How to Make Money Online for Beginners

There are many people who make a full-time income working online. The most popular jobs include data entry, virtual assistant, and customer service. These positions typically require a basic knowledge of computers and how to use email, Skype or other communication software. Many people think that you need to be an expert with computers or have years of work experience before even thinking about landing a job online but this just isn't the case!

You can apply for many of these jobs by signing up on various freelancing sites such as Upwork, Fiverr and Freelancer. After signing up on these sites with your email address and creating a profile that shows what skills you have plus samples of your work (if any), then employers will contact you about their open positions if they're interested in hiring someone like yourself for their project.

1. Become a Virtual Assistant

Imagine having a boss who only expected you to work when it was convenient for you? Sounds like a dream job, right? This is the beauty of being a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistants perform administrative tasks online. If you have sturdy skills in this zone, consider becoming a virtual assistant to earn money from anywhere in the world.

These services are provided remotely, which means that you don’t need to be in the same location as your client. The hours can be flexible, and you can work from any location with an internet connection. You do need some basic technology skills — such as being able to use Microsoft Office and Google Drive — but beyond that there are no other requirements.

Many people think that they need to have special training or technical skills to get started as a virtual assistant (and many do), but the truth is that you don’t need any special training to become one! In fact, many successful VAs have been able to make their own websites with little more than word processing software and access to the web itself-not very difficult if we've already determined that web browsing is already something most people know how to do! In today's world it seems like anyone knows at least some basic things about computers...

To become a virtual assistant, you need to be organised, have an administrative background, and work well with people. The average hourly rate for a virtual assistant is $15, but you can earn more if you have specialised skills or offer more value to your clients.

There are 3 key ways to get started as a virtual assistant:

Freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr
Taking on contract positions with companies that hire remote workers
Starting your own VA business by networking with colleagues and building your own website.

2. Start Selling on Amazon

If you’re new to selling online, I highly recommend starting on Amazon. Why? Well, for starters, it’s the largest eCommerce platform in the world. With around 200 million active buyers and over 5 million sellers just in the US alone – there are tons of opportunities for anyone to make money from home.

Not only that, but they also provide you with all of the tools and resources you need to find a profitable product at wholesale prices.

Even better? You can start right away without having to deal with things like web hosting or creating an online store.

3. Sell Your Own Digital Product

If you have a skill or knowledge that would benefit other people, you can package it in a digital product and sell it to them.

First of all, make sure your product is something that people will actually buy. It sounds obvious, but if you don’t already know this information, do some market research to find out what your potential customers want and need. Then create a product that will solve their problems.
Secondly, make sure the quality is high. You want to present your target market with a product they can be proud of and one which they feel was worth the money they spent on it.
Finally, get feedback on your product before you release it. This could mean getting feedback from trusted friends or getting beta testers to give their thoughts on the final version.

4. Sell Services on Fiverr or Upwork

If you are talented in a specific area, you can try to make money that way. There are websites like Fiverr and Upwork where you can sell all kinds of services. Some examples include writing, doing graphic design work, making music, creating videos, providing social media marketing help, or offering to be a virtual assistant (VA).

This is one of the most popular ways to make money online as a beginner because it’s easy to get started and there are many ways for beginners with no experience to get jobs. Fiverr takes care of payment processing and provides its own tools and resources for sellers. You’ll have access to millions of buyers from all over the world who will hire you for your skills.

On Fiverr or Upwork you set your own rates per project or hour and get paid whenever a buyer makes a purchase through the platform. You’re also free to use these services as a buyer yourself so if you need something done professionally at an affordable price, consider using one of these sites.

5. Get a Part-Time Job or Side Gig through Flexjobs

As a beginner looking for online jobs, you should never pay for access to a platform that connects job seekers with employers. There are many legitimate ways to find work from home and make money online, and Flexjobs is one of them.

Flexjobs is a major employment listing site, but it differs from other job boards in that it provides only hand-screened telecommuting positions. The company vets all of the jobs posted so that you don't have to worry about scams or low-quality gigs ruining your job search.

Whether you're looking for part-time or full-time work at home opportunities, Flexjobs can help you find an online job that fits your needs.

6. Transcribe Audio & Videos for Money

I'll be honest: this is not a fun job. You're listening to people talking—often in a foreign language or with a strong accent—and trying to make sense of it all. But, it is an easy way to make money online, and if you like listening to music while you work, that can help keep you motivated.

Personally, I'm able to do this work while still keeping my ears open for my toddler daughter at the same time. This means that I don't have enough time to do as much transcribing as I would like—which is why it's one of the slowest ways on this list for me to make money.

7. Become a Freelance Writer

Becoming a freelance writer is one of the most popular ways to make money online for beginners. And why not? It doesn’t require much capital, it allows you to work from almost anywhere in the world, and depending on your niche, a good freelance writer can earn $50 an hour or more.

The main skill required to be a successful freelance writer is being able to write clearly and concisely. You need to have strong writing skills that show off your personality and style. This will help set you apart from other writers who are pursuing similar gigs.

There are many opportunities for newbie writers out there. You can write articles for blogs, e-books for businesses, white papers for startups, or even books that will be sold on Amazon.com!

All you need to get started is a portfolio of your writing samples so you can show prospective employers what kind of quality they can expect from working with you!

8. Become an Online English Teacher

Find a company that provides online English teaching jobs (a quick Google search will do).
Look for companies that have a strict screening and vetting process. This will ensure you only work with reputable clients.
Apply to teach English as a foreign language online with your chosen company—it's free!
The company will schedule you for online interviews, which are done via Skype or Zoom and can happen anytime during the day or night (depending on where they're interviewing from). During the interview, be prepared to answer questions about yourself, your qualifications, your education and professional history, your teaching style and experience, and much more!
Wait for a response about whether or not you’ve been hired! If you've been hired, you'll be given your first class date and time. There are usually two types of classes: one-on-one lessons with children in China, as well as group sessions of up to four students at various times throughout the day/night (these sessions usually last from 30 minutes to an hour).

9. Start an e-commerce business.

A great way to make money online is to start your own e-commerce business. There are plenty of ways you can start an e-commerce business, but one very popular way is to create your own online store.

What's great about starting an online store is that you have freedom over what you sell, be it physical products (like a t-shirt) or digital products (like a PDF file). If you choose physical products, there are sites like Shopify that allow you to easily create an online store and sell products directly through it.

No matter what route you take, there's one thing you should keep in mind: marketing yourself well. If no one knows about your service/product then how will they buy?

10. Graphic design.

Today, graphic design is one of the most prevalent sources of income online. Not only can you create beautiful drawings(graphics), logos and renderings videos, nonetheless you can also work as a freelancer on popular sites such as Fiverr and Upwork.

11. Become a health coach.

Becoming a health coach is another great way to make money and help others. Health coaches are professionals who provide guidance on how to improve your health, usually with a focus on nutrition.

If you’re interested in pursuing this type of online business, it’s worth noting that you can become certified as a health coach in just three months. As a health coach, you will work with individuals to help them identify their goals and develop strategies for achieving them.

You might work with someone who wants to lose weight or eat better, or help them quit smoking or reduce the stress in their life. Whatever the details may be, your job is to help them achieve their desired goals and live healthier lives.

12. Sell your handcrafted items on Etsy.

Etsy is a great marketplace for selling handcrafted goods. You can list your own items or you can sell items that are handmade by others. The best part about this model is that you don’t have to worry about purchasing inventory because it’s not required (you only purchase the goods after they sell). This means that it costs absolutely nothing to get started selling on Etsy! If you are a crafty person, this could be a good option for making money online.

13. Create courses on Udemy.

If you have a passion for helping people, you can create an online course to teach others. To be successful in this space, you need to know your topic inside and out and be able to create a community of supporters who are eager to learn from you. You also need the right tools: Udemy is the best platform for creating courses on everything from coding to cooking.

To get started with your own Udemy course:

Choose a topic or skill that you’re passionate about and want to share with others. It can be anything from coding, art, photography, teaching math skills, cooking—anything!
Gather learning materials that will help your students understand the subject (video tutorials work best).
Record lessons using screen recording software like Camtasia Studio or Snagit—both tools have built-in editing capabilities so you can polish your content before publishing it on Udemy.
Upload your videos onto Udemy and make them available for purchase through their marketplace (you’ll earn up to 97% of each sale).
Market your course by sharing it on social media and blogs/websites where potential students can discover it (this will drive traffic back to Udemy).

14. Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant (VA)

Think of Pinterest as a visual search engine. It allows people to create collections of images or videos that are organized by topic. These can be anything from recipes, DIY projects, interior design ideas, and more—and there are over 400 million active users on the platform each month! This makes Pinterest an incredibly powerful tool for online businesses and bloggers who want their content seen by a wider audience. A 2017 study found that 87% of Pinners use the site to help them make purchase decisions, making it one of the best platforms for businesses to advertise on.

This is where you come in: anyone who's actively trying to promote their business online needs a Pinterest Virtual Assistant (PVA). As a PVA, your role is to manage the client's Pinterest account and help grow their business through it. You'll be responsible for things like pinning content, creating visually appealing graphics (using tools like Canva or PicMonkey), and using social media "influencers" to get the word out about your client's products or services.

15. Focus groups.

Focus groups are a great way to test new products or services. You can receive a combination of cash and gifts for your time. Some focus groups even pay $60-$150 per hour.

Examples of focus groups:

A small business owner wants to test a new product like an outdoor or home appliance by putting it in the hands of real customers who will try it out and share their feedback.
A marketing firm is testing the effectiveness of new advertising slogans and needs people who are from certain demographics (i.e. age, income level, etc.) to provide input on what they think about the slogans and how engaging they find them to be.

At least ten people will participate in each focus group, which usually lasts an hour or two at most depending on what's being tested. The exact amount you can make will depend on the nature of each group, but $50-$100 for a couple hours is pretty standard for these types of opportunities.

16. Do data entry jobs online.

The last thing to consider is the type of work involved. Data entry can be a very broad term that covers many different characteristics and aspects, so it's important to know what you're getting into. If you're applying for a data entry job online, examples of some relevant qualities include:

Typing quickly and accurately. This is probably the most important quality for any data entry job, since it involves entering data from one medium (such as paper documents) into another (spreadsheets).
Passing typing tests. Some employers may require you to take a typing test to demonstrate your proficiency in entering information on a computer keyboard. Typing tests can measure the number of words per minute you can type, or how many mistakes you make while typing at certain speeds.
Entering information from paper documents into spreadsheets. Many jobs involve taking information from physical forms or files and entering that same information onto computerised spreadsheets for easier storage and access.
Entering information from audio or video recordings. For some jobs, you may need to listen to audio/video recordings and enter notes about them as well as any relevant information on the recording itself (such as time stamps).
Entering handwritten information into databases or spreadsheets. Similar to the previous point, this requires transcribing handwritten notes and then entering them into computerised formats (for example, filling out an entire row in an Excel sheet with each field corresponding to something written in a note).

You can make money online by pursuing one of these options.

Success stories of people who make money online:

Jen Smith, a social media manager for a marketing company, started working from home three days per week. One year later, she increased her hours and was able to quit her day job entirely. She now earns six figures while working from her couch.
A group of stay-at-home moms created their own nursery work business and made $11 million in less than two years.
Chad Johnson was unemployed when he began flipping domain names as a side hustle. He ended up turning it into a full-time career and now makes more than $100,000 annually by buying cheap domains and selling them for profit.