7 Surefire Ways to Make Money Online

James Ryan Jonas

Can you actually make money online?

Are there legitimate ways to earn a living online? The simple answer: Yes.

Continue reading below as we count the ways.

1. Advertisements on your own Blog or Website

The most basic way to make money online is to create a website or blog and monetize it by having advertising networks serve ads to the site.

Learn how to start a blog here then pepper it with content. The more content, the better. But make sure you optimize your site as well to attract more visitors who use search engines.

Once you have a decent number of posts, join any of the popular advertising networks such as Google Adsense, Yahoo Bing, and other ad networks. They will give you snippets of codes that you have to add to your sites in order to show ads. When visitors click on the ads on your site, you get paid.

2. Selling Ad Space Directly to Advertisers

Some website owners offer advertising space directly to advertisers. You need to have valuable and frequently updated content, however, and consistent traffic in order to attract potential advertisers. This also includes crafting customized ad packages that would appeal to advertisers.

3. Paid Blogging

Rather than writing mushy, self-centric, or showbiz-crazed stuff, several writer-bloggers use their creative juices to publish short reviews of a product, website, or service. Of course, they get paid in the process.

4. Paid Outsourced Service

Example: Content writing, programming, web design, SEO services

Several online earners hang out in sites like Freelancer, Upwork, etc.to offer programming, content writing, web design, or search engine optimization (SEO) services for a fee. Competition among fellow for-hires, though, is tough but once you’ve built a good track record and reputation, clients will surely follow.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Sell someone else’s products and earn commissions for every lead or sale. That’s what affiliate marketing is about. Several online money-makers have found luck earning regular income as affiliates of Rakuten, CJ Affiliate by Conversant (formerly Commission Junction), ShareaSale, and Clickbank, among others.

6. Online Selling and Dropshipping

The bustling activity in Amazon, eBay, Lazada, Alibaba, and the like is a testament to the lucrative opportunities provided by online marketplaces. Have your own virtual store by sell your products directly to customers using these marketplaces.

You may even choose to do “Dropshipping” instead, wherein you sell a product but do not hold it in stock. When you make a sale, that’s when you purchase the item from a third party and instruct it to ship directly to the customer. As a result, you never see or handle the product making it less risky and more efficient for you.

7. Get-paid-to (GPT) Programs

Not a lot of income can be expected here, but absolutely no cash outlay is needed either. Earn a few cents just by clicking ad links, surfing websites, or reading advertisement emails.

How do YOU make money online? Share your experiences by posting a comment below!

James Ryan Jonas teaches business management, investments, and entrepreneurship at the University of the Philippines (UP). He is also the Executive Director of UP Provident Fund Inc., managing and investing P3.2 Billion ($56.4 Million) worth of retirement funds on behalf of thousands of UP employees.