Advances in technology have made making money easier today than ever before. No longer beholden to bosses and brick-and-mortar stores, everyday people earn their living with the internet more than ever.
You can join their ranks.
Here’s how to make money online.
How To Make Money Online
The online world bursts with opportunities to make money. The possibilities are endless, ranging from things that are strictly online to apps connecting people with gig workers.
Here, we’ll explore the world of possibilities, diving into ways to make money online without ever leaving your house while also discovering how the online world can facilitate making money in the real world and offer actionable steps to get started.
Whether you are looking for extra money or a career change, start here for all the ways to make money with the Internet.
How To Make Money Online by Starting Your Own Online Business
When people ask “how to make money online,” they usually want to make money working from home. The internet offers a plethora of opportunities.
Here are the best online money-making options for people who want to eventually make full-time income online.
Live Stream Your Video Game Play
If you love gaming, consider streaming on Twitch. Once you become an affiliate, you can start earning money through subscribers, cheers, and ads.
Streaming on Twitch takes a lot of hard work. You need a regular schedule, the ability to interact with folks, and the right equipment. It takes a long time to build a following, but if you can do it, it’s a fun way to make money doing what you love.
Start a Blog
If you love writing and want to share your thoughts with the world, consider starting a blog. People make money blogging with display ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored articles, and more.
Although the glory days of blogging, where you could throw garbage up on the internet and get thousands of page views, are over, there’s still a lot of opportunity in the space for those willing to go after it.
Niche Websites
People build niche websites when they want to focus on affiliate sales. A niche website revolves around a specific topic, like outdoor camping gear. It offers reviews, testimonials, how-tos, and other vital information on the topic, but the main goal is to get folks to buy the products it highlights.
Flip Websites
If you’re not interested in maintaining a website long-term, consider flipping them. People are constantly giving up their passion projects. Find decent domain names for sale, fix the content up so it gets more traffic, and resell it for profit.
Make YouTube Videos
Those who want to share their knowledge through video format can make videos for YouTube. You need 1000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in a 12-month period to gain access to YouTube’s Partner Program for monetization, but once you’re in, you’ll start earning an ad share off all of your videos.
You can also put links to your own products or affiliate products in the video description and use sponsors to monetize your channel.
Write Ebooks
You don’t need your own website to make money writing. Instead, you can self-publish digital ebooks on platforms like Amazon.
Some folks make a full-time income writing smutty romance novels, while others create impressive fantasy worlds for their readers. Self-publishing removes the middleman and lets you bring your books directly to the people. The downside is you’ll have to market them yourself if you want people to find them.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping involves acting as the middleman between customers in the US and manufacturers overseas. For best results, choose a niche you know and explore the products before selling them.
To make drop shipping work, you’ll have to do a lot of digital marketing and SEO so people find your shop.
Create a Course
If you’re an expert in something, consider creating an online course to teach it to others. You can create an online course on nearly any topic you can imagine, from fine art painting to blogging.
Use online marketplaces like Gumroad, Skillshare, Udemy, and Teachable to build and host your course.
Make an App
If you have developer skills and see a market need, consider making a new app. You can decide whether to offer it for free and rely on ad revenue, offer it for a one-time download, or sell it as a subscription model.
Sell Printables
The digital marketplace allows you to create and sell digital products. You can develop calendars, journal prompts, children’s activities, spreadsheets, 3D printing models, and more.
Sell your printable products in online shops like Etsy and Gumroad. All you have to do is design the product and upload it.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing allows you to earn a commission by selling products online. Share your unique link, and when someone clicks on it and follows through to a purchase, you earn money.
Though most people who earn a living with affiliates use a blog to drive traffic, you can also use social media, a YouTube channel, or email marketing. Check the terms of each program you sign up for to know which traffic sources are allowed.
Brand Ambassadorship
If you’ve got a great social media following, you might be able to earn an income as a brand ambassador. Brands pay big bucks for social media influencers to regularly showcase their products and services. As a brand ambassador, you use your feed to promote the brand.
Social Media Influencer
If you don’t want to stick with a specific brand, consider using your social media following to earn sponsorships. While a brand ambassador is a regular, ongoing relationship, a sponsored post is a one-and-done deal that allows you to work with numerous companies.
They’re basically paying to put an “ad” on your social media channel.
Print on Demand
If you’re skilled in graphic design, consider making artwork for t-shirts, coffee cups, and blankets. Create your designs and upload them to a print-on-demand site and earn money each time one of your designs sells.
Get Patrons
If you’re creative, consider getting fans to pay you for content with a Patreon account. This platform allows creative people to offer exclusive content to those who support them financially.
Start a Podcast
If you like talking but don’t want to be on video, consider starting a podcast. Once you get enough listeners, you can earn money through sponsorships.
Coaching
With the ability to connect with folks worldwide, it’s never been easier to shift your coaching business online. You can be a life coach or career coach from the comfort of your own home.
Tutoring
Parents will pay big bucks to get the best tutor for their kids, and you can do it all online. There’s a large variety of online tutoring platforms available, hoping to connect teachers to kids who need extra help.
Turn Your Passion Into an Online Business
People around the world have found unique ways to morph their passions into an online business. You can create a website with lessons and videos, create a private group on a pre-existing platform to share your knowledge, or even think of an entirely new way to connect with people who share your passions.
There’s no limit to the possibilities available online.
How To Make Money Online With Your Business
Many people think of these online business ventures like Field of Dreams, thinking, “If I build it, they will come.”
That’s not true. Each of these ways to make money online takes time, dedication, commitment, and a great deal of marketing to get off the ground. Don’t expect to turn on your stream and make thousands of dollars overnight, and don’t expect your YouTube channel to earn millions in the first week.
None of these options for making money online are get-rich-quick schemes. They’re legitimate businesses that take years to build.
Here are some tips for getting started and building your online empire.
Pick Something
The first step is to pick something. Some folks do a podcast, run a blog, and also manage a YouTube channel, but they likely started with one and expanded once they got it off the ground.
Pick something that you can focus on.
Commit To It
Next, commit to your new venture. Force yourself to dedicate time to growing your new baby every week. You need to put in the work if you want to succeed.
Give Yourself Time
Many people fail with their online businesses because they don’t put in enough time. People start blogs and drop them after six months, not realizing it can take 3 to 5 years for a blog to make money. If you’re serious about making money online, commit to it long-term.
Learn Everything
Once you’ve decided what to focus on, you must dive in and absorb all the knowledge you can about it. Though many of these money-making opportunities seem simple, a lot of work goes into each. You’ll need to figure out the best supplies, the best hosting, the best ways to market yourself, and more.
Try New Things
Don’t get so caught up in what so-called experts say that you get scared to experiment. You can’t copy the top Twitch streamer and expect to make money. You need to offer your unique voice and experience to your business.
Adapt
The online ecosystem is far different today than it was just last year. Google updates constantly crush bloggers, while YouTube algorithm changes can make or break a Youtuber.
You must stay mindful of these changes and adapt as they come. Diversify your marketing tactics so you don’t rely on just one entity.
Revisit
Sometimes, we have to admit failure. Revisit your business plan at least annually to see how you’re doing. You may realize you’re in the wrong field or must change your strategies to compete in the market. Don’t be afraid to make changes to your process.
Do It
Many people fail because they get so caught up in seeking perfection that they never actually do anything. They refuse to hit publish on their blog posts, refuse to upload their videos, and never actually launch the thing they said they would.
Don’t let the impossible quest for perfection hold you back. Do it. It won’t be good but do it anyway. The more you do, the better you’ll get, and when you’re a pro, you can always go back and fix the mistakes you make along the way.
How To Make Money Online with Freelance Work
You don’t need to start a business or have a “real” job to make money online. You can take work when you want, on a freelance basis, to earn extra cash online. Here are some great ways to make money online with freelance work.
Graphic Design
Companies and small businesses are constantly in need of designers who will create their logos, book covers, and graphics.
Copywriting
Many companies don’t hire in-house copywriters when they can pay freelancers on a case-by-case basis.
Edit Videos
Do you think all the Youtubers know how to edit videos? Many hire the work out to people skilled in video editing software.
Bookkeeping
Many small businesses don’t have enough work to hire full-time bookkeepers. Freelance bookkeepers can earn a full-time living working for multiple companies.
Writing
Online media companies are constantly looking for new freelance writers. As a freelance writer, you can pick and choose when you write.
Consulting
If you’re an expert in a particular field, you can hire yourself as a consultant on a freelance basis. Companies are always in need of subject matter experts to help them get up to speed on numerous issues, from IT to security to regulator compliance. They typically pay big bucks for the knowledge.
Web Design
Put your web design skills to work by charging small businesses to build or improve their websites. Lots of people want to put their business online, but a lot also lack the skills to do it.
Editing
Book publishers and blog owners often need editors to review and proofread work before publication. If you excel at grammar but don’t want to do the writing, consider hiring yourself as a freelance editor.
Transcription
With the push to make everything in compliance with the ADA, many companies need transcribers to get their audio into written format. It’s mundane work, but it’s a great way to make money online with little effort.
Virtual Assistant
Lots of online business owners need help. Virtual assistants help them schedule social media posts, load articles, schedule meetings, and handle small administrative tasks, freeing the owner to work on big-picture things.
Social Media Management
If you’re great with social media, consider freelancing as a social media manager for a growing business. Many small companies don’t have the time or knowledge to build a social following but will hire a freelancer for a few hours weekly to do the work for them.
SEO
Everyone wants to rank #1 on Google. It’s a rapidly changing landscape, and businesses will pay big bucks for knowledgeable folks who will help them win the game.
AI Prompt Developer
The rise in AI created a new line of freelance work: AI prompt developer. If you’re great with chatgpt, consider selling your services to companies who want to use the latest technology but don’t currently know how.
Translation
Do you know a second language? You can put that skill to good use by translating documents from one language to another.
Finding Freelance Work Online
It’s one thing to say you’ll be a freelancer, but it’s another entirely to find the work. Numerous online platforms arose to connect freelancers with those in need of services. Sites like Upwork and Fiver offer an easy way to find clients.
However, freelancers who use those sites generally get paid less and have to split any profits with the site. It’s a great way to get started, but you can also find clients on social media or market your services with your own website.
Go the Traditional Route With a Remote Job
The final way to make money entirely online is to find a traditional job that offers a remote schedule. It was easier two years ago, but despite the massive influx of return to office, there are still far more opportunities for remote work than ever before.
Search traditional job sites like Indeed for remote work opportunities that align with your skills.
Make Money Mostly Online
There are plenty of other online money-making ventures that require a tiny bit of coordination with the outside world.
Stock Photography
If you’re a great photographer, you can make money by uploading your photos to stock photography sites like Shutterstock. Of course, you’ll likely have to leave the house to take the photos, but it’s all online after you have them.
Creating and Selling Physical Products
If you’re an artist, crafter, builder, or maker, you can create and sell products online in marketplaces like Etsy. You’ll only have to leave your house to ship them.
Reselling
Online platforms like eBay and Facebook marketplace have made flipping easier than ever. Hit your local garage sales and thrift stores to find treasures and resell them online for a profit.
Become a Storage Facility
Did you know you could rent out spare space in your home? Not for people, though, for their stuff. If you have free space in your home, consider allowing others to store their junk there. The app neighbor connects homeowners with space to people who need to safely store stuff.
Get Rid of Your Old Stuff
If you’ve got a lot of extra stuff and need money, consider downsizing with eBay or Facebook Marketplace. If you have a lot of clothes you don’t wear, get rid of them on Poshmark.
You’ll earn extra money while cleaning up your space; it’s a win-win.
Earn Extra Cash Online
There’s a difference between earning an income online and making extra cash online. However, it wouldn’t be a well-rounded “how to make money online” post if we didn’t cover both.
If you’re only looking for a few extra bucks a month, consider these fantastic options for earning money online.
Take Surveys
Companies that need market research will pay people to take their surveys and watch their videos. Although you’ll never earn a full-time income sharing your opinion, you will make enough pocket money to fund some extras.
Play Mobile Games
If you’re obsessed with mobile gaming, consider grabbing Mistplay, the app that pays you to play mobile games. You won’t earn real cash, but you’ll earn rewards you can trade for gift cards to your favorite stores.
Fun Apps
There are many apps out there that pay you gift cards to play. They range from specific games to survey sites. Check out the complete list of apps that pay you to play.
Cash Back Apps
Plenty of other apps offer cash back on the things you buy. Although it’s not technically making money online, it’s a way to save on things you need anyway. Check out the complete list of cashback apps that are actually worth your time.
Beta Tester
Web designers need testers to explore the user experience of their new creations. You can sign up to beta-test various websites and earn extra cash for your efforts.
Sell Your Data
You’re already giving all your browsing data away for free, so why not sign up for an app that pays you for it? Apps like MobileXpression pay you for your internet usage data, while apps like Honeygain pay you for access to the data you don’t use.
Trade Video Game Currency
Some popular video games like Robolux allow you to build massive empires and hoard cash. Other players will pay you real money for some of the in-game items you collect. You have to put a ton of time and effort into these games to get stuff others will want to pay you for.
Occasional Blogging
If you want to write online but don’t want to manage your own site, consider registering for platforms like Hub Pages, Newsbreak, or Medium. These sites each have their own requirements for monetization but do offer profit shares for their writers. You can write as much or as little as you want.
Using the Internet to Facilitate Offline Work
The internet morphed into a marketplace, connecting clients with workers and cutting out the middleman.
These options are collectively called the gig economy. They take a lot of work offline but use the interconnected world of the internet to help you find clients.
Driving
Sites like Uber and Lyft always need more drivers. People need rides and don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a taxi driver to take them ten blocks.
Pet Sitting
Sign up for Rover to walk dogs and watch people’s pets. It’s the easy way to start your own pet-sitting business.
Food Delivery
Uber Eats and Doordash let you act as a delivery driver for all the local restaurants, while Instacart allows you to shop for and deliver groceries for your customers.
Renting Out a Home or Room
Use Airbnb to offer your spare room or cottage to tourists looking to explore your area.
Helping Around the House
Apps like TaskRabbit connect worker bees to clients who need help with random tasks around the house. Help folks paint a room, change an air filter, or put that Ikea bookshelf together.
Market Your Physical Services
The Internet is a fantastic place to market any service you provide. You can use social media or create your own website for anything you want to do. Small business owners in any niche, from lawn service to daycare to interior design, can benefit from marketing their services online.
Now That You Know How To Make Money Online, What Are You Waiting for?
Making money online has never been easier. The ideas on how to make money online offered here show the wide range of possibilities created by the internet.
What are you waiting for?
Seize the opportunity and turn your idea into an online profit-generating asset!