A basic search on Google will reveal many ways to make money online and
most of the websites listed in the search results pages all seem to
focus on the same methods of making money.
I thought it’ll be a
good idea to categorize and compile a list of the online money making
methods available so that future visitors to Dosh Dosh will have a
reference point which provides them with all information they need.
This
list uses a rather broad categorization, which I believe covers most of
the ways to make money online. More methods and examples of how to make
money online will be added to this list, which can be considered a work
in progress.
1. Set up a Blog or Website for ProfitOne
of the best ways to make money online is to create a website or blog
which allows you to earn money from the display of advertisements or the
sale of products and services.
There are many different types of
money making blogs which will help you to make money and you’ll need to
pick a model that suits your interests, schedule and skill levels. A
simple no frills blog will allow you to easily pull in at least several
hundred dollars in a month through the use of paid blogging websites
alone.
For more information, check out Dosh Dosh’s archive of
articles on how to make money blogging. Apart from blogs, other websites
can easily help you to generate passive income as well. These can range
from e-commerce websites, social communities and information portals to
basic landing pages for affiliate programs.
2. Learn about
Affiliate Marketing and The Art of SellingThis involves
promoting a specific product or service and earning commissions whenever
the referred user makes a purchase based on your recommendations.
Affiliate
marketing is a big and profitable industry that covers a wide spectrum
of topics and fields. If you’ve got an interest in fitness, you can make
money promoting fitness videos or courses. In terms of fashion wear,
you can earn commissions by recommending friends to clothing or t-shirt
companies with affiliate programs.
The amount of money you make
depends on what you are selling. Done correctly, affiliate marketing is
one of the most powerful ways to make money from the web. Amazon,
Commission Junction and ClickBank are three of the biggest affiliate
marketplaces you can use if you’re branching out into affiliate
marketing.
3. Start an Online BusinessStarting your own
online business or company allows you to make money off the provision of
specific services or products you may have. Some examples of popular
online trades include web design, copywriting and internet marketing.
It
isn’t difficult to start a business. It’s all about hiring the right
people or having enough knowledge and connections within a specific
industry. You should do some in depth research before you decide to
settle on a specific niche for your business. Entrepreneur.com has a
good collection of tips on how to start an online business.
4.
Try Out Domaining and the Online Real Estate TradeThis is the
business of buying, selling, developing and making money from domain
names. A domainer purchases many domain names and sells them to
interested buyers. This is similar to real estate investing offline and
domainers also make money by developing websites and reselling it to a
buyer.
This practice is known as site flipping and can make you a
tidy sum of money if you know how to build an attractive and profitable
website. For a rough estimate of how much money you can earn from site
flipping, check out the SitePoint Marketplace to browse through the
collection of websites for sale.
5. Participate in Get-Paid-to
WebsitesThere are hundreds of websites out there which you pay
you to read emails, do surveys, sign up for trial subscriptions and surf
the web. Websites that pay you to complete offers are worth examining
because they usually include affiliate programs with recurring
commissions to be earned.
The benefit of get paid to websites is
that you don’t need to have your own website or any personal skills at
all. The downside is that there are a lot of get-paid-to scams around
and finding websites that are legitimate can be fairly difficult.
Scam.com is a forum you should visit to learn if the get-paid-to website
you’re interested in actually pays its members.
There are also
several Web 2.0 or social media websites out there that will pay you to
participate in their community. This collection of social media websites
usually operate via a revenue-sharing system, which allows you to earn a
share of the overall ad revenue. How much you earn depends on how much
your submitted article, video or image is viewed.
6. Find a
Virtual Job or Make Use of Your ExpertiseNot only limited to
data entry jobs, online jobs in the new economy include virtual
assistants, gold farmers, online life coaching and support for open
source software. Mini consultation networks like Bitwine and Ether allow
you to easily set up shop and offer advice on specific topics through
the web.
Most of these virtual jobs involve direct communication
through electronic mediums like internet telephony, instant messengers
and emails. Which means that all you need to get started is a home
computer with an steady internet connection.
If you are an expert
in a specific topic, you can offer consultation via websites like Jyve
or Just Answers. Other skill or knowledge based vocations also include
participation in online competitions in areas such as photography,
writing, designing and even gaming.
7. Freelance and Work on a
Contract Basis OnlineIf you have a skill such as web design,
programming or copywriting you can offer your services online in
exchange for money. Traditional freelancing jobs include transcription,
proofreading, translation services on top of the ones already mentioned
above.
Online marketplaces that you can use to offer your
services include Guru.com and Elance. One of the best ways to find
freelance jobs is to visit webmaster forums because webmasters usually
require a variety of web-based services, which range from programming
and content writing to design work.
If you’re focusing on writing
if don’t own your own blog, you can still make some money by
registering for websites which will pay for your content. Another
alternative is get paid to write for other blogs either as a staff or
guest writer.
8. Create Your Own Product and Sell itProducts
you can create include website templates, sound clips or even your own
ebook. Websites like Lulu allow you to easily develop and sell your own
collection of electronic products like calenders, brochures, artwork,
images and ebooks.
If your specialty is images and photography,
citizen journalism websites like Spymedia and Citizen Image will pay for
your images. You can also try using Shutterstock, the most established
and lucrative micro-stock photography website. Illustrators and
videographers are also welcome at Shutterstock.
This also ties in
with the concept of creating your online business, which will allow you
to sell the products you create or own without resorting to a third
party website which will usually take a commission of the sale.
9.
Get Involved in the Online Retail TradeEbay and Craigslist are
the two of the most popular websites you can use if you are planning to
get into the online retail trade. You can purchase products from either
website to sell to the other.
Alternatively, you can specialize
use site-specific methods of participating in the online retail trade.
For example, Ebay dropshipping and arbitrage is a method whereby you’ll
with offline retailers or exporters in other countries, or buy from one
seller and sell to another.