Have you reached the point where you no longer face going into the office daily? Or perhaps you have some spare time at home and fancy putting it towards making an extra income or a new side hustle? Then let’s take a look at some of the best ways to start making money online.
Make money online UK: Best ways to get started
- Surveys
- Cashback
- Tutoring
- YouTuber
- Freelance writer
- Podcasting
- Virtual Assistant
- Social media manager
- Blogging
Sometimes, you have to stop and ask yourself if you’re really happy with what you’re doing. Do you like getting up at a set time every day and making your way to work?
A few years ago, I started this blog to fill my time and make an extra income. Over time, my blogging earnings far outstripped my civil service job. But I realise blogging isn’t for everyone, so I thought today, we could look at some of the best ways to make an online income.
Quick and easy ways to make money online
Depending on how much time you have and all your other commitments, you might only be interested in some simple ways to make some extra money.
Online surveys
Although this can never be thought of as a full-time income, completing paid surveys is a great way to earn a bit of quick cash and really is easy money (take a look to see how I made over £6,000 in one year).
The main benefit is that you can do as much or as little as you like. If you’ve spent a couple of weeks filling out surveys, just take a break. Another plus point is that you can take surveys whilst doing other things, like watching TV, eating dinner or waiting to pick your kids up from school.
There are plenty of opportunities to earn as there are so many online survey sites – the more you belong to, the more you can earn.
But bear in mind that some sites pay far more than others. Four sites you should certainly consider include:
All of the above will pay cash into your bank or PayPal account, but some sites may reward you with a gift card to use online for stores like Amazon.
And if that’s not enough to get you started, why not look at my list of the best-paid survey sites?
Also worth reading
Focus groups and interviews
If you fancy a serious boost to your monthly income and you don’t mind speaking to strangers, online interviews and focus groups are great options.
An online interview usually lasts 30 – 90 minutes and involves an interviewer asking questions about a certain topic. There are no right or wrong answers, they’re just keen on your opinions.
Focus groups will last a little longer, normally between 1 and 2 hours. Here, you’ll be put with 3-5 other interviewees and again asked to share your opinions. They are slightly easier to complete because the questions aren’t always directed to you.
Pay for this kind of online work is £40-£60 per hour. However, I was paid £150 for a 2-hour focus group once. And just before it started, I was told I was a reserve and I was no longer needed. They still paid me.
Most sites will pay you in cash, but you may sometimes be offered gift cards or vouchers instead.
Here is a list of some of the best paid online interview sites and focus groups.
Cashback
As a way to promote their products, many companies offer referral incentives. They’re pretty simple. For example, if I shared a link with you for a toothbrush from Boots on my site and you bought it, I would receive a small percentage of the sale.
But if you bought the toothbrush through a cashback site, the cashback site would receive that percentage. They would then pass this on to you. You can also sign up for services like broadband and mobile phones, which pay up to £150.
These sites are free to use, although there are paid membership options available that give you extra benefits. Most people can earn around £100 – £200 per year depending on their spending habits. Anything you make can be paid straight into your PayPal or bank account.
Take a look at some of the best cashback sites.
Searching the internet
This won’t make you a huge amount, but it’s a simple way to earn money. Several sites out there will pay you for searching on the internet. They’ll either give you points that you convert into rewards or pay in cash.
Some of the sites that allow you to earn this way are:
Website testing
If you’ve ever had the pleasure (?) of creating your own website, you’ll know what a pain it can be. And when you think you’ve got it running perfectly, somebody will tell you there’s a bug or the menus just don’t make any sense.
To iron out these issues and ensure that a site works well, companies employ people to share their user experience by following simple tasks and ensuring everything works as it should.
It might not sound like much, but you can be paid up to £30 for 30 minutes to test websites.
You can find these jobs through sites like IntelliZoom, UserCrowd and UserTesting.
Competitions
If you have some free time, why not enter some online competitions? Long gone are the days when you had to send in a postcard. Almost anything is up for grabs, from holidays to TVs to vacuum cleaners to bottles of drinks.
The only real issue is finding the competition in the first place. However, there are handy sites like Super Lucky that will list some of the best comps on the market.
Sell your stuff
If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you have a habit of putting old things to one side with the idea that you might need them again one day. But the truth is, you probably won’t. And what’s the point of letting your old stuff sit there gathering dust, losing value and taking up precious space?
Even if you think your old items are worth nothing, there’s probably a buyer out there desperate for what you have to sell.
One of the best places to sell unwanted goods is eBay, with millions of potential buyers. But you must pay fees, so if the item isn’t worth much, you might want to check out these eBay alternatives.
Part-time online money making
If you fancy an additional income you can sink your teeth into a bit more without committing 40+ hours to it per week, several part-time options are available.
Matched betting
This way of making money puts many people off because it mentions betting. But matched betting is not gambling.
If you’ve never come across it before, this is a method of taking advantage of free bets offered by bookies and turning them into profits. This is done by covering both eventualities of an event so you can guarantee yourself a profit.
For many new matched bettors, they can make over £1,000 per month. And the best thing is, it’s all tax-free.
Find out more about how matched betting works.
Online tutor
Since the pandemic, more of us are learning from home. That means there’s a big call for people to teach online.
Obviously, anybody with a qualification in teaching would make an ideal online tutor, but that isn’t always necessary. If you have a skill or craft you can share with others, you can get paid for this too.
As you establish yourself with several students, you’ll easily be able to increase the numbers of hours you can work.
Domain flipping
You may have read this and thought, ‘What the heck is domain flipping?’ Simply put, a domain is the name of a website – such as Household Money Saving. Flipping means buying and selling.
I’m sure we can all think of some great names for a website, and for the matter of just a few pounds, you could register a new domain and then sell it for a huge profit on sites like eBay or the GoDaddy auction site.
Selling photos
Photography is an art form which makes photos a pretty desirable commodity. If you have a talent for taking great-looking shots, then there’s a good chance someone would be willing to buy it. The best part is that many smartphones have such great cameras, and you don’t need professional equipment.
Take the right photo; it could be sold thousands of times across the internet. And once you have several stock photos loaded across multiple sites, you could soon be making a small fortune.
Upload your photos to sites like Shutterstock and wait for the royalties to come flying in.
Buy and sell second-hand items
When it comes to second-hand goods, it’s always difficult to tell how much something is worth. If you look carefully enough, you can pick up some real bargains.
And local selling sites such as Facebook Marketplace can often be a gold mine. People list on here because they don’t want the hassle of posting an item or they don’t want to pay fees. But local selling sites have a limited number of customers, which means lower prices.
If you pick up an item on one of these sites for a good price and then list it on eBay, there’s a good chance you can make a decent profit. But don’t think you’re just stuck with searching for items online. Check out your local shops to find cheap items that sell for much more elsewhere.
If you ever decide to turn it into a full-time business, you could set up your own online store.
Freelance writer
This usually starts as a part-time job but can move to full-time depending on your talent… and how much you enjoy it.
Writing articles can take time and research, but the more experience you gain, the easier it becomes. You might be able to write for local or national newspapers, blogs, media outlets or businesses.
You might be paid by the word or per article depending on the assignment.
Start a podcast
If the written word isn’t your forte, but you’re quite confident speaking, why not start a podcast? You can talk about almost any topic and invite guests to come and chat with you, all from the comfort of your own home.
Once you have built a following of regular listeners, you’ll be able to attract sponsors to start earning money. Although if you’re serious about podcasting, you should invest in some decent recording equipment first.
Make money online with social media
Consider yourself a bit of a whizz about all things social media. Do you know what it takes to stir an interest in sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook? Then you could put your skills towards making money.
Start a deals page
Do you know where to find the best prices and the difference between an absolute steal from a piece of overpriced tat?
Shoppers love a bargain and always look for the latest and best deals. With so many online stores to choose from, it can be challenging to find real bargains. Many shoppers turn to deal sites and pages to find the best money-saving offers.
Anybody can create a deals page that won’t cost a penny. The tricky part is attracting followers but sharing enough bargains and maybe running a few competitions, and they will soon come.
The next step is to join some affiliate schemes, meaning you earn a small percentage when somebody buys something when clicking on one of your deals.
Social media manager
Companies have the opportunity to make a lot of money from social media but struggle to make the most out of it. That’s why they hire outside agencies and employ social media account managers.
The role is to increase engagement and interest in the company, send visitors to its site and interact with customers.
This can be done full-time or part-time, depending on the company’s needs, all done from the comfort of your home.
Friend referrals
This doesn’t have to be done just through social media but through blogs and forums.
As we all know, there are lots of companies out there keen to attract new customers. And instead of spending their advertising budget on expensive adverts, they incentivise current customers to encourage others to join.
These incentives usually range between £5 and £100 and are available to the referring person and the new customer. And although they’re called refer a friend schemes, most companies don’t care if you know this person.
A well-placed affiliate link on the right social media post or page could see you earning for months, if not years.
Take a look at some of the best refer a friend schemes.
YouTuber
According to Forbes, YouTuber MrBeast earned $54 million in 2021, showing what a lucrative job it can be. Even if you managed to earn just 0.1% of that, you would make $54,000.
In many ways, having your own YouTube channel is similar to blogging (see below). You need to create content that captures visitors’ imaginations. You can then earn an income from adverts, sponsorship or affiliate marketing.
And anyone that has a smartphone can start their own YouTube channel.
Making money online from a passive income
A passive income is a method that allows you to make money in the background whilst doing something else. For example, when you earn interest on your savings or investments, this is a passive income. All these income streams require some effort to start with but can be decent earners.
Start a blog
If you have a passion for writing or just generally letting other people know about your opinions, then having your own blog is an easy way to share your thoughts. And not only that, but it can also become quite a money-spinner.
Most bloggers write about topics they’re knowledgeable or passionate about. If it’s a popular topic, then great, as it means there’s a potential to reach millions of people. However, that means plenty of others are writing about it, and there will be lots of competition.
If it’s a topic that isn’t considered mainstream, although there won’t be so many people interested in reading it, there will be far less competition. And believe me, there’s an interest in everything on the internet.
There are several ways you can make money from a blog
- Run adverts on your site.
- Accept sponsored posts. Companies will pay you to place content on your blog.
- Affiliate links in your blog posts. Visitors to your site will click on links to products and services and make purchases. You’ll then earn a referral fee.
- Sell your own products. Readers will visit your blog for a reason. If they like what they see, they may be tempted to part with their cash to buy something you offer.
This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme and building a blog does take time. But it’s certainly a good way to make money online.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping was all the rage for starting your own online business a few years ago. Although its popularity has recently dropped, making a decent income is still possible.
A drop shipper acts as a middleman between a wholesaler and a customer. But the beauty is, you never have to hold any stock. You list the items on sites like eBay and Amazon and when somebody buys them, they’re sent directly to the customer from the supplier.
The customer pays you, and you take your cut and send the rest to the supplier. Of course, you must also pay a fee to eBay or Amazon.
If you choose the right products to sell, it can become quite a lucrative income.
Publish an ebook
Gone are the days when you would need to be backed by a publisher or have a load of cash behind you if you wanted to release a book.
In most cases, it’s very simple to self-publish a book on a site like Amazon. So if you have specialist knowledge on a certain topic or consider yourself a creative writer, get publishing.
Once your book is available for download, you can wait for the royalties to arrive. And the great thing is, it has the potential to earn you money for years to come.
Full-time online money making
Perhaps, you’re looking for a whole new career and are happy to spend a full working week in front of a computer to make a living. Below are some full-time ideas.
Transcription
Do you have a good ear for understanding what people are saying? And do you have a strong grasp of spelling and grammar? Then a transcription job might be ideal for you.
The bulk of your work will be transcribing audio from videos so you can create subtitles. Although this doesn’t sound difficult, it can be hard work for newcomers and a slow process. However, the more you do, the quicker you can work and earn.
Video games
Yes, I’m being serious. Gaming has become a big business, with prize funds for winning tournaments now exceeding £1 million. This means we’ve seen the introduction of professional gamers signed up for Esports teams.
But, this isn’t as easy as it sounds, as it’s a competitive industry and you must be willing to dedicate hours sitting in front of a computer or console.
Find out more about making money from gaming.
Virtual Assistant
Working as a Virtual Assistant (VA) can be a pretty varied role and depends greatly on who you work for. You may be required to answer emails, post on social media, proofread or create spreadsheets. The chances are, one employer might not need you for a whole week, so you’ll spend your time working for various people.
So, which is the best way to make money online?
It depends on what you’re after and what type of skills you have. My personal favourites are online surveys and blogging. Online surveys are one of the easiest ways to make extra cash without much effort. Blogging is aimed more at the long term, but you can make good money if you stick with it.
But there are plenty of different ways to earn and whichever money maker you decide to opt for, make sure that you give it a good go and don’t give up too quickly. It can take months, if not years, to make a substantial income from a new earning opportunity.