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Make money online without a website: 20 ideas that work
Most ways to earn money online require a website. If you don’t have one yet, there are still other options. In this post, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best online money-making ideas that do not require investments or websites. This list will help you earn extra cash or even find a new revenue source.
1. Become an affiliate marketer
One of the best ways to make money as an affiliate without a website is through Facebook and Instagram. These social networks are able to reach a large audience and present ample opportunities for earning. Naturally, their marketing strategies differ from general website promotion, so, to succeed, you’ll need to spend some time learning the proper approaches.
Another affiliate marketing technique is to use ads to drive traffic to a merchant’s website. Advertisers usually pay per click, action, or impression. So, when choosing a product to promote, carefully explore the offer terms.
You can also write affiliate product reviews for dedicated websites, such as Amazon, and publish them on social media, but we’ll talk about that later.
2. Do online surveys
Plenty of merchants publish online surveys and pay for their completion. The revenue isn’t high enough to use this method as one’s main source of income, but you still can make a little extra money.
For example, explore services such as Swagbucks, Opinion Outpost, Vindale Research, or Toluna, which all offer surveys in various niches. Each of those websites allows you to earn points, which you can cash out or exchange for prizes later.
3. Complete micro tasks
Completing “micro tasks” also lets you earn money online without investment, as there are many platforms and apps to choose from. These tasks are simple jobs like writing reviews, checking prices, etc.
For example, on GigBucks, you can find micro jobs in a variety of categories from advertising to technology. Amazon Mechanical Turk offers information verification tasks, data collection, image processing, etc. On TryMyUI, you’ll get paid for testing websites and providing feedback. InboxDollars offers cash for watching TV, writing emails, playing games, taking surveys, and more.
4. Start a YouTube channel
This method is excellent to both make money on affiliate marketing without a website and promote your business or personal brand. Here is a quick guide to monetizing your YouTube vlog:
- Grow your audience to 1,000 subscribers and join the YouTube Partner Program
- Set up an AdSense account and display ads on your channel
- Sell channel memberships once you reach 30,000 subscribers
- Get rewarded when a YouTube Premium member watches your video
- Sell merch from YouTube’s merchandise shelf if your channel has over 10,000 subscribers
- Use your channel to sell goods or services of your own
- Create sponsored content
- Ask for donations to grow your channel
5. Host sponsored posts on social media
This is a great way for profiles with a decent following to earn extra money. In contrast to affiliate marketing, you create a post on your own to host links and try to make it appear as little like an advertisement as possible. Hosting sponsored content is a promotion in the purest sense.
Reputable bloggers and social media influencers get offers directly from advertisers to host sponsored posts, but, for beginners, it might not be the best idea to sit around and wait for offers to come in. Start by registering on platforms that connect advertisers and influencers, such as:
6. Write an eBook
Writing eBooks for a living can be rather profitable nowadays. Many bloggers prefer to wrap the juiciest content of their blog into an eBook instead of monetizing their resource in other ways. However, you don’t need to have a blog to get started, just look back through your life experiences and consider what kind of information may be useful to other people.
To promote and sell your work, explore marketplaces such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Payhip.com, Blurb, or Lulu. While Amazon pays 70% royalties to its authors on average, you can avoid paying commissions to a publisher by self-promoting your book on social media.
Furthermore, you can create a whole series of eBooks and generate a more stable income as an author.
7. Create an online course
Another way to share useful information is by creating an online course. Such resources usually offer video materials accompanied by written adds-on.
You can create a course on self-development or share tips on learning professional skills. Explore some of the popular marketplaces, such as SkillShare, Udemy, and Coursera to get an understanding of what topics are trendy and profitable within your niche.
To assess the potential of your idea, consider creating a “coming soon” landing page and asking your audience to register in order to access the materials before others or at a discount. Thus, you’ll be able to gauge the reaction of potential customers.
To create and publish your course, explore full-featured software platforms, such as Thinkific, LearnWorlds, Teachable, or Podia.
8. Test websites
It’s possible to qualify for testing websites and get paid to do so. You’ll be responsible for analyzing fonts and colors, number of pop-ups, and other elements that determine the website’s usability and conversion rates.
For example, on UserTesting, you can make between $10 and $15 for 20 minutes of work. Enroll offers testing on both desktop and mobile devices. TestingTime recruits test users for usability tests, focus groups, interviews, surveys, and more. On UserFeel, you’ll be required to express your thoughts while testing a website and recording it.
9. Become a web developer
This option requires coding and design skills, but is much more profitable and can even become a major source of income with salaries starting at around $30,000 per year in developed countries.
Here are a few platforms to register as a web developer and find a gig:
10. Sell photos on stocks
If you have great photos, consider selling them on online platforms, such as Alamy, iStock Photo, or Dreamstime. Your income depends on the resource. For example, micro-stock websites provide photographers with 30% to 70% revenue per sale.
To earn 100% of the photo cost, consider Visual Society, which allows you to set your own prices. To use its services, you’ll have to buy a subscription (starting at $5/month). A 14-day free trial is available.
11. Do copywriting
Copywriting is another trendy, profitable way to make money. Naturally, the more skilled you are, the more you can earn, but it’s possible to start out with only basic skills. Alternatively, consider taking an online course on copywriting to get a head start.
The easiest way to find a job is through freelance platforms, such as Upwork, Text Broker, Fiverr, or Freelance Writing Jobs. Your income depends on your skills and niche. For example, the price of a piece of travel writing starts at $5 for a copywriter with entry-level skills.
12. Write reviews
There are plenty of legit ways to earn extra cash in exchange for writing product reviews. The key point to consider is how to help buyers make the best decision.
The most popular place to write reviews used to be Amazon, but, recently, the platform changed its policy on paid reviews, so it might not be the best place to start out. However, if you’ve been reviewing products for a while, you might get invited to join Amazon Vine in exchange for free product samples.
Some reviewers register on freelance platforms, such as UpWork or Fiverr, and wait for advertisers to contact them directly.
There are also several niche platforms that allow you to earn money on reviews. For example, Apperwall collects reviews on mobile applications, while Capterra invites users to describe their experiences with software.
13. Become a virtual assistant
This kind of remote job requires you to perform administrative work and tons of other activities to support your client’s online business. For example, you might be responsible for proofreading, web design, social media, community, product management, etc. The list of your skills determines the number of your work duties.
You can find these gigs on freelance platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Indeed, or FlexJob, or explore dedicated websites like Belay Solutions, Time Etc., and WorldWide 101 (to name a few). On average, virtual assistants get paid between $10 and $16 per hour.
14. Tutor online
Private tutoring has always been in demand, as it’s a flexible, interactive, and an effective way to learn. If you are skilled enough in one or more disciplines, why not teach someone else? To find clients, explore job boards, such as TTW, Teach Away, Tutor.com, etc.
For those who want to teach English online, there are platforms, such as TeachAway, VIPKID, and iTutorGroup, for native English speakers and platforms, such as Palfish, Cambly, and Topica Native, for non-native teachers.
15. Start traffic arbitrage
You can also buy traffic and redistribute it at a higher cost. Traffic arbitrage allows anyone to make money without a website through AdSense and other platforms (Media.net, Taboola or Revcontent). Make sure the advertiser allows the type of traffic that you’re planning to drive to their site.
For instance, you can spend $150 on traffic through Google Ads and earn $180 by directing it to a page with a car rental offer. In this case, your profit is $30. You can go with native or contextual advertising, banners, social media platforms, or forums – each type of traffic has its own price and conversion rate.
16. Do email marketing
Email marketing allows you to earn in many different ways:
- Promote affiliate links
- Sell ads in your newsletter
- Invite people to webinars
- Offer coaching and consulting services
Start by growing an email list with a monetization strategy in mind, and then automate the process using online tools, such as GetResponse, Constant Contact, ConvertKit, or MailChimp (to name a few).
17. Freelance
One of the most popular ways to earn money online is by taking a freelancing job. This trend had led to a growing number of freelancers and thus more competition. So, you’ll need to spend some time crafting your résumé and collecting work samples for your portfolio.
Freelance jobs can be found in many fields from web design to data analysis and from design to writing. Start by exploring the most reputable platforms like Upwork, Guru, Freelancer.com, and Fiverr (to name a few). You can find writing jobs at ProBlogger, while development, design, and other creative tasks are often posted to Envato Studio.
18. Flip domains
Domain flipping involves buying a domain and reselling it at a more expensive price. First, find a prospective domain with a potential to bring you more income. Check platforms like ExpiredDomains or JustDropped. Then, purchase the domain and list it for sale on marketplaces like Sedo or Afternic (to name a few). When making a deal, consider using tools like Escrow to ensure the safety of your transaction.
19. Proofread
In contrast to editing, proofreaders simply check text for syntax, grammar, spelling, and formatting mistakes, and don’t focus on things like coherence or correctness. Most often, companies prefer to hire native speakers for this job.
It’s possible to find customers on EditFast, FlexJobs, Gramlee, or Kelly Services. This job is well paid, especially in the United States, where proofreaders can earn $23,000 to $63,000 annually.
20. Transcribe
For this job, you’ll produce written forms of audio and video recordings. This occupation requires a lot of patience, as one hour of a recording can take five to six hours to manually transcribe. To start off, take a course on transcription, such as the one offered by Transcribe Anywhere.
You can find transcription jobs on platforms such as TranscribeMe, GoTranscript, and more.
How to make money online without a website in 2020
All the above ways of making money online can be profitable, depending on your interests, skills, and availability. Try to calculate the level of income you want to receive and how much time you can spend, then choose a job that meets those expectations. It might be a good idea to try a few methods and continue with the ones that earn the most income.
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