40 Tips on How to Make Money Online

Knowing how to make money online in today’s digital world gives you more flexibility in achieving financial independence. You can make quick money on the side or engage in full-time ventures. The most common ways to make money online involve investments, business opportunities, and remote work.

Here are 40 must-try tips on how to make money online with different online business ideas.

Online Business Ideas

1. Buy and Sell Domain Names

You can buy and sell website addresses similar to how you sell other commodities. Cost is as little as $10 per year for each. Business, geographic, generic, and popular names are easy to sell, so keep an eye on those, and grab them as soon as they are available.

Visit domain registrars and search for a domain name you like, or you can ask the owner of the domain name if they are willing to sell. Make sure you choose ones that offer value or have built quality backlinks and traffic and then evaluate the price.

2. Start an Affiliate Blog

Affiliate blogging is a career that allows you to use your writing skills to promote affiliate partner products in your blog content. The startup cost is relatively small, but you will need to invest time to build your network and create quality content to drive sales for the businesses with which you partner. Your initial investment will go toward licensing, creating a professional website, marketing, and advertising efforts.

To get started, you’ll need a reliable website to host your blog. DreamHost is a very low-cost web hosting service that offers just the right features to run your affiliate blog efficiently. It provides users with unlimited bandwidth, a domain name, and a one-click web apps installer to help you start your blog in no time for as little as $4.95 a month. Visit DreamHost today and take advantage of their discounts.

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3. Start a Transcription and Translation Business

A transcription business usually offers translations as well. If you have a keen sense of hearing and can type fast, you can start offering these services immediately. The startup cost is relatively low because it’s already possible to launch your service from the comfort of your own home, doing away with storefront cost.

All you need is your computer and a stable internet connection to make sure you’re always available to communicate with your clients. Information is also readily available online should you find yourself needing help with any proofreading issue.

4. Sell Subscription Boxes

Subscription boxes are unique products that you can put together yourself. Typically, the boxes include curated items that align with a particular theme in which customers are interested. For example, there are themed options for clothing, kid crafts, razors, coffee, and more.

Customers subscribe to websites that appeal to them, so they can receive regular deliveries, usually a minimum of once monthly. It provides a fun experience for the shopper because it offers a personal touch to ready-made gifts. Pricing depends on the value of the products within the box and can range from $20 to more than $99 monthly.

Once you decide the type of subscription boxes you want to sell, look for a platform to help on which you can set up your business. The best platforms help with everything from providing a pricing calculator to branding and shipping your subscription boxes. CrateJoy, for example, has a free subscription plan for aspiring subscription box sellers, but its paid plans have additional support.

5. Start an Ecommerce Store

Starting your own ecommerce store also means starting a career in online selling. You would be committing to providing customers an opportunity to shop conveniently for products in which you believe. This venture is very versatile, meaning entrepreneurs from any background or with any expertise can establish their own online store.

You need a professional online store builder. Use Shopify for a quick and easy way to create an online store with beautiful, responsive themes for your ecommerce business. Choose from the many Shopify themes and features like dropshipping with Oberlo to help you curate and add products automatically to your store. Sign up to start using Shopify for free.

Visit Shopify

6. Sell Your Artwork to Publishers

There are other opportunities for fine art experts apart from selling their designs on online marketplaces like Etsy. Professional artists and designers can also create artwork specifically for publisher clients. These designs can be used as illustrations and book covers for e-books, hardbacks, and paperbacks.

Like any other artist, you will need your own portfolio to show potential clients your drawing style. You should also consider setting up your website to showcase your designs and create a digital resume. Once you have this, share your website link on professional networks like LinkedIn groups to reach potential clients.

7. Start a Premium Consulting Chat Group

Premium, members-only online chat communities allow experts to share information with their audience in real-time. In the chat, you can share content, make introductions, expose local meetups, and help members better understand the marketing trend. For example, marketers can home in on an emerging trend like account-based marketing or voice app marketing, create a premium chat group and then charge $20 per month for access.

How to start: Choose from any popular platform like Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord. You can then use tools like chatgroup.io, which makes it easy to charge for access and manage members on any platform.

8. Start Your Own Chatbot Agency

Business pages on Facebook are now using chatbots to manage their customer care. While working with artificial intelligence (AI) messaging can seem intimidating at first, you can learn to make chatbots for free and start your own agency. Chatbot builders are inexpensive and easy to learn so that you can start your business with minimal investment.

Select a chatbot builder platform like Mobile Monkey, and learn how to use the tool. It doesn’t require any coding skills, and there are templates to help get you started. There are also a variety of chatbot-related services that you can offer independently, upsell, or even provide for free.

9. Become a Business Coach

If you brand yourself as a business coach, this means you are starting a business based on your expertise in planning and implementing business strategies. You can share lessons from your experiences beyond your expertise and provide enough value on the topic to be considered an expert. You can create video courses in addition to your course materials.

Decide what your course will be about and create a plan to follow when you design it. Your course should require about three months to finish. Anything longer may get customers discouraged and also asking for refunds.

10. Start an Online Flower & Gift Shop

Flowers are so easy to source, and you can earn high margins per order. With online flower shops, you can upsell them with common gift items like chocolates, cakes, and jewelry and earn higher margins as you sell “packages” instead of one-off single bouquet orders.

Network with the right suppliers and find the best one based on what your business needs. Afterward, create an Instagram or Facebook page for your business, establish a delivery system, and set your online payment platforms in order.

11. Offer Professional Bookkeeping Service

Bookkeeping is one of the easiest and most profitable business ventures a person can start. Not only does every single business need bookkeeping services, but you can do it remotely from anywhere. The average freelance bookkeeper charges $20 per hour and must have basic knowledge of online bookkeeping tools.

Get certified as a QuickBooks expert through a quick, easy, and free certification class called QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Once you are a ProAdvisor, you will be able to post your bookkeeping business on the QuickBooks registry for all businesses to see.

12. Offer Insurance Consultancy Services

Independent online insurance consultants provide information to people about various insurance plan options. This works best for individuals who were previously employed as insurance consultants and are looking to start their own firm. They will have enough connections and resources to provide excellent advice to clients.

You will need to get licensed in your resident state, purchase a web domain name, web hosting service, and be able to provide an online life insurance quote to generate your leads.

13. Start an Online Teaching Service

Teaching kids can consist of helping them with their homework, review for tests, or learn special skills like music. You can do this online if you offer your teaching services to remote learners. English, science, and math are the subjects with the highest demand. There are even opportunities to teach English to children overseas, thanks to online communication tools like Skype.

You don’t need to be an expert to become a tutor, but you will need to set aside the time to teach. It’ll be even better if you specialize in specific areas of learning. Make sure you design a website to showcase your credentials and add a signup form on the main page along with your contact details.

14. Start a Graphic & Web Design Agency

Small to medium-sized businesses usually do not have a budget to hire a graphic and web designer to their marketing team, which means when they need services, they are looking to outsource. However, because companies need an online presence to stay competitive, they are willing to pay a premium to individuals who can provide this service.

Many of the projects that graphic and web designing agencies undertake do not require a whole team to finish. Search for a local search engine optimization (SEO), internet marketing, or public relations (PR) agency and approach them about their need for a contract-based, remote designer to help with professional media creation.

15. Create Your Own Travel Agency

A travel agency is considered a one-stop-shop for travelers. This means you provide options for airfare, accommodations, transfers, and even holiday packages. As a travel consultant, your goal would be to offer the best travel package so that clients continue to pick you over competitors.

Beginners can choose to obtain a franchise from a host agency and make the entire startup easy vs incurring the larger expenses of building an independent company. These companies will also offer short certification courses that help aspiring travel agency owners become knowledgeable about the online travel industry.

16. Start an Online Baby Equipment Rental Company

Offering baby equipment rental services via a platform is a growing opportunity for anyone seeking to quickly and affordably launch an online business. Your company would earn money every day that the equipment is being rented. You’d keep a small inventory of the most commonly rented items like cribs, car seats, and strollers, and deliver and set this gear up at a visiting family’s hotel, vacation rental, or private home.

Platforms like BabyQuip can have you up and running in a baby gear rental home-based business. These franchise providers will help with key startup tasks like developing a professional website.

Online Career Choices

17. Get Hired as a Resume Consultant

A professional resume consultant evaluates resumes and proposes revisions to improve job applicants’ chances of getting hired for work. Several online platforms are looking to hire resume consultants on a project basis. Aside from your resume writing skills, you will also need to have a knack for marketing to be successful as a consultant. You must be able to balance those two skills to produce an effective resume.

To get started, advertise, and post your services on LinkedIn and popular freelancer platforms so clients can find you. You will need to have available samples of work, resumes you have edited, and a good strategy you can use when explaining what clients should do to improve their resume drafts.

18. Venture Into Creative Writing

Creative writers produce written copy for books, editorial articles, screenplays, and promotional marketing material. This line of work is for people who have skills and a background in creative fields, specifically those with experience in literature or who have a degree in English. You can start a freelance writing career and offer your services on a project-by-project basis. Consider working with clients remotely through a freelancing platform or your own website.

To get started, you can join writer and freelancer websites to find clients. You can use online sharing tools to work on the resume documents with your clients and online payment platforms like PayPal for collecting payment. Before that, you should build a portfolio of all the work you’ve completed and display it through LinkedIn or on your own website. Write an executive summary, where you specify the type of writing to which you wish to contribute―for example, websites and periodicals―and any amounts of funding you may need to hit the ground running.

19. Become a Search Engine Consultant

Search engine evaluators provide feedback to search engine companies like Google and Bing as well as to online platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The core of the job is to rate the quality of web pages and how well search results match search intent. This tests if changes in the search engine’s algorithms return better results to the user.

To get started, all you need is a computer, high-speed internet connection, and the ability to perform web research, and no technical skill is needed. Google and other tech giants outsource this job to companies like Appen and Lionbridge.

20. Become a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office. You can use the skills you learned from school or a special talent you have to assist companies with specific tasks. Depending on your preference, you can be hired part-time for different companies, or full time for one through online platforms like Upwork and MyOutDesk.

You can start by writing out a list of the skills that you have and are passionate about and start capitalizing on those. Reach out to business owners through online job portals, join Facebook groups, and network.

21. Learn How to Make Mobile Apps

If you have a background in software programming, you can jump into a mobile app developer role easily. This is a great income-generating opportunity, especially if you can build your credibility within a network of freelancers. Clients looking to build an app for their business can find you through freelancer portals like Upwork and pay you once the app is created and has been submitted to the client.

You can advertise on LinkedIn and join freelancing platforms to build your clientele. If you’re new to mobile app development, there are online courses and training you can take. There are also interactive training sessions for all skill levels, even seasoned programmers wanting to improve and learn new coding skills.

22. Become a Remote Software Engineer

A software engineer designs, develops, and maintains computer software. They also conduct testing and evaluation of computer systems to ensure accuracy and security. This position is a perfect work-from-home job because it can be done anywhere with the right software. Everything software engineers need to work will always be accessible via their laptop and/or the virtual private network (VPN).

What you will need to start this career is a laptop and set of software to use when creating or running tests for a client’s computer system. Build your portfolio and join professional networks like LinkedIn to connect with potential clients.

23. Become a Local Facebook Marketing Expert

A Facebook marketing expert is someone equipped with the skills to maximize a company’s opportunity to monetize their presence on Facebook. While it’s easy to create a business page on the platform, there are special skills like managing the different Facebook tools that you can provide as a service.

Facebook Blueprint offers free training on its advertising platform that includes Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network. Once you master how to use the platform, bring your skillset to local businesses to take over their advertising.

24. Get Hired as a Data Entry Associate

The role of an online data entry associate is to efficiently collect, analyze, and enter data in databases, as well as accurately maintain records of valuable company information. This includes activities like entering data to track inventory, shipments, creating business plans, and measuring performance against set targets using the employer’s online tools. The average salary of an online data entry associate is $15 per hour.

This role requires minimal computing skills and a small investment. You will need to practice speed typing tests as this will be a large part of your application process. Once you’re ready, join a freelance portal and apply for data entry jobs that match your skill level and schedule requirements.

25. Become a Tech Support Associate

A tech support associate is a remote job for individuals who are interested in providing technical assistance over the phone, email, or chat. It’s a pretty simple job that still allows you to interact with people, which should make your stay-at-home job quite social.

This job can be quite lucrative, depending on how much time you intend to spend working and the skill level you have. A good idea is to get certified for a variety of technical skills and list these as part of your credentials.

26. Get Hired as an Amazon Remote Employee

Amazon remote jobs include roles like customer service representatives, data entry associates, human resources (HR), and supply managers. Part-time roles are paid around $10 per hour to as much as $50,000 per year. Amazon offers thousands of jobs to remote employees every year.

To get started, visit Amazon’s Virtual Locations jobs page to find out about their new listings, including job descriptions, salaries, and roles available for specific regions around the country. It offers a variety of online employment opportunities for all skill levels, regardless of one’s location.

27. Work Online as a Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping is a huge online job opportunity that involves evaluating a client’s website features by visiting their ecommerce store. You can do this by completing assigned tasks and providing your client with feedback on your experience. At times, mystery shoppers are also required to make phone calls to test the client’s customer service.

This job requires you to have regular access to a reliable computer so you can complete mystery shopper tasks online. Sign up for more than one program like Secret Shopper and accept as many assignments as your schedule can handle. You will be asked to complete your profile so the site can send you notifications for tasks you are qualified for via the app or email. Each task will have its own instructions, deadlines, and payment so that you can choose which ones you want to try.

28. Venture Into Online Head Hunting

Online head hunters and virtual recruiters find skilled talent for their company clients. This involves doing tasks like researching, pooling, and screening candidates that can be done completely online. Expect to get business clients of all sizes, from huge companies like Amazon that require a large volume of employees to small companies that prefer to outsource their HR tasks instead of retaining a full-time HR manager.

The average pay for online headhunters is 15% to 25% of a candidate’s annual salary in the first year for every successful placement. That’s $11,250 if your candidate is hired at a $75,000 salary rate, and your fee is 15% of that.

It’s best if you have a background in basic HR recruitment so you can jump into the role easily. However, beginners can also do this job by joining professional job portals and websites to build their network and nurture a pool of talent. Make sure you also have a way of managing these contacts efficiently so you can access their records anytime.

29. Get Hired as a Copy Editor

Copy editors proofread and ensure writers provide quality content. They usually start out as writers and work their way up to copy editors as they gain experience in their field and build a portfolio.

Those who want to work as a remote copy editor should be able to provide proof of their skills. One way to do this is to set up a website and list samples of your work. You can also join networking platforms if you’re just starting in the field; consider registering with common freelancing job sites like Upwork, or search for an entry-level remote position on Indeed.

Online Investment Ideas

30. Invest in Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is a digital asset (non-cash) designed to back financial transactions. Some experts recognize its potential because it combines the features of limited supply and growing demand. It can be a lucrative investment if you execute the right timing and strategy.

Do your research on digital currencies like Bitcoin before investing. There are online cryptocurrency trading platforms and smartphone apps like Coinbase and Binance that help investors conveniently monitor and complete transactions at their convenience.

31. Venture Into Real Estate Syndication With Crowdfunding

Real estate syndication involves a group of investors pooling their resources to invest in a large real estate investment project and entering into a contract with a sponsor. Your initial investment grows and increases as the property is developed, and its value rises. And because you’d be investing with a group, you wouldn’t need a large investment to start earning income.

Register with a crowdfunding platform to find investment opportunities with low investment minimums. You’ll find a list of real estate syndication options like Fundrise and RealtyMogul with all the information you need to get started.

32. Start an Online Investment Portfolio

Make the most of your retirement money by investing it to maximize its earning potential. This means you earn from money you are not currently using while also enjoying lower tax rates for declaring investment income instead of regular income. Use an online investment consultancy platform that helps in structuring an investment portfolio that matches your specifications.

It’s best to invest money that you don’t currently use, like your retirement funds. Online financial advisors like Betterment will help you find the best ways to make the most out of your retirement savings. You will need to answer their questionnaires, so it can create your profile and determine the best investment opportunities for you.

33. Start an Online Peer-to-Peer Lending Business

Peer-to-peer lending is when an individual earns income by lending money directly to individuals with fair credit. If you want to start this type of business, you will need an online platform so lenders can connect with you. Because you would be lending money to borrowers without performing credit checks or charging high fees, you can charge significant interest on their loans.

Assuming you already have the cash to invest, your next step is to get an online platform. This is where you will receive automated submissions of lenders, approve applications, and conduct the approval process.

34. Learn Options Trading

Options trading is investing in stock shares by purchasing a contract to sell or buy these shares at a pre-negotiated price on a specified date. Your success at options trading depends on how well you can project the future value of stock shares. Some experts consider options trading to have better income potential than investing in traditional stocks

The typical initial investment to start options trading is anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000, and you need to find a reliable brokerage firm. A broker will assess your trading experience, trading knowledge, and financial preparedness before you start.

Side Income Generating Ideas

35. Get Paid for Apps on Your Phone

Some companies are willing to pay you to download an app and keep it on your smartphone. This helps them gather data to develop a more effective business strategy. Apps like these automatically track your browsing behavior, the way you search and use your phone, as well as your actions that lead to buying products through smartphone apps. Nielsen, for example, will pay you up to $50 a year for sharing your browser history information.

Aside from Nielsen, there’s also SavvyConnect that lets you earn $5 for every month that you have the app on your phone. All you need to do is choose an app, answer the questionnaire to see if you’re qualified for the program, download the app, and update your settings to allow the app to collect your data. Install the app on more than one device, including a tablet, mobile, and desktop when possible, so you can maximize your earnings.

36. Sell Your Designs on Etsy

Etsy is a website host for selling creative designs, and it’s a great platform for artists with a stash of designs that they are willing to sell online. Buyers usually purchase them to turn into posters, greeting cards, or other goods. You can sell the same designs as many times as customers will buy, and you only have to upload them once. This means you can continuously earn from designs you created months ago without having to do any extra work.

All you need to do is sign up for an Etsy account, review its policies, and fill out the information. Once you’ve uploaded your designs, share a link to your products on your social media page, so people can view them.

37. Browse the Web for Money

Some platforms will offer to pay you money just by doing what you normally do online. This means performing online searches, browsing through websites, making purchases, and more. Businesses analyze consumer behavior through the data they collect from you and other individuals who register for this program.

Sign up with an online rewards program and provide all of the information it asks. This will help it determine which of your regular activities qualify you to earn money so it can send you tasks that make the most sense.

38. Take Paid Surveys

You can easily earn extra money in your spare time by taking paid surveys. Market researchers are always on the lookout for people who would like to share their opinions on just about anything. They use these responses to collect data that can help their clients to develop effective business strategies and improve their business.

Many platforms play host to marketing firms that do customer research. All you have to do is sign up and fill in the requested details. Note that the more information you provide, the better your chances of qualifying for more surveys.

39. Use an App to Rent Your Car

If you have a car, but you find that you rarely use it because most of your errands, your place of work or study are within walking distance, you can rent out your car online. There are car sharing marketplaces like Turo that use an app to connect car owners with individuals looking for rentals at a more affordable price. You earn 65% to 85% of the rental price posted on the platform.

To get started, all you need to do is sign up, create a profile, and upload photos of your car. You can set your own pricing, or have the app set the price based on market value, location, and time of year to maximize your income. There’s also a calculator you can use to find out how much you can potentially earn. Just be ready to meet up with the renter to drop off and pick up the vehicle.

40. Allow Ads on Your Uploaded Videos

There are video hosting platforms that let you earn money simply by uploading and sharing videos. You can do this by allowing clients of the hosting platform to embed their advertising in your videos. Your videos will then have in-stream advertising, and you’ll get paid when your audience watches the ad that appears.

Sign up with video hosting platforms like Dailymotion, enable the monetization function, and set up a payment method. Create interesting content and use proper tags to help your videos show on searches and give you a better chance of getting more views. Try uploading multiple videos to maximize your earnings.

Bottom Line

The cost of living continues to increase every year, and you must learn to adapt by finding more avenues to augment your main source of income. The internet provides you with numerous opportunities to maximize your time and resources while also allowing you to earn money. Start improving your income potential by learning how to make money online, and you’ll be one step closer to financial freedom.

Did we miss out on your favorite ways to make money online? Share it with us in the comments.