35 Real ways to Actually make Money Online
How many articles talk about making money online? thousands? Millions? enough? Likely. but there is a problem. Many of them are just sales pitches to convince you to sign up for some seminar, course, coaching session, or other way to become an online millionaire.
They really make the term profit from the Internet a bad name. But is it possible to make money online. I mean, the people who sell all these millions are making money, right?
There are legitimate ways to make money online. The problem is that real ways to make money are not “get-rich-quick” schemes.
Most of them require a lot of work and sometimes a lot of dedication before seeing the return of your time. But if you really want to make money online, work from home or turn an idea into a business, you can do it. You can also make money with apps if you don’t feel like venturing all the way with your computer.
I will tell you about all kinds of legitimate ways to make money online. Since we’re talking about legitimate jobs, they have to be… good and legitimate. Many of these options are real jobs that require you to work in hours if you want to get paid. It also requires real work. Here are some tips for getting the job:
Take it seriously. Yes, you are applying for a job online. Yes, you can do the work in your clothes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a “real job.” It must be treated as such or they will not treat you as a serious candidate. You’re not the only one who wants to work in his clothes. In fact, the competition online is likely to be higher than it is in your local area.
Be professional. When sending out a resume, know how to use it without being seen as incompetent. Write in complete sentences with proper grammar. Of course, there will be exceptions, but even with exceptions, you must maintain it professionally. You build your own view.
Give some, but not all. Whether you provide writing samples, photographs, or links to your work, give them enough examples to get the idea, but not so many that they don’t know where to start. And while we’re on the topic, give them some background, but don’t tell them your life story.
Double check yourself, before you destroy yourself. Make sure everything you send to the company, whether it’s your resume or an email, is in good order. Double check your grammar and wording, and for that use spell check! This is especially important when it comes to the company name.
Here are 35 ways to make money online divided into categories (with unique tips for understanding how each method works):
Sites that pay
Let’s go ahead and go this route. Here are all kinds of sites that will pay you for different things, like shopping, taking surveys or testing products. No, I don’t get paid to promote any of these services, these sites won’t make you a millionaire, but they are great for making some extra cash. I’ll leave you the tricks.
Here are some legitimate sites that pay:
1. Swagbucks – Swagbucks is a great site to earn some extra cash. You can do a variety of things to make money, from taking surveys to using their search engine. You won’t get rich, but you will earn a few bucks. If you have time to kill, you can spend it earning some extra cash, instead of surfing the web.
2. InboxDollars – InboxDollars is similar to Swagbucks, since you will be taking surveys, shopping, etc. So if you want to increase your revenue, sign up with both sites. It also offers a search engine that pays you (like Swagbucks) and you only get $5 to sign up. I won’t go on listing survey sites one by one, but if you want to get paid to take surveys, also check out GlobalTestMarket, E-Poll Surveys and Survey Club. Here’s a thread that explains all of this. The most reliable sites that offer paid online surveys to earn hundreds of dollars
3. Project Payday Project Payday is one of those sites that have testimonials from people who have made thousands of dollars getting paid for demo offers. I am not saying you will make thousands, but it is legit and you can earn some extra cash. And they assume that by paying you for a free trial, you either want to love the product and buy it, or forget to cancel the trial and get charged for it. If you can go ahead and cancel before you get charged (if you don’t want the product), this is a great site to make some money.
4. User Testing User Testing pays $10 a pop for testing websites. The test usually takes about 15-20 minutes. The purpose of this is for a website owner to watch someone, who is new to their site, try to navigate it. The value a site owner gets by seeing an actual user experience is worth many, but $10 isn’t a bad payout.
5. Fiverr – Fiverr is a great place to get a few bucks or pay a few bucks if you need some of the services that people provide. Basically, everything is for $5. You either pay $5 or charge $5. They call it “gigs.” You can offer your services however you choose. If you’re selling art and you’re selling pieces for $5 each, great. If you are a graphic designer and want to offer your services for $10 an hour, just bid for 30 minutes. If they need two hours of graphic design, they pay $20 or $10 an hour by buying four times.
6. IZEA – IZEA works in addition to a blog or on its own. You can earn money by blogging, tweeting, taking photos and taking videos. Pay is mostly based on your following, so if you want to make money with your tweets, you will need to grow your Twitter followers. Likewise, if you want to make money with blogging, you will need a good amount of blog traffic (more on blogging below).
Freelancing by writing
Freelance writing is one of the most popular ways to make money online. Many successful freelancers can earn an average of 50 cents to a dollar per word. Some earn twice that!
Of course, it doesn’t start like that. You have to build your portfolio and your resume, blah blah blah. If you are interested in writing, I am sure you know this. If you don’t want to write, I wouldn’t recommend you go down that road just for the money.
It takes dedication and time, although it can be very profitable if it’s what you love. Assuming it’s what you like, let’s talk about making money with it.
Before you decide to start hitting up all the freelance writing companies, you need to have a web presence. You need a blog (in my humble blogger opinion, of course).
Or you can get a page online. Even a LinkedIn profile works to get started. When you’re ready to get started, here are 5 resources to help you write better, faster, and more persuasively.
If that sounds intimidating, start with these 50 resources.
Now for what you’ve been waiting for; When you’re ready to actually start making money, here are 10 websites you can start with:
7. Listverse – Listverse pays $100 for each accepted post. The article must be a list, it must be at least 1500 words and it must include at least 10 things. Other than that, you can get pretty creative with it.
8. TopTenz – TopTenz pays $50 for each accepted article. Again, the essay must be in a stand-up format and must be at least 1,500 words, with a few exceptions. As they post often so your chances of getting accepted are rather high.
9. A List Apart – A List Apart pays $200 for each accepted entry. It is not on the list first because it tends to publish fewer articles, which means you have less chance of getting accepted. Same guidelines as above, 1,500 words minimum.
10. International Living – International Living pays $75 for each accepted article. They are mostly looking for travel experiences from the countries you have visited. For this site, it is more about your experience than your ability to write.
11. Fundsforwriters – Fundsforwriters pays $50 for each accepted article. They are looking for articles about writing and making money with them. They only accept essays between 500-600 words, but they want you to make every word count for you.
12. Uxbooth – Uxbooth pays $100 for each accepted article. It usually takes four to eight weeks for articles to be accepted and published, so don’t count on getting paid quickly. It takes a long time, because it pairs with editors to publish only amazing content.
13. iWriter – iWriter pays up to $15 for each accepted article. It may seem small, but it’s not as strict as a lot of the other sites mentioned above, and it also allows you to choose exactly what you write. You can write as many or as many articles as you want.
14. Textbroker – Textbroker pays up to five cents per word, if you’re a 5-star writer. You’ll start by submitting a short article, and you’ll probably start out as a 3-star writer, but you can work your way up by writing more and writing great content.
15. Matador Network – Matador Network pays up to $60 per accepted article, but the normal pay is $20-25. They don’t really focus on the minimum word count, but they do have a maximum of 1,500 words.
16. The Penny Hoarder – The Penny Hoarder pays up to $800 (rarely), depending on how many page views you receive. Pay starts at $100 for 50,000 page views, so this isn’t a guaranteed paid one, but it can be very rewarding.
There is no doubt that you can make money through freelance writing, but it is a tough process. Once you start building your portfolio and writing skills, you can start making some serious money. If you are not an experienced writer, expect to lose some time before you actually start seeing some profit.
Sell your stuff
Ever since the idea of online auctions came about, the online selling market has been on the rise. Many are interested, but do not know how to start. There are still many ways to make money selling online, whether you sell what you already have or buy and sell like a store. Before you get started, here are some general tips when selling anything online:
Get a PayPal account. If you don’t have a PayPal account, you’ll need to get one if you do business online. It is the norm in online business to receive payment and pay others.
Take good pictures. Some of the options below do not require you to actually take the photo and sell the product, but for those options, be sure to take a clear photo that will make your product stand out from the crowd. If you’ll be taking a lot of photos, set up a small studio-like area in your home with appropriate background and lighting to make your photos appear professional. And of course, you’ll need a good camera, too.
be honest. If you are selling used items, be upfront about everything, scratch, defect, etc. This will reduce many of the issues you could encounter and keep your feedback positive.
Doing good business. Plain and simple. Whether you sell to a small site or open an online store, customer service matters. You’ll need to get those positive reviews and make a good name for yourself. Respond to questions, concerns and complaints. Offer a guarantee if available.
Follow these guidelines and you will do well with online sales. When you’re ready to start selling, here’s where to go:
17. Amazon – Have you heard of FBA? It stands for “Safe Sale on Amazon” and is very popular. Basically, you buy products (for the most part is better) and have them shipped to Amazon for storage. When you sell your products, Amazon collects them, sends them out and sends you money (after you cut it). There are people who live full time from FBA, while others do it to make some extra money.
18. CraigsList – Some things don’t ship well. Other things might make you feel uncomfortable selling to someone across the country. Any time you sell a large item or something that you don’t want to ship, Craigslist is a great place to go. It’s easy to list your item (again, take good photos!). If you don’t like the idea of putting your phone number out there, the interested person can send you a message to your inbox without even getting your email address.
19. eBay – Of course, you can’t read an article about making money online that doesn’t mention eBay. You can start with an eBay store and make a serious profit about it or you can just sell some stuff for your home. Either way, I’ve made my fair share of selling on eBay and it’s still a popular way to make money. If you decide to start a physical eBay store, you’ll need to find a business like Doba that will store and ship items directly to your customers so you don’t have to deal with inventory.
20. Etsy – If you like creating arts and crafts, you can sell them on Etsy. And it’s completely free to open an Etsy shop. You simply sign up, post pictures of your creations and start selling them. You can choose your payment option, but PayPal is generally the easiest. Etsy makes it easy to sell and keep track of your inventory. There is a small listing fee and they take 3.5% of every sale you make.
21. Facebook – Facebook swap shops are great for selling stuff locally. It’s like CraigsList, but a little easier. You simply search for barter shops in your area and ask them to join the group. After entering, you can take a picture of the item, write a quick description with the price and post it. It doesn’t get much easier than that. You can generally expect to get what you would get at a yard sale, maybe a little more.
First off, I’m a blogger so it seems wrong not to mention it, but more importantly, it’s a legit way to make money. This is quite possibly the least direct on this list, but it is very possible and also probably the funniest method on this list. I love blogging and know hundreds of bloggers who feel the same. So let’s talk about making money blogging and what it really means.
Blogging is something that requires patience, perseverance, and discipline. That could mean writing every day for over a year before you actually start seeing any money from it. There are exceptions to the rule, but from my dealings with other bloggers, it seems very common to spend a year or two building your blog, your brand and your authority, before making any significant amount of money.
Some people claim that you can make money without a lot of traffic, and while that is true in some circumstances, you will generally need a lot of website traffic to start making money from a blog and it takes time. Once you get to that point, here are the basic ways to monetize your blog and start making money:
22. Advertising – This is definitely the most ancient way to make money with a blog. It’s also starting to become the least popular method. You can sell advertising spots directly on your site or you can sign up with a company like Google AdSense or Media.net. Either way, you won’t see much money from ads until you have thousands of views each day.
23. Affiliates – There are many affiliate networks, such as FlexOffers and CJ Affiliate that allow you to promote other people’s products and services. You simply place a link or banner ad on your page and then you get a percentage if someone clicks through and buys your product/service. You’ll need to select products that fall into your blog’s specific category. This is an effective way to earn money once the traffic comes to your blog.
24. Membership – Many people have created a paid membership area on their blog. This content is usually exclusive and you can only access it in the Members Area. If you have a really great idea of what to include, that would be a great idea. You will have to create something that is not easily accessible over the web.
25. Products – You can create your own product, such as an ebook or computer software. Then, you will use your blog as a promotion tool to get people to buy your product. As long as you create a legit product with a lot of value, you should be able to get some buyers, but like everything else on a blog, you’ll need traffic to get sales.
26. Services – You may provide a paid service, such as life coaching, blog coaching, goal setting or financial planning. Just check all the legal implications and make sure you don’t pretend to be a professional if you are not one. With a service like this, you are essentially using your blog to sell yourself. You’ll need to convince people that you’re worth buying, then you can back up your claim when they buy the service.
27. Sponsored/Paid Posts – Many blogs publish sponsored and paid posts. Sponsored posts are basically posts about a specific brand, product, or service. A company will pay you to publish an article about it. It’s the same with other paid posts as well. You basically have to sell an article on your site. If you decide to take this route, you will need to generate traffic before you will get many offers.
28. Subscription – If you have in mind something of value (newsletter, online magazine, etc.) This may be a fee charged each time your product is sent or on a monthly basis. Either way, this should be something that customers can only get by subscribing to your website.
29. Videos – This could be an entire segment on its own. Many people have made money by making YouTube videos. Evan of EvanTube is a kid and has made millions by creating reviews of products that other kids his age will use. It’s not easy to get views in the millions, but once you do, you’ll start to see some cash coming in. Many bloggers have turned to videos entirely to get their point across by creating a vlog.
If you are really interested in becoming a blogger, start by searching the archives of ProBlogger, Copyblogger, and Boost Blog Traffic. Then scroll through reading all of the free guides over at Quick Sprout. It may take a year to complete these tasks on your own, but it will be worth it. You will practically get your MBA in blogging :).
Finally, there are some companies that will hire you to work from the comfort of your home. If you are interested in working for someone else, while still making your own schedule and deciding where to work, here are some companies that will allow you to do so:
30. CrowdSource – CrowdSource provides many types of jobs from “microtask” jobs to larger writing and editing jobs. You decide the size of your business and you can do most of it through your computer.31 Demand Studios Demand Studios employs all kinds of creative professionals, from authors to filmmakers. The salary isn’t amazing, but it’s competitive for work at home jobs.
32. Fast Chart – Fast Chart allows you to work from home as a medical transcriptionist. There are some requirements and qualifications listed on the page but if you meet them you will be paying a competitive wage for the industry. You will also be able to set your own schedule since you will be working from home.
33. Leapforce Leapforce is one of the ways Google ranks websites for search engine ranking. If you’re a charterer, you’ll make decent money (usually upwards of $11 an hour), make your own schedule and it can be a lot of fun to watch and arrange sites.
34. Liveops – Liveops is a call center that allows you to work from home. Once you’re set up to make calls, you can start setting up a weekly schedule and working from home. The pay is generally close to $10 an hour, but you can earn more commissions.
35. SpeakWrite – SpeakWrite will pay you up to $15/hour to transcribe information. You set your own schedule and work from home.
You now have many different options to start making money online. If you see something that really interests you, give it a try and learn more about it. If you really want to make a full time income online, you have to be dedicated to learning how to do what you want to do. There are many free resources out there. You just have to search for it!