Best Profitable Online Course Ideas and Topics Based on Research
Looking for the most profitable online course ideas? We’ve got a great list of such!
To create this list of online course ideas, we thoroughly analyzed hundreds of courses, enrollment rates, and popularity on popular online learning platforms as well as smaller private course websites.
As for the online course topic ideas, we are proposing suggestions that align with those offered by well-known research centers, course platforms, and instructors.
Jump to these categories and ideas and be sure to find highly profitable course topics!
But first, why trust this list of ideas for online courses and implement them?
- Top popular categories curated from highly rated course platforms.
- Categories aligned with market demands.
- Topics similar to ones offered by international and local research centers, education platforms, and instructors.
So it should stand to reason that we’re well-versed in the industry and are ready to share our results with you!
What’s Important for Students in the Online Education Topic?
Before we introduce you to the list of courses and ideas, let’s highlight what’s really important for your students in the course information. This is the first section that a student scans, thus very crucial for you to consider.
- Key Subject
- What You Will Learn
- Hands-on Practice Provided in this Course
- Expertise and Skill Level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
- Main Course Language or Foreign Language Requirements
- Specific App or Software Knowledge Requirements
- Duration of the Course (In Hours, Weeks, or Live Training)
- Instructors and Guest Experts Involved
And now it’s high time to help you choose your category where you can thrive and earn profit!
Digital Course Ideas to Sell and Earn Profit
1. Technology & Software
We won’t exaggerate by saying that this is one of the top popular categories on every online learning platform we’ve researched.
The range of spheres and topics is so diverse that any instructor more or less involved can find a niche to join and get attention from prospective students.
Now it’s time to define categories that can serve you the most traffic and profit.
Software & Development
It was not hard to find out that in this category the following topics are super hot and trending:
- Amazon AWS
- Ethical Hacking
- Cyber Security
- Python
- Web Development
Design
Designing goes hand-in-hand with development. Thus, design courses are in equal demand in the market.
- Photoshop
- Graphic Design
- Drawing
- UX Designing
- UI Development
- Figma
- Illustrator
Development & Design Course Ideas for You
- How to Become a Cyber Security Analyst in 6 Months
- Crash Course to Cyber Security
- Python Automation: Automate Repetitive Tasks
- Write Efficient Scripts for Everyday Tasks with Python Scripting
- AWS IoT: How to Connect Devices to the Cloud
- How to Embrace Generative AI Tools in Photoshop
- Adobe Photoshop – Graphic Design Class for Beginners
- Getting the Hang of Illustrator for Effective Designs
- Leveraging Figma for Advanced Designing
2. AI & Machine Learning
It’s the age of AI. This is one of the hottest topics on various international learning platforms.
Businesses are looking for a new level of automation with deep learning and machine learning techniques. Individuals are looking to deepen their knowledge in this field to become more useful to businesses and stay relevant in any sphere. The demand for AI trainers is increasing day-by-day and thus, professionals are in the market to sharpen their skills.
From basic theory to more hands-on approaches, offering structured courses about AI is one of the best ways to secure your spot in the e-learning market.
Course Ideas for you:
- Generative IT – Fundamentals & Practical Tips
- Machine Learning & Deep Learning Software for E-Commerce Business
- Machine Learning Functionality in Business to Predict Customer Choices
- How to Build & Train a Neural Network with TensorFlow
- The Basics of Data Mining & Modeling
- Multilingual Speech & Language Models
- Photo Editing with Machine Learning
- Leveraging the ChatGPT for your Website
- Using AI for Quick PPT and Excel Generation
3. Marketing
The world of business is not going to run a single day without marketing efforts. On top of that, marketing tactics for each field differ heavily and depend on the industry.
However, many marketing course topics can be universally applicable across industries. The fundamentals of customer psychology and marketing/sales funnel stay the same. Thus, you can create generalized marketing courses or industry-specific marketing courses.
Top categories for marketing include e-commerce, blogging, and affiliate marketing.
Here are some core topics that typically transcend industry boundaries and we offer you to consider creating them.
Marketing Course Ideas for you:
- Market Research and Analysis – Tools You Need to Have
- Excel Skills for Business Specialization
- Content Marketing and Storytelling for Building Powerful Brand Image
- Developing a Go-To-Market Strategy for Enterprise Product Management
- How to Use Amazon Marketing Tricks on Your Own Store
- SMM for Beginners that Works Today
- How to Leverage SEO
- Evolving Times of Email Marketing and How to Leverage It
4. Health & Nutrition
No success story is complete without health efforts; many influencers and businesses start with the right routine, sports, and nutrition to stay healthy and productive.
Broad categories that deal with health include fitness, mental health, meditation, dance, yoga, nutrition, and general health. Let’s list the topics that are hot and popular these days with the profitable health course ideas below.
Health course ideas for you:
- Explore Chair Yoga to Feel Good in Your Body
- Hip Hop for Beginners
- How to Eat a Whole Food to Improve Your Nutrition
- Modern Methods for Successful Diet Panning
- Easy Fitness Routines for Busy Schedules
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques for Self-Healing
- How to Unwind After a Stressful Day (A Monthly Practice of New Actions Everyday)
5. Art & Humanities
People enroll in art and humanities courses for various reasons beyond just practical or immediate career benefits, with some of the motivations including:
- Personal fulfillment and passion
- Critical thinking and analytics skills
- Cultural understanding, innovation, and creativity
- To spend some leisure time outside daily mundane life
So what are top on-demand, thus, profitable topics in the art and humanities category?
- Music
- Photography
- Language Learning
- Crafts and Crocheting
- Dance Training
Profitable course ideas for you:
- Politics & Human Rights: How to Become Socially Active
- Electronic Music Production – How to Win the Market
- Understanding Cultural Norms and Traditions of the [Language Country]
- Light & Shadow: Harnessing Natural and Studio Lighting
- Understanding Common Idiomatic Expressions in [Target Language]
- Basics of Ballet for Adults
- How to Crochet your Own Goodies (Beanie, Keychains, Pins, Socks)
6. Business & Analytics
Data analysis is an integral part of any business; no surprise that many people are trying to build their own entrepreneurship journey or become more professional in consulting a business. Aimed primarily at project managers, such courses may teach SQL basics to extract, analyze, and interpret data from databases to make better project decisions, as well as in-depth financial analysis.
Here, the top profitable categories include:
- Financial Analysis
- SQL
- PMP
Course ideas for you:
- Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel
- Data Engineering Essentials: Python, Bash, and SQL for Beginners
- Data-Driven Project Management and Why It Works
- Power BI for Project Managers
- Data Science Fundamentals with Python and SQL
7. Personal Development
Personal development courses include a diverse range of topics, from career growth to psychology and life satisfaction. Such psychological tricks, such as motivation, rewards, and planning are still at the center of attention of many people.
Course ideas for you:
- How to Negotiate a Salary as a Freelancer
- How to Double Up Your Confidence
- How Motivation Works: Getting Motivated 10x Faster
- Professional Life Coach Certification Crash Course
- Dressing Etiquette for Your Office
To Conclude: How to Pick Ideas for Online Courses for Maximum Profit
When selecting a course topic with a focus on profitability, we still recommend focusing first on the knowledge and skills you can deliver. Of course, tech-related fields like Python, SQL, and Data Engineering are consistently popular but look for niche areas where competition is lower. This will help you differentiate yourself and stand out.
More than that, research similar courses on popular platforms like Udemy, Coursera, or Skillshare (as we did to create our list of top profitable course ideas). Pay attention to the number of reviews and students enrolled in these courses. Because what else gives such a clear indication of demand and student interest? Courses with high engagement typically signal profitable niches, which allow instructors to earn good money.
And lastly, think about whether you can provide a new angle or deeper insights compared to existing courses, with your own clear value proposition, such as teaching specialized applications or offering real-world projects. Think of some of the creative ideas for online courses to stand out. Differentiating your offering would drive higher traffic.
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Brian Denim
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