Whether it’s making it as a freelancer or generating some on-going income results, there are many ways to make money online. The truth is making money on the web; it’s as difficult as one may think, but it does take a lot of time and dedication. No matter what type of business someone selects to generate an online income, there are always ways to improve and keep pushing forward. We often discuss the various companies available to make money on the web during our free webinar training, and below we provide nine genius ways to make money online starting today.
#1 Build a niche blog
Bloggers are doing well on the internet, and Ryan Robinson discusses how you can build a profitable and successful blog.
If there’s a niche you’re interested in and you can build a decent audience around it, starting a blog and using affiliate marketing to generate income is an incredible way to make money online.
I know first-hand that learning how to start a blog (let alone make money from it) can be a massive undertaking.
Once you've launched your blog (or niche website), the next step is figuring out which products and companies you can partner with as an affiliate to help facilitate sales of a related, helpful product for your audience of future readers.
In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is selling someone else’s product by referring customers to their online store. If you can create content (on a blog) or a resource so valuable to the people looking for a certain product and then send them to where they can actually buy it, you’ll receive a predetermined percentage of each sale.
It takes time and effort, but website owners like myself and Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income, have built life-changing careers through affiliate marketing. In fact, Pat even publishes his income reports online, showing how he made over $2 million in the past 12 months alone.
Entrepreneur also explains how starting a blog can help you generate income. They reveal that it’s actually quite easy to create a blog, but it’s up to you to select the right niche and write compelling content that will attract a readership.
If you're serious about making money online, start a blog. Blogging is one of the easiest and most sustainable income sources. As long as the blog is setup the right way, in the right niche, with the right content targeted at the right audience, and the offer is complementary to the content, you could make a tremendous amount of passive income from a blog.
While some might think that starting a blog is an arduous effort, when you understand the precise steps you need to take, it becomes far easier. It all starts in the decision of choosing a profitable niche and picking the right domain name. From there, you need to build your offers. You can easily sell things like mini-email courses, trainings and ebooks.
#2 Freelancer
Have you thought about becoming a freelancer? The Balance Small Business talks about how freelancers have so many job opportunities available today and that you too can take advantage of that. Start focusing on what skills you can contribute to companies and start applying for jobs!
Ten years ago, freelancers had to do a lot of legwork to find freelance gigs. Today's freelancers have so many job possibilities at their fingertips, thanks to the Internet. With a simple click, you can start freelancing. It's easier than ever to get job descriptions in front of your eyes from companies and individuals looking for extra help for everything from administrative duties to graphic design.
Entrepreneur also explains how Upwork, in particular, is an excellent place for freelancers to apply for work.
This website offers a great marketplace for selling just about any professional service. You don't need a merchant account, website of your own or anything else for that matter. All you need to do is be able to provide a high-quality service at a reasonable price. But be informed, you will have to compete with many others that are constantly bidding on open jobs.
#3 Consult
If you’d like to consult, then The Self Employed says there’s money to be made focusing on this trade.
Of all the ways of making money online while getting your startup running, consulting can be most profitable. The trick here is not to take up any long-term contracts and inform your clients about your schedule so they understand when exactly you are available.
Consulting is a lucrative business on its own and you call the shots regarding the level of your commitment. But bear in mind that succeeding with consults while your startup struggles to take off will be a huge temptation to just give up the company. Be sure to set your priorities right by assessing your future chances of success in both fields.
#4 Sell online courses
If you have a blog or a secure website, WPBeginner says it’s the perfect opportunity for you to sell online courses. You could also use some of the content on your blog to create online courses! The possibilities are endless.
If you are particularly good at something, then why not teach others and make a career out of it? Selling online courses is another popular way to start an online business.
A lot of users prefer to quickly acquire skills and knowledge by joining online courses. Creating an online course has become a lot easier with the help of LMS software. These platforms allow you to create interactive courses with easy to manage tools for classes, students, course material, and more.
The best part is that you don’t have to write a single line of code to build a course website.
#5 Proofreading
Perhaps English and grammar are your thing. If that’s the case, Lifehack recommends applying for online proofreading jobs.
If you love poring over newspapers, magazines, and books looking for typographical and grammatical errors, you should look into getting paid to do it. While sites like Fiverr and Elance exist to connect proofreaders with clients, you’ll often end up underselling yourself due to the sheer volume of workers advertising their skills. Take a look at Proofread Anywhere, a site offering a course not only on how to become an expert proofreader, but how to find clients that pay well and will consistently need your assistance. Caitlin Pyle, the founder of Proofread Anywhere, makes a full-time income proofreading for less than 30 hours a week.
#6 Data entry
Another genius way to make money online is through data entry. Lifehack explains how this online profession could become a lucrative business:
If your keyboarding skills are up to snuff, you might want to consider signing up for websites such as VirtualBee, which connects typists with clients in need of data entry transfers. After signing up, you’ll be given an aptitude test to determine your eligibility. It’s possible to make up to $20 an hour on gigs, but, like website testing, the work is sporadic and may not be enough for a full-time income.
#7 Specialize in SEO
WPBeginner also says that SEO specialists are in high demand and if you have an interest you may consider offering your services to companies online. You never know, you could eventually run your own online business and hire employees!
SEO or Search Engine Optimization helps website owners get more visitors from search engines. It is a skill that requires continuous learning and keeping up with the latest trends. SEO specialists can run their own agencies, work as freelancers, or join a company as a full-time employee.
You can become an SEO specialist by running your own successful websites or by getting certifications online. You can find clients on freelancing websites like UpWork and Freelancer.com.
SEO is a very competitive industry, and you will need to make the most out of the best SEO tools available on the market. You would also need to learn the basic WordPress SEO techniques, keyword research tools, and content-marketing tools.
#8 Email marketing
Another way to make money online is through email marketing, as Entrepreneur discusses more below:
If you're interested in online marketing, setup email software and create a lead magnet that you can use in your sales funnel. Then, build up that list. It's often said that you can expect to earn about $1 per subscriber per month. If you have a list of 10,000 subscribers, that means you can earn roughly around $10,000 per month. You will need to deliver value and not pitch them on every email, but it is a very achievable goal in a short period.
There are many ways to get people onto your list. Lead magnets are one such resource. For example, you can build ebooks, checklists and cheat sheets. But you can also do content upgrades, such as PDF versions of an article with added resources in them, four-part video training series, and more. Think about your audience and what you can offer them to better serve them, then treat them with some respect and you'll eventually reap the rewards.
#9 Ecommerce store
A lot of people are taking advantage of ecommerce stores because there are a lot of products that people love to buy! You can also tie in your shop to your blog or website. WPBeginner says that it’s easy to start an online store in minutes and hopefully make money quickly as well!
Selling things online had never been easier. Anyone can easily create an online store in minutes and start selling products.
These products can be physical goods (things that need shipping) or digital downloads like eBooks, music, software, and more.
Before getting started, you need to do your research. Here are some tips to help you brainstorm ideas:
Find a niche with high demand and low competition
Think of ways you will make your eCommerce store standout by doing things that other eCommerce stores are not doing.
Think of the costs involved in getting products from the manufacturer to customers. Choose a pricing model, so that your products can compete and offer great value to your customers. Last, but not the least, your profit margins must be reasonable enough to ensure that your business can sustain and grow in the long run.
It’s incredible how many opportunities there are online to make a sustainable living. We often discuss in our free webinar training how to make money online, and all of the opportunities there are. Why don’t you take the lead of faith and start your own online business?! Join us for our next training – we can’t wait to “see” you there!
Sources: Ryan Robinson, Lifehack, Entrepreneur, The Balance Small Business, The Self Employed, WPBeginner
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