Wondering how to really make money online in 2022? Then this idea-packed article is written just for you.
In it, we’re going to point you directly at ten of the very best ways to use the internet to make money, whether for a seasonal burst of cash to bolster your income, a part-time job around other commitments, or a full-on, full-time obsession!
There are options for all, no matter your personal circumstances. So if you think you don’t have either the time or the skills, think again…
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an incredible way to make money online – and it absolutely has the potential to completely transform your lifestyle, allowing you to create the type of wealth most of us can only dream of.
Amazon’s affiliate program, Amazon Associates, is one of the best (and arguably the easiest) platforms to get started on. Given the huge number of people who choose to shop with Amazon anyway, it makes a lot of sense to recommend products on Amazon and take a slice of commission for yourself at the same time…
Check out our complete guide to building a high-performance Amazon affiliate website, where we take you through all of the steps you need to get up and running, fast.
There is a stash of tools out there to help build your affiliate business, but in order to maximize your affiliate earnings, it’s crucial that you maximize your click-through rate (CTR). The higher your CTR, the better your chances of converting those clicks to sales.
This is why AmaLinks Pro® was created and the results have been truly staggering.
Creating an affiliate site takes a lot of time and energy, but if building a true asset for yourself is what you’re looking for, then it’s a proven business model. One theory suggests that it takes around 2500 hours of work before significant returns are seen. So if you’re building an affiliate site as a side hustle and can dedicate 20 hours per week, then it’ll take around 125 weeks – almost 2.5 years – to see those returns. If you can commit to doing that, the outcome can be life-changing.
Other useful resources in building your affiliate marketing business are:
- The Authority Site System (TASS)
- Miles Beckler (free courses)
- Side Hustle School (a fantastic podcast for ideas!)
2. Freelancing
A staggering 4.4 million new businesses were set up in the US in 2020, with another half a million added in January 2021! (Source)
Whether they’re internet-based or not, all of them need words written, designs created, and help with countless other tasks. Look around your local neighborhood and next time you see an empty store, keep an eye on it. As soon as it’s acquired by a new business find out which company is moving in. Get in touch with them and professionally pitch them your services.
Build a spreadsheet of companies you’d like to work for and check out their website and social channels, and signup for their newsletters – are they missing something? You can use that missing element as your pitching angle.
Looking online, join entrepreneurial groups, new business groups, and start-ups on sites like:
If you have the skills to help some of those new businesses to grow, then below are a STACK of useful links – use your skills (or learn new ones!) to make money online.
Writer / Editor / Proofreader
If your skillset lies in the realm of words, then the internet is rife with opportunities for you to make money online.
Writers come in many guises – content writers create content (like this post you’re reading) in places such as blogs, magazines,/e-zines, and websites. Whereas copywriters craft words for many things, including headlines, slogans, landing pages, adverts, and sales funnels.
Editors and proofreaders serve a different but equally crucial role – ensuring those words are accurate!
If you’re wondering how you can make money online from your word skills, then this list will point you in the right direction:
And if you’re interested in developing your skills to work in any of these word-driven roles, check out these links:
SEO Expert
Many of those new websites will need an SEO expert to hone their online presence. If that’s you then you’re perfectly placed to cash in on the huge number of new businesses and really start to make money online!
Find companies you want to work with that you think need help – and pitch them! Check out local business directories for inspiration. If you’re struggling to find businesses, walk around your local neighborhood, take notes of interesting companies and look them up online. If you think you can help them with their SEO, pitch them. See the box-out at the bottom of this section for more tips on pitching.
For online places to find SEO work, check out these sites:
To learn SEO, head over here:
Designer
If you’re a graphic designer, web designer, infographic designer, illustrator or an image-maker of any kind, then your skills are going to be in high demand.
Huge numbers of businesses use freelance designers to create the aesthetic for their business. And, given the number of new businesses starting up, there’s always room for some extra talent.
Find web design jobs here:
If you love the idea of being a designer and want to learn just how to be a one, check out these links:
Artist/Illustrator/Photographer
Like designers, artists, illustrators, and photographers are going to be much in demand as this new wave of businesses takes off. Use the links above to search for work, or sell your own creations…
Use social media and ask friends to promote your work and ask yourself, what are you interested in and what could you create that people would want to buy?
As an example, I know a guy who began drawing maps of ultra running races and then selling them as gifts to participants. It’s now his full-time job!
Video Creation
Behind Google, YouTube is the internet’s second-largest search engine. And it’s a fantastic platform for those with a penchant for being in front of a camera to make money online.
Recording the video is only half of the battle though. In order to make it publishable, most videos will require some post-production editing.
If video is your bag, then there are many places to look to make money online today:
Virtual Assistant
The myriad number of tasks that need doing in any given business can feel overwhelming to many small enterprises. This is why a great Virtual Assistant (VA) is such a vital role to soak up the admin side of things and keep everything running smoothly.
If you can help with tasks such as managing emails, updating website content, general data entry and word processing, then you can start to make money online today.
These sites can help you to find work.
If you fancy becoming a VA, then these sites can help you:
Pitching Tips
- Get the name of the relevant person and contact them directly. Look on LinkedIn first to find the company and hopefully the right person for you to contact. Then use a site like Hunter.io to find the email address format.
- Some companies are not on LinkedIn and don’t list email addresses on their website. However, it’s a law that they provide a contact email address on the privacy policy page, so look there, too.
- Make sure your pitch stands out and is relevant to the company you’re pitching. Use the same kind of language and tone that they use and be creative and engaging.
- If you don’t hear back, don’t take that as a ‘no’. Leave it a week and then send a follow-up email. Don’t just say something like ‘I’m just checking you saw my previous email…‘, but try to give them something useful and then reference your original message. Something like ‘Hi, I reached out to you last week about a,b,c and then saw this x,y,z which made me think of you. I hope you’re well and that we can connect soon.‘
3. Answer emails
Get paid to answer business emails – and learn from the inside about other companies and how they operate.
If you ever look in your inbox and shudder at the number of unread messages, then it will come as no surprise that companies will happily pay people to go through and reply on their behalf!
InboxDone.com offers the chance to work from wherever, and whenever – as many hours as you like. This is what they’re looking for:
Our clients (and our clients’ customers) hail from all over the world. As we never know what kind of audience a client will have, we look for applicants with high levels of empathy and emotional intelligence who can readily adapt to different cultural norms and writing styles.
If that’s you then head on over to InboxDone.com now!
4. Publish An eBook – Even If You’re Not A Writer!
Self-publishing a digital book is a great way to make money online. The key points are to write about what you know and to write highly useful content.
Maybe you’re an incredible photographer, like Steve Rutherford. He’s created a whole series of ‘Beginners Guide’ eBooks focussing on different types of photography, from waterfalls to real estate.
What do you know? How can you help others? Places to publish include:
But, I’m Not A Writer…
Can’t write? It doesn’t matter… Write a book that is already written! How? The answer lies in the public domain…
Generally speaking, the copyright of a book ends 70 years after the creator of the book has died, after which point it enters the public domain. This means, as long as you adhere to a few simple rules, you can legally republish the material (check the specific laws in your country). Aaron Kerr did this and sold 65,000 copies in the first four months!
Check out his great value course for more info.
5. Sell Stuff Online
Declutter, minimalize, and make money online in the process! We all know of eBay, but, depending on the item you’re selling, there are a few other online marketplaces that are worth checking out, too:
Like the idea of selling items online but don’t have any stuff to sell? You could look out for items on sale and bulk buy them to then sell on for a profit once the sale has finished. Also, places exist where you can pick up items for free and then resell (flip) them elsewhere.
- Local Facebook Groups
- GumTree
- Freebie Alerts
Or you could grow your own inventory like this lady did!
6. Test Websites
The Coronavirus pandemic hammered home in spectacular fashion just how crucial a website is to any business. And those websites need to function properly. Companies do test in-house, but many also look for outside help to get a broader user base and more diverse user experience.
And you could be one of those online testers. If you have a logical mind and can communicate clearly, website testing is a brilliant way to make money online, fast. Places to look include:
7. Social Media Manager
Hang around on social media a lot? Then why not manage other company’s social media channels for them?
There are many companies out there who don’t optimize their social media channels as well as they should. How do I know? Because I’ve tried to engage with them via comments on their content and never got any kind of response – not even a simple like on the comment! This tells me that they need some human time and help to respond to their followers – and that help could be you.
Places to find work in this field include:
This is still a relatively new field to explore, but there are courses out there that can help you to hone your skills. And many of them are free or inexpensive.
If you already have the skills, then pitch companies you’d like to work with. If you need a few pointers on how to pitch, check out the ‘Pitching Tips‘ box-out at the end of section 2.
8. Online surveys
It’s probably not going to make you rich, but if you want to make some relatively easy cash online, then online surveys could be for you. Check out these sites:
9. Teach
Online courses are hugely popular and if you have a level of expertise and a knack for communicating what you know, then teaching could be a fantastic option for you.
Live tuition
Let’s say you speak more than one language fluently and like the idea of teaching a language to one-on-one or small group classes. With people the world over more comfortable communicating via video messaging, with a stable internet connection the world is your oyster.
Set up a simple website, promote on social media, and join online language groups:
Course creation
Let’s say you’re an expert banjo player. You could create Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced courses that you sell online. Hosting platforms include:
You could then meld the two teaching concepts together – sell a pre-made course and then offer out high-end one-on-one lessons for those students who have enrolled but want to take their banjo playing to the next level!
10. Paid-for Content
Give your audience a way to thank you for the content you already give to them. Patreon is perhaps the best-known service for allowing highly engaged followers to give money directly to online creators. But there are others, too.
As well as other features and benefits, the following three companies allow you to restrict certain elements of your website so that they’re only accessible to paid members:
Which Idea Is Right For You?
Your individual reasons for wanting to make money online will direct you towards whichever method works best for you. Need a few extra dollars to spend in the holiday season? Then selling unwanted items on platforms like eBay is a simple and fast solution.
Want a part-time online job that you can fit in around being a stay-at-home parent? Then something like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is perfect for you.
Looking to build a lifetime asset for you and your family? Then affiliate marketing is the clear winner. Our beginner’s guide will help you to get up and running, fast.
Whichever route you choose, the first step is always the same – to get started! So roll your sleeves up and get stuck in! Good luck!
