20 Best Ways To Make Money Online For Beginners

Presented byTom Blake Hours Fresh Since

If you're wondering how to make money online as a beginner, you've come to the right place. At WebMonkey, we've tested hundreds of online jobs, hustles, and gigs over the years. And there are plenty of easy ways to earn money online without having experience or launching a complicated business.

Today, we're sharing some of these beginner-friendly ideas with you. Pick one or more of these ways to make money online for beginners and get ready to start earning!

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How To Make Money Online For Beginners

1. Answer Online Surveys

When it comes to making money online for beginners, one of the easiest ways to get started is to use different get-paid-to websites, or GPT sites.

GPT sites are free to use and pay you for completing short online tasks like answering paid surveys, downloading games, watching ads, and shopping online. I've personally earned hundreds if not thousands of dollars from different GPT sites over the years. And this was one of the first ways I made money online when I was in school.

Some of my favorite GPT and survey sites include:

Sites like Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie are where I'd suggest starting. But all of these websites are ways for beginners to make money online in a couple of minutes.

2. Online Freelancing

Another idea to make money online for beginners is to sell your skills online as a freelancer.

For me, freelance writing is what let me begin earning a 100% online income. And I even traveled to 6 continents while working entirely from my laptop.

Colombia Trip
Medellin, 2020. This was when I went all-in on making money online!

But freelance writing is just one way you can make money online as a beginner. Other popular freelance jobs include:

Personally, I found my first clients by turning to my personal network and blog contacts. But you can also use different remote job websites like FlexJobs to find beginner-friendly gigs. Finding beginner jobs on Upwork and Fiverr can also be an excellent way to get some work early on.

3. Play Games For Money

Do you enjoy playing video games? If so, one easy way to make money online for beginners is to use apps that pay you for playing games.

This is another idea I've tested and tried for years since college. And there are actually numerous high paying apps and websites that pay you to play new games like:

I'd suggest starting with Cash Giraffe or Rewarded Play if you like Android gaming. For iOS and PC gamers, Scrambly is my favorite option.

Just note that these apps are really a fun side hustle, not a full-time gig. I've used them in the past, and they're an easy way to make money with your phone. But don't expect serious income from these apps.

4. Start A Blog

If you want a creative passion project that can scale into a business, then starting a blog could be for you.

Blogging provides an opportunity to build an online audience by creating content about topics you love. And there are plenty of ways to monetize your blog, including:

  • Affiliate marketing
  • Selling sponsored posts
  • Display advertisements
  • Offering online coaching
  • Selling courses and eBooks

I also think blogging is a great way to make easy money online for beginners because you can start for free or very little. For example, I started my blog with SiteGround and a cheap WordPress theme, so you don't need a high amount of capital to start this business.

5. Print On Demand

With print on demand, you upload your designs to products and then sell them on a store like Etsy or Shopify. If you get a sale, the POD partner manufactures and ships the product to the customer, so you don't have to worry about any of the logistics.

This model means POD lets you focus on running an online store and coming up with creative designs, so you can focus on what's enjoyable.

When I was in college, one way I tried making money online was by selling meme merchandise on an Etsy print on demand store.

Setting up my store was honestly very simple. All I did was use Printify, a POD manufacturer, create a few meme mugs, and then publish them to my Etsy shop. It was very easy to create products to sell, and I launched my own Etsy shop in just two days.

printify-mug-setup
Creating products with Printify is incredibly easy. This is how I made a Caveman Spongebob meme mug.

And Etsy is just one example of how to make money with POD. You can also make money on Redbubble or by uploading your designs to sites like Zazzle or Society6.

I suggest using Printify if you try out this idea, but there are lots of POD integrations you can use as well.

6. Use Gig Apps

The gig economy has made it super easy to earn quick cash by doing odd jobs for people in your city. And while this isn't a completely online hustle, you still use technology to begin earning.

Here are some super easy gigs you can try out:

  • Walking dogs or pet sitting with gigs like Rover
  • Delivering food with Uber Eats or DoorDash
  • Being a rideshare driver with Lyft
  • Delivering packages for money with Amazon Flex
  • Getting paid to shop for groceries with Shipt

Plenty of these gigs can pay $15 to $25+ per hour in the right market. And this is a nice blend of online and in-person hustling if you want some variety.

7. Use Passive Income Apps

If you're like me, you probably love earning passive income. After all, who doesn't love the idea of making money on autopilot while they sleep or go about their day?

And the great news is that there are plenty of passive income apps you can use to begin earning money online as a beginner.

Several passive income apps I recommend include:

My favorite part is that plenty of these apps let you make money online for free. And you can try out several of them at once to find what works best for you.

👉 Start earning passive income with Arrived!

8. Make Money On YouTube

Do you love being in front of the camera? If the answer is yes, then you can always try making money on YouTube!

Despite what you might have heard, YouTube isn't too saturated to get started. And you don't need any previous video editing or filming experience either. After all, I launched my YouTube channel without knowing anything about the platform, and it's now passed 70,000 subscribers!

Any decent camera or phone camera is enough to get started, and you can find cheap USB microphones that do that job. And if you're consistent with your content, you'd be amazed at how quickly you improve your YouTube skills.

You can also explore similar ideas, like making money with a podcast or streaming on Twitch, if you like the idea of YouTube.

9. Sell eBooks & Courses

Another method to make money online for beginners you can try involves selling eBooks and digital products.

People do this all the time by selling courses, planners, printables, or guides to help people learn new skills. And this is also what we do at WebMonkey with our freelance writing eBook, Freelance Writing For Freedom, that teaches people how to make money with writing.

Freelance Writing For Freedom

I like selling eBooks and digital content since the profit margin is incredibly high. After all, you don't have to spend any money on inventory, production, or shipping.

You can also start an online store very easily with a platform like Shopify or Sellfy, and use tools like Canva to create products, so you don't need much money to begin selling.

10. Make Money With Microtask Websites

Microtask websites pay you for completing short online jobs that computers can't automate. Some common examples of micro jobs include:

There are also plenty of microtask sites you can use to get started. For example, Clickworker is a fairly global site, and it lets you earn PayPal cash for completing these sorts of jobs in your spare time.

Clickworker

You can also sign up with sites like Appen, Lionbridge, and Amazon MTurk for more opportunities. And even apps like Premise can pay you a bit of extra cash for completing short tasks around your city with your smartphone.

You can read our post on the best sites like Appen for even more microtask sites!

11. Start An Online Business

Starting an online business can sound very intimidating. However, there are plenty of beginner-friendly business models out there that you can try your hand at.

Some online business models you can consider include:

  • Creating and selling merchandise with your own Shopify store
  • Selling handmade goods or digital products on Etsy
  • Making money with online marketplaces like Redbubble
  • Starting a dropshipping business (you can start one easily with Shopify and use Spocket to find winning products)
  • Making money with Audible
  • Starting an online services or B2B business

I made a video that covers some of my favorite online business ideas, which includes things like running Shopify stores or starting a service-based business.

This entire ecommerce space is only going to keep growing, so it's the perfect time to start!

12. Join Market Research Groups

If you want to get paid to answer questions, joining online focus groups is another effective way to earn money online as a beginner.

Platforms like FocusGroup, User Interviews, and Respondent are excellent examples. These companies help connect participants with market research groups and studies, and you can potentially earn hundreds of dollars if you qualify for a study.

Respondent participant

Many studies are also completely remote. And while it's often difficult to qualify for studies since researchers are looking for very specific groups of people, it's not uncommon for studies to pay $500 a day or even more for your time.

Platforms like Apex Focus Group can also help you find online gigs. But again, it takes a long time to actually qualify in my experience.

👉 The Best Paid Focus Group Websites.

13. Get A Remote Job

While it sounds simple, another effective way to make money online as a beginner is to switch to remote work.

Switching my office job to a remote job was actually how I first got to travel and make money with my laptop. I was working at an advertising agency, and I convinced my boss to let me work from Florida for two months for a change of scenery.

I'm not alone, either. And there are plenty of easy online jobs that can be fully-remote as well like:

  • Customer support agents
  • Content writers
  • Editors
  • HR specialists
  • Paid advertising specialists
  • Graphic designers

If you're currently working an in-office job, you can always try talking with your boss about switching to a remote job like I did. Alternatively, you can look for remote jobs on websites like FlexJobs, which specializes in flexible, remote positions for beginners and more experienced workers.

You can also read our post on the best work from home jobs that provide equipment for more ideas.

14. Become A Virtual Assistant

If you have organizational skills, another way to make money online for beginners is to become a virtual assistant, or VA.

Online business owners like bloggers and ecommerce store operators often need help handling administrative tasks. This is where they hire VAs to help with tasks like:

  • Email correspondence
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Data entry
  • Booking travel arrangements
  • Social media posting

Virtual assistants can usually earn $10 to $20 per hour or get paid a monthly retainer. I've hired a few VAs in the past, and I've always paid a set rate per month for a certain number of hours.

Virtual-Assistant-Salary
VA average pay according to Indeed.

To get started, you can find virtual assistant jobs on marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr.

Alternatively, companies like Fancy Hands hire U.S. virtual assistants, even if you don't have experience! This makes this an ideal online job for beginners, and you can increase your rates over time as you find more clients.

15. Online Tutoring

Online tutoring gigs are an especially good idea if you have some experience teaching kids or excel in a certain subject. And the pay can be quite decent too.

For example, companies like BookNook pay U.S. tutors between $15 to $22 per hour to teach English and Math to elementary school students.

BookNook Tutor

You need a degree to apply, but this is a high-paying job that also has flexible scheduling options to suit your lifestyle. Other online tutoring jobs are similar. For example, companies like Qkids pay you to teach English online to younger students.

The main downside is that most tutoring gigs require having a degree or being in the process of getting one. But this is an excellent job for retired teachers, college students, and recent graduates.

16. Rent Out Stuff For Money

The rise of the sharing economy means it's easier than ever to make money by renting things to people in your city.

You can do this easily by renting out a spare room or basement to someone on Airbnb. There's also platforms like Turo for your car, Neighbor for storage space, and Fat Lama for equipment and tech.

👉 The Best Equipment To Buy To Make Money.

17. Flip Stuff Online

One classic side hustle idea that's been around since we've had money is to flip stuff for profit. And, thanks to technology, you can now run a flipping side hustle entirely online.

For example, a few people I know buy products on discount at stores like Walmart and Kohl's and then resell them for a slight profit on online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon FBA.

This is basic retail arbitrage. And I even know a couple running a million-dollar retail arbitrage business on Amazon, so you can see how high the income potential is.

amazon-retail-arbitrage
A snapshot of their Amazon FBA revenue for the last 30 days.

Retail arbitrage stores take a long time to scale and lots of practice. But the concept is still a perfect way to earn money online for beginners.

You can start out small by purchasing popular products you find on sale, like clothing, shoes, electronics, books, and toys. You can also sell your unused stuff if you want to clean out your house a bit.

Next, you simply resell the merchandise for profit using online marketplaces like eBay or Mercari. If that doesn't work, you can even try local selling websites like the Facebook Marketplace. Even with a small profit margin, you can slowly invest into more inventory as you work growing your resale hustle.

👉 The 20+ Best Things To Flip.

18. Test Websites For Money

Testing websites for money is another beginner-friendly gig you can try. Tests generally take 10 to 20 minutes and pay about $10 with this gig, which is a very good hourly rate.

Several popular user-testing gigs you can consider include:

PlaytestCloud

Testing sessions are a first-come, first-serve kind of deal, so it's difficult to get a lot of tests per month.

But using sites like UserTesting and others is an easy way to make quick money in your spare time. And you don't need any experience to start.

19. Sell Photos

Are you a decent photographer? If the answer is yes, you can always try selling stock photos or other types of photography online to make money.

Some of my friends actually do this and sell user-generated content photos and videos to brands. And the best part is you can often get paid for photos or videos you take with your phone for this type of content.

Just note that it can take time to find clients, and the world of stock photography licensing is very competitive.

Extra Reading – The Best Phone Side Hustles.

20. Write On Medium

If you're still wondering how to make money online for beginners, one final idea you can try is to make money writing on Medium.

Medium is a free blogging platform where you make money if premium members read your content. I started writing on Medium or republishing WebMonkey content there a few years ago, and I was able to earn $1,000 without much effort.

Earnings-from-Medium
My Medium earnings.

I think Medium is an excellent way for beginners to make money online because it takes all the technical work out of writing and blogging.

All you have to do is sign up and begin writing. And Medium has plenty of popular niches, including history, tech, politics, entrepreneurship, crypto, and so much more.

It can take a while to build a following on Medium. But if you like writing, I think sites like Medium are worth considering.

Tips For Getting Started

Now that you know how to make money online for beginners, I want to share some tips that I found very helpful when I was starting out and scaling my online income:

  • Set An Income Goal: How much money do you want to make online? Setting goals keeps us accountable and realistic. It doesn't matter if your goal is an extra $100 a day or $10,000 a month; set a goal and chip away at it!
  • Play To Your Strengths: I make money online with writing because it's my best skill. Think about your own skills, and pick hustles that match them as best as possible.
  • Try Several Ideas: Testing different money-making ideas helps you hone your skills and discover what pays well. So, try out freelancing online, or paid survey sites, or some other hustles until you find something that clicks.

Extra Reading – How To Make $1,000 In 24 Hours.

Final Thoughts

I hope this guide on how to make money online for beginners helps you find your footing so you can boost your income.

Just remember: it can take months or years to start making serious income online. But this is totally okay.

Personally, it took me more than a year to find my footing with some basic freelance writing gigs. And it took me over four years before WebMonkey was making a full-time income.

However, there are so many ways to make money online without paying anything. And many of these ideas are beginner-friendly. That said, don't be afraid of a challenge. You never really know where an online side hustle will take you until you try.

Looking for more ideas to make money? Checkout:

Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and making money online. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Forbes, and more.

Tom also founded the blog This Online World - a finance site dedicated to helping people make money online - in 2018. After 6 years, that site merged with WebMonkey, with the goal of helping even more people earn their first dollar of online income.

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