18 Ways to Make Money Online
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, it’s completely possible to
bring in a steady side income from the comfort of your own home. If you
want to know how to make money online, consider these possibilities:
Open an Etsy store. If you have a creative talent or
skill – whether it’s creating art, sewing clothes, or making keepsakes –
you can open an online store on
Etsy.com
and sell your wares for some quick cash. With your own Etsy store,
you’re left in charge of pricing and, ultimately, how much you make. See
our detailed primer, “
How to Make Money on Etsy.”
Complete surveys online. Sites like
MindFieldOnline.com,
Global Test Market, and
UserTesting.com
pay people to share their opinions on products or services, test mobile
apps, or participate in market research. While the payday for these
sites is modest, participating frequently can help you earn extra money
in a short amount of time.
Get paid to search the Web. Sites like
Swagbucks.com and
Zoombucks.com
will pay you to use their online interface to search the web. To
qualify, you need to be willing to download their search bar and use it
for everyday Internet use. The only caveat that comes with this “gig” is
that you might be paid in gift cards instead of cash. If you can parlay
those gift cards into items you need to buy anyway – like groceries or
gas – searching online can be a lucrative way to spend your free time.
Evaluate search engines. Search engine evaluators
use commonly-accessed search engines in order to seek out bugs or
errors. You may not earn a lot, but you can do this job in your spare
time and from the comfort of your own home. To find gigs, check sites
like
Leapforce,
Lionbridge, and
Appen Butler Hill.
Start a blog. If you love writing and are passionate
about a specific topic, starting a blog is a great way to launch a
low-cost side business with little money out-of-pocket. All you need to
get started is a domain name, some basic online support, and a head full
of ideas to share.
Here’s a basic primer on starting a blog for profit.
Write and publish an eBook. You don’t need a traditional publisher and financial backing to publish your own book anymore. In fact,
Amazon.com makes it possible for you to publish your own eBook
and sell it independently – with no financial investment on your part.
And with Kindle eBook publishing, your book will appear on Kindle stores
worldwide within 24-48 hours. Just be prepared to market it yourself on
social media, your blog, or elsewhere if you expect to generate sales.
Become a freelance writer or editor. If you have a
passion for storytelling or a background in writing or editing, it’s
possible to find freelance writing or editing work online. To search
available job openings, check out sites like
Upwork.com,
UpWork.com, and
Problogger.net. You can also check traditional job sites such as
Indeed.com and enter “telecommute” or “anywhere” in the location field.
Get into affiliate marketing. If you’re active on
social media and have a large following, you could parlay those
connections into some fast cash with a comprehensive affiliate marketing
strategy. By becoming an affiliate marketer, you’ll sell items through
your own links tied to sites like
Amazon.com,
ClickBank.com, and
Commission Junction.
Earn cash back for shopping. Earning cash back on your purchases is a smart idea, and
credit card rewards aren’t the only good cash-back strategy out there. With sites like
ShopAtHome.com,
eBates.com, and
TopCashBack.com, you can earn up to 10% cash back on purchases made with approved merchants.
Buy and sell domain names. If you’re good at finding
popular yet undiscovered domain names, you can make some cash on the
side by buying and reselling websites. Think of it as digital real
estate speculation. Domains are available on
GoDaddy.com for as little as $2.99 per year, but are sometimes resold at far higher prices:
According to Business Insider, the site MM.com sold for $1.2 million dollars in 2014. Once you find the perfect domain name to resell, you can market it on
Flippa.com for a flat fee.
Make money on YouTube. People who love the spotlight and have other online hustles should consider
creating their own YouTube channel. If you’re interested — and
interesting — you
can use the platform to market affiliate products, sell products you
create yourself, or receive ad revenue for your informal tutorials or
entertaining videos. Once you get the ball rolling,
YouTube offers a partner program that can help you monetize your business further.
Become a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants
perform a wide range of services for their clients, all of which can be
completed online. Depending on the day, they may open and reply to
emails, schedule online work or blog posts, write mock-up letters and
proposals, or perform data entry. You can look for virtual assistant
jobs on sites like
Elance.com,
UpWork.com, and
Problogger.net.
Work as an online interpreter or translator. If
you’re fluent in a foreign language, it makes sense to look for work as
an online interpreter or translator. Depending on your individual
skillset, you could find work translating blog posts or eBooks,
transcribing recorded lessons or speeches for clients, or translating
through Skype or another online video service. And, thanks to the
increased use of foreign languages in the United States, getting started
could really pay off. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for interpreters and translators is expected to increase 46% nationally through 2022.
Manage social media for businesses. If you have a
knack for social media, you could potentially get paid to manage various
platforms for others. Many businesses are too busy running day-to-day
operations to stay on top of their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
accounts – and will pay someone with the knowledge and time to do it for
them. To find these jobs, ask local businesses and check sites like
Elance.com,
UpWork.com, and
Problogger.net.
Work remotely for a call center. Because many call
center jobs are location independent, finding work in this field is an
easy way to earn some money from home. Dozens of sites list job openings
for call-center representatives, including
Elance.com,
Freelancer.com, and
SimplyHired.com. Meanwhile, you should check local job listings for openings and opportunities as well.
Rent out your car. If you’re not using your car on a daily basis, you might consider renting it out for some easy cash. Sites like
RelayRides.com and
FlightCar.com let you rent out your car for a daily – or even hourly – rate.
Answer questions. If you’re a subject matter expert, you can get paid for your expertise. Sites like
Just Answer and
ChaCha
will pay you to answer questions either on the phone or online. Just
register, enter your area of expertise, and get started to begin earning
money on the side.