How to Make Money Online: 8 Legit Ways to Earn some Extra Cash
Do you have to ask how to make money online? If yes, I can tell you that there are many ways to do so. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of it, let’s take a look at the definition of make money online first, shall we?
#1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing can be a profitable way for businesses, including bloggers, to monetize their websites and services. By attracting traffic and driving sales through paid links and advertisements, businesses earn a profit from every sale that is generated through affiliate marketing. This type of model works particularly well in niche markets with targeted products or services.
With affiliate marketing, you are rewarded a commission based on how many people click on your link and purchase products or services. For example, if you were an affiliate marketer selling pet toys online, chances are you’d want to target those who have dogs or cats at home – animal lovers that would likely visit pet stores regularly looking for new toys to buy as gifts or treats for their pets.
You could set up a website promoting dog toy brands, complete with images of cute puppies playing with toys made by these companies. Every time someone clicks on one of your links and buys something, you get paid.
However, affiliate marketing isn't just limited to linking to physical products sold via e-commerce sites; it also includes promoting digital information such as e-books and software packages.
If you're interested in setting up an affiliate business but aren't sure where to start, read our comprehensive guide on how to make money online using affiliate marketing! (Bonus points if you already own a website!)
#2. Selling Your Skills as a Freelancer: In exchange for payment, you will provide another person or company with expertise they need in order to finish a specific project.
These skills can include writing, graphic design work and data entry – anything where you spend hours improving your skills to deliver quality results. The pay rates vary widely depending on what skills are required, but when done right, freelancing gigs can allow you to make anywhere between $5-$100 per hour!
#3 Making Money Through Writing E-Books: While writing books may seem like an intimidating career choice, especially if English isn't your first language, there are many platforms out there that help aspiring authors reach millions of readers around the world. If you're interested in becoming a full-time writer, it's never too early to start building your platform.
#4. Sell Stock Photos: If you have a knack for taking photos, then why not turn those photos into cash?
Sites like Shutterstock let photographers sell their images online using one of two methods: subscription or royalty free.
Subscription sites pay a flat rate each time someone downloads an image from your portfolio; royalty free sites don't require subscribers to download multiple images at once and instead pay a one-time fee per image downloaded from your portfolio.
Either way, selling stock photos is a great way to earn passive income while allowing you complete control over how much (or little) time you want to put into it each week! #5. Become a Virtual Assistant: It can be difficult to find work as a virtual assistant without any prior experience, but if you have experience in fields such as customer service or administrative work, it's possible to get hired as a part-time assistant with many different companies.
These positions are perfect for students looking to make some extra money during summer break or even full-time employees who are looking for ways to supplement their income. According to FlexJobs' 2016 survey on part-time remote jobs, 63 percent of respondents had earned $500 or less through online work in 2016.
Remote jobs typically include tasks that can be completed within 2 hours, though they may also include more complicated tasks that may take longer. As long as you're willing to put in the time and effort required, working remotely could allow you to make decent money without having to move out of your house!
#6. Start a Freelance Business: A freelance business allows you to set up shop and begin earning income immediately after deciding what services or products you'd like to offer.
While starting a freelance business does require upfront costs – such as purchasing equipment – these expenses will quickly pay off when clients start paying you regularly for your services. To learn more about starting a freelance business, check out our comprehensive guide on how to start a freelance writing business . #7. Create an App: Have an idea for an app that could revolutionize an industry?
If you're willing to put in a lot of time and effort, it's possible to turn that idea into reality! As long as you have experience with software development and design, it's possible to build your own smartphone app without hiring someone else to do it for you. If you're looking for inspiration, we've compiled a list of ideas that could help get your creative juices flowing in no time!
#8. Sell Your Photos Online: Do you have any photos sitting around on your computer that are just collecting digital dust? Why not sell them online instead? Sites like Shutterstock let photographers sell their images online using one of two methods: subscription or royalty free.
#2. Freelancing
This one might not be as glamorous, but it is a great way to start earning money while doing what you love. A freelancer is simply someone who works on a project-by-project basis rather than at an assigned time of day.
This means that they can work whenever they’re most productive and really focus on what needs to get done. If you have a skill that others are willing to pay for, freelancing may be right for you. Many people have side businesses that they run in their free time and eventually turn into full-time careers once their side hustle becomes more profitable—it can be something as simple as painting houses or cleaning carpets.
#3. Sell Your Artwork: While selling your artwork is typically thought of as a hobby, if you’re good enough at it, there could be serious potential here. Making and selling art online can be very lucrative, especially if you have a talent for creating digital illustrations or other visual art pieces that people are willing to buy.
Websites like Etsy make it incredibly easy to sell your wares online, whether you create them yourself or commission artists to do so on your behalf. And by setting up your own shop, purchasing materials wholesale from sites like Alibaba (and having them shipped directly to your customers), and keeping overhead low with tools like Fiverr , there’s plenty of room for profit within these endeavors. #4.
Get Paid to Write: There are many websites out there that will pay you for writing content, whether it’s about travel, technology or anything else under the sun. It’s a quick way to earn cash if you don’t mind writing about topics that aren't related to your field of expertise . Even though you won't earn much per piece initially, it's always possible to negotiate higher rates once you've established yourself as a reliable writer.
Here's how much I earned writing articles around my schedule : $10/hour = $2,000/month $20/hour = $4,000/month $30/hour = $6,000/month ...You get where I'm going with this? You can write whatever you want! The sky is truly the limit when it comes to making money from home. #5. Become a Virtual Assistant: Have a knack for organization? You can put that talent to use managing other people's schedules and being their personal assistant. According to PayScale, virtual assistants made approximately $25,000 annually in 2016; however, more experienced assistants with proven track records often command anywhere between $50,000-$80,000 per year.
You'll need to have exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail -- think of all those times you misplaced your keys only to find them later underneath some random item--to become an effective virtual assistant without any formal training required. Ready to get started? Check out the #1 rated company on FlexJobs for a chance to get hired as a virtual assistant today. #6. Start a Blog: This is another option that requires some work upfront, but it can pay off in the long run.
Blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your industry and gain valuable exposure, which can lead to opportunities like guest posts on high-traffic blogs, paid product reviews, sponsorship deals and more. However, it's important to keep in mind that you never know which direction your business will take or what kind of opportunities it might present you with down the ro.
#2.AdSense Earning
Step 2. Place an AdSense for Search box on your site, then customize it by adding text that links back to your pages.
It's also a good idea to change up your AdSense color scheme (as long as you aren't using a white background) and add more than one box. Placing them at different places around your page—as opposed to just sticking them below every post—will spread out your impressions, which is good for advertisers because it means their ads will be seen by more people overall. Learn more about how Google AdSense works from Google itself .You may also want to check out our full guide on how to make money with AdSense . #2.A#2.Affiliate Marketing StepStep
3: Step 3. Next, create a free account with Amazon Associates , or sign in if you already have one. This gives you access to several marketing tools including affiliate banners and widgets that can help you promote Amazon products on your website. You'll get a unique tracking ID when you sign up that looks something like aff_tracking_id.
Copy and paste that into your HTML code. Once you've added all of these elements to your site, all you need to do is sit back and wait for sales to roll in! If they don't come quickly enough, consider trying another of these methods . #2.B#2.BloggerStep 4: Step 4. Create a blogger account . You'll need to enter your personal information and choose a username, but you can skip over everything else until later.
Just make sure you use an email address that doesn't give away any personal information such as addresses or phone numbers (something like [email protected] would work). Now comes the fun part where we actually set up your profile! When you first log in, click My Account in the top right corner of your screen and select Settings. Here are all of my settings so far; yours should look similar except I left off my photo since I didn't feel comfortable sharing one online.. #3.#3.#3.#4
#4. Selling Digital Products
E-books, audio books, videos and software are just a few of types of digital products you can sell. If you’re creative and knowledgeable in a certain area, like photography or web design, for example, you can create a tutorial eBook to sell on sites like Ebay or Amazon.
Or, if you’re more advanced and knowledgeable in web design or video editing programs like Final Cut Pro, sell your services online as a freelancer. You could even build up your own video production business online by starting with an amateur YouTube channel and then moving into actual projects once you gain more experience. #4. Sell Your Time: Websites like Fiverr let you sell small tasks (like designing logos) for $5 each. While it might not be enough to quit your day job, it is a great way to earn extra cash when you're strapped for cash.
Simply sign up and start listing your services. You'll get paid via PayPal every time someone hires you. #5. Rake in Rewards Points: Loyalty rewards programs are one of my favorite ways to make money from home because they offer so many options.
Some companies offer air miles, free hotel stays, discounts on rental cars, etc., but there are also experience rewards where you get rewarded simply for using their product or service frequently—and that's what I love! For example, I use my grocery loyalty card every week to collect points that I can redeem later for gift cards at local restaurants or stores (or even donate them). Sometimes these points add up quickly and don't expire until a year later! If you want to start earning rewards points from home, check out Shopkick. It's a fun app that lets you earn kicks for walking into certain stores, watching videos and shopping online.
And yes, kicks can be redeemed for gift cards too! #6. Get Paid to Lose Weight: One new trend making waves right now is getting paid to lose weight. Companies like HealthyWage will pay you based on how much weight you've lost compared to your initial goal when joining their program—and they give members all sorts of support along the way (coaching, recipes and tips). Plus, members who reach their goals often get entered into monthly drawings for prizes like $500 gift cards or gym equipment.
How cool is that? #7. Open a Savings Account: Banks typically offer higher interest rates than traditional savings accounts, plus you can earn interest on your balance without having to worry about fees. To open an account, you'll need to have a minimum amount deposited (usually between $100-$200), but after that, you can deposit as little or as much as you'd like whenever you'd like. The best part? Most banks allow you to open multiple savings accounts with varying amounts so you can easily keep track of your money and avoid overspending.
My personal favorites include Capital One 360 and Discover Bank—both of which have no minimum opening deposit, no monthly maintenance fees and high interest rates. #8. Invest in a Low-Cost Mutual Fund: You may have heard of mutual funds, but do you know exactly what they are and how they work? Basically, a mutual fund is an investment vehicle that holds several different stocks or bonds. If you invest in a mutual fund, you can be assured that your money is being spread across several different investments to reduce risk.
They can be low cost or high cost depending on the type of mutual fund (i.e. index funds vs actively managed funds), but either way, it's generally considered a safe way to invest your money since the stock market has historically gone up over time. That said, as with any investment option, there are risks involved so talk to a financial advisor before deciding whether this is the right choice for you.
#5. Blogging and Writing
Freelance writing is one of those work-at-home jobs that can be amazingly lucrative if you have the right connections and know how to play your cards right. And it’s not just freelance writing. There are a number of businesses and industries looking for writers, from web content and copywriting to journalistic work like blogging, magazine or book writing, marketing, press releases and more.
You can even get paid for things like editing or translating other people’s work! Here are ten low-cost ways to start your freelance career (and earn extra money in your spare time). Write a professional blog post based off the following description: How to Write an Essay
The first step to writing an essay is deciding what type of essay you will write. The most common types of essays are expository, persuasive, descriptive and narrative essays. Each type has its own unique characteristics which will determine how you structure your essay.
An expository essay explains information about a topic; persuasive essays attempt to convince readers about something; descriptive essays provide detailed descriptions; narrative essays tell stories with dialogue and detail.
Once you have decided on what type of essay you will write, it's time to begin drafting your paper. When writing any type of essay, start by choosing a good topic. You should select a topic that interests you because it will be easier for you to write about something that interests you rather than having to force yourself to complete an assignment that doesn't interest you at all.
When choosing a topic for your essay be sure that there is enough research material available so that you can thoroughly explain and describe your subject matter. Next, choose an appropriate thesis statement for your essay based on your chosen topic. A thesis statement is basically a one sentence summary of your entire essay. It should include both your main idea and supporting details from your body paragraphs.
Your thesis statement will also serve as a roadmap for your essay in that it will indicate to you where each body paragraph begins and ends as well as what each body paragraph needs to discuss in order to support or prove your main idea. After writing out several possible thesis statements, choose one that works best for you and then continue on with planning out each body paragraph until you've completed them all. Now that you've completed planning out each body paragraph, it's time to move onto actually writing them down!
#6. Fiverr Gigs
Fiverr is a platform that allows you to sell your skills for $5. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you can create an account and post gigs for people looking for logos and graphics design. Fiverr isn’t just about freelance work; it's also a great place where small businesses and entrepreneurs can get started with their online presence.
There are plenty of affordable services on Fiverr that can help grow your brand—starting at $5 a month! Take some time to browse through gigs as there really are quite a few options. If you need help getting started, here’s a quick guide on how to use Fiverr . #4. Amazon Mechanical Turk: Amazon Mechanical Turk (or mTurk) lets you make money online by completing simple tasks called HITs or Human Intelligence Tasks.
These include things like transcribing data, rating search results, checking for the right spelling on search terms, tagging images, or even basic translating jobs. You get paid a very small fee for each one that you complete successfully. But it’s important to note that mTurk is not related to Amazon in any way—it’s completely run by Amazon’s competitors!
It has been criticized for not paying workers enough but if you have good content and want to make money from home then mTurk might be worth trying out. Click here to sign up . #3. Craigslist: Craigslist is another great resource for making extra cash fast. While it may not seem like much compared to other sites, many people find success selling their unused items on Craigslist simply because they offer direct contact with interested buyers.
If you live in a college town or near a large city, Craigslist could be a goldmine because you can probably find something being sold almost every day of the week. Just make sure to avoid scams by dealing locally and meeting face-to-face whenever possible. Click here to check out Craigslist now . #2. Upwork: Upwork is similar to Fiverr in that you can sell your skills as a freelancer starting at $5 per job.
However, unlike Fiverr, Upwork is strictly for freelancers offering professional services such as writing, programming, marketing, web development, and more. The great thing about Upwork is that you'll build up a reputation based on your past work which makes it easier for clients to hire you again in the future. Plus there are job opportunities available year-round so you're never limited when it comes to finding new work!
#7. Shopify Store
If you’re looking for an e-commerce solution, check out Shopify. It’s a platform for selling physical products.
The company has two plans — Basic and Advanced — and there are also three add-on plans called Shopify Payments, POS (Point of Sale) Kit and Subscriptions. The Basic plan costs $29 per month plus credit card processing fees. The Advanced plan costs $79 per month plus credit card processing fees. The add-on plans cost between $15-$59 per month plus credit card processing fees based on your business needs. #7.
eBay Store: Another option is opening an eBay store. You can sell just about anything on eBay, but most people use it as a place to unload merchandise they no longer want or need. To open an eBay store, you first need to set up your seller account with eBay. Next, you have to choose what type of items you want to sell and set up a payment method with PayPal before adding listings into your new store front by using either images or video that show off your item in action so buyers know exactly what they're getting when they buy from you. This is an effective way to make money online because you only pay one time for your product listing instead of every time someone buys something.
For example, if you create a listing for a product and then someone buys it through your eBay store, you will only be charged once instead of being charged every time someone buys that product through your individual listings. This saves money over time because it cuts down on how much you pay in listing fees. #8. Etsy Store: One last online marketplace option is Etsy.
This site allows sellers to create their own storefronts where they list their handmade goods, vintage items, craft supplies and other unique goods that aren't found anywhere else. Instead of having to build your own website, like you would with Shopify, you simply create an account on Etsy and start setting up your storefront. Your store doesn't even need a URL at all — just let shoppers find you via search engines like Google or Bing. However, if you do want a custom domain name for your shop, setting one up on Etsy's website starts at $18 per year.
Once again, all sales that come through your store go directly to your bank account after each sale which makes it very easy to keep track of income since there's not too many places where money can get lost along the way like with other types of online businesses. #9. Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing means earning commissions by promoting someone else's products. In general, you sign up for affiliate programs online and then promote them through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
When readers click on links within your content and make purchases, you earn a commission on those sales. There are thousands of affiliate programs available in almost any niche imaginable including beauty products, books, clothing, electronics and more! I recommend starting with Amazon since it already has millions of customers who trust their brand and will likely be interested in buying things from them anyway. Click here to see my step-by-step guide to making money with Amazon affiliate marketing . #10.
#8. Amazon FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon)
If you want to know how to make money online, selling stuff on Amazon is a popular way of earning additional income. In fact, here at ProBlogger we've written about how even a few bucks worth of gift cards that people can buy from your website can quickly snowball into actual cash in your pocket. But what if instead of selling stuff from your own website or as a third-party seller on Amazon, you actually become an Amazon seller?
It’s not easy, but it’s not all that hard either – but being an Amazon seller does give you access to millions more products and customers than most other channels. And perhaps more importantly it gives you something else entirely – piece of mind... lots and lots of piece of mind. Click here for my full review of Selling on Amazon (including how to get started) or click here for my step by step guide. To sign up for Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), click here .
A post about starting an amazon business: How to Start a Business Selling on Amazon FBAFBAFBA FBAFBAFBA... (I could go on forever) What I love most about selling on Amazon is that you don't have to worry about inventory, shipping, returns, or anything else. You simply send your items into Amazon's warehouse and they do all of that for you. If you want to know how to make money online , selling stuff on Amazon is one of my favorite ways. Click here for my full review of Selling on Amazon (including how to get started) or click here for my step by step guide. To sign up for Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), click here .
#8. Sell Stock Photos & Videos : Are you good at taking photos? Is video editing something you're familiar with? If so, it might be worth looking into doing freelance work in these areas! For example, if you've been shooting videos for fun with your phone or DSLR and are confident in making them look professional enough to sell online, think about trying out sites like Shutterstock or iStockPhoto. Or if you're great at taking action shots or vacation photos - maybe even post-processed images - why not try putting together a collection of stock photos on Flickr?
And remember, there are lots of other types of photography that can earn you money as well – from real estate to products. You'll find tons more ideas in our list of 101+ ideas for businesses you can start on your own . #9. Become a Freelance Writer: Do you enjoy writing? Why not turn it into a profitable side hustle ? After all, there are lots of businesses out there who need someone to write articles for their website or blogs. And once you build up your portfolio, you can even start pitching guest posts to bigger publications too!
#9. Dropshipping
In dropshipping, you act as a middleman. You buy products in bulk from China or wholesalers and then sell them on platforms like eBay or your own website. Because you’re not dealing with customers face-to-face, that means there’s a good chance they won’t know you can take a little extra off their order to make more profit.
Many store owners get started by ordering inventory directly from China through sites like Alibaba and Wish, but soon realize it takes time to find profitable products in high demand. If you have an eye for design and experience in advertising and marketing, a freelancing site could be just what you need. This is another way to make money online where you don’t have to worry about building anything yourself. And if you do build something, you can even sell it on a site like Etsy or Ebay.
Over time, people should start buying your designs and promoting them so that others will too. Once enough people are using your product, sales will follow suit! Again, these kinds of side gigs aren't going to bring in huge amounts of cash, but they're great ways to bring in extra income while working at home. It's also important to note that you'll need some technical skills if you want to run a successful online business.
Here's how much money each skill makes per hour: Website Development $20+/hour Programming $30+/hour Graphic Design $10+/hour Social Media Management $10+/hour SEO & Marketing $15+/hour Copywriting & Content Writing $20+/hour Customer Service & Support $15+/hour These figures are based on national averages. Depending on where you live and work, your hourly pay may vary significantly from these numbers.
Just remember, these are only estimates—you probably won't see results right away. But if you stick with it and put in consistent effort over time, you'll eventually see results. So let's talk about actually making money from all of those skills... 1) Website development - $20/hr As mentioned above, web developers charge anywhere between $20-$50 per hour depending on their of expertise and years of experience.
