290 Successful Online Course Ideas (Profitable + Unique Niches)

Looking for online course ideas? You’re in the right place.

If you want to build a profitable online course business, the secret to success is choosing the right niche. 

You need to create courses that are in demand and focus on topics that real people are searching for.

That’s why in this data-driven post, I’ll share 290 ideas for profitable online courses that are proven to attract learners, organized into logical categories, as well as a few best-selling online course examples.

Plus, if you stick around to the end, I’ll show you a neat way to come up with your own online course ideas and validate them.

Business course ideas

Online business courses are always in demand. 

There are around 2,900 searches for the keyword ‘online business course’ in the US alone every month and thousands more searches for similar and related keywords. 

Business is also one of the top categories on marketplaces like Udemy. And the most popular courses in this category have thousands of customers. For example, this business course from instructor Chris Haroun has almost 175k students to date.

Here are 10 ideas for online business course topics you might want to focus on, alongside their monthly search volume:

Ideas	Monthly US search volume
How to start a [niche] business	90,500
How to create a business plan	4,400
Business management	22,200
Business administration	40,500
Business communication	5,400
Cash flow forecasting	2,900
Business budgeting	1,900
Entrepreneurship course	1,300
How to hire employees	1,300
Managing remote teams	1,900

Digital marketing course ideas

Digital marketing is a huge industry—and one that’s constantly evolving. 

There are thousands of marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs out there who want to learn more about how to effectively market their products, so demand is sky-high. 

In fact, there are estimated to be ~12,100 monthly Google searches for ‘digital marketing courses’ in the US alone.

And because digital marketing is such a complex and varied topic, there’s plenty of room to niche down. 

Here are some ideas for specific digital marketing sub-topics you might want to build your course around:

Ideas	Monthly US search volume
Digital marketing basics	320
Digital marketing strategy	3,600
Social media marketing	40,500
Influencer marketing	12,100
SEO (search engine optimization)	165,000
Content marketing	18,100
Video marketing	4,400
Digital advertising	6,600
Email marketing	22,200
Growth hacking	2,900

Sales course ideas

Sales skills are essential for professionals across pretty much every industry, making sales courses highly sought after.

Courses might teach learners how to enhance their sales techniques or focus on specific parts of the sales process, like lead prospecting and closing deals. 

This B2B sales masterclass on Udemy has over 20k enrolled students. 

Priced at over 50 bucks each, that makes this a seven-figure business and shows just how much money there is to be made in this niche.

Here are 10 ideas for online sales course topics, alongside their monthly search volume:

Ideas	Monthly US search volume
How to build a sales funnel	590
Sales prospecting	1,300
Sales psychology	1,000
B2B sales	12,100
Persuasion techniques	2,900
Cold calling	18,100
Upselling and cross-selling	360
CRM (customer relationship management)	165,000
Sales enablement	5,400
How to close deals	320

Personal development

Personal development is one of the most popular categories on course marketplaces. Millions of people want to improve their skills, mindset, and overall well-being, and they’re willing to pay for it.

Courses in this genre often focus on helping people achieve their goals by enhancing their productivity and offering self-improvement tips. And the best courses in this niche make thousands of sales.

For example, Achieving Personal and Professional Success Specialization is one of the most successful courses on Coursera and has over 50k enrolled students to date.

Here are some ideas for specific topics:

Ideas	Monthly US search volume
Productivity hacks	880
Building self-confidence	1,300
Time management strategies	8,100
Goal setting	14,800
Building habits	720
Stress management techniques	8,100
Assertiveness training	2,900
Communication skills	27,100
Self-hypnosis	5,400
Overcoming procrastination	880

Mental health and wellness courses

One clear trend over the last decade has been an increasing consumer awareness of the importance of mental health. As such, demand for courses in the wellness niche has never been higher. 

Here are 10 more ideas for course topics in this genre:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Yoga for beginners	14,800
Meditation for beginners	4,400
Mindfulness	90,500
Managing anxiety	2,400
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)	110,000
Sound therapy	6,600
Energy healing	9,900
Reiki	135,000
How to sleep better	9,900
Holistic health practices	590

Career development & job skills

If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s the need to work. So unsurprisingly, there’s enormous demand out there for courses that teach people how to get ahead in the workplace and improve their career prospects. 

Here are 10 online course ideas related to career development and job skills:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Resume writing	5,400
Interview skills	2,400
Career pivoting	480
Career progression	1,000
Personal branding	8,100
Salary negotiation	8,100
Networking skills	720
Job searching	110,000
LinkedIn for job seekers	6,600
Soft skills	60,500

Finance course ideas

Know a thing or two about finance? Create a course to share your knowledge. You might, for example, teach people how to manage their own money more effectively (personal finance) or teach would-be investors how the stock market works. 

Here are some ideas for online course topics related to finance:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Personal finance	18,100
Investing for beginners	18,100
Stock market trading	1,900
Managing debt	2,900
Plan for retirement	27,100
Tax for freelancers	1,900
Passive income ideas	40,500
Budgeting tips	3,600
Forex trading	60,500
DIY credit repair	880

Writing course ideas

Fancy yourself a writer? Create a course to share your way with words with others. You could focus on writing, editing, publishing, or any other related sub-topic you can think of. 

Jessica Brody’s 15-step guide to writing a bestselling novel on Udemy has over 23k students, earning the creator hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue. 

Here are some writing course ideas to help you get started:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Novel writing	2,400
Content writing	5,400
Copywriting	49,500
Freelance writing	14,800
Self-publishing	5,400
Screenplay writing	1,600
Nonfiction writing	590
Proofreading and editing	720
Creative writing	12,100
How to get a book published	8,100

Software skills

In today’s technology-driven world, mastering certain software can significantly improve your career prospects.

And that’s why there’s plenty of demand out there for courses that teach people how to use different programs and applications. Choose whichever one you’re an expert in and share your knowledge.

Creator Warrick Klimaytys runs a Microsoft Excel training course on Udemy with over 58k students, making it one of the most popular courses on the platform.

Here are 10 software skills course ideas alongside their search volume:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Microsoft Excel training	5,400
Photoshop for beginners	590
How to use Canva	5,400
How to use Procreate	3,600
How to use AutoCAD	880
Figma tutorial	2,900
How to use JIRA	720
How to use WordPress	1,900
Google Sheets tutorial	1,600
Learn Blender	1,000

Programming & development

Are you a master in web development? Do you know the ins and outs of a particular programming language better than anyone else? Create a course to share your knowledge with other developers. 

Try to focus on a niche area that hardly anyone else is covering and carve out your own space in the market. Here are some ideas:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Web development	14,800
JavaScript tutorial	5,400
UX design	40,500
Python for beginners	4,400
API integration	3,600
C# tutorial	2,400
No-code programming	340
Mobile development	2,400
Game development	5,400
HTML & CSS	1,600

Artificial intelligence

This year, it’s all about AI. Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, consumers and businesses have become increasingly aware of how generative AI can transform their lives and increase productivity. 

As a result, there’s been an explosion in the number of people who want to learn more about how to develop and use AI applications. So, now’s the perfect time to create an online course in the AI niche. 

Here are some ideas:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Machine learning	49,500
Generative AI	90,500
Prompt engineering	40,500
ChatGPT training	1,300
Neural networks	33,100
How to build a chatbot	480
Using Midjourney	880
AI ethics	6,600
Deep learning	18,100
AI for business	5,400

Videography & photography

Thanks to social media, visual content like photos and visuals have become a huge part of everyday life. 

There are tons of hobbyists out there who want to improve their camera skills and learn how to take better photos or make better videos. Create an online course to teach them and cash in on that demand. 

There are lots of niche sub-topics you could focus on, like:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Video editing	18,100
Photography basics	1,900
Photo editing	14,800
Filmmaking	3,600
Wedding photography	9,900
Portrait photography	14,800
Drone photography	5,400
Smartphone photography	360
Video lighting	2,400
Street photography	9,900

Graphic design

Graphic design is using technology to create visual content. Graphic designers are often self-taught, and many choose to learn their skills through online courses and tutorials rather than at university, so this is another area where there’s plenty of demand.

You could create a course teaching learners how to use whatever graphic design software you know best, like Photoshop or Illustrator. Or, focus on a niche sub-topic. I’ve listed ten ideas below:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Graphic design basics	720
Logo design	100,000
Infographic design	2,900
Typography design	3,600
Color theory	60,500
Packaging design	6,600
How to create a graphic design portfolio	880
Digital illustration	1,600
Social media graphic design	480
3D graphic design	720

Music course ideas

If you’re a talented musician, you can monetize your skills by creating an online course to teach the tricks of your trade. You could teach a particular instrument, musical theory, or any other topic you’re an expert in. Here are 10 ideas:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Music theory	33,100
DAW (Digital Audio Workstations)	60,500
Songwriting	12,100
Music production	8,100
Audio mixing	12,100
Learn [instrument]	5,000++
Music marketing	2,400
Ear training	2,900
Reading music	5,400
DJing	5,400

Language learning

We live in an increasingly globalized world. As a result, there are millions of people hoping to learn another language so they can communicate effectively across borders.

And the good news is everyone’s an expert in at least one language so you don’t even need to be a polyglot yourself to create a language course.

Here are 10 ideas for online language learning course topics, along with their monthly search volume:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Learn English	14,800
English grammar	8,100
English pronunciation	5,400
Learn Japanese	14,800
How to memorize Kanji	720
Learn Russian	5,400
Learn Spanish	40,500
Learn Italian	12,100
Learn French	14,800
Learn Esperanto	390

Teaching & education

Education is another popular online course genre. Teachers and educators are always looking for resources to help them be more effective and improve their teaching practices. 

Dr. José Prabhu J’s teacher training course is one of the most popular on Udemy, with over 8.5k students.

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Classroom management	8,100
Lesson planning	1,900
Differentiation in teaching	1,000
SEN (Special Educational Needs)	720
Curriculum design	1,300
Assessment methods	480
ESL teaching	6,600
Early childhood education	49,500
Teaching phonics	1,000
How to teach [subject]	5,000++

Home improvement & DIY

Fancy yourself a handyman? Create a course to teach your DIY skills to others. The most successful courses in this niche focus on topics related to home improvement and home maintenance.

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Interior design	110,000
Home organization	5,400
Gardening for beginners	5,400
Plumbing basics	1,000
Furniture restoration	8,100
Interior painting	18,100
Upcycling	8,100
Tiny space design	720
Room lighting	1,000
Home DIY	2,900

Cooking & baking

Cooking is another popular online course category where you can reach millions of potential learners. Focus on a specific cuisine or teach a specific cooking skill to niche down and carve out a space for yourself in the market. 

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Bread baking	12,100
Vegan cooking	1,000
Meal preparation	6,600
Knife skills	1,300
Sushi making	22,200
Italian cooking	1,300
French cooking	1,300
Cooking with spices	1,300
Dessert making	9,900
Vietnamese cooking	480

Parenting course ideas

Becoming a parent isn’t easy, and parents are often on the lookout for resources to help them learn how to better care for and raise their children. As a result, there’s plenty of demand for courses in the parenting and family life niche. Here are some ideas for sub-topics you might want to focus on:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Positive parenting	2,400
Baby sleep training	18,100
Homeschooling	60,500
Managing screen time	320
Montessori at home	1,600
Co-parenting	12,100
Self-care for parents	320
Raising resilient children	320
Nurturing sibling relationships	320
How to childproof your home	430

Hobby course ideas

Hobbyists are another huge sector of the online course market. Courses in this genre teach fun new skills, like knitting, sewing, painting, and so on. Ask yourself what hobbies you enjoy, then create your own online course to introduce others to it and help them to learn the craft.

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Learn knitting	2,900
Chess fundamentals	590
Birdwatching	14,800
Learn magic	720
DIY candle making	1,000
Learn calligraphy	2,400
Watercolor painting	49,500
Home coffee brewing	720
Drone flying	6,600
Model railway building	720

Travel & adventure

Travelers often plan ahead before they embark on their next adventure. And many of those that do will turn to online courses to learn what they need to know. Here are some ideas for course topics in the travel niche:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Gap year planning	320
Traveling on a budget	720
Travel photography	2,400
How to pack a backpack	3,600
Van life for beginners	27,100
RV living	9,900
How to travel for free	1,300
Backpacking essentials	3,600
Digital nomad	18,100
Eco-friendly travel	320

Pet care & training

Courses in the pet care and training niche teach owners how to look after their furry friends. You could focus on a particular type of pet—e.g. Cats, dogs, parrots, gerbils, etc.—or niche down to a specific area of pet care, like cleaning, grooming, walking, etc. Here are some ideas for potential topics:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Dog obedience training	14,800
Dog enrichment	1,300
Pet grooming	135,000
Dog walking	60,500
Pet nutrition	1,600
Animal psychology	1,300
Puppy training	22,200
Puppy socialization	1,900
Litter box training	880
Cat body language	9,900

Spirituality & mindfulness

Courses in this niche help learners to cultivate a deeper emotional or spiritual connection with themselves and the world around them. They often cover topics related to spiritual or meditative practices. Here are 10 ideas:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Spiritual healing	6,600
Tarot reading	74,000
Chakra balancing	3,600
Positive affirmations	90,500
Crystal healing	6,600
Manifestation techniques	2,900
Past life regression	18,100
Guided visualization	480
Life coach training	1,900
Palm reading	60,500

Environment & sustainability

Consumers these days are much more eco-conscious. There are lots of people out there who want to learn how they can be more environmentally responsible in their daily lives. So why not create a course to give these consumers the tools and knowledge they need to do so?

This Udemy course teaches people how to measure their carbon footprint and over 2,110 students have enrolled to date.

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Zero waste lifestyle	320
Reduce carbon footprint	1,600
Climate change	1,000,000
Water conservation	6,600
Sustainable fashion	6,600
Environmental advocacy	480
Renewable energy	40,500
Eco-friendly home improvements	480
Organic gardening	1,900
Waste reduction	1,900

Beauty & fashion

Beauty and fashion courses attract learners interested in enhancing their appearance and style. From advanced makeup artistry to breakdowns of skincare routines, there’s plenty of room in this market to niche down. 

Here are 10 course ideas in the beauty and fashion genre:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Skincare tips	4,400
Makeup tips	2,900
Hair care tips	1,300
Personal styling	6,600
DIY nail art	2,400
Fashion design	8,100
Modeling tips	480
Male grooming	1,000
Korean skincare	40,500
Body positivity	9,900

Productivity & organization

Productivity & organization courses focus on helping people to maximize their efficiency, avoid procrastination, and streamline their lives. They might focus on topics related to things like reducing clutter around the home or strategies to avoid burnout. 

Here are 10 niche-relevant topic ideas for inspiration:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Bullet journaling	60,500
Wardrobe organization	1,600
Home decluttering	2,900
Digital note-taking	1,300
Goal tracking	3,600
Task prioritization	1,300
Building routines	320
Workspace organization	320
Time management strategies	8,100
Mind mapping	60,500

Relationships & dating

Relationships & dating courses help people to improve their relationships with family, friends, or potential romantic partners. 

Here are some ideas for sub-topics you might want to base your course on:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
How to flirt	22,200
First date tips	3,600
Building healthy relationships	480
Active listening	33,100
Marriage counseling	74,000
Online dating	18,100
Family dynamics	6,600
Love languages	550,000
How to handle rejection	1,300
Date night ideas	60,500

Real estate & property management

Real estate & property management courses teach homeowners and property investors useful skills to help them compete in the real estate market. Here are 10 ideas for course topics in this niche:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Real estate investing	49,500
Airbnb hosting	6,600
How to buy your first home	1,900
Managing rental properties	1,900
Real estate photography	18,100
Flipping houses	9,900
Property appraisal	60,500
Commercial property management	5,400
Tenant screening	3,600
Property maintenance	4,400

Automotive skills

Automotive skills courses cover topics like vehicular maintenance, repair techniques, etc. They help empower learners to confidently handle various automotive tasks and improve their knowledge of how vehicles work. 

Here are 10 ideas for automotive-related course topics:

Ideas	Monthly search volume
Basic car maintenance	1,000
Car performance tuning	320
Car troubleshooting	390
Car buying	8,100
Car detailing	135,000
Vehicle modification	320
Classic car restoration	3,600
Fuel efficiency	1,900
Transmission repair	33,100
Engine diagnostics	1,600

How to come up with your own online course ideas

We’ve covered hundreds of ideas for online course topics in this post—but none of them may be a good fit for you.

Ultimately, the best way to come up with a winning online course idea is to come up with your own. Here’s how:

Step 1: Brainstorm topics you know about

The most successful courses are those delivered by people who are true experts in their niche.

For example, it’s not worth making a course teaching people how to bake if you’ve never baked anything yourself.

So, start by brainstorming a list of topics you think you know more about than the average Joe. 

Topics that you’d consider yourself a bonafide expert in should, of course, be at the top of the list.

Step 2: Brainstorm sub-topics to niche down

The online course market is highly competitive. To stand a chance of making sales, you’ll need to niche down and target a sector of the market where there isn’t much competition.

For example, let’s say you’re an expert in SEO (search engine optimization). 

If you create a general ‘Introduction to SEO’ or ‘SEO basics’ course, you’re going to be competing with hundreds of other sellers.

So instead, you could niche down to a sub-topic, like:

• The complete guide to technical SEO
• A beginner’s guide to on-page SEO
• E-commerce SEO fundamentals
• Etsy SEO: How to rank on Etsy

All of the above are going to be much less competitive. So while you’re targeting a smaller pool of potential buyers, you should still find it easier to make sales.

Step 3: Validate topics to narrow down your list

Once you’ve finished brainstorming, you should have a bunch of different potential topics to base your course around. Now you’ll need to validate them. 

Start by considering what people need. Ask yourself: Is there a chance that there are lots of people that would want to learn about this? If not, scratch it off the list.

Next, do some keyword research. 

For each topic, plug a keyword you think people who are looking for a course like that might search for into a keyword research tool and check the search volume. If people are searching for it, it’s a good sign there’s a market for it.

After that, head to a course marketplace like Udemy and search for each topic still on your list. The goal here is to assess the competition.

Ideally, you’ll want to see that there are at least one or two courses on the same (or a very similar) topic that have made sales. That way, you know there’s a market for it.

But you don’t want to see dozens of courses on the topic across multiple pages. That’s a sign it’s too competitive and you’re going to struggle to stand out from the crowd.

Note: Also consider doing keyword research for platforms like Google and YouTube. Later, you can create content to market your course on these platforms.

Step 4: Consider pre-selling your course

At this point, you should have validated one or more ideas that you’re ready to move forward with.

But before you go all-in and invest dozens of hours creating online courses, you need to be absolutely sure they’re going to be profitable.

One way to check this is to consider pre-selling.

In this situation, you start marketing your online courses before you’ve made them. You just need to choose your titles, create outlines for each course’s content, set prices, and then present that information to your target buyers. 

Students have the opportunity to purchase courses and enroll in them ahead of the launch date. You set a minimum sales target that would justify making them (for example, 10 customers).

If you don’t reach your targets, you refund purchases and explain that there wasn’t enough interest to move forward with that course.

If you do reach your targets, you can use an online course platform like Thinkific to create online courses and launch them to guaranteed sales.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, these 290 profitable online course ideas have given you some food for thought.

I’d only recommend using these ideas as a jumping-off point. They should help with inspiration and give you an idea of what kind of topics and sub-topics are in demand, but it’s a better idea to come up with your own ideas by following the steps above.

Want to sell digital products like ebooks instead? Here are the best ecommerce platforms to sell digital products. Or if you plan to sell online course memberships, try one of these subscription platforms instead.

You might also enjoy our roundup of other ways to make money from your website.