How to Make Money Online

In this technological era, there are more opportunities than ever to make money outside of an office. With just a laptop and an internet connection, you can earn money from the comfort of your home, your local library, or your favorite coffeeshop. In addition to allowing flexibility for daily life activities such as raising a family, earning money in this way frees up your schedule to accommodate long-term travel or other alternative lifestyle choices.

There are nearly infinite ways to make money from the comfort of your own laptop, but here are a few common ideas to get you thinking about the possibilities that modern technology offers.

Sell Services for Online Companies

Many companies, especially smaller companies, are moving away from large-scale call centers, preferring instead to pay individual sales and support people who work from home. You can search for companies in your area if you’d like to keep your work more local, or you can contact companies such as insurancerevenue.com for sales jobs that can be conducted remotely. If you have some technical skills or knowledge, sites such as support.com and companies such as PlumChoice regularly hire at-home tech support employees. Depending on your job title and expectations, you may be required to talk on the phone with customers to troubleshoot technical problems, or you may be asked to communicate via video chat or instant messaging. Regardless of the mode of communication, you will be able to work from home, occasionally with the exception of initial training periods. Many of these companies offer 24/7 support for customers, which means that the hours can even fit with irregular hours, such as those looking for a night job.

Become a Survey-taker

If you’re up for being a guinea pig and being paid for your opinions and viewpoints, then survey-taking may be for you. Sites such as Survey Junkie and Swagbucks offer money in exchange for your time — you simply have to fill out online surveys. Most of the surveys do not require any special status or knowledge, and are often geared toward understanding a target audience as company’s develop marketing strategies. The catch — or perhaps the upside, depending on how you look at it — is that survey-taking is less than exciting. If you’re looking for something that you can do while you watch TV or ride the train to work, then survey-taking could be it. If you’re looking for something fulfilling or mentally stimulating, then survey-taking is not it.

The other thing to look out for when you’re picking a site to begin with is that some sites pay in cash, while others pay in “points” or “credits.” Points and credits can typically be redeemed for gift cards or physical merchandise, but typically cannot be redeemed for cold, hard cash. Keep this in mind when you’re signing up to be a guinea pig — especially if you want to be a guinea pig with some extra green in your wallet.

Freelance Coding and Website Creation

A little bit of technological know-how can take you a long way. If you already know how to code and/or build websites, you can put your skills to work through freelancing websites. Sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Elance can connect you with people looking to have freelance coding work done. Depending on the level of work you’re looking for, you can choose to take one-off jobs, or to build a working relationship with a particular employer. As you build your skillset and your relationship with clients, you can increase your hourly rate and build your portfolio. Although it takes time and dedication, freelance coders can make a decent living online, especially if you’re willing to go the extra mile for your customers — and earn referrals in the process.

If you don’t yet know to code, but think you would enjoy it, there are plenty of ways to teach yourself online. Check out YouTube tutorials and start troubleshooting — many coders are self-taught and you could be, too.

Maintain Blogs and Website Content

If coding isn’t quite your speed, there are still plenty of ways to leverage your skillset for use on the internet. Many business-owners need help maintain their websites, including up-to-date About pages and blogs. Using many of the same sites listed above, you can find freelance jobs to write content for these websites. Just as with coding jobs, you may choose to pick up new jobs as they come, or to develop a consistent relationship with a particular employer. By providing excellent writing quality, you can work your way up to more challenging and engaging projects, and increase your hourly wage in the process.

Whether you’re looking to supplement the income you already have, or build an alternate source of revenue, the internet offers nearly endless money-making opportunities. Pick a category, and find your opportunity today.