Seven Interesting Ways to Generate Money Online
Last Year Paul Mooney made $43,932 with his online business, working from his home, doing something he enjoyed, and being able to work to his own schedule. Would you like to do the same? You can, just read on and you can find out how.
The big question that everyone asks, how did he do it? Using his knowledge of the internet he created a blog, (PaulMooney.blogspot.com), this blog generated revenue through advertising on the blog. He used link ads such as Google’s Adsense which are context-specific, and text link ads such as Kontera, this made him money 24/7 even while he was sleeping. During 2009 he made a large amount of his money, writing for the website Examiner.com.
Examiner.com is a writing website that has many ‘experts’ who write on various subjects, give their opinions which are sought after by people who are content hungry. Examiner.com is always on the look-out for new writers to add to their stable of experts. Do you enjoy putting pen to paper and expressing our opinion of the world around you, such as the best local bars, restaurants, movies, express your opinion of local artists work; or any local interesting happenings in your local town? The application process on Examiner.com is quite simple and soon you too could be making money telling it as you see it.
From small beginnings, Paul Mooney grew as he worked, writing content for sites such as Associated Content, (annual income $11,000), plus the text ad services from Kontera (2009 income $2,200), his success is an inspiration to everyone who wants to emulate him in his methods of making money. Has his success made you a believer, that you too can generate an income online? But wait there is more, in fact seven more ideas for income generation:
1. Freelancing what you know
Do you have a hidden skill or hobby, such as Photography, writing, did you know you can sell the results of your talents online? There are a few sites that have advertisements for almost every job skill under the sun, from transcriptionists, writers, photographers to baby sitters; you name it, these sites offer it. Take a look at Craigslist.org, Freelancer.com, Elance.com. Elance.com alone has paid talented freelance writers to the tune of $270,000,000 all for a small fee of $10 monthly, other sites charge small fees, such as a percentage of the final sale of your work. The fees are well worth the price as they offer the tools and framework for the talented freelancer to get noticed and their work sold. Many freelancers such as writers, digital artists, website builders, computer programmers, photographers and much more have benefited from this lucrative market for their talents.
You can also showcase your work on your own website, and cut out the membership fees, or third party taking a percentage of your final payment, its easy when you make your own websites, all profit generated will go into your own pocket or bank account.
2. Using a Content Creation Service
Websites such as Demand Studios and Associated Content outsource content creation to ordinary folk such as yourself. These two sites usually post topics to popular sites such as Livestrong.com, eHow.com, and/or national news networks. These sites accept short videos, audio narration as well as written content.
Payment varies between the two sites, Associated Content offers a set fee per page views, (this is often pennies but it builds up), however Demand Studio offers a flat rate per article such as an average of $15 for a completed and accepted project. Simple projects are easy to complete, with a small amount of research, in a short space of time. A test is usually required to be accepted, but that’s usually passed quite easily.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Individuals and companies use affiliate marketing as a means to increase traffic on their websites, by using internet publishers, who will post links and advertise the company’s products on their websites. When a potential buyer visits the publisher’s website they will find a link to the company’s website, once the buyer clicks on the advertisement, an affiliate link is automatically activated which will record the buyer’s activities on the company’s website. The internet publisher will then receive a commission on any sales generated from their affiliate link. Commissions vary from as little as 3% to even 70%, dependant on the company’s commission structure and how successful the company is in their sales.
It’s easy to sign up as an affiliate, find a good affiliate network, Commission Junction, Linkshare and ClickBank have a list of products and services that you can join, these three companies also ensure that the publisher gets paid for their efforts.
A publisher needs a website and that can easily be accomplished by using professional website builder and you will soon be earning money from your site. In order to get people to click on your advertisement you need to promote your site. You can learn all the ins and outs on the internet, a good resource is Paul Mooney’s blog, and it will give you everything you need. He made $43,000 in one year from affiliate traffic and blogging, so he must know what he is doing.
4. Online Selling
Amazon.com and eBay are two online selling sites that come to mind when one thinks about selling products, both sites allow you to place classified ads for products that you own. eBay uses an auction format, but Amazon uses fixed prices sales format. Your choice of products that you can sell is varied from books to motor cars.
If you are a photographer, websites such as iStockphoto.com will let you post your original photos and digital images for sale on their site. You earn 20% commission on each sale generated, and your photo’s can be sold over and over again, it’s not limited like print photos that you sell at craft and flea markets.
5. The Amazon’s mechanical Turk
Using mturck.com is another way to earn some extra income. Doing odd jobs the home-worker can easily accomplish, each job pays a dollar or two, but doing several jobs a day adds up. The jobs range from writing product reviews, finding restaurants and listing them, or a 300 word comment in a forum posting. No special skills are required to sign up, and special tests could increase your income if you pass them. It may not be a living wage, but it puts extra income into your pocket
6. Social Media and blogs for local businesses
Many local business people are realizing the importance of web store-fronts, as more and more people look on the internet before they go to a bricks and mortar business. Therefore Facebook and Twitter accounts abound for businesses. Many businesses are sole proprietorships and the owners don’t have time to keep up with social media and often lack the expertise to do it. You can build a blog which showcases your web 2.0 skills, approach the owners of local businesses and offer to blog for them and/or run their FaceBook accounts for a lower fee than a marketing agency.
Learn how to generate traffic to these sites, do some research on the web or read books on the subject. Build your own FaceBook network or you blog to show the number of visitors you receive, this will be your marketing tool to local business. With your proof you could say “This is what I can do for you”.
7. T-Shirt making and selling
Cafepress.com will allow you to design T-shirts and then earn a percentage on the sales of T-shirts sold. Depending on the amount of T-shirts sold, you could make money to pay the mortgage like Jen Goode, (interviewed by World Report and U.S.). Two years of working on the site she earns sufficient to pay her mortgage monthly, designing shirts that feature cartoon penguins.
The internet has become a vast storehouse with an amazing amount of information, some research online, diligent work, added to the ability and willingness to learn and you can be earning in no time at all. Using your research skills, you can find businesses and industries that people are already making money and emulate them to avoid getting involved in any scams. The above list is just a sampling of some of the ways to earn money.
