4 Types of Websites to Make Money Online
Most articles listing websites to make money online just focus on a handful of individual sites, mixing together all sorts of opportunities. Yet if you’re serious about earning some cash on the side through the Internet, you likely need to focus on just one or two skills at a time to get real income flowing in. Choosing one of the four major categories of websites for making money online will help you narrow down your search and find real opportunities rather than scams. Here are the four best methods to help you make money online and the websites that specialize in helping you do it.
Providing a Service on Websites to Make Money Online: Fiverr, oDesk, and More
Whether you call it becoming a freelancer or starting a side hustle, using a skill or talent to provide a service over the Internet is perhaps the single best way to make money online. If you build your network and skills, you can even turn it into a full-time career and become your own boss. Options include designing websites, programming in popular coding languages, translating material, editing videos, writing copy, and much more. If you already have a job where you use specialized skills, look into websites like oDesk. You can set up a profile to provide almost any service you can perform online. Fiverr is another good option. It’s aimed at providing services starting at just $5, but you can charge much more if you have expertise in some area.
Selling or Renting Your Stuff: AirBnB, Fatllama, and Shopify
If you have a property or extra stuff lying around that others could use, consider becoming a rental maven. AirBnB is the classic website for turning your vacation home into a source of income, but other websites like Fat Llama are aimed at helping you rent out valuable stuff like drones and camera equipment. For those whose abilities run more to the crafting or designing side, Shopify is a great way to quickly set up a free eCommerce website. Make sure you’re ready to tackle shipping or choose a dropshipping opportunity from a website like Doba to simplify the entire selling process.
Doing Surveys and Microtasks with Websites to Make Money Online: MechnicalTurk, Swagbucks, and More
For those who just want a little extra pocket money now and then, the online money-making solution with the lowest commitment is microtask work. This includes doing surveys, tagging photos, moderating content, and many other tasks that you can learn to do in just a few minutes. Some services may also pay you to try out credit card offers and apply for bank accounts, such as Swagbucks. Classic microtask websites like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and Clickworker offer small tasks you can compete for a few cents at a time and in a few seconds. Spend a little time here and there completing surveys or tasks and watch the extra cash stack up. Many websites pay in gift cards, but some offer bank account transfers or Paypal payments instead.
Offering Stock Photos and Video Clips: MiPic, Alamy, and Shutterstock
For creative types, taking photos or recording short video clips can pay off in the long run. You’ll need a good camera, not just your smartphone, and you need to polish your skills first to see decent profits. But once you build up a stock of a few thousand photos for sale on websites like Alamy, Shutterstock, and MiPic, you can expect a steady trickle of income to begin. Other websites that buy stock video clips include:
- iStock
- Vimeo
- Pond5
- Shutterstock
- VideoHive
One skill you’ll need for these websites is keyword research. Before taking shots, find out what buyers are searching for and see if there’s a large supply already. If there are few photos or video clips for a popular search term, you’ve hit a potential jackpot. Each website has a different set of requirements for photo or video content, resolution, and moderation turnaround. Do your research and make sure you’re uploading photos regularly to keep your content showing up in searches.
No matter your skills and equipment, there’s an opportunity for earning to match. Use these websites to make money online and get out of debt or pay down credit card bills much faster.
