Looking for ways how to make money on the internet?
I remember working in my 9 to 5 almost 7 years ago. I had been working there for 7 years..eek. I started working at that job knowing it was a short-term thing from the beginning. My plan was to be there a year and then move on, but 6 years later, I was still there.
The company was great but I wanted more.
I wanted a flexible job, unlimited income potential, to call myself boss without having to manage others, freedom, independence and more.
I was always drawn to entrepreneurship in one way or another, even as a child.
I decided to give it a good college try and I set out to start my own business.
I really had NO IDEA what I wanted to do.
Money was a motivator and I knew I could fall in love with any kind of work if the money was good.
So I tried a ton of things, deviating away from scams, best I could (though I did fall victim to a few in my college days, like the ol’ envelope stuffing scam).
I took on several different side hustles and something finally worked..ecommerce!
Ecommerce was my golden goose and it afforded me everything I wanted out of a business.
Since then, I’ve done other money making ventures on the internet and I’m going to share them all with you.
Keep reading to learn how to make money on the internet.
How to Make Money on the Internet
First, you have to got to create a plan.
This doesn’t have to be an elaborate plan. The goal is just to get your thoughts and goals down on paper. Then, checking back on them periodically to see how much closer you are to those goals, readjust them as necessary, and keep it moving.
So, pull out a piece of paper or your notepad app on your cell phone and start writing down your goals…
- To make $XXXX in 6 months
- To quit your job in the next 18 months
- To save up $XXXXX in the next 9 months
- Or, more, etc.!
Next, take action.
How you are you gonna get there?
What steps are you taking to start making money on the internet?
What are your interests?
What are your passions?
Answer these questions and start your job search.
There are a bunch of different ways to make money on the internet.
- Sales
- Educational/informative
- Motivational
- Services
Sales Jobs for Money on the Internet
Sales gigs are where you are selling something to the public and when you make a sale, you will earn money.
These can be products that are your own, like:
- Retail goods
- Ebooks
- Digital courses
- Printables
- Stock photos
Or, they can be products you promote as an affiliate:
- Web hosting
- Website membership
- Subscription boxes
- Women’s apparel
- Kids toys
- Web platforms
Ecommerce
Ecommerce is selling online.
You can sell digital or physical goods to the public, in either a marketplace like Amazon or in your private storefront, like a Shopify store.
How did I make money in my ecommerce biz?
I started selling womens apparel in a marketplace then, as the store grew, I had to switch to my own private storefront. I simply outgrew the marketplace.
In the storefront, I had access to all the tools I needed to run a thriving online business.
The only caveat was the marketing.
The advantage of selling in a marketplace is that it’s usually huge, like Amazon, getting millions of visitors every month.
In your own private store, you have to be in charge of driving traffic to your store.
Without a background or knowledge in marketing, that can be tough.
Luckily, I had a business background AND I had a prominent presence on social media (100K+ social following for the store) so that was all I needed to get up to $30,000 per month in sales!
If you don’t know marketing, Shopify gives you access to marketing experts, as well as experts in other fields to help you navigate your store’s successful operation.
Other things to sell online…
You can take a look at these 45+ things to sell for fast money and get inspired on some products you can sell on a regular basis to make money on the internet.
Selling with Affiliate Marketing
As an affiliate marketer, you will make money on the internet when you refer products that refer in a sale! When that happens you will earn a commission, at no additional cost to the buyer.
Some examples:
You refer some headphones on your Facebook page and make 2 sales. The headphones are $100 and the commission is 10%. So for 2 sales, you made $20.
You refer web hosting to a new blogger on your blog and they sign up and start their own blog. You earn a $90 commission on each person you sign up so you just made $90!
You refer a course in a social media group, on traveling in a RV. That course costs $1,000 with a 20% commission and you referred 3 sales. So you just made $600.
Get it?
You can find products to refer from affiliate networks, which are sites where merchants house their affiliate program. You join the network for free then browse all the different affiliate programs available, pick and choose the ones you want to join and then join!
You will get your affiliate links and you can use those to promote on social media, in an email newsletter, to your friends/family, etc.
You can also find affiliate programs through a merchant directly, like Amazon or Walmart, for example. You can usually find the details of their affiliate program in the website footer.
Affiliate Networks to Check Out
- Shareasale
- FlexOffers
- Amazon Associates
- Rakuten Marketing
- Impact Radius
Educational/Informational Opportunities to Make Money on the Internet
This is where you are educating the public like, through a blog, where you talk about traveling the world, teaching people a language, discussing how to save money as a family, etc.
It can also be a website where you are sharing vegan recipes or showing people how to start a successful YouTube channel.
You can make money doing this in a number of ways.
First, affiliate marketing, which I shared above.
You can monetize a blog or website with affiliate links, referring special ingredients needed for a recipe, or selling an online course teaching a foreign language, etc.
Second, there is advertising.
You join an ad network and have ads placed on your site. For every ad click, you make money.
This blogger, makes $50K+ per month from advertising income alone.
There is noting special you need to do to get ad income. You just produce great content, promote your website and grow the traffic, that’s it.
Third, sponsorships.
I work with a personal finance blogger and he gets finance sponsors like banks, money management apps, and prepaid card companies to pay him for talking about them on his blog.
He can get $2,500 to write a blog post about a sponsor.
Influencers can earn much more than this, like the Kardashians, who have been rumored to earn $1 Million for a sponsored tweet!
So there is definitely money to be had in this space.
Motivational
This is ideal for people who are looking to help others, with things like wellness, mental health, clarity, organization, etc.
It’s a great fit for blogging, which I know I have mentioned a lot.
Blogging can set you free financially and it’s one of my favorite ways to make money on the internet.
My first blog went zero to $14K+ per month in under a year!
If you browse Pinterest, you will see that motivational and inspirational quotes and stories do very well.
Because people want to be motivated and inspired. They want to feel good and respond well to positive things.
Services
Lastly, services! This is one of the ways I made money on the internet when I worked my 9 to 5.
I actually had a copywriting side hustle and wrote for companies like eHow and The Krazy Coupon Lady.
Services is so expansive. You can start with what you do for a living and take those skills to monetize in the freelance world.
For example, if you’re a web developer for a company then do some web development on the side, freelancing.
Examples of freelance skills:
- Copywriting
- Graphic design
- Video production
- Video editing
- Translation
- Transcription
- Proofreading
- Copy editing
- Outreach
- Virtual assistance
- Web design
- Web development
- Computer programming
- Auditing
- Bookkeeping
- Accounting
- Consulting
The list is endless.
Where to find service jobs?
Final Thoughts
So you see, there are legit ways to make money on the internet.
Do you make money on the internet?
Share what you do, down below in comments!