22 ways to make money online in 2023 (explained)

Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2023, and its title and content date from that time. The platforms it names, such as Upwork, Fiverr and Amazon Mechanical Turk, and their terms may have changed since.

If you’re looking for ideas to make money online, we explain several options here. It’s worth saying that none of them is a piece of cake: all of these ways of generating online income require effort, at least at the start.

Here are 22 ways to make money online

1. Affiliate programmes

This is still the favourite route for most entrepreneurs starting their first online business, and even more so for those who build niche sites, that is, sites devoted to one particular subject or niche. The more specific the niche, the less likely you are to run into competition. Promoting other companies’ products and earning a commission on every sale made through your link has become relatively easy to set up, although it takes a lot of dedication and effort, because you need a website that gets plenty of traffic.

That traffic can be built organically or paid for. Here are some ways to increase a website’s traffic in order to attract more visitors and, in turn, increase the chances that they buy through your links.

Ways to increase traffic to a website

1. Optimise your SEO: SEO (search engine optimisation) can significantly improve a website’s traffic. To optimise your SEO, it’s important to use relevant keywords, have a good site design and optimise your titles, meta descriptions and heading tags. Even so, the better the quality of the site’s content, the more likely it is to rank well in search engines.
2. Create quality content: Relevant, valuable content is one of the keys to increasing traffic. Make sure your content is optimised for search engines and is interesting and useful for visitors.
3. Use social media: Social media is an excellent way to increase a website’s traffic. Sharing content on social networks and keeping an active presence can bring new visitors to your site.
4. Add internal links: Including internal links in your content can increase user retention and lower the bounce rate, which is a factor Google takes into account when ranking a page. It also helps Google understand your site’s structure and rank it better in search results.
5. Include calls to action: Calls to action (CTAs) are essential for increasing traffic. They should be clear and appealing to the user.
6. Post in forums and online communities: Taking part in forums and online communities relevant to your niche can increase your site’s traffic and visibility. However, this has to be done carefully to avoid spamming, which would have exactly the opposite effect.
7. Publish on third-party blogs and websites: Publishing relevant content on other people’s blogs and websites can attract new visitors and increase your site’s visibility. It’s certainly an excellent way to get known by a larger audience.
8. Offer promotions and deals: Exclusive promotions and offers can attract new visitors and build loyalty among existing ones. This can be done by investing in social media advertising, which brings us to the next point.
9. Use paid advertising: Paid advertising can be an effective way to increase traffic quickly, but it should be used carefully and together with other marketing strategies. For this, there are both Google AdSense and Facebook Ads.

2. Creating and selling online courses

We’ve already published a full article on the steps to create your own info product and sell it online. Even so, we’ll answer a few questions here.

Creating and selling an online course can be an excellent way to share your knowledge and make money online from it.

Here are some steps and tips to help you create and sell an online course

1. Define your topic: Before you start creating an online course, it’s important to define the subject you want to focus on and make sure there is demand for it. Research similar courses that already exist on platforms such as Udemy or Teachable.
2. Define your audience: Once you’ve defined the topic, it’s important to define your target audience so that your course’s content and approach fit their needs. It’s not just about making money for its own sake. It’s also about creating, as far as possible, something useful that helps the user.
3. Create the content: Obviously, you need to create the course content. Make sure it’s interesting, informative and high quality. You can use different formats, such as videos, presentations or documents.
4. Choose a platform to host your course: There are many platforms for hosting online courses, such as Udemy, Coursera, Teachable and Thinkific. Do your research and choose the platform that best fits your needs and gives you, as an entrepreneur, the best features.
5. Promote your course: Once you’ve created the course and uploaded it to the platform, you have to promote it, because sales don’t come on their own. You can use digital marketing techniques, such as building a website, advertising on social media or using your own email list (if you already have a subscriber base), to attract users and increase sales.
6. Keep the content up to date: It’s important to keep the course content current and relevant because, depending on the subject, it could quickly become outdated.
7. Offer support and customer service: Make sure you offer support and customer service to answer questions and resolve any doubts or problems that users who have bought the course, or are interested in buying it, may have.

Additional tips:

• Offer a free sample of the course so users can judge its quality before buying. Snake-oil sellers tend to rely on the famous “free masterclass”.
• Use the power of affiliate marketing so that users who have bought your course have some kind of incentive to recommend it to others.

Basically, we’re talking about turning your users into salespeople, so they can earn money by recommending your course.

3. Writing articles and web content

If you have a talent for writing, you can work as a freelancer writing articles for blogs and websites.

Tips for making money as a writer

1. Be clear about the subject you want to specialise in: This will be your personal hallmark, because nobody can be an expert in everything, so choose carefully whether you want to write about finance, poetry, health and so on. Before you start looking for work, identify your writing skills and the kind of content you can create. It can be useful to have skills in areas such as writing blog articles, creating website content, writing product descriptions or creating social media content. You might want to specialise in copywriting.
2. Offer your services online: Use Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and Textbroker, among other platforms, to find clients looking for writers or people with those particular skills.
3. Set your rates: Decide on your hourly or per-project rates. It’s a good idea to research what people charge for articles on that subject so you neither undercharge nor overcharge. This woman was earning up to $950 an hour writing, thanks to her specialisation.

4. Making money as a virtual assistant

Offering remote assistance services is certainly an excellent way to generate income, and you can even turn it into your main business.

Steps to make money as a virtual assistant

1. Identify your skills: Before you start, identify the skills and experience you have to offer clients. It can be useful to have skills in areas such as administration, marketing, customer service, accounting and so on. Clearly, you need to have something to offer.
2. Research job platforms: There are many online platforms that connect virtual assistants with clients looking for services, and so give you the chance to earn money on them. Some of the most popular are Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and PeoplePerHour. There are many others, and there may well be one in each country that focuses on that market: Spain, Colombia, Mexico and so on.
3. Create an attractive profile: Once you’ve identified the platforms you want to work on, create an attractive profile that shows off your skills and experience. Be sure to highlight any previous experience as a virtual assistant or in related jobs. Getting started is the hard part. Later on, your best references will come from satisfied clients.
4. Set your rates: Decide on your hourly or per-project rates and make sure they’re competitive for the industry.
5. Look for clients: Start looking for clients on the platform and send proposals for jobs that match your skills. Make sure you personalise each proposal and show how your skills can help that particular client.
6. Keep improving your skills: To be a successful virtual assistant, you need to keep up with the latest trends and technologies in the industry. Take online courses or follow websites and YouTube channels that help you keep learning within your niche.

5. Graphic design

If you’re good at design, you can offer your services creating logos, infographics and other visual materials for businesses.

How to make money with graphic design

1. Once again, even if it sounds repetitive, identify your skills: Before you start, identify the skills and experience you have to offer clients. It can be useful to have skills in areas such as logo creation, social media graphics, photo editing and print design.
2. Build a portfolio: A portfolio is the best way to show potential clients your skills and experience. Create an online portfolio with examples of your work so clients can see your style and experience.
3. Offer your services online: There are many online platforms that connect graphic designers with clients looking for services. Some of the most popular, which we already mentioned in the previous section, are Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and 99designs. Again, there are others.
4. Offer your services to local clients: Although most clients may be online, you can also offer your graphic design services locally, to local firms, small businesses or neighbourhood shops. If you live in a small, remote village, here are some business ideas for small villages.
5. Set your rates: Decide on your hourly or per-project rates and make sure they’re competitive for the industry and for your experience.
6. Promote your services: Promote your services online through your social media, your website and the job platforms you’ve signed up to. You can also use social media advertising to attract new clients.

Other common ways to make money online

See also: If you have a good voice, here’s how you can make money with it

6. Paid surveys

Here we listed companies that really do pay you to answer surveys, although, honestly, I’d recommend looking for other ways to generate income, because they usually pay very little and demand too much time.

7. Selling photos

If you’re a good photographer, you can sell your photos on platforms such as Shutterstock and similar sites. But there are other ways. In this article I explained the different ways to make money with photography.

8. Translation

Offering online translation services for documents and texts can be an excellent way to make money. Now that self-publishing is in fashion, you can even offer your services to writers who want to publish in other languages.

To make money with translation, as with the other ideas we’re covering, you need to identify your skills, find clients online and locally, set your rates, show what you can do and keep communication clear and efficient. Over time, you can build a stable client base and raise your rates as you gain more experience and skills.

9. SEO services

Offering search engine optimisation services to businesses and websites.

11. Social media management

Offering social media management services to businesses and brands.

12. Transcription services

Transcribing audio and video for businesses and individuals.

To start making money with transcription, you can begin by transcribing interviews, podcasts, speeches or videos, among other things. Choose a niche. For example, you can focus on medical, legal or financial transcription, or on any other industry that fits your skills.

Get the tools you need: you’ll probably need a computer, transcription software and/or high-quality headphones. Bear in mind that some clients may require you to use specific software.

Sign up to online job platforms: Some of the most popular are TranscribeMe, GoTranscript, Rev and Scribie, among others.

And, once again, set your rates.

Other ideas for making money online

• 13. Business consulting: if you have business experience, you can offer consulting services online.
• 14. Digital marketing: offering digital marketing services, such as online advertising and social media strategies, to brands and businesses.
• 15. Microtasks: microtasks are small jobs, such as categorising images or transcribing audio. They can be done quickly and are an easy way to make money online. Popular microtask platforms include Amazon Mechanical Turk and Fiverr.
• 16. E-commerce: selling products online is a popular way to make money on the internet. Whether you want to sell physical products you’ve made yourself or digital products, there’s a wide range of options for online sellers. Popular platforms include Amazon, Etsy and eBay.
• 17. Online advertising: placing ads on your website or social media is one way to make money online. You can earn per click or per impression, depending on the platform you use. Popular platforms include Google AdSense and Media.net.
• 18. Translation: if you speak several languages, offering online translation services can be a profitable option.
• 19. E-commerce: selling products through a website or online platform.
• 20. Web development: offering web development and programming services.
• 21. Online coaching: offering online coaching in a specific area.
• 22. Video editing: offering online video editing services is an excellent way to make money online, especially now that many YouTubers are looking for these services.

As you can see, when it comes to making money online, the options and opportunities are many and varied. And if your thing is making money without doing anything…

See also: 16 ways to make money without working or doing anything

Featured image: CruiseAmerica, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.