The Internet is awash with thousands of different claims that all tell you they can make you money online. Just as soon as you pay the required fee to obtain all their secrets, of course!
When we turn to cyberspace in look for a few extra bucks, we need to be careful. There is no shortage of those looking to lure us with false promises and gleeful hype.
Despite these scams, there are some great ways to earn a little extra cash online if that’s what you’re looking for. And no, they don’t involve paying a sign-up fee for a “secret system”, or getting involved in dubious “trading options software” or even posting random links everywhere across the Internet.
We take a look at our favourite 4 ways to earn online. None of these are likely going to make you rich, but if you’re looking to soften the dent of the annual Christmas shopping or to perhaps pay a few bills, these will do just nicely.
4. Reward Websites
There are tons of rewards websites out there that pay you for performing various activities online, but be careful to stick to the reputable ones as there are plenty that are just looking to con you!
A good rewards website pay their users by doing things like surfing the Internet, performing online searches, playing games, completing surveys and questionnaires, watch videos or even shop online.
This is great since many of us do these sorts of things anyway, so you may as well be earning brownie points while you do! Okay, you’re not going to be earning thousands each month by doing this – and sites that claim you can are lying to you – but it’s a great way to accumulate points which can then be cashed in for real, hard cash.
One site we’ve been recommending to our readers for some time now is the Swagbucks website. They’re one of the top rewards-per-action websites on the Internet and pay you for all the tasks we mentioned above. With the site, you earn SwagBucks, and when you earn enough, they can be cashed in for gift cards for a variety of sites including Amazon, or for cash via PayPal. It’s a good site to earn some money from and you can sign up for it here. (use the sign-up code “FreeGiftCards” for a bonus when you sign up.)
Similarly, you can use InboxDollars.com that also provides a number of ways for those looking to earn a little extra cash do so by completing surveys and other online tasks. Or for UK users, use InboxPounds.com.
3. Sell yourself
Do you have a talent?
They say that everyone should have at least one talent and one vice. The Internet has made it extremely easy for people looking to make a little extra cash to sell their talents online using a variety of freelance “contact hire” websites that connect people looking to hire people with certain talents and hire them for small jobs.
Fiverr.com is one such website. People go to Fiverr.com looking for people with YOUR talent, so why not let them hire you? Talents can be almost anything, relating to things like graphic design, illustration, writing, games, crafts, marketing, programming, music, advice, lessons, tutorials, video gaming or even funny things like prank videos or celebrity impersonations. This is what people are looking for, and if you can do it pretty well, then sign up for Fiverr.com and start getting hired!
2. YouTube
We all know YouTube. You can find anything on YouTube. From prank videos involving spiders to make-up tutorials. Everything.
What you may not know is that most YouTubers upload videos to make money. That may not be the only reason of course, but when you upload videos, you get the chance to monetise them – an option that the vast majority of video uploaders enable. That’s why you get those adverts appearing at the start or during videos.
And the more people who watch your videos, the more you make. Keeping with the theme of this article, most “YouTubers” will only make a little money, maybe a few bucks each month. But this option is great because there is no cap on what you could potentially earn. The top YouTubers on the site are very rich because of the money they earn uploading videos. The more time and effort you put in to the videos you create and how you market them, the more you can make. So not only is this a simple earner, it can also potentially be a lot more.
So if you can think of videos that people will want to watch, get filming, uploading and see how well they perform. YouTube has great analytics tracking features so you can keep track on exactly how many people are tuning in. And there are plenty of reading materials to point you in the right direction.
1. Start a blog
The principle behind starting a blog is similar to the point above, YouTube, and that’s because the money you can make from this is also very much dependent on how much time you put into it. The more time you spend on it and the more you’re willing to learn to make your blog great, the more money you can earn.
Many bloggers make a few hundred dollars a month, but the best out there have retired and went on to work full time on their digital creations.
Starting a blog/website has really never been easier. You can get it all done in about 20 minutes for free these days on sites like WordPress.com (self-hosting option is preferred but you’ll need to pay a little for the hosting) and requires little technical knowledge.
And if you can think of something you’d love to write about that people will want to read, the potential is unlimited. If it’s just a few bucks you’re after, get on and start writing and remember to share those links with your friends and online communities who would be interested. And if you think you have the potential to go a lot further, there are literally tons of books and online courses available to point you in the right direction.
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