10 underserved niches for wordpress theme developers to make money

10 underserved niches for wordpress theme developers to make money

When it comes to developing wordpress themes for selling, it is common knowledge that focusing on a niche will always yield better results, ... 00:23

When it comes to developing wordpress themes for selling, it is common knowledge that focusing on a niche will always yield better results, especially if you are not a big brand like woothemes etc.  However, finding niches that have a sizeable buyer market without too much competition is a challenge. We can use tools such as Google keyword planner to let us estimate potential market size but even then, nothing is certain. The best way to brainstorm for niche ideas is to look at offline businesses and see which ones don’t have an active wordpress developer community serving them.

In case you need some inspirations, here are 10 niches for wordpress theme developers that might be profitable. I used Google Suggest + Themeforest sales data to estimate the likely market size for each of these niches.

#1:  WordPress theme for museum

Museum wordpress themes is not a big niche but it still can be a nice cash flow generator year after year since the competition is not that many. There is one themeforest listing on google for the theme called curator. Below is its sales numbers.

Estimated average themeforest sales= 312*USD50=USD15,600 sales in 15 months (before themeforest’s cut)

#2: WordPress themes for speakers

Most wordpress themes are for events or conferences. There is very few that is focus on serving the speakers by giving them an easy way to: (i) showcase their past speaking engagement videos, (ii) sell their books, (iii) book their time, (iv) collect emails etc. Currently no themeforest listing is found in google’s first page result. The top result for the search tag “speakers’ on themeforest for the evento events theme.

#3:  WordPress themes for ice cream shops

Again, there is currently no specific theme on themeforest that caters to this niche. The search result I got from themeforest was for general wordpress themes for bakery.  The top selling theme was JustShop and below is its sales data. Beware though that not all the sales can be attributed to the ice cream shops niche.

Estimated average themeforest sales= 509*USD55=USD27,995 sales in 4 months (before themeforest’s cut)

#4: WordPress themes for kindergarden

There are plenty of wordpress themes for mommy bloggers and kids. However, themes focusing on serving the child care or kindergarden businesses are few and far in between. There is one wp theme in themeforest that is relevant to this niche and it is pulling a nice revenue number with very few competition.

Estimated average themeforest sales= 1210*USD40=USD48,400 sales in 16 months (before themeforest’s cut)

#5: WordPress theme for video production company

Video wordpress themes are common but when it comes to themes that support a video production company, it is sorely lacking. One of the top search result in google is for this themeforest listing called The Producer. You can see its revenue numbers below:

Estimated average themeforest sales= 676*USD45=USD35,420 sales in 11 months (before themeforest’s cut)

#6: WordPress themes for lead generation

This seems to be a niche that should be filled with competition. Surprising it is not. In themeforest, there is only 5 listing for lead generation wordpress themes. Among these 5, one is listing in the first page of Google for this search term: permatex. It is fairly new theme but the sales numbers already look impressive.

Estimated average themeforest sales= 124*USD35=USD4340 sales in 1.5 months (before themeforest’s cut)

 #7: WordPress themes for landscapinging businesses

The top result for this niche is from templatemonsters. I am not sure how historical is their download data but you can see there is at least some form of purchases. With no listing from themeforest, you can probably be the first of such theme to be listed in themeforest if you are quick.

#8:  WordPress themes for moving company

Believe it or not, people do search for wordpress themes for moving company. Currently, there isn’t much competition in Google search as well as in Themeforest.  The only result in Google from Themeforest is the listing for a theme called rounder, which is not that relevant for a moving company. However, there are many results in google search showing that people are asking for this kind of theme.

#9: WordPress themes for dance studios

There is literally no wp themes on themeforest that serve this niche. All I got was a google result that point to me to a discussion thread on themeforest. That is how open this niche is. The challenge here is not knowing how much demand there is for such a theme.

#10: Genealogy wordpress themes

Currently, very few premium wp theme for genealogy can be found in Google. The top results included one from wordpress.org, which are mainly free wp plugins. However, from the number of downloads, you can see there is definitely interest. Whether that interest is strong enough to motivate a purchase is something you need to test it out.

If you have more niche ideas for wordpress theme development, please feel free to list them in the comments.

Full screen video background

Full screen video background

Ambient video background refers to the design of playing a non intrusive full screen video as the background of your website. It is not a bi... 01:04

Ambient video background refers to the design of playing a non intrusive full screen video as the background of your website. It is not a big trend yet but I am starting to see companies, especially startups using them in their web design.  The difference between video as background vs a normal video is the level of attention that the visitor is expected to pay to them. In the latter, the user is expected to pay full attention to the video while for the former, the video background can be safely ignored.

Currently, the jury is still out on whether these full screen video background are gimmicks or they perform a different kind of function in terms of visitor retention or conversion. I guess this trend is just an extension of the full screen image web design that is so prominent in 2013.  Below are 13 examples of how other companies are using ambient video background.

Editor’s note: you must click on the link to see how the video in motion works. These screenshots doesn’t do it justice.

Full screen video background #1: Canva.com

Canva uses the video as a way to show how its product and service works. It also showcase some of its staff to let visitors have a better sense of who are behind this website. Pretty cool implementation.

Full screen video background #2: Square.com

In this example, the video is being faded out into a single color that isn’t as obvious as the first example. To see this video in motion, you need to pause at this screen for a couple of seconds!

Full screen video background #3: BigVideo.js

This is not a real website but a demo to show the power of bigvideo.js. You can download this plugin if you want to experiment with using ambient video background in your website.

Full screen video background #4: Films.bybrettjohnson.com

The cool thing about this example is that different videos were used for different section of the website.  Combined with parallax scrolling, it makes for a nice experience, especially when the website is about films.

Full screen video background #5: Blacknegative.com

Unlike other videos, there seems to be no ‘breaks’ in this example. This is because of the video’s clever implementation that makes it like it is looping continuously without you knowing. Very nicely done as a quiet kind of video background for your website.

Video background #6: Medianovak.com

In this instance, the video used is more grainy. I think the intention was not for it to be too intrusive. Overall, the idea works and the video creates a nice complementary effect to the content of the website.

Video background #7: Oxygene-interactive.com

Interesting choice of video for this example. It looks like a design agency but the clips don’t really have direct relationships with what the website is offering.

Full screen video background #8: Marisapassos.com

The effect of this particular video is more akin to the screensaver effects that some of us used. It loops continuously but is nothing more than a liquid changing its form.

Full screen video background #9: Egorilla.net

Egorilla.net (cool name by the way) uses the same grating effect as Medianovak.com. The main focus is still the marketing message and the background video serves as a ambient information to show the company’s attitude.

Full screen video background #10: LifeOfPiMovie.com

This example takes a while to load so be patient while waiting for the video. In this case, using a video as the background makes a lot of sense as the website is promoting a movie. I think similar things can be done for fashion (runway video), tv shows, game sites (game trailer video) etc.

Full screen video background #11: SHootEurope.com

Nice use of blur video as background of the website. The blur effect doesn’t distracts from the message while letting the video motion act as ambient noise for the site. Very well done.

Full screen video background #12: Matter.to

One of the most disturbing video background design that I have seen. I think that is because the video is so close to the facial features of the models that they are not as comfortable to watch. See for yourself and judge whether the video is comfortable for you.

Full screen video background #13: AaronOhlmann.com

Using video background might not be a bad idea for free lancers who is offering video services as it is a good way to showcase your past works. This is what aaron ohlmann has done for his site.

The truth on unlimited Internet plans

The truth on unlimited Internet plans

Do you know that old adage “if it sounds too good to be true, than it most likely is”? Of course you do, yet I would venture that a majority... 01:03

Do you know that old adage “if it sounds too good to be true, than it most likely is”? Of course you do, yet I would venture that a majority of the world is still susceptible to the wool being pulled over their eyes. Today there is a marketing ploy used by many internet service providers, all pulling the wool over the consumers eyes, and that is their offering of unlimited internet service!

Yes, believe it or not, those promised unlimited internet plans may not actually be unlimited! Some providers have what is called a fair usage policy, that fine print at the bottom of a contract that absolutely nobody reads. It is unfortunate because they are technically allowed to market their plans as unlimited, however, some of the worst usage offenders can still exceed this “fair usage” amount and incur some very costly penalties. Remember to ALWAYS read the fine print, or make it easier on yourself by choosing a reputable company that actually offers what they advertise. For just such a company, find out more about Jiva unlimited broadband. You can sign up for a plan with peace of mind, and sometimes you can’t put a price tag on that.

Now I’m not saying that there aren’t providers who will actually offer you unlimited internet plans. There are some that will allow you to stay connect and use as much data as you can in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that the speed and quality will remain the same over that period of time. You may start out the highest internet speed available from the service provider, only to find out that after so much usage it begins to move at a snails speed. Shady internet providers have different tiers of speed throughout the month depending on what usage level you are at. As you use more and more data you will find the internet moving slower and slower for you, until it feels like you are back in the days of dial-up speed.

Do yourself a favor as a consumer, and find a company that delivers on what they promise. For those of you that work at home, like myself, you can understand how vital it is to have a speedy and reliable connection throughout the entire month, not just part of it. And there is no reason why you need to pay an arm and a leg for it either.

How much faster is ADSL than mobile broadband?

How much faster is ADSL than mobile broadband?

When it comes to choosing between ADSL and mobile broadband, there are a number of factors to consider. One of the most important factors fo... 00:57

When it comes to choosing between ADSL and mobile broadband, there are a number of factors to consider. One of the most important factors for many users is connection speed. ADSL is generally accepted to be the faster option, but what are the speeds you can expect from each technology?

ADSL – also known as fixed-line broadband – is a fast internet connection delivered by telephone wire to your home. When you sign up for ADSL – or ADSL2 or ADSL2+ – you will usually sign up for a plan, which may involve paying a connection fee and line rental, plus the ongoing cost of the plan.

Whether you are eligible for ADSL will depend on how far you are from an exchange, and how many connections are available in your area.

Mobile Broadband: The Basics

Mobile broadband allows you to connect on-the-go, on your phone, tablet or via a dongle on your laptop. Depending on your provider, you may be able to choose pay-as-you-go or you may need to sign up for a plan. This will generally just include your usage, and no line rental or connection fee is needed. You can find a new ADSL2 package at iiNet to suit your needs, compare all their available offers & sign up today.

Whether you can receive 3G or 4G in your area will depend on your provider’s coverage. Mobile broadband connection can also be affected by the weather and obstacles such as walls and roofs.

ADSL: Speeds

The speeds you receive from an ADSL connection will depend on your provider and its network, and the distance between you and the exchange. ADSL2+ for example has the potential to reach 24Mbps, but most users get much less than that.

As a guide, ADSL speeds range from 1Mbps to 1.8Mbps upstream, and 8Mbps to 12Mbps downstream, ADSL2 ranges from 1.3Mbps to 3.5Mbps up, and up to 12Mbps down, and ADSL2+ offers the same as ADSL2 upstream, but up to 24Mbps downstream.

Mobile Broadband Speeds

Mobile broadband speeds also vary according to the provider and its network, but there are a number of other factors that may affect the speeds you receive as well.

Speeds can vary according to how many other users are on the network, if the weather is overcast or stormy, whether you are connecting inside or outside, and how close you are to a tower.

Some 4G customers can enjoy speeds ranging between 2Mbps and 50Mbps download, and 1Mbps to 10Mbps upload. Those who can’t connect to 4G may be able to reach speeds of 1.1Mbps to 20Mbps down, and 550kbps to 3Mbps up on 3G.

If you are in an area that only has a GPRS connection, you can expect less than 1Mbps speeds or much worse. This can often happen if you are trying to connect in a regional area.

Check your speeds

If you are thinking of signing up to ADSL or to mobile broadband, it’s a good idea to check the coverage in your area first. If you live too far from an exchange, you may not be able to receive ADSL. If you live too far from a mobile broadband provider’s tower, you may experience slow speeds on mobile broadband. Most providers allow you to check coverage before you sign up.

Top 10 reasons why everyone must use Joomla Monster Template at least once in life

Top 10 reasons why everyone must use Joomla Monster Template at least once in life

The internet is changing rapidly, and with more and more people engaging in website development, the process of designing a website has beco... 00:57

The internet is changing rapidly, and with more and more people engaging in website development, the process of designing a website has become very straightforward.

These days, different template services exist to make the task of creating a website easier. But as you may know, most of us have seen template services that have shabby design and customer support that is nothing short of a nightmare! That is why many of us stay away from such services at all costs. But thankfully, joomla-monster.com is different. The developers really know what they are doing, and the support system is just excellent. Here are the top 10 reasons why you must try Joomla Template at least once:

1. Simple yet professional interface

The Joomla Monster website interface does not require getting used to at all. Even if you are visiting joomla-monster.com for the first time, I assure you that you are going to feel like you have used the website forever! Moreover, the colors are vibrant and the overall design is very pleasing to the eyes. This website is one of the most professional and well-designed websites you will ever encounter.

2. Excellent collection of templates

A template website is nothing if it does not offer good templates. With Joomla Monster, you do not need to worry about getting ripped off. No matter what your website is, whether you are developing an online store for which you need e-commerce Joomla template or making a personal page that requires a very simple interface, you will have hundreds of excellent choices to choose from.  And that is not exaggeration! There are also some really nice free Joomla 3.x & 2.5 templates.

3. Variety of packages

Sometimes, you may just need a single template, but someone somewhere else may require hundreds of different templates. Joomla Monster is aware of the different needs of different people. That is why you get to buy a single template for as low as $15 with 6 months of subscription or, you can go for collection templates that contain a group of templates in a single collection. Moreover, you can also choose to use any template without any limit.

4. No copyright trouble

Whatever package you choose, you are going to get totally copyright removed template. That way, your website will always be your own!

5. Lots of configurations and settings

The possibilities with any Joomla Monster template are endless. You can literally choose from hundreds of different configurations and settings to give your website the look and feel of your dreams!

6. Free commercial extensions

Joomla Monster utilizes lots of different paid versions of extensions. However, as a user, you do not have to pay a single penny for any extension. You can use all the extensions supported by your template absolutely free of cost. This provision for free Joomla extensions is one of the top selling points of their products.

7. Irresistible offers and discounts

Joomla deals, promotions, discounts etc. are evergreen! When you use Joomla Monster templates, you will have access to many offers. For instance, every Wednesday, you get 30% off on 3 templates. You also get 1 template free if you buy 2. Besides, there exist many other attractive discounts.

8. Prompt support

The support team of joomla-monster.com loves to help. The people are easy to work with. They will go out of their way just to make sure that you are happy and that you get it!

9. Easy payments

With the option of Paypal as well as Credit cards, you can easily make the payments in time! The process of paying for Joomla templates for tablets and mobiles is as simple as it can be.

10. Popularity of service

The quality of a service or a business is determined by its popularity. As Joomla is one of the most popular template services in the entire world, there is nothing wrong if you swear by it like thousands of other web developers!

Compared to other services that provide templates, Joomla becomes a winner in the sense that it has a truly large database of templates which are of stunning quality. You can get any type of template you want, and the customization options are almost endless. And the best thing of all, if you look at the pricing options, the affordability is clear instantly!

Four fun ways we connect our online and offline worlds

Four fun ways we connect our online and offline worlds

When you stop to think about the way our lives have changed because of technology, it starts to become hard to imagine how we coped before. ... 12:07

When you stop to think about the way our lives have changed because of technology, it starts to become hard to imagine how we coped before. The internet has opened our eyes to easier processes (perhaps not always for the developers) and tasks can be completed in a matter of seconds or minutes. Gone are the days where we need to leave the house for every little thing. We can send packages from door to door without stepping in a post office, and woe betide us if we actually need to go to the supermarket.

Therefore I thought it might be quite fun to write about a few of the ways we connect our online and offline worlds to make doing everyday things as simple as possible. Feel free to leave a comment below with your own top web processes that aid your life when you’re offline…

E-readers – Kindle

When e-readers started to be used, many people thought they were pointless devices that would never catch on. How wrong that was, as there are so many e-readers in use all around the globe. Amazon’s Kindle is easily the most commonly sighted e-reader of the lot, even though there are other companies who produce them. It is so simple to connect to the web via Wi-Fi and download a book to your device, which is still there when you go offline. That means you can bring a whole pile of books on your summer holiday, without actually needing to lug them around in your suitcase.

Personalised birthday cards – Moonpig

It’s a common occurrence to forget about someone’s birthday until the last minute, but since the introduction of websites such as Moonpig.com, it has become a doddle to get something in the post right away. With options for special deliveries to arrive the next working day, it really has never been easier to get a card to a friend or a family member. But what makes these services even more special is the ability to personalise cards with photographs or text. Ah, technology – isn’t it great?

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Custom home decorations – Hello Canvas

The UK is spoiled for choice when it comes to brilliant websites, and another one to add to the roster is the largest site in the United Kingdom for canvas prints, Hello Canvas. The idea is that you can make custom home decorations by uploading your photographs onto the site and picking a canvas size. They then get sent to you at home, before you put them up on the walls. This means you can show off family photographs, a cute wedding snap, or even just a lovely shot of an autumnal landscape.

Dinner reservations – SeatMe

One activity that many people enjoy offline is eating a good meal, so it only makes sense for me to cover something around this. Of course there are pizza delivery services that you can use online to specify your order, but there are also sites where you can book reservations for dinner. One that I discovered recently for a trip to Amsterdam was SeatMe, where there are a whole range of restaurants that you can book from one place. It is so handy as you won’t need to go an access a vast range of websites before you find something you like… and at the end of it you get a yummy meal!

8 single page website creators for making beautiful single page websites

8 single page website creators for making beautiful single page websites

Single page websites are all the rage now. Previously, smashinghub has feature some beautiful  one page themes  and designs for readers. The... 02:52

Single page websites are all the rage now. Previously, smashinghub has feature some beautiful one page themes and designs for readers. The only downside that is that you still need to buy a domain, set up hosting etc in order to set up your one page website. In this article, we are looking at some really easy to use single page website creators. These sites will be very useful for those who want a convenient way to create a single page online portfolio or landing page. The cool part about these services is that their beautiful themes can make any single page creation looks gorgeous right out of the box.

Some of the selections here will overlap with previous articles such as the 12 best online portfolio builders and the 11 cool launch page generators.

#1: Striking.ly

Striking.ly has been mentioned before in my launch page generators post so I wouldn’t go too much detail into it. It is gorgeous and super easy to set up. Nuff said!

#2: Flavors.me

Flavors.me is good for people who wants a single page personal website to showcase their work or to unify their web presence. You can pull in feeds from the different social media sites. Moreover, you even get free moo cards that contains your unique url.

#3: About.me

About.me is similar to flavors.me.  The focus here is again to create a beautiful web presence for anyone who might be searching for your name. This is especially important for freelancers who might want to impress any potential clients who stumble upon their personal websites.

#4: Vizify.com

Vizify is an interesting concept. You still get to create a single page website but the information displayed within the site is powered by visualizations of your data. It is almost like an infographic about yourself. It is neat little concept although I am not sure how many will be attracted to this idea.

#5: Onepagerapp

As the name implies, the strength of this single page website creator is on the mobile side, where you can see the same single page presented in a beautiful mobile app format. Another cool thing is the ecommerce integration that is possible within this creator such that you can sell stuff directly on your one page website.

#6: Netbhet.in

Netbhet is a new website creator service that can allow you to create either a single page or multi page websites. Compared to the above, the templates are not as slick but it does get job done.  The best thing is of course the free version, which some of the above services do not provide.

 #7: Kompiler

For fans of LinkedIN, Komplier is an interesting application whereby it will use the LinkedIn api to create a single page website about yourself, using data drawn from your LinkedIn profile. The above shows an example of how it will look like when Komplier is linked to your LinkedIn account.

#8: Pen.io

This is a different kind of concept that is rather peculiar. Rather than a website, you can just publish a single blog post that has its own url. I don’t know who should use this but it is rather different.

ElegantThemes giveaway – 18 winners with free access to 86 themes.

ElegantThemes giveaway – 18 winners with free access to 86 themes.

ElegantThemes should need no introduction. They have been in the business of providing beautiful and elegant themes for many years. I used s... 02:51

ElegantThemes should need no introduction. They have been in the business of providing beautiful and elegant themes for many years. I used some of these themes myself on my other niche websites. Today, I am happy to partner with ElegantThemes to bring this wonderful giveaway that I am sure many will be excited to participate in. Rather than just one or two wordpress themes, ElegantThemes is giving one year free access to 86 themes. That is right. 18 of you can use these 86 wordpress themes for free if you join the giveaway.  If you are always wanting to try out ElegantThemes, this is the best chance for you to do it.

Divi WordPress Theme

One particular theme I like to highlight is their new Divi Theme. This is their most beautiful and powerful theme ever to be released.  This theme was built was full customization in mind. Every part of the theme can be customized using a builder to allow you flexibility in developing the theme into any site that you want.

Besides the ability to customize anything, there are also tonnes of cool features being built into this theme.  This includes

• Video background
• Premade beautiful layouts
• Full width
• Responsive

To get a better idea on how good the Divi theme is, I suggest you check out the video below.