The internet has reinvented everything
The internet has reinvented everything, including the workforce. It’s no longer just a place for gossip and entertainment but a means of making money. Technology has been cursed out by some and embraced by others. Some say that technology has led to the loss of many traditional jobs, but we cannot dispute the fact that it has led to the creation of more jobs than ever before. Two sides of a coin, right? So, you must be thinking, how can I make money online? Well, if you have not yet boarded that train, it’s never too late! The internet has made it possible to turn your passion and interests into a money-making channel.
One of the main concerns I have come across with newbies looking for legitimate online business ideas is whether it’s all a scam. I didn’t believe it either until I tested the waters. Many of us have fallen victim to scam investments and ways to make money online. However, many people are making thousands online every day. Some are even living solely on making money online through means that are sustainable in the long run. So, whether you are just looking for an additional channel to sustain your primary income in these hard times or you want to quit your day/night job and become self-employed, ultimately, you are at the right place. I will address all your concerns and discuss legitimate online business ideas. So, let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?
What you need to know about making money online
You are dying to hear about the online business ideas, right? That is why you are here! However, before we begin, we need to ensure that we are all at par. Here are some of the things to pay attention to in the online business world if you don’t want to fall victim to scams.
Treat your online business like a real business.
Many of us make the mistake of joking around with our online business idea. However, to make real money online, you need to give it the respect it deserves. It’s not liked the summer vacation job you had as a teenager. You are dealing with a business capable of making you the money you need to live comfortably.
You need to identify a loop in the market, analyze it, and see how to meet the need. That is how people make money online. There are no shortcuts. If you are looking for an online money-making channel, you need to find a real solution to a significant problem. You need to come up with a business that adds real value to people.
Hard work pays
Where have I heard of this saying? Yes, your boss is always saying it in the office! Making money online is not any different. You might be walking into this world, thinking it will not require as much effort as your other endeavors but shock on you! An online business idea requires [probably more work than any other business you have ever run.
Making money online is not a get rich quick scheme where you start today, and you are a millionaire tomorrow. If you want to be taking vacations in the future from making money online, you need to put the hard work today. Although most online businesses can run on auto-pilot, the owners need to work endless hours a week before they can enjoy the privilege. So, if you are expecting to work five hours a week and become a millionaire instantly, you are in the wrong place!
Good things take time, even making money online.
The common denominator for all scams is they promise that you can make money online overnight. If you come across any social media ad that promises you can become a millionaire in a snap of a finger after investing in a business idea, you are in for a huge loss of money. Making money online requires a lot of work and perseverance to build your brand before you can bring in those huge bills. There is no way you can move from 0-100 in a day or two if you are using a legit online business idea.
Don’t trust that misleading Facebook ad with a guy in Ferrari throwing money in the air. Even if they promise huge returns on investment, it’s your money that is getting used to enrich them through scams. All good things take time, patience, and very hard work. With the online business ideas, we will discuss, you have to work your way to the top before you can become a millionaire like with any other legit business.
You don’t have to know everything.
The internet is very dynamic. There are changes every day, and what you think you know today, you won’t be so sure tomorrow. So, you don’t need to know everything to start making money online. Even if you are a guru, it’s only a matter of time before you are overthrown. All you need to know is the niche you are interested in. As long as you have more knowledge than your target audience, you can make money online. You will have to keep renewing your experience to keep abreast of the changes in the market.
It’s impossible to learn everything at once before you start. Some things are learned on the job. Remember, not even the experts you look up to know everything. So, you don’t need to be Aristotle or something to make money online. You just need to learn enough that someone else would want to listen and learn from you.
What is passive income?
A passive income is a common term used when talking about making money online. However, what exactly is a passive income? In the world of making money online, there are two strategies;
Trade time for money- it’s simple as it sounds. Time is money! You can trade your time and make money by sitting on your computer all day for business ideas such as freelancing and creating lucrative businesses such as websites and recipes.
Passive income- a passive income is an earning that requires little or no effort at all. Once you have set up your business, you can as well forget about it. Many people getting into online businesses usually have a passive income in mind. Let’s take a more in-depth look at passive income then.
Unlike freelance jobs and other online business ideas that require you to spend endless hours before making any money, passive income business ideas do not require you to invest much time throughout. I like to think of passive income like planting a cornfield, and then you can just sit and wait for a massive harvest. Although you might be required to put in some work as you wait, it’s very minimal compared to the end result. Does that give a clearer picture? You will be required to put in a lot of time upfront to set up a business that will keep generating money with little effort.
What are some examples of passive income businesses?
One traditional passive income business is a gold old savings account. A savings account keeps yielding an interest as your money is withheld in the bank. A typical online business would be affiliate marketing. All you need to know is the products and services to sell. You can then use other means such as blogging, social media, and websites. You can add the affiliate links to your blogs even as you share other valuable content with your audience and readers. Whenever your audience purchases a product or rents a service through your affiliate link, you will receive passive income.
Other online businesses can be used to generate a passive income such as drop shipping, creating recipes, and creating online courses. A passive income is just merely a passive income for many. It’s the kind of business you set up to supplement your day job. However, you can make a real earning that is good enough to quit your day job through passive income businesses. How can you do this? Here are some strategies for a successful passive income business idea.
Find a niche you are knowledgeable about- you don’t have to know everything. You only need to know more than your audience. Research about your topic of choice before setting up a business.
Choose a niche that sparks interest- you can only enjoy what you do if you are interested in the field. Find a niche that excites you to get out of bed. There is no better way of making money rather than doing what you love.
Don’t forget about your business- whether you have created an online course or set up a successful affiliate store, don’t forget about it. A big mistake many people make is forgetting about their business. As we mentioned earlier, online business ideas are a real business and should thus be accorded respect. You should regularly check on your business to ensure you are up to date with internet changes. Spend at least a small amount of time every day to check on your business to make a decent living out of it.
Now that we are all on one page, what are some online business ideas that will make you money online? With all the strategies we have discussed above, you are ready to be an online-prenure. Let’s dive right into the juicy part of this article.
Affiliate marketing
How many times have you heard of affiliate marketing? Probably more than a hundred. You may even have tried your luck with it. That is why I thought it wise to start with something familiar. Affiliate marketing is a very lucrative online business idea if you get it right. When most people talk about affiliate marketing, they are usually referring to passive income; making money without working at all. However, there is more to affiliate marketing than that!
An affiliate promotes a product or service, and everywhere the product sells, they are paid a commission. It can be through affiliate links or any other way you can promote products from other businesses. Although you can score a sale here and there, it’s not a very wise strategy when you want to make a substantial income. So, let’s discuss the two ways of becoming an affiliate marketer.
Affiliate store
As an affiliate marketer, you can bring together a group of people who consider you an expert in your niche to form an affiliate store. Many ecommerce stores like amazon offer irresistible, affiliate commission to promote their products. With a great affiliate program, you can promote unlimited products and earn handsome commissions. An ecommerce store like amazon offers the biggest affiliate program you can ever find. So, how can you promote these products once you set up an affiliate store?
Blogging- if you already run a blog and have gathered loyal subscribers, it will be easier for you. You can look for products to promote the affiliate store or choose products that are specific to your niche. Either way, this is one of the easiest ways of making money through affiliate marketing.
Create reviews- publishing reviews about different products on its own is a way of making some money online. However, it gets better since most reviews make use of products from amazon. You can add links to your reviews and earn a commission every time someone buys a product you have reviewed.
Price comparison sites- we all at one point have used a comparison site before buying a product to make sure we are getting the best deal. So, why not create some money using comparison sites? Comparison sites help users to find the best deals and especially in travel, banking, and insurance industries. It’s a lucrative way to make money as an affiliate as long as you are offering mind-blowing deals to your audience.
Selling digital products
It’s possible to make money as an affiliate by selling digital products such as online courses, web-based software, or hosting services—however, its more challenging than selling physical products and services as an affiliate store associate. There are so many scams out there, and you need to earn the trust of your audience before you can start making some real money.
You can brand yourself a trustworthy seller by promoting digital products you believe will be useful to your audience. Certainly, you don’t need to promote every product on the internet. Your audience will get the impression that you are money-hungry, making it difficult to gain their trust. It’s also recommended that you only promote digital products from reliable sellers who can deliver.
Although you can use the approach of reviews and price comparison, creating an email list is the best approach for a digital product. You can read more about creating an email list. Send emails to your audience to alert them of offers, giveaways, new products, and anything they need to know about the product. You can generally create awareness of the product you are promoting through emails as long as you don’t spam.
Start a blog
Blogging is one of the easiest and most lucrative ways of making money online. Starting a blog is as easy as it can be. Creating a blog literally takes less than twenty minutes. However, to make the real money, you need to put into hard work. There are hundreds of bloggers in the market, and it may seem like everything is taken. It’s therefore surprising that a big percentage of bloggers fail miserably. Here are some success pillars of a successful blog.
Choose a blog’s niche- there are many topics you can blog about depending on your target audience. A niche blog, however, narrows down to a specific topic rather than generalization. For instance, instead of blogging about family issues generally, you can narrow down your blog to women issues and center your blog about that. You will be able to attract a particular audience depending on the market demand and audience budget potential.
Write less, focus on SEO- you can target the content you share on your blog along with SEO guidelines depending on what you are sharing. You will gain an audience that is interested in the content that is optimized by search engines.
There is no limit to what you can do with a blog. You can use your blog to connect to your audience through writing. Share hobbies, passion, and even thoughts as you connect to your audience before you can begin to monetize it. You can also profit from attaching affiliate links to your content.
You can also monetize your blog using google ads and subscriber-based lists. You need to ensure that you are sharing content that will build your audience and make them want to stick around. Blogging is incredibly lucrative when you are targeting the right audience.
Create an ecommerce store
Everybody has bought something, not everything nowadays online. The demand for reliable ecommerce stores is, therefore, skyrocketing. It is a lucrative business opportunity for these looking to make money online. Good news is, creating an online store is simpler than ever thanks to the various software and builders on the internet.
You can sell anything from physical to digital products such as software, music, and eBooks. Physical products will need shipping, so you will need to keep that in mind when creating an online store. You can also sell services that the clients may require.
To a successful ecommerce store, you need to find a niche that has low competition but high demand, given the number of online stores already. It’s also relevant to research on all the costs involved before setting the pricing model to ensure you are making profits.
You also need to choose the right platform, such as Shopify and Bigcommerce, to set up your online store. Creating an online store is a simple process that takes less than 30 minutes.
Create and sell online courses
Online courses are growing in demand for both professionals and businesses. Therefore, if you feel you are knowledgeable enough about a particular topic, you can create an online course to share your knowledge. It does not have to be anything complicated or a 500-page book. Readers are seeking anything valuable to increase your knowledge.
You can create an online course on how to file taxes, cook an Italian dish, complete DIY repairs, code, or program you name it. No subject is out of the topic as people are hungry for coaches in different areas. As long as its value-packed, buyers will be ready to pay for it.
You can as well include coaching and consulting services in your online course. It can be done through webinars, and platforms like Facebook live and zoom. An online course or eBook can lead to readers requesting a one-on-one through consulting, therefore making some money from it.
How do you monetize online courses? There are websites online that sell online courses for you through a partnership. They will keep a percentage of your earnings as a small fee. You can also sell the course through your website and blog.
Create a membership website
A membership or members-only site is just like a gym where you need to be a member to enter. It is a private website that offers exclusive content for members rather than the general public. A membership site is held in more prestige than an ordinary website. You can earn from selling membership subscriptions for users to access premium content. You can monetize this by offering exclusive content, products, or services at a monthly or annual fee.
A membership website needs to be nothing less than outstanding in content quality. What really would make someone pay membership subscriptions? You can deliver valuable content to subscribers through eBooks, webinars, online consultations, cheat-sheets, and informative guides.
You will need to find a suitable niche for your membership website to be able to provide valuable and unique content to users. Membership websites give access to forums, Facebook communities, or other similar services. Instead of building a new website, you can simply create a member-only section in your blog where members can be treated exclusively.
Create a drop shipping website
Dropshipping is a way of avoiding extra costs, such as buying inventory and completing orders. It’s simply selling other people’s products and keeping a margin of the earnings. The business venture combines both affiliate marketing and online store.
You will first need to create an ecommerce store. You will have partnered with a supplier or manufacturer. You then upload the pictures of products and their respective price quoting. When a customer purchases a product and pays for it, you will take about your share and forward the supplier the border for completion.
The advantage of dropshipping so that you require little or no capital since the products are not yours. It’s also not stressful since it requires little time and effort. However, you will be getting a small share while the supplier gets the lion’s share. It’s a great source of passive income.
You can also partner with websites that connect you to suppliers who align with your interests. Its easier to find irresistible jobs through such sites.
Lead generation website
Lead sales have become a popular way of making money online. Collecting leads requires you to have a website first. Therefore, you need to identify a niche depending on then need you have accessed and build your website.
Ensure you are providing high-quality content or ranking on the first page of search engines to generate traffic to your website. Once you have the traffic you need, you will need to collect leads that someone will be willing to pay for. That is why it’s essential to first identify a niche.
You can make lead sales in whatever industry as long as there is a need, and you find a buyer ready to pay for the info you collect from your site visitors. It can be a company or an individual. The bottom line is that it’s a win-win situation for everyone. The buyer gets the information, your audience gets connected to a product or service they want, and you get paid!
Create and publish an eBook
Publishing a book has never been easier. Writers used to dread publishing their books since it was not only expensive but time-consuming. Thanks to the internet, you no longer need to wait for an agent or publisher to take notice of your book and publish it. You can now write, edit, and publish your eBooks online. A website like Amazon is one great way of making earning publishing your books.
You can create eBooks about almost anything as long as it adds value to the readers. Creating an eBook can also be a way of creating a larger business such as a blog or packaging your eBooks into a package and creating an online course. It’s crucial to provide real value so that readers can be more receptive to other business ideas since they are guaranteed high-quality content.
You need to have some bit of marketing skills to make money through publishing eBooks. You should use reliable websites such as Amazon. Did you know that Amazon takes over the marketing of your eBook when you reach a thousand sales within the first month?
You can use your email list and social media platforms or blog to promote your eBook and make money when readers click on your book. Once you have reached a thousand sales, Amazon will take over, and you will get paid very well when people read your books.
Amazon also has a program known as creating space, which allows readers to request your eBooks as hardcopies without the need for a publisher. You can also market your eBooks directly through your website for higher prices. It’s also recommended since you keep all your profit, unlike sites where they take a percentage of earnings as commission.
Additional skills such as graphics, cover designing, and editing are an added advantage when you are on a budget since you don’t have to hire anyone to do it for you. The key is providing value.
Create food recipes
The most efficient way of making money online is by doing what you love. Creating recipes is one enjoyable yet lucrative way of making good money online. Everybody wants to learn how to make a special dish or try to pit a completely foreign meal. By creating food recipes, you are filling the gap for such people.
The niche is, however, highly competitive. Therefore, you need to find an edge over others to make a decent living. You need to be passionate about cooking and food. Also, having some basic knowledge about health and fitness will give you an edge over others in the same field.
You can monetize food recipes in several ways. Choose a niche that is highly demanded, meaning you will need to do extensive research. It can be healthy recipes for diabetics or keto; you name it. You can then share your recipes via social media platforms such as YouTube or Instagram, depending on where you have a huge following.
You can also create video ads for your website. A food blog would also be an ideal medium to share your recipes. Follow the right steps of creating a blog, even for your food blog. You can also publish and sell your recipes as soft or hardcopy. The key to monetizing your recipes is to offer something unique to your audience.
Come up with a review website.
Did you k ow that a review site like TripAdvisor is said to be worth more than $12 billion? Well, it took time, but that just goes to tell you how much you can make with a review site. Do you know what makes a review website very lucrative? We barely ever purchase anything, whether a physical or digital product or service without6 reading some reviews. Therefore, by choosing a niche, you are guaranteed to make money online.
The market for reviews is very competitive. You need to scout for a niche that has low competition but is still lucrative and slowly build your audience. You can make money through a review website by publishing pad reviews. You can also monetize reviews through affiliate marketing. You can add links to products you are reviewing and earn a commission every time someone clicks on the link.
Build an online marketplace
The best thing about making money online is that you can create employment opportunities when looking for one. An online marketplace website is a site where other users can create their online stores and mini-ecommerce stores. You can then earn by charging a monthly or annual fee for using the platform.
You need to create something unique and valuable to beat the competition. You should also attract users by offering support and easy to use features for the website. It’s vital to choose a high-demand niche with very low competition.
Create a micro-job website
You can also make money online by connecting job seekers (like yourself) to clients for projects. For instance, you can connect freelancer writers or editors to employers. You can then make money based on what the employer pays and the percentage agreed upon with the freelancer.
Such popular micro-job websites include Upwork, iWriter, and fiver, among others. It’s a very lucrative business venture since there are many freelancers and contractors nowadays, even though it is challenging to find employers.
The key to a successful venture is simply to create something unique. You also need to find the right balance in terms of the commission you make from the clients. Being a middle-man requires you to earn the trust of your clients.
Make an online job board.
You may have come across a job board at your local library or even grocery stores. A job board is where jobs are posted to help job seekers connect with employers. Sadly, we hardly have time to go to the library to check the job board every day. Not when we have access to the whole world right at the palm of our hands.
An online job board is a job-hunting website that connects job seekers and employers. You can monetize this idea by charging a small fee to the users. For instance, you can charge job seekers to upload resumes and demand a payment from employers to post the jobs. You will need to offer better service and find a particular high-demand niche to beat the competition from other online job search engines. You also have to provide reliable services to all users to create lasting partnerships. You can even offer package deals for employers to post multiple listings at a lower overall price.
Start your podcast
Statistics have it that at least 32% of Americans listen to podcasts every month. Audio content is, therefore, fast becoming a very profitable avenue so, if you are looking.
You can monetize your podcast through an advertisement for sponsored posts and products, sponsorships, partnerships with brands, and affiliate marketing. The key is searching for the right niche and coming up with exciting and engaging topics for your listeners.
Podcasting is not the easiest way to make money, however. It requires patience and a lot of hard work that goes into writing, recording, editing, and other logistics needed before you can publish your podcast.
Make an auction website.
If you ever dreamt of starting an online platform like eBay, then this is the time. An auction website is just like an auction, but it’s done online. You can create an auction site where individual sellers or companies can buy and sell different products. You can even put up the auction products, whether new or used by yourself.
You can monetize your auction site further by allowing other vendors to auction their items. You can charge a small fee for the auction, or agree on a percentage from each item sold. The key yet again is to identify a specific need and capitalize on it.
Sponsored posts
We are always on the internet surfing endlessly. So, what if you can create social media accounts and get paid for it? A huge social media following can attract a brand or business that pays you to market their products. All you need to do is have an engaged following that is responsive to your products. As your following grows, more brands will be approaching you with offers to promote their products or services.
Also, you can register with websites that connect you with brands that are looking for influencers. It does not have to be social media platforms also. You can run a well-ranking website or a successful brand where you can share the sponsored posts.
Become a YouTuber
YouTube has created some of the biggest millionaires in online marketing. There is almost no topic you won’t find a YouTube video. However, the market is big enough for new entrants. Its mot one of those channels to get rich quick though. If you enjoy making videos, YouTube will be a fun and lucrative venture eventually. There are no restrictions on YouTube. Anyone can create a channel, record, and uploads videos.
You can monetize YouTube videos by reviewing products your subscribers would like to hear about, affiliate marketing, advertisements, deals, partnerships, and scholarships. However, YouTube has become more competitive by the day since most entrepreneurs realize its a goldmine. So, how do you become a YouTube star?
The first and basic thing is to make valuable, high-quality videos once you have identified your niche. It’s also important to remain consistent so that your followers can become loyal. Videos are, however, not enough! You need to ensure you are capturing the audience’s attention with a great title to capture interest.
YouTube is not a one man’s game. Cross-promote with other YouTubers in your niche to provide your subscribers with more value and gain more followers. The key, however, is to create a schedule ad stick to it. If your subscribers know you are supposed to upload every Tuesday and Thursday at two, don’t keep them waiting.
Conclusion
There are many ways of creating a living or passive income through online business ideas. We have mentioned some ideas you can create to make money. However, even with these ideas, you should know how to spot a scam when you see one. Remember, when the deal is too good? Think twice! So, what are you waiting for? Start making money online today!