It’s easier than ever to make money online. Whether you just need to generate some fast cash Online Shop or want to create long-term, sustainable income — which has become more common as freelance jobs, remote work opportunities, and the ease of selling goods online has increased — there are opportunities out there for you.
According to the Pew Research Center, 24 percent of Americans reported earning money online in 2016. That number is steadily increasing. A study by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics shows that remote work has grown 159 percent since 2005.
Making money online isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but there are plenty of ways to start earning cash fast if you’re willing to work hard. You could take a full-time or part-time job that allows you to work 100-percent remotely, create content or courses that generate affiliate income or sales, become a virtual assistant, fill out surveys, or sell your own products or services. You can even set up your own online business.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to make money online throughContentTeachingOnline evaluationsMediaSelling goods and servicesAppsRemote workEstablishing an online business
With so many possibilities, there’s a method that will fit your education and capabilities. This guide covers a variety of ways to get started. Hopefully, one will be a perfect fit for you.
There are a lot of legitimate ways to make money online. Depending on your skills and your goals, you can choose just one or several methods.
If your goal is to create a long-term source of income, use as many methods as you can as long as they are sustainable and realistic for you. The more sources you have for earning money online, the better.
For example, some bloggers have generated income from affiliate marketing links and online advertising placements. Then, they’ve written an e-book or e-course and used their blog to sell it, leading to another revenue stream.
Here’s an overview of the eight most popular ways to make money online.1. Content-based ideas
There are lots of ways you can make money online with content-based ideas. Blogging, freelance writing, becoming part of a content agency, translating, editing, proofreading, and publishing e-books are all viable options. Many people have also found that YouTube can become a source of income. For some content ideas, like blogging or publishing an online newspaper or magazine, you can make money by selling ads or joining affiliate programs.
Jane Sheeba has combined two content-based ideas to earn money. She started with affiliate marketing on her blog. Right after her first affiliate sale, she sold a copy of her e-book. She still relies on affiliate income and sales of her e-book to make money for her business.2. Teaching-based ideas
If you’re particularly knowledgeable about a subject, you can use your expertise to make money online by becoming a consultant or creating online courses, podcasts, or webinars.
Several people have made decent money with teaching-based ideas. Robert Farrington of The College Investor was able to charge a flat rate for social media and online marketing consulting, which amounted to about $100 per hour, and Joseph Michael of Easy Course Creation has earned over six figures with his e-courses.3. Online evaluation-based ideas
Believe it or not, some companies will pay you to complete surveys. Sometimes you’ll make just a few dollars or earn points for gift cards. Other times, you’ll be placed in an online focus group that pays upwards of $50 per hour. Most of these surveys can be completed whenever you have a moment, so this method is popular among college students.4. Media-related ideas
Photographers and videographers can make money online by selling their photos and videos. Sites like Shutterstock and other stock photo and video sites allow you to list your media, and when someone buys one of your photos or videos, you get paid.
Some of these sites pay over $100 per image. The best photographers can earn a 42-percent commission on the images they sell. If photography or videography is one of your strong suits, you could earn a decent passive income through one of these sites.5. Selling-based ideas
Selling on the internet isn’t new. You can sell tangible items, like unwanted household goods, or — even better — create your own online store. A lot of people start earning money online by cleaning out their closets and listing items for sale on sites like eBay and Poshmark.
However, you can create your own online store for your products, either as a website or on a site like Etsy. For example, if you want to start selling handmade Renaissance Faire costumes, you could make money by taking custom orders. Some people, like Mei Ong of Vice & Velvet, have found success by selling their products — in Ong’s case, vegan soaps and lotions — and have even gotten mentions in major magazines like O, The Oprah Magazine.6. App-based ideas
Earning money through apps isn’t strictly an online way to make money because it does require you to get into the physical world. This is known as a “phygital” model because it’s part physical and part digital.
If you have a car, you can sign up for Uber or Lyft and make money as a driver, and if you own a bike, motorbike, or car, you can sign up as a delivery person. Airbnb is an option if you want to rent out a room in your home to short-term guests. The average Airbnb host makes $6,000 per year, but hosts like Pol McCann, who earned enough from listing his apartment on Airbnb after six months to buy a second apartment, earns $100,000 per year between the two properties.7. Remote work ideas
A lot of companies let their full-time employees work remotely, and that’s always an option if you want to make money online. If you’re looking for a side gig or part-time job, you can become a virtual assistant or remote call center agent. Those with graphic design and web design skills can create websites, logos, and or other visual branding items for people and businesses.8. An online business
If you want to go all in on making money online, you can start an online business. It might not fit into any of the above categories; people have started online businesses that include digital media services, creating custom software, and prototyping and manufacturing a product.
You can try to make a go of it on your own, or you can get a business partner. You might need up-front investment, but if your business falls into some of the categories listed above, you won’t need money to start it.
The next few chapters of this guide take an in-depth look into each of these eight money-making methods. Let’s start with content-based ideas.
If you have writing or writing-related skills, you can make money online with content. This may include earning money by blogging, writing freelance articles, working for a content agency, publishing your own online periodical, or publishing e-books. You can also explore related ideas like translating, editing or proofreading documents. If you have video production skills to go with your writing skills, you can make money with a YouTube channel.Making money online with publications
Creating a blog or online periodical is just one of the ways people make money online. To do this, identify a topic that you’re qualified to write about or are really interested in.
For example, you might be great at woodworking and designing and creating furniture. Your blog or online magazine could include articles and posts about working with different types of wood, using reclaimed wood, and finding the right finish. You could review tools and offer other resources for woodworking fans.
Some people create online newspapers, such as news aggregator sites. You can set up these sites in WordPress. Use a plugin to gather news from various sources and publish the feed on a blog. If you’re publishing an online newspaper about the woodworking industry, you might pull in articles about regulations, industry events and expos, and what large companies are doing in the woodworking space.How to monetize blogs and online publications
The way people make money from these publications is by selling advertising, using affiliate marketing, and publishing sponsored posts. For advertising, a lot of bloggers and content creators use Google AdSense. This is Google’s advertising network that lets you put ads on your website. Google administers the ads and serves them up to the appropriate audience.
For example, someone might come to your site after searching for paintbrushes. A Google ad for an online retailer that sells the type of brushes they’re looking for will appear on your site. In exchange for visitors clicking on the ads, Google pays you a small amount of money. The only thing you have to do is place some code in certain areas of your site; Google does the rest.