17 trending digital marketing business ideas in 2024

Top 17 digital marketing business ideas

We can assure you that becoming a digital marketer is not quantum physics but it requires a proper education like courses or training and throughout research on what suits you well. That’s why we’ve decided to give you some digital marketing business ideas that might help you make an easy decision.

Search engine optimization

It offers search engine optimization (SEO) services to help websites and online content rank higher and appear more prominently in search engine results. This can be a viable business idea because many companies rely on search engines like Google to drive traffic to their sites, but may lack the technical expertise to maximize their SEO.

An SEO service provider helps by auditing sites, recommending and implementing keywords, link building, and other evidence-based optimization strategies suited for each client. This not only helps increase their search rankings but also helps them garner more qualified visitors and leads. Overall, offering professional SEO services allows one to monetize an understanding of algorithms and market demand for better search visibility.

How much you can make: $50,000-$200,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 6-12 months

Email marketing

It offers email marketing services to businesses to help promote their products/services and maintain relationships with customers. Email marketing business is profitable since email continues to be a vital digital marketing channel – it helps drive traffic, conversions, and sales if done effectively.

An email marketing service provider assists clients by creating customized email campaigns like new product announcements, special deals, newsletters with helpful content, birthday offers, etc., and sending them out to the client’s subscriber list. This keeps customers continuously engaged. It helps clients promote without large advertising budgets. The business owner enjoys applying creativity in designing compelling email campaigns.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $500-$2,500
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Social media marketing

Social media marketing offers social media marketing services to businesses to help promote their brand and products/services on social media platforms. This can be a viable business since social media is becoming imperative for companies to reach and engage with current and potential customers.

A social media marketing agency assists clients by devising their social media strategies, creating interesting content suited for various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, and managing their social media handles to boost follower count and interaction. This helps promote businesses without large advertising budgets so they can capitalize on social media’s popularity and target specific audiences more precisely.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $500-$2,500
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Content marketing and creation

It offers professional content marketing and creation services to businesses to help promote their brand, products, or services by developing high-quality, valuable content. A content marketing agency assists clients by devising data-driven content strategies, creating well-researched, optimized content in various formats that resonate with target audiences, and distributing that content effectively. This helps establish businesses as thought leaders in their niche without large advertising budgets. It provides useful information to audiences. 

Overall, a content marketing services provider allows entrepreneurs to monetize essential expertise in producing high-impact content while enabling clients lacking these skills to reinforce brand perception, and increase site traffic, leads, and sales.

How much you can make: $50,000-$200,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing services are offered to businesses to help promote their products or services. This can be a viable business since many companies want to increase sales but lack the marketing resources to do so themselves. An affiliate marketer assists clients by placing links, banners, and content promoting the company’s offerings on their own high-traffic website, social media, or other digital channels.

If any site visitor gets persuaded to complete a lead generation form or make a purchase, the affiliate earns a share of that transaction as a commission. This is a cost-effective way for businesses to tap wider networks and boost conversions without large budgets.

How much you can make: $50,000-$200,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $500-$2,500
How long does it take to build: 6-12 months

Digital advertising agency

It offers digital advertising services to businesses to promote their brand and offerings online. This can be a viable business since digital ads help companies reach targeted audiences across various platforms like search engines, social media, websites, apps, and more. A digital advertising agency assists clients by first understanding their goals and core customers, then plans and executes pay-per-click ads, social media ads, display ads, video ads, etc. accordingly to increase brand visibility and conversions.

Unlike traditional media, digital ads allow improved personalization, tracking, and optimization. This expands client reach significantly without relying solely on organic traffic.

How much you can make: $100,000-$500,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $10,000-$50,000
How long does it take to build: 6-12 months

Web design and development

It offers professional web design and development services to businesses needing an online presence. Building customized websites and web applications can be a lucrative business since nearly every company today requires an engaging, functional site/app to connect with modern audiences.

A web design and dev provider assists clients by – planning site architecture for their needs and goals, designing an intuitive UI/UX, and developing and coding responsive front-end sites/apps backed by efficient back-end CMS platforms. The entire process is tailored for each client vertical. This enables organizations lacking specialized web tech skills to establish robust online properties that provide rich user experiences critical for converting site traffic into customers.

How much you can make: $50,000-$200,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $2,000-$10,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Retargeting advertiser

Retargeting advertiser help businesses reconnect with website visitors who left without completing a purchase. This can be a viable business since retargeting ensures brands stay top-of-mind and nurtures leads by reminding audiences about their offerings across sites they browse.

A retargeting agency first adds tracking pixels on a client’s site. Then they create customized display ads to serve to visitors who were on the site but didn’t convert. When these users later visit other sites, they see relevant ads reminding them about the client’s products/services, which can lead them back to make a purchase. This helps clients cost-effectively turn more site traffic into confirmed customers.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

E-commerce marketing

E-commerce marketing helps online businesses to boost their sales and revenues. E-commerce marketing is a trending business since e-commerce continues to expand globally while intense competition demands differentiated marketing efforts to stand out.

An e-commerce marketing agency assists e-commerce clients by devising data-backed growth strategies, creating personalized shopping experiences for their target customer personas, optimizing their store for conversions across devices, running multi-channel digital advertising campaigns, and providing SEO and customer retention services. This enables online businesses to better understand their customers, engage them effectively at scale and thereby drive more quality traffic to their platform leading to increased transactions and revenues.

How much you can make: $50,000-$200,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $2,000-$10,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Video marketing

A video marketing business helps clients promote products, services, or brand stories through professionally customized film content. As online browsing habits shift toward streaming media across devices, targeted video campaigns connect with wider audiences authentically.

An independent videographer first establishes a niche such as social media ads, 3D animation explainers, or commercials highlighting regional businesses through superior on-screen storytelling. Advanced equipment, editing software, and online advertising ecosystem mastery develop high production values rivaling expensive studios.

How much you can make: $50,000-$200,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $2,000-$10,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Pay Per Click (PPC) consultant

A pay-per-click (PPC) consultant business would advise and manage paid search engine advertising campaigns for clients seeking more website traffic or sales. An independent specialist begins demonstrating optimized returns across client search ads through Keyword research, bid adjustments, and ad copy refinements tailored for every unique offering. Over time, honing campaign analytics around goals like lead generation and video views establishes trusted ongoing partnerships extending beyond temporary agency reliance into a larger strategy.

Seasoned PPC consultants become versatile assets coordinating initiatives across channels like paid social or product listing enhancements for showcasing niche mastery around site visibility and traffic-to-revenue performance both on and off major search platforms.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Digital marketing analyst

A digital marketing analyst business would assess client website metrics, advertising data, and online assets to derive performance insights improving internet visibility and conversion rates. Many companies possess underutilized customer data, disjointed branding, and site functionality issues losing sales.

An independent analyst compiles filtered reports presenting ranked priorities across owned properties and campaigns. This illuminates statistical customer behavior from initial touchpoints toward purchasing based on volumes, site navigation ease, paid/organic breakdowns, etc. Ongoing collaborations build executable digital strategies solving complex business development needs through insightful intelligence. As online competition and consumer media consumption perpetually grow, the marketing analyst serves as an impartial navigator consulted early when launching websites or new initiatives for advantaged navigation based on trends.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Digital public relations specialist

A digital public relations specialist business would help clients build brand awareness and strategic messaging through online media platforms. As traditional PR shifts focus toward owned social channels and influencer partnerships over print and TV, an independent specialist defines an internet presence that consistently engages target demographics. This begins by auditing existing assets for opportunities to reveal authentic stories recycled into shareable news releases, podcast interviews, sponsored evergreen content, and live streams reporting company vision.

Over time, pitching relevant announcements expands website visitors and positive sentiment through search rankings and community interactions. The PR specialist ultimately streamlines interpersonal communications both internally and externally to nourish transparent relationships with customers. Their role also includes advising around risk or crisis containment regarding timely responses.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Web analytics administrator

A web analytics administrator business would implement, configure, and analyze data tracking across client websites and mobile applications to derive actionable insights driving growth. As online presences get measured in endless matrices, focused analytics administration helps construct simplified reporting dashboards fulfilling specific key performance indicators.

An independent specialist begins assessing needs around lead monitoring, sales conversion, or brand impression goals. They set up proper analytics tracking, data layering, customized segmentation, and dashboard automation automating complex statistics reconciliation into dynamic visual guidance. Offering part-time affordable guidance, the analytics administrator sustains growth momentum through right-time findings, alerts, and forecasting models tailored for the organization’s online vision from launch and beyond.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Online ad management

An online ad management business expertly handles paid advertising campaigns across search, social, and shopping channels on clients’ behalf for increased exposure and sales. As digital promotions grow more complex with expanding options to explore, ad management expertise tailors and refines messages toward warm target markets efficiently.

Specialists first determine specific campaign goals, parameters, and branding guidelines for cultivating ideal reach through Google, Facebook or Amazon. Overall online ad management promises brands to achieve more influence through dedicated specialization.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Digital blogging

A digital blogging business specializes in building customized editorial websites featuring recurring post content tailored by topic for specific audiences. As online readerships fragment toward niche passions, independent bloggers attract viewers through consistent high-quality storytelling saturating a defined interest like sustainable travel, vinyl record collecting, or small space home renovations.

Leveraging both journalistic research skills and SEO best practices helps ranked topical blogs stand out as trusted hobby resources. Monetization options abound through affiliate marketing, digital product offerings, sponsored native posts, or bespoke writing commissions once regularly returning readership scales through social shares. Over time diversification between multiple blogs and YouTube channels with integrated eCommerce stores maximizes authority site ad earnings from display ads.

How much you can make: $30,000-$100,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $500-$2,500
How long does it take to build: 6-12 months

Strategic marketing analyst

A strategic marketing analyst business would evaluate client situations to inform data-driven planning strengthening brand positioning and sales funnels through consumer insights. While creative advertising sets tones, analytical guidance grounds effective messaging into responsible calls-to-action.

An independent analyst reviews existing collateral and then surveys target demographics for shaping future initiatives suiting both company capabilities and customer needs. Competitor research further frames marketplace gaps to fill.

How much you can make: $50,000-$150,000+/year
How much does it cost to start: $1,000-$5,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that achieving success in digital marketing requires a perfect blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and a profound understanding of your target audience. With the right mindset, a solid strategy, and a commitment to excellence, there’s no limit to what you can achieve in the world of digital marketing.