Web Hosting

Web hosting is a competitive affiliate marketing niche, but it’s also one of the most lucrative.

You just have to find the right web hosting services to promote. For instance, “Joomla web hosting” has a decent monthly search volume (700) and low keyword difficulty (26).

Once your affiliate site gains traction, expand on more popular services like WordPress hosting.

Powering more than 43% of all websites, WordPress is the most widely used content management system out there. While the market is quite saturated, there are some low-competition keywords and unique angles your content can explore:

• best wordpress hosting for agencies (KD: 18, search volume: 350)
• enterprise wordpress hosting (KD: 20, search volume: 450)
• fastest wordpress hosting (KD: 25, search volume: 1,000)

Alternatively, create an affiliate site that focuses on game server hosting. Minecraft, Rust, Counter-Strike 2, and Palworld are a few games that allow players to host their own server.

By taking advantage of the passionate gaming community, an affiliate site like TechRadar can generate over 7,000 monthly visitors from a single Minecraft article.

Affiliate Programs to Join

Web hosting is one of the highest-paying affiliate niches. For example, the Hostinger Affiliate Program pays at least a 60% commission for every eligible sale.

Getting started is also free and easy – simply sign up for the program, share your unique link with potential customers, and start earning.

To make the marketing process easier, we will provide branding assets like the Hostinger logo, banners, and product screenshots to display on your site.

However, the Hostinger Affiliate Program is reserved for tech content creators with a high-traffic blog or YouTube channel.

If you’re new to the game, join the Hostinger Referral Program instead to get a 20% commission for each successful referral.

4. Fashion – Sustainable Clothing

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 13,000
• Top countries: United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia, Canada
• Traffic potential: 85,000

The fast fashion industry produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year, which is why the slower fashion movement has been a growing trend in recent years.

Instead of cheap products that exploit labor and damage the planet, people want more sustainable and ethical practices.

As consumers become environmentally conscious, they will naturally seek eco-friendly clothing options. This spells opportunities for a new affiliate site like yours.

Take a look at The Good Trade, a lifestyle media brand that promotes sustainable living. By ranking first for “sustainable clothing brands”, the site successfully attracts 7,616 monthly visitors from that keyword alone.

Potential Keywords for Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable clothing is a lucrative affiliate marketing niche, mainly because the competition isn’t that tough.

While there are strong players like The Good Trade and Ethical Consumer, these affiliate sites also promote other niches beyond fashion. Those include food, home decor, wellness, and beauty.

If you take a different approach and focus solely on a specific fashion category, your site has a strong chance of becoming the go-to source for it.

Based on our research, here are some eco-friendly fashion products with high traffic potential yet low competition:

• Organic cotton clothing. This term has a global search volume of 4,400 and a keyword difficulty of 22. There are plenty of content ideas you can target, such as “best organic cotton t-shirts” and “organic cotton clothing for women”.
• Eco sandals. With a KD of just 4, your site can rank in the top 10 of Google search results pretty easily. This keyword also has a monthly search volume of 1,100, so the demand is there.
• Recycled polyester clothing. Made from plastic bottles, recycled polyester clothes are what sustainable fashion is all about. Attracting traffic using this keyword won’t be that hard, as it has a low KD (8) and a decent monthly search volume (800).

Affiliate Programs to Join

If you want to break into the sustainable fashion industry, quite a few eco-friendly clothing brands offer affiliate programs, such as:

• Tentree. An earth-first clothing brand that sells eco-friendly apparel for men, women, and kids. It offers a wide range of products, including hoodies, t-shirts, sweatpants, hats, and coats. By joining Tentree’s community, you will get up to 15% commission for every item you refer.
• Organic Basics. As the name suggests, this brand sells eco-friendly clothing made from materials such as organic cotton, recycled nylon, and Tencel lyocell. Organic Basics offers a partnership program for content creators with a considerable social media following, paying a 10% commission for every sale made.
• Oka-B. On a mission to reduce environmental impact, Oka-B produces women’s shoes from organic and 15-25% recycled materials. Register as Oka-B’s affiliate ambassador, share the affiliate link on your social media accounts or blog, and receive a 5-10% commission for every transaction.

5. Home Decor – Storage Baskets

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 26,000
• Top countries: United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa
• Traffic potential: 7,500

With remote and hybrid working models becoming the norm rather than the exception, people spend even more time at home.

Naturally, consumers want their living space to be as comfortable as possible, making home decor one of the most lucrative affiliate niches.

However, with so many product options to explore, where do you even begin? No worries, as we’ve done the research, and our pick was storage baskets.

This product meets all the criteria for a good affiliate niche – low keyword difficulty (24), medium search volume (26,000), and high functionality.

From storing office supplies to organizing files, baskets help customers keep a tidy desk for minimal distraction during work.

Such baskets come in various styles and materials, so people can easily find ones that complement their home office.

Potential Keywords for Storage Baskets

When you search for the term “best storage baskets” on Google, you will see danielle-moss.com appear in the top five.

With a domain rating of just 39, this affiliate site manages to compete with big players like Amazon, Ikea, and The New York Times.

Let’s take a closer look at its ranked content to find out why. The article is only 254 words long, but it comes from the blog owner’s personal experience. They even include a real snapshot of how the baskets are organized.

If you want to outrank this content piece, create a more in-depth basket review or organization ideas. However, make sure actually to try the products so your content will feel authentic.

There are other potential topics based on user queries:

• How to hang a basket on a wall for storage?
• Where to buy storage baskets?
• What to store in storage baskets?

Affiliate Programs to Join

To promote retail products like storage baskets, the obvious option is to become an affiliate for eCommerce giants like Amazon and IKEA, which offer up to 3% and 5% commission, respectively.

If you want to earn more money, join affiliate programs from lesser-known sites like The Shelving Store. It offers a 7% commission and 45-day cookie duration – you will receive a fee for every purchase your referrals make within that time frame.

6. Food – Gluten Free Meals

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 17,000
• Top countries: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand
• Traffic potential: 32,000

Plant-based and low-carb meals have become more prevalent in the past few years. From keto and paleo to vegan diets, people try all sorts of methods to lose some weight or live a healthier lifestyle.

Now, there is a new kid on the block called a gluten-free diet. Gluten is a group of proteins found in specific grains, and people avoid it for various reasons. Some are diagnosed with celiac disease, while others may be allergic to gluten.

However, unlike other types of diets, gluten-free is still an underserved niche for affiliate marketing. Even a low-authoritative site like Living Freely Gluten Free can rank within the top 10 on Google search results, driving thousands of visitors each month.

Potential Keywords for Gluten-Free Meals

In a recent study, 25% of active gluten-free people suggested that cooking gluten-free meals is harder than regular cuisines.

When asked if they could find all gluten-free food they wanted to eat, 80% said no. Moreover, gluten-free products are usually more expensive.

Based on these findings, creating a site for gluten-free recipes can clearly solve all those issues. If you enjoy cooking, why don’t you turn your passion into a profit?

While it’s true that you have to compete with both Amazon and Walmart, not to mention their long list of affiliates, your success in this niche depends on your creativity in making innovative recipes.

Here are some topic ideas to tap into this lucrative niche:

• gluten free dinner ideas (KD: 21, search volume: 4,000)
• gluten and dairy free desserts (KD: 10, search volume: 2,000)
• gluten free brownies recipe (KD: 28, search volume: 1,300)

Affiliate Programs to Join

Most affiliate marketing sites in the gluten-free niche promote products from Amazon and Walmart.

By joining Amazon Associates, you can access thousands of gluten-free meals and snacks in one place – that’s a huge time saver!

However, Amazon only offers a 1% commission for groceries. On the other hand, the Walmart Creator program pays a much higher rate, which is up to 4% of every eligible sale.

7. Education – Data Science Courses

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 87,000
• Top countries: India, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia
• Traffic potential: 9,400

Companies increasingly rely on data for important business decisions, making the role of data scientists highly sought after.

Despite the high demand, there is a need for more qualified professionals. You can fill the gap by promoting data science courses.

While you don’t necessarily need a relevant background to succeed in this affiliate niche, it helps to conduct deeper research on data science. By doing so, you can write high-quality reviews that help users choose the best training program.

Even better, sign up for a few online courses to get hands-on experience and tell your honest opinions about them.

Potential Keywords for Data Science Courses

If you want to go the comparison site route, there are plenty of narrow sub-niches within data science you can aim for.

All these topics have low to medium competition and decent traffic potential:

• data analysis course (KD: 51, search volume: 10,000)
• best machine learning courses (KD: 33, search volume: 1,300)
• data science course for beginners (KD: 39, search volume: 1,200)
• how to learn data science (KD: 21, search volume: 1,500)
• best data analytics course (KD: 32, search volume: 450)

Affiliate Programs to Join

To get your education blog up and running, join Coursera’s affiliate program and get access to over 4,000 online courses. It offers a generous 15-45% commission for every purchase made within 30 days of users clicking your affiliate link.

You can also sign up for the Udemy Affiliate Program to enrich your course offerings. However, the baseline commission is only 10%, and the cookie duration lasts for seven days.

Both eLearning brands provide designer-made banners and text links to help you promote training programs.

8. Pet – Fresh Dog Food

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 23,000
• Top countries: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India
• Traffic potential: 336,000

Dog owners spend a lot of money on food, accessories, medicine, and toys to keep their canine companions happy and healthy.

So, when Victor, a popular dog food brand, recalled some of its products last year due to Salmonella contamination, many pet owners became more mindful of the ingredients and origin of their dog’s food.

If you’re an animal lover yourself, tapping into the fresh dog food niche is a fantastic way to raise awareness about healthier pet diets while also earning affiliate income.

Potential Keywords for Fresh Dog Food

Based on our market research, there are two types of affiliate content you can create to succeed in the pet niche – dog food brand reviews and healthy dog food recipes.

The first option is perfect for targeting busy pet owners who prefer buying packaged, ready-to-serve meals.

You can create comparison guides for different dietary requirements:

• best dog food for sensitive stomach (KD: 5, search volume: 5,500)
• best senior dog food (KD: 11, search volume: 4,100)
• best dog food for skin allergies (KD: 11, search volume: 3,300)
• best dog food for puppies (KD: 26, search volume: 3,600)

Make sure to learn more about each product’s ingredient quality, sourcing practices, and nutritional value.

If you want to publish original articles not available elsewhere, you need to create your own healthy dog food recipes. While this approach requires more trial and error, the long-term benefits will be worthwhile.

Here are some potential keywords you can target:

• nutritionally complete homemade dog food recipes (KD: 18, search volume: 2,400)
• raw dog food recipes (KD: 14, search volume: 2,000)
• dog food recipes with chicken (KD: 12, search volume: 1,100)

Affiliate Programs to Join

Whichever route you want to go, start by joining a trusted affiliate program in the pet niche, like the one provided by The Farmer’s Dog.

A leading supplier of fresh and healthy dog food, The Farmer’s Dog also offers personalized menus based on each pet’s nutritional and caloric needs.

While the commission rate is not mentioned anywhere on its website, a few third-party publications suggest that affiliates can earn between $10 and $50 for each eligible sale.

If you want to promote raw dog food, consider signing up for RawFedK9’s affiliate program, which offers up to 5% commission.

9. Kitchen Appliance – Coffee Maker

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 166,000
• Top countries: United States, India, Philippines, Canada, United Kingdom
• Traffic potential: 12,000

Ever since the pandemic, people have started preferring to brew coffee at home. But a surprising fact is that even with cafes and restaurants back in business, this habit isn’t fading away!

In a recent study, 65.8% of American respondents reported making coffee at home every day, while 19.1% did it a few times a week.

There are a couple of reasons for this shift in behavior:

• Convenience. Brewing at home allows people to prepare a cup of coffee quickly since there is no need to wait in lines.
• Cost-effective. Over time, brewing at home can be significantly cheaper than daily cafe purchases.

Considering all these factors, it’s clear that espresso machines and coffee makers are promising affiliate products to target.

Potential Keywords for Coffee Makers

With the right content marketing strategy, there are plenty of high-traffic queries your site can easily rank for, such as:

• best espresso machine (KD: 18, search volume: 32,000)
• best coffee maker with grinder (KD: 17, search volume: 4,400)
• best drip coffee maker (KD: 11, search volume: 11,000)

Beyond product reviews, you can also talk about coffee-making techniques and recipes. This is a great way to attract coffee drinkers looking for new ways to enjoy the beverage.

When you consistently publish new content, those casual readers will eventually turn into loyal subscribers. Sooner or later, you’ve got a growing community of coffee lovers who are ready to buy whatever product you recommend.

Affiliate Programs to Join

Signing up for popular affiliate programs like Amazon Associates is a great way to kickstart your journey in the coffee brewing industry.

You can find coffee machines of all sizes and shapes without having to switch between different platforms. That said, the offered commission rate is only 3% for the home appliance category.

If you want to earn more, we recommend promoting products directly from coffee equipment manufacturers or suppliers.

For example, Coffee Bros offers a 6% commission on all coffee gear orders. Affiliates will also get bonuses for certain milestones: an additional 6% bonus for referring 50 customers, 7% for 100 clients, and 8% for 200 referrals.

10. Travel – Weekend Getaways

Key Statistics:

• Monthly global search volume: 24,000
• Top countries: United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Australia
• Traffic potential: 4,400

The travel industry is worth trillions of dollars, making it one of the most profitable affiliate niches ever. However, this also means that breaking into this niche is only possible if you target a particular topic, like weekend getaways.

Busy schedules and fast-paced urban lifestyles make weekend getaways appealing to professionals, families, and couples seeking short breaks to recharge.

You can promote city tours, nature retreats, cultural explorations, or even kid-friendly staycation experiences – anything is possible.

Potential Keywords for Weekend Getaways

When researching potential keywords for this travel niche, we noticed that most of them are location-based.

For instance, the following terms are perfect for targeting the US audience:

• cheap weekend getaways in michigan for couples (KD: 8, search volume: 1,000)
• weekend getaways in ohio  (KD: 1, search volume: 1,900)
• best hidden weekend getaways in texas (KD: 1, search volume: 1,600)

If you live in India, here are some highly potential keywords that your site can rank for:

• weekend getaways from delhi (KD: 3, search volume: 4,900)
• weekend getaways from bangalore (KD: 5, search volume: 4,400)
• weekend getaways near pune  (KD: 6, search volume: 2,700)

All in all, if you want to have a ranking chance, the key here is to optimize your content for specific areas or cities.

Affiliate Programs to Join

Global travel platforms, such as Booking.com, have an affiliate marketing program with high commission rates starting at 25%. The more hotel bookings you secure in a month, the higher the rate will be – up to a 40% fee for 501 or more bookings.

Also, if you want to target Asian-based markets, you can join Klook’s affiliate marketing program. According to multiple sources, the payout is between 2-5% per sale.

How to Choose the Best Niche for Your Affiliate Marketing Site

Choosing the best affiliate marketing niches for your business isn’t easy, as there are so many products and sectors available.

To help you decide, we’ve got some tips for selecting lucrative affiliate marketing niches to target.

Know Your Passion and Expertise

Affiliate marketing is a long-term game. If you don’t start with a niche you’re passionate about, you may lose interest somewhere down the line.

While it’s not mandatory, having relevant experience in the field you’re aiming for can be a significant advantage. As an expert, it will be easier to write authentic reviews and comparison articles that are valuable to the readers.

Try to list all the topics you genuinely love or have professional experience in. After that, narrow down your choices by analyzing the traffic potential of each niche.

Evaluate Traffic Potential and Competition

Use free tools like Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner to check the traffic potential for each niche you have listed. Choose one or two topics with the highest search volume, and remove the rest from your list.

After that, enter your main keywords on Google to see your current competitors. Are there any authoritative publications like Forbes that target the same topic? How many affiliate marketing sites will you have to compete against?

If you have the budget, a paid keyword research tool like Ahrefs will give you even more accurate data.

Simply access the Keyword Explorer feature and fill in your keyword; the tool will then analyze its ranking difficulty. The higher the number, the more competitive a topic is.

Since you’re a beginner, it’s best to target less competitive niches like the ones we’ve provided in this article.

Calculate Potential Profitability

One of the main ideas behind affiliate marketing is to make money online with a lower budget. So, when choosing a niche, consider its potential to generate revenue.

The key here is to find products that actually sell. Also, check if there are affiliate programs within your chosen niche that offer generous commissions.

Conclusion

Affiliate marketing allows you to make money online without a substantial upfront investment. But before you can start earning, you need to find a profitable affiliate marketing niche first.

In this article, we’ve curated 10 potential sub-niches that are suitable for budding affiliate marketers, from coupon codes and unique gifts to gluten-free meals and fresh dog food.

When choosing the best niche for your affiliate marketing business, consider its traffic potential, competition, and profitability. Selecting a niche you’re passionate about can also determine your success in the long run.

We hope by reading this article, you can find the right niche and establish your affiliate business soon. Good luck!

Best Niches for Affiliate Marketing FAQ

We’ve compiled the most asked questions about affiliate marketing niches and answered them accordingly. If you have further questions, leave them in the comments section below.