Many people today turn to digital solutions to save operational costs, expand their reach, and make money online.
Not only that, but various new job opportunities have also taken the spotlight thanks to the rapid growth of technological advances and remote work trends. As a result, practically anyone can supplement their income by offering services or selling their creations through various online platforms.
The opportunities to make extra cash today are more generous than ever. In this article, we’ll show our picks of 35 short and long-term ways you can make money online.
By the end of it, you’ll learn how easy it is to make money via your online business, whether it’s a side hustle or a long-term venture.Top 10 Quick Ways to Make Money Online
The internet makes nearly everything accessible, regardless of location or device. So, if you’re looking for ways to make easy money online in a relatively short period of time, consider our top picks:Review websites. Give feedback on people’s websites to improve their usability.Do voice-over work. Lend your talents to commercials, trailers, and audiobooks.Complete online surveys. Make money online by sharing your opinions.Be a mystery shopper. Get paid to review businesses and share your experience as a customer.Test games and software. Provide developers with insights into their softwares’ user experience.Sell stock photos and footage. Ideal for photographers and videographers looking for a way to make passive income.Sell second-hand items. Declutter your home and sell anything from clothes, appliances, and vehicles.Sell school notes. Popular among students wanting to maintain good grades while making money on the side.Carry out small jobs. Excellent for people with limited technical skills and who don’t have much free time.Monetize your art and designs. Sell products bearing your designs or do art commissions.
Let’s look at how these money-making methods work and discuss some tips to make your online business successful.1. Test Websites and Give Feedback
If you have basic technical skills or a keen eye for website design and development, consider becoming a website tester. It’s a great freelance job to make fast cash and a good starting point for newbies looking to enter the web development industry.
As a website tester, it’s necessary to have critical and logical thinking skills, excellent communication skills, and knowledge of website functionality and design. These factors can help improve your job prospects and test-reporting quality.
Payments are project-based, and rates differ based on testing methods and the marketplace’s policy. For example, UserTesting offers between $4-$120/test, where the higher earnings threshold is for people who do live conversation tests with clients.
Here are a few marketplaces where you can sign up for website testing projects:Ubertesters. Focuses on mobile apps and game testing.UserTesting. Offers usability testing projects.Testbirds. User experience testing for digital products, including eCommerce stores, mobile apps, and games.Userlytics. In addition to testing websites and apps, it offers projects focusing on reviewing video commercials.TryMyUI. Impression testing and survey-based projects.2. Do Voice-Over Work
Doing voice-over work is an excellent way to quickly make money online. Most voice-over jobs are project-based, so long-term commitment isn’t required.
Best of all, companies are always looking for new voice-over talent. Here are just a few examples of how to use your voice to make cash:Audiobooks. Help bring a story to life by lending your voice to children’s storybooks, novels, and everything in between.Advertisements and commercials. Ads with voice-overs are still a primary way for companies to market their products and services.Trailers. Movies, shows, and even events create trailers to build anticipation.Demonstration videos. Some companies create how-to videos and hire voice-over talent to help demo their products.Guides. Audio guides are popularly used by museums, galleries, travel agencies, and tourist destinations to help enhance visitors’ experiences.
The amount you earn from doing voice-overs depends on your experience, the type of project, and the length of the script. For example, the average salary for a voice-over artist doing small to medium projects is around $30/recording hour.
On the other hand, audiobook voice talent can earn up to $125/recording hour, while veterans may charge up to $500/recording hour.
One of the easiest ways to get started is by creating a profile on Upwork and responding directly to job ads looking for voice-over talent. Signing up for freelance websites is an excellent way to test the waters and compare voice-over jobs currently available.
Alternatively, sign up for sites like Voices or ACX, which connect voice-over talent with clients, and audiobook narrators with authors.
Despite sounding like an easy job, good voice-over talents are flexible, Online Shop dynamic, and can bring a script to life no matter the topic. With audiobooks, for example, a consistent narrative voice, excellent articulation skills, the ability to voice different characters, and good pacing abilities are crucial to master.
To prepare for voice-over work, try out some sample scripts and see which niche fits your voice and style the best. Knowing your strengths helps market your services to the right clients.
We also recommend investing in a good microphone and recording software since clarity and good quality audio are crucial factors when recording samples. Also, try to control your surroundings when creating audio samples, such as minimizing background noise.3. Complete Online Surveys
It might sound too good to be true, but you can earn some money by completing online surveys.
Today, many companies pay people to participate in their surveys, which are typically used for general market research and analyzing consumer behavior. They might also help take business decisions, like what types of products to launch or where to publish advertisements.
However, note that not everyone can do online surveys. Take a look at some of the reasons we list below:Limited demographic. Some surveys aren’t open for everybody and instead target a specific group of people. This can be based on gender, age, occupation.Low pay. Many online survey websites use a point system. You’ll accumulate points after completing surveys and can cash out after reaching a certain earnings threshold.
For example, you can earn anywhere between $0.50-$3/survey. However, you won’t see this money unless you reach the earnings threshold, which could be between $10-$25.Time-consuming. Due to the payout systems of most survey websites, you’ll have to dedicate a lot of time to see real returns. Some surveys can even take up to one hour to complete.Not for the long-term. Unlike some of the other entries in this article, you won’t be able to transition this into a full-time job for the reasons stated above.
If the above drawbacks don’t phase you, here are some popular websites that pay you to complete online surveys:Swagbucks. Earn points, cash, or gift cards by watching videos, playing games, and completing surveys.Survey Junkie. Help brands deliver better products and services by participating in their market surveys.Harris Poll Online. Enter a rewards program by participating in polls run by this survey platform.4. Become a Mystery Shopper
If you’re an avid shopper, becoming a mystery shopper is an excellent way to make some extra money.
Retailers or market research companies hire mystery shoppers to shop at specific locations and report on the overall consumer experience. It’s a way to monitor customer service, store conditions, and product quality without employees knowing that they’re being examined.
Although this option isn’t fully online, there is also remote mystery shopper work. These jobs, for example, require testing service quality at call centers or evaluating an online shopping experience.
Here are a few of the most popular companies where you can sign up online to become a mystery shopper:Market Force. Get hired by grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and even gas station convenience shops to try out their products and services.BestMark. Become a field representative or evaluator to help companies improve their business operations.Secret Shopper. Go out for lunch or visit a resort and get reimbursed for your assessment.