If you want to learn how to make money online in 2021, you came to the right place to learn the best ways to make money online.
With the introduction of amazing technology and advancements with the internet, more people are making money online than ever before. While some are supplementing their income, others are able to leave their jobs and use the internet as their sole source of income. Whichever you require, we have some brilliant ideas today.
Without further ado, here’s some of the best ways to make money online!
How to Make Money Online Using a Blog or Website
In this first section, we’re going to go down the classic route of starting a blog or website. We’ll dig into the different revenue channels, and hopefully you’ll find an idea that catches your imagination.
1. Affiliate Marketing
In recent times, many people have turned to affiliate marketing as it’s a system that works for everybody. After generating traffic within particular niche, the idea is that you provide links to certain products. With product reviews and other content, you get commission for everything purchased through YOUR links.
If you can get this right, and choose a thriving niche, the potential is plain to see. Not so long ago, the New York Times paid a whopping $30 million for WireCutter – a product review platform.
As long as your niche has enough interest and you’re willing to produce good content (either yourself or through outsourcing), it’s possible to enjoy success. The more websites you have, the broader your portfolio (and earning potential!). Read also: the 17 best affiliate marketing platforms.
2. Sell a Digital Course
If you have knowledge or skills in a particular area, why not put them to good use with an online course? Whether you choose a simple PDF or a full video course, this is up to you.
Just as we saw with affiliate marketing, this will work as long as there’s an audience and you’re willing to either create or outsource for high-quality content.
Once you have an online course worth sharing, you can upload to a course website or attempt to sell it yourself with a blog or website of your own. Elsewhere, they can also work with affiliate websites and e-commerce websites. Here’s some additional tips;
- If you already have an audience on a website, create a poll and get their opinions on what they’d like to see.
- Communicate with your audience to ensure you answer all the important questions.
- Once written, share as much as possible on social media (and get others to share too!).
Alternatively, perhaps you can become an instructor on a platform like BitDegree? Why waste your knowledge when you can pass it on to another generation?
3. Sell a Service
When people think about the best ways to make money online, they assume we need to change career path completely. In fact, you might be able to continue what you’re doing, but selling your service as a freelancer instead. With this, you have two main paths;
- Create a Website – Firstly, you can set up a WordPress website with the main aim of selling your services. For a graphic designer, for example, you can have the following pages; About Me, Get a Quote, Portfolio, and Testimonials. From here, reach out to bloggers, podcasts, and get involved in community projects. Even when you’re active on social media, make sure people know where to go.
- Educational Blog – On the other hand, you might want to become a leader within your niche. With this, you generate brilliant content and build an email list. Then, add a services page and your reputation will give you credibility (and hopefully plenty of customers!).
4. Start a Blog
How to make money with a blog? Is this still a viable option? Absolutely. You might hear that blogging is outdated, but we completely disagree. If you only put in two hours per week and expect the world, nothing will happen.
If you’re passionate about what you do, create fantastic content, and engage with readers, there’s no reason why you can’t get a slice of the billions of people online every day.
There are a number of revenue channels with a blog;
- Affiliate marketing
- Selling advertising space
- Offering products
- Selling a course
- Running events
To succeed, we recommend choosing a topic that will always be relevant in society; this includes hobbies, money, health, personal growth, etc.
Additionally, learn how to optimize content for search engines (pivotal!), become a reliable source of interesting content, and team up with other bloggers to share audiences and boost awareness.
5. Try a Membership Website
Running a membership website will take patience because not everyone who visits will sign up, but it can be worth the effort. Again, there are so many options in this field, and you need to choose one that has sufficient interest (while also monitoring the amount of competition).
Of course, the premium content also needs to be worth signing up. It’s all well and good convincing people to pay their hard-earned money, it’s another keeping them interested in the platform.
6. Create an E-Commerce Website
So far, we’ve focused on services and making money without really dealing with anything tangible. Now, we’re going to change that by suggesting e-commerce.
While some people buy foreign items cheaply and then sell them on for a profit, others create their own products and become prominent in a particular niche (like handmade gifts1).
Which approach is better? Well, the second can lead to a passionate fan base. On the other hand, it requires lots of research and investment of your own time.
If you don’t have the ability to create your own products, or want to reduce risk, why not repackage and sell products from overseas? For many, they find it fun to hunt down the right products and ensure they’re always stocking the right items.
If you choose this option, don’t think you need a living room filled with products and cardboard boxes. Instead, look into dropshipping where the manufacturer sends orders to the customer directly (you’re simply responsible for selling!).
7. Build an Online Directory
Although they don’t quite have the attention they once did, this doesn’t mean you won’t find success with an online directory.
With authority and traffic, people will pay for directory listings from you. If your website is focused on design and development, you could eventually get to the stage where you add a directory; agencies and developers will come to you to buy a listing.
Why will this work? Well, those who buy a listing enjoy the increased traffic and the authority that comes with a backlink. Once you have a busy list, you could even think about charging extra to top this list.
8. Sponsored post
A sponsored post is one of the easiest ways to make money with your blog or niche website. Advertisers always love to promote their products with targetted consumers, so if you build good authority rich content, and you can get sponsored posts for your blog easily in different ways.
9. Sell Advertising
You already know that you can earn money by placing Adsense or other online display advertising on your website. If you have a blog or website with enough traffic, this is an easy and best way to make money online without hassle.
Not only you can earn money with banners ads, but there are many opportunities out there so you can sell ad space for native adverting networks, direct ads, CPA affiliates, and lot more.
10. Sell Your Website
Your website is like a real estate property. If you need a large sum of money or you want to invest money in various projects or any other financial reasons, you can sell your blog or website for a good price.
Every day, there are a lot of sites sold on Flippa. One of a good example, the famous graphic designer Chris Spooner sold his web design blog “Line25” for $74 400 after losing interest in the Web Design.
11. Job Board
As our final example for blogs and websites, you could enter a niche and post all job openings within this market.
Depending on which route you want to take, you could either charge visitors to access the jobs listings or charge the companies for listing their vacancies.
The more traffic and authority you have, the easier it will be to persuade either people or companies to pay.
How to Make Money Online with Other Platforms (No Website Required)
What if you don’t want the hassle that comes with opening and maintaining a website? Well, we still have some fantastic ideas for you!
12. Flip Domain Names
We don’t all have the money to buy and sell property, so why not do it with domain names instead? With a tool like Just Dropped, we can buy unique and profitable domain names, list them, and wait for somebody to take them off our hands for a small profit.
If you pay attention to trends and in-demand names, it’s possible to supplement your income nicely with this simple tip.
13. Buy Cryptocurrency
Don’t skip this one just yet; you didn’t necessarily miss the boat just because you didn’t catch Bitcoin during its huge growth phase. Today, there are still fantastic cryptocurrency investment opportunities.
Of course, this one comes with risk and there’s a potential to lose money. Therefore, we recommend only getting involved if you intend on doing your due diligence and researching carefully. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most popular cryptocurrencies among investors. If you haven’t had experience in how to purchase Ethereum or trade bitcoin, there are lots of articles and Youtube videos available to learn about cryptocurrency.
How will you approach the industry? While some work with blockchain after learning programming, others invest in companies before the initial public offering (IPO).
Meanwhile, you could work with a cryptocurrency startup or even ply your trade as a cryptocurrency writer. The industry continues to grow, it’s time to step in.
14. Sell on Amazon
We mentioned selling products in the first section, but you don’t necessarily need your own website.
In fact, we believe this is one of the best ways to make money online because Amazon is a huge retailer, you can sell your own creations or take advantage of dropshipping, and you have an opportunity to sell across numerous markets.
If you find something selling well, contact a manufacturer, work on a commission structure, and start making money.
15. Become an Author on Kindle
Ever dreamed of writing a book? Well, now’s the time. If you don’t feel like doing it yourself, hire a ghostwriter to tell your story or create a non-fiction book. You don’t need an agent.
You don’t need to pay thousands to print copies. Anyone can publish a digital book with Kindle Direct Publishing.
Like others in this guide today, this is one that requires an upfront investment (i.e. you’re not going to make money until the book is written, edited, and a cover is made).
However, once done, you earn 70% from every sale (depending on pricing) and you also build a reputation which opens the door for future books. Here are some tips to succeed with self-publishing;
- Invest in a professional proofreader and/or editor
- Research the market (why write a book that nobody wants?)
- Spend money on a great cover
- Consider the description carefully
- Don’t be afraid to publish multiple books and become a leader in the field
16. Sell Stock Images
With the likes of iStockPhoto and Shutterstock, it’s easier than ever to make it as a photographer. In fact, the cameras on our smartphones are so good that we can sell stock images straight from these devices.
If you prefer to capture footage, we recommend Envato Elements, Dissolve, VideoHive, VideoBlocks, and Pond5.
Rather than getting excited and starting to upload straight away, look through the market and see what sells most effectively. From here, build a portfolio of strong photos/videos. If you want to work as a photographer, this is actually a fantastic starting point because you start to make a name.
17. Virtual Assistant Jobs
Doing a virtual assistant job is one of the easiest ways to make money from home. There are several websites that offer this job opportunity.
- Craigslist
- Indeed
- Fiverr
- FlexJobs
18. Flip Websites
Back to the buying and selling, this time it’s websites we’re proposing. Though there is some risk, you start by looking for an undervalued website; we recommend looking through platforms like We Sell Your Site and EmpireFlippers.
Check revenue, traffic numbers, and make sure you know why the owner is selling (you don’t want to purchase a website with huge issues!).
Once you’ve made a purchase, work your magic and make improvements to maximize revenue and traffic. Now, you’re able to sell for more and make a nice profit.
19. Work Micro Jobs
Otherwise known as micro tasks, these are so simple that anybody can get involved and start earning small amounts.
Whether it’s checking the shelves in a local store, searching for specific terms online, or translating a couple of paragraphs of text, there’s something for everyone.
Although the introduction of technology in recent years has certainly been incredible, some tasks still need the human touch.
20. Create a YouTube Channel
The most popular video sharing site YouTube is one of the best ways to make money online. You can start recording your video on your phone and upload it on the platform to earn money. There are different ways you can make money such as monetize through advertising, brand deals, affiliate marketing, Youtube membership, and more.
21. Sell Creations on Etsy
We spoke about selling items on Amazon, but what if you’re more creative than most? In this case, Etsy is perfect for you.
Whatever your creation, from handmade gifts to scarves, this is a platform where buyers and sellers meet. Without setting up your own website, simply create an account on Etsy and wait for the orders to roll in (with a little advertising, of course!).
Remember, selling on Etsy is just like any other business. Is there a market for your product? Are you making a profit considering how much time you spend on each unit? Are you offering something different to everybody else?
22. Become an Online Tutor
Did you know that there are many students online waiting for a tutor to come along and help? As long as you have a microphone and access to Skype, some platforms pay $25 per hour.
With an ESL certificate, your reputation and interest will only increase. Teachable is the best site to create and sell your own online courses.
23. SEO Services
Every company knows the value of SEO, but they don’t all have the time to invest to do it themselves. If you can learn how it all works, your service will be invaluable to many. While some work with local businesses, others set up a service on Freelancer, Upwork, or Fiverr.
24. Influence on Instagram
Although this is a difficult one to get off the ground, there are some people who earn money for posting on Instagram as an influencer.
Today, Instagram is still growing exponentially, and users are using the platform for purchasing decisions. If you can build a following, companies will pay you to mention their product.
You might not reach the levels of Kim Kardashian, but this is one of the best ways to make money online because you can have fun, post cool photos, and engage with followers.
25. Use Clarity.FM
Every day, people are looking for expert help; can you be this expert on websites like Clarity.FM? Similar to Coach.me and Savvy.is, these are websites that allow you to offer freelance services, but they lean towards providing advice and knowledge.
For example, you might have expert knowledge in public speaking, social media marketing, or SEO.
Whenever somebody needs help, they head to the website, find a list of experts, and request a call. The more people you help, the better your reviews. As you build a reputation, you can start to add a premium to your pricing.
26. Sell Software or Programming Services
If you like all things programming, we have great news because you have options. While you might consider freelancing to help others, you could also build software and sell it on. The world is your oyster; you could build a mobile game, useful app, or something else entirely.
Yes, large companies account for lots of today’s apps and software. This being said, there’s plenty of individuals making a living from this method. Ensure your software or app has a potential audience, build an MVP version, get feedback and have people test, and then launch and sell your work.
Over time, you can freelance while also creating your own software and apps to maximize your earning potential.
27. Offer Your Writing Services
Just as we’ve seen elsewhere in this list, writing was once a career reserved for only the most advanced linguists. Now, with the demand for content higher than ever, writing is a more creative experience and creating blog posts doesn’t necessarily require a degree and years of experience.
As time goes on, content only becomes more important, so this is a fantastic niche to enter right now. Rather than trying to cover absolutely everybody, we recommend sticking to a particular niche; be a master of one niche, not a jack of all trades. Will you choose;
- Web copy
- Blog posts
- eBooks and guides
- Social media content
From here, you can start on websites like Fiverr and Freelancer or you can launch your own website; we also recommend uploading content to LinkedIn and Medium. Writing is very much a reputation game because people want professionals they can trust. If you can get over the initial struggle and build a positive reputation, you can gradually increase prices as demand rises (some are even able to take on additional writers and grow a business!).
28. Take Surveys for Money
You can make money quickly by taking surveys online. You don’t need to have particular skills to complete surveys for money. Many sites offer free sign up process so you can start working from your home and your own free time. OneOpinion is one of the good sites to start making money online. So, It’s an easy method to get PayPal cash without any investment.
29. Try Audiobook Narration
As our penultimate tip in this guide, we’re heading into the world of audiobooks. For authors, audiobooks actually have several benefits including increased exposure and revenue. However, the majority of books never have an audiobook made. As long as you have a good enough voice, we recommend using ACX to meet authors. With recording software and a decent microphone, you’re all set to help authors grow and gain the attention they deserve.
Elsewhere, you can also try Upwork since some narration work may show here. Either way, practice makes perfect so create samples, speak to experts, use their advice to improve, and become a desired audiobook narrator.
30. Create a Podcast
Finally, you might find an audience with a podcast on a particular topic. From sport to digital marketing, there are people out there who listen to podcasts while cooking, exercising, and relaxing. Even today, the podcast niche continues to grow because people like to listen while on the go.
Once you’ve chosen a topic, consider the content that will set you apart from the many other podcasts. Research podcasts in your niche and think about interviews, sharing opinions, getting listeners involved, and more. Do the most popular podcasts rely on humor, important guests, storytelling, or something else altogether?
Just like the previous tip, you’ll need a high-quality microphone and we recommend practicing before ever releasing anything to the public. Sit with a friend and get a sample podcast recorded; listen back, make notes, and think of ways to improve. Once you’re ready, you can delve into this competitive but rewarding world.
As the podcast grows and you get a reputation, you can ask for donations, sell products/services, sell sponsorship and podcast time, or even get a membership website going.
Although this tip requires lots of upfront investment, it has the potential to be one of the best ways to make money online when done correctly. With success, you might also get invites to industry events, to appear on other podcasts, and to record special podcasts in association with particular companies.
Summary
There we have it, some of the best ways to make money online. Whether you want a new career or just some extra money to help pay the bills, we hope you’ve found something today. As long as you’re willing to work hard and be the best, there’s no reason why you can’t make money online from the comfort of your own home!