Watching me working from home, people often ask...
What are the ways to earn money online in India? And how much time does it take to actually start earning money?
Here is a timeline...
Until just 10 years ago, earning money online was unheard of. Even five years ago, if you said you earn money from the internet, it sounded ‘scammy’ and ‘iffy’. Even today, our most frequently asked question is ‘Are online money making opportunities fake? or, Is this real?'.
My friends often ask me, "How do you earn money from the internet? I also need big money fast".
It's not surprising since people conjure up visions of working leisurely and getting a steady cash flow. No wonder then that it becomes the preferred prowling ground for scamsters too. Some earlier favourites include check-cashing schemes and mystery shopping, as well as the ever-enduring data entry jobs.
Fast forward to 2016 and the present day:
The scammy jobs are still there, but technological advances and the advent of social media have ensured a boost in the quality and status of the work-from-home force.
Most at-home jobs require some good basic skills and a can-do attitude.
So my answer to my friends is to work on your skills and keep taking baby steps. Do not lose hope, join sheroes community and explore opportunity from fellow women who are already earning money online.
That was a broad, one-liner tip. Allow me to dive even deeper so that you get the idea of where actually you can make money online.
Here is a list of 21+ ways to earn money online by working from home:
More than ever, in this internet era, writers are needed everywhere to create content and come up with creative ideas to fill the pages of nearly every site on the internet.
Writing jobs from home is a new thing now.
A number of websites outsource their content and hire freelance writers and content creators. From writing blogs to producing website content, the options are good and varied.
Some writing experience is definitely helpful, but what you really require is good grammatical skills, the ability to express yourself, originality and a unique take on the mundane and the ordinary.
Most successful content writers are also good social media managers nowadays.
Do add links to your work in your profile/resume and if you don’t have any, start by writing a blog everyday and try contributing articles. You can also look at internships/volunteering roles to grow on the job.
Many businesses need employees who can assist customers, answer calls at different hours, process orders and track deliveries. With more businesses operating online, a large number of jobs are opening up for customer service associates who can work from home through internet.
Being an at-home customer service representative requires strict adherence to time, good communication skills, a courteous disposition and may require good research skills.
Experience as a virtual assistant and a background in remote jobs will help a lot.
Most of the work-from-home force is unaware of this option. Nevertheless, it is one of the top work-from-home choices. The catch is that most applicants are unaware of the skills required. But this feild is fast growing and now we have VAs in almost every niche of the ways to earn money online.
Online typing jobs are perfect for the part-time worker with few or no special skills and good for those who are starting up to earn money online but don't know where to begin and do not have investments to make.
It may include writing articles, copy paste work, filling forms and typing out CAPTCHAs. Follow the instructions and you can get paid for every page you type in MS Word.
Basic computer skills, familiarity with MS Word, typing skills and good typing speed. SHEROES curates and verifies all jobs posted under freelance Jobs tab.
Keeping in view the scams lurking in this space, we have limited the number of jobs though.
There’s no getting away from this one! On a serious note, a wide range of businesses , including international companies, need workers to enter various data into their systems - whether to track inventory and shipments, create business plans or add measures of performance, etc.
Basic knowledge of the computer and good typing skills are most important, as is vigilance on the job. It remains on the most wanted list of jobs and also, one that requires cautious steps, given its high susceptibility towards scams.
There's a growing demand for teachers in all subjects - especially core subjects like languages, mathematics, history and science - both at school and college levels. Instead of standing in a classroom, you'll teach via Skype or in a pre-recorded session. This is a great option for teachers who are unable to adhere to typical school schedules and for those who have a flair for teaching.
You have to be a qualified teacher with necessary degree and/or expertise and fluency in the subject.
A background and reference check along with interviews are the general norms. Commitment to the required time/schedule and an extensive knowledge of or expertise in the subject are expected. Just an experience in home tuitions won’t do.
Corporates require spoken English training sessions range from making professional conversations to running a meeting.
Trainers are provided with specifics on how to teach each topic and are also trained before starting the job. Lessons take place either over the phone or live on Skype.
Office experience is helpful since most students work in a corporate environment.
You must have good spoken English and communication skills, you should have an enthusiastic and be articulate, as well as have an affinity for people. If you're bilingual/multilingual, that's a plus.
A freelance recruiter gets hired by businesses to help them find the best possible candidates for open positions in their own organisation.
The pay-scale will usually be a percentage of the income earned by the full-time employee that the recruiter places for the company - though, at times, you get a fixed salary. The prime factor is the flexibility to work from anywhere, with no obligation to remain in the same place.
You must have enough recruiting knowledge and on-the-job experience as a recruiter. Since you will be working independently, you must have the ability to deliver what you promise, on your own. A degree in HR is often a prerequisite.
This requires resolution of callers’ queries, related to that particular industry, and giving plausible answers.
Being a smooth, polite and calm communicator helps. Opt for this only if you can designate a certain suitable time, as this job requires working according to a set schedule.
You may be provided training in resolving queries. Good on-the-job performance is mandatory to stay on.
Good communication skills, listening skills, the ability to make a sales pitch, the ability to resolve issues and to be able to work uninterrupted are all plus points.
You will work for multiple employers if you are doing freelancing. On Upwork, for example which is a freelancing job portal, where you can make a free account with your skillsets mentioned in your profile . Then you can go on to promote your profile with a great pitch on social media and other influencial platforms. This way, you will get more visibility onn your profile and hence people will eventually start knowing about you and the work you do and you will start getting clients and money, all by working online.
One of the most in-demand online jobs right now is blog writing or content writing. Content writing is necessary and perhaps the most important skill any online platform could have. It targets both the live viewers and search engines’ algorithm. In blog writing job, the rule of thumb is simple - do a detailed research around the topic you are going to write about. Then decorate it with all kind of useful knowledge that the topic will cover and help the reader in solving their pain points
The money you are going to earn will depend on your writing skills and style. Some employers prefer 'perfect' English, others would want native English, while you can also find employers that are not too meticulous when it comes to grammar. These days, even some blogs are often on the lookup for a local language freelancer.
Affiliate marketing is a way of selling other's product through your online influence. Everyone has some presence on social media. If you want to earn money through your online presence, you should work more on getting in touch with more people. Even with those whom you have never met.
There will be so many big and small companies ready to sell their product through your social profile and in exchange some of them give you decent share fro the profite they make.
You can also set up your own blogging site if you really want to earn a great amount of cash with this. Some bloggers earn 30LPA to 45LPA in India through affiliate marketing.
Graphics Designing allows you to earn good money even if you have not done any professional course. If you are a professional, you know how to start. But if you are not a graphic design professional and you think you have good sense of designing, you can do some short term course to start witt. As you earn money and do projects, you will learn a lot.
To earn money online through graphic designing, all you need to have is to know the types of design tools and be handy with them. Although apart from keen knowledge and understanding of photo editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign, you need to learn the techniques of typography, UI/UX courses and conversion approaches which are not that hard to learn.
There are many kinds of graphic design opportunities which will be based on your skills and creativity. Website graphic design is perhaps the most delicate job. You can start your venture with marketing design such as social media ads and online banners. For such easy jobs, you can use free online design tools like Canva.
In case that you are fully committed to your job, you can simply earn money online by joining PTC sites. There are several PTC sites where you can earn money in the simplest way. The process will vary depending on the site you joined. Most frequently, you need to watch advertisements, click banner ads and answer surveys.
To give you a further idea, all you need is watching an advertisement for 10 seconds or even more so - depending on the terms - then you automatically earn $0.01. As simple as this, you can earn as much as $100 up to $200 in a month. Not bad after all eh?
If you spend too much of your time on social media networks, why not earn some money while using them. You can do so by taking good care of someone’s social media pages or platforms. All you have to do is to understand the different angles of the business - whether the platform is selling products or offering services. You are going to answer potential customers’ queries, create advertisements, update the viewers and connect with the social media community.
You need to be creative by posting images or featuring infographics. You can also find online tools that can help you make astonishing designs prior to your social media campaign. Canva for social media graphics is an amazing design tool which allows anyone and everyone to create multiple layouts and designs.
This may seem simple as it sounds, but you need to build an online reputation of your employer’s platform by gaining likes and shares.
This sounds pretty much obvious. For starters, you need to join buy and sell websites. Ensure that you read the terms and agreement before uploading your stuff online. Just like any platform, you need to present your stuff or products in the most creative ways and then promote it everywhere.
No one would like to buy old, dusty and rusty stuff. Hence, make sure that the things you are going to sell online, must be presented well. In case there are some issues, make sure to include them so the buyers would be aware.
As long as you build your credibility online and you present your stuff well, you can sell anything and earn easy money online. This way you can make money online and get paid through PayPal and other online payment services.
If you are the type of person who loves music, how about earning money out of your passion? There are many platforms who are searching for music for their advertisements. This is where your talent and passion comes to the scene. It can take a while finding a client or employer online, but this can be very lucrative. Of course, you need to invest a bit so you can make a good beat or music.
You need the right software, musical instruments, and a good music recording room. You can also review music by reviewing bands and artists online. You can earn about $100 in a month just by working from home without any investment.
You may have noticed that there are several individuals these days who love to upload videos via YouTube. Some do this for fame while others just love to upload videos because they just like it. But there is more than this. Youtube lets you earn passive money. Again, being an online sensation may take a while, but as soon as you build a reputation and you have plenty of fans from your YouTube channel, you can earn good amount of money by YouTube advertising. When you gain a million views on a video, YouTube will include advertisements to your videos and this allows you to earn cash.
Moreover, it allows you to enter into the show business. There are plenty of folks who shot to fame on YouTube, to name a few here are Susan Boyle, Justin Bieber, Arnel Pineda and Carly Rae Jepsen. There are no formulas or rules on the road to fame. As long as your video goes viral, there is a chance that the opportunity will knock your door twice.
All you need to pick is your niche and make sure that this is your forte. For example, if you have the skills in selling, why not become a vlogger that features techniques of selling. There are also vloggers that make product reviews and can earn cash over it. Valuetainment by Patrick Bet-David is a good example of Vlog that made him famous and let him earn money over it.
If writing is your passion, why not earn money by making eBooks and sell them online? While there are better and faster ways to earn online, eBooks allows online users to learn about technical topics and it is still extremely lucrative event these days. Like vlogging, you need to pick your niche when making eBooks which is a great source of passive income. For example, if you understand the know-how of Binary Options Trading, why not make one to help anyone who wants to venture into this kind of industry? You can sell your eBooks from several online store platforms such as Amazon Kindle. You can also connect with thousands of online users to market your eBook.
If you’ve been exposed a long time to the corporate world, then becoming a virtual assistant might just be your thing. Here, you will be assigned as the boss’ personal assistant, but this time it’s virtual. You don’t need to report to the office and you don’t need to follow your boss. All you need to do is to assist your employer with whatever he or she needs. In most cases, you are the one who checks the schedule and plenty of paperwork. You need a very decent internet connection to make everything in order.
Besides the jobs listed above, other popular and legitimate home based jobs options include:
#21. Software Developer
#22. Web Developer/UX,UI Designer
#23. Travel Blogging
#24. Counsellors &/or Consultants
#25. Instructional Design Specialist
The options will keep increasing as more and more companies discover the ease, potential and possibilities in the ‘flex’ format. There are openings for lawyers, chartered accountants, financial analysts, mobile app developers, cooking experts and interior designers as well.
Working from home is a win-win situation that is coming alive, thanks to technology. However, the bottom line is that you need to research the possibilities and develop the skills required for many of these jobs.
Let me know your experience of working from home or anywhere as a digital nomad and make money online in the comments below.