10+ Side Hustle Ideas to Make Money Online

The past two decades have turned the Internet into the perfect platform for entrepreneurs, professionals, and job seekers looking to generate income for their families and themselves. Some of the opportunities not only allow you to create with greater freedom but also give you enough time flexibility so you’re not burnt out.

This is great because you can have a full-time job and keep making money through side hustles that don’t take up too much time.

Here are 12 of the most lucrative ways to make money online:

• Create a Website
• Create an Online Course
• Become a Virtual Assistant
• Become a WordPress Developer
• Freelance Graphic Design
• Sell Your Crafts on Etsy
• Publish an eBook
• Create YouTube Videos
• Take Surveys Online
• Start a Dropshipping Business
• Photography
• Start a Podcast
• Rent Out Your Stuff

Create A Website

Creating a website is one of the most common side hustles that people pursue, and most are able to make a few hundred dollars every month. 

The key is to choose the right topic for your blog and scale all the selling points that can earn you a fortune. You can start making a six-figure income within a year if you are persistent.

If you would like a business-oriented blog, you can create B2B consulting blogs and promote your content to businesses rather than people. Maintaining great search engine optimization (SEO) will make sure you’re reaching your ideal audience.

To manage the expenses required to run the blog, you can become an affiliate of related products in your niche or even incorporate ads through Google Adsense.

Create an Online Course

Most of us acquire some kind of specialized skill or have detailed knowledge over a subject that can benefit others. This skill or knowledge can be shared and monetized in a structured manner through an online course.

Platforms like Teachable have close to 10 million subscribers who gain knowledge in a wide range of subjects. Thinkific is another platform to create courses online where courses can be published regardless of the niche you choose. You can offer music lessons, teach creative and professional writing, photography, fitness training, motivational talk, and more. If the topic requires more hands-on training, you can offer coaching calls through Zoom or Facebook Groups for a reasonable fee.

Become a Freelance WordPress Developer

Over 40% of the Internet uses WordPress to power their website. What does this mean for someone looking to make money online? Jobs! Lots of jobs!

The best place to freelance for WordPress online is through Codeable.io. They guarantee a minimum hourly rate of $70 USD, which can go as high as $120 per hour. While Codeable requires you to know WordPress inside and out and have a few years of experience working with clients, they have an assortment of projects from front-end to backend development, and even DevOps.

If you’re not a WordPress expert, consider platforms like Upwork or Toptal that have other freelance development jobs.

Become a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant helps with different tasks for a business or an individual without being physically present, i.e. online. If you have even the basic digital skills, you can earn additional income without investing too much time. Virtual Assistants can charge between $7 – $70 per hour for different tasks.

Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Flexjobs have freelancing jobs across every industry including graphic design, content writing, voiceover recording, music production, web design, etc. Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) offers jobs to individuals where they can complete microtasks for businesses across the world. Income through MTurk depends on the quantity of work you do. The more items or products you work on, the more you can earn.

Freelance Graphic Design Jobs

Register for an account on Fiverr, Upwork, or 99designs and you can find great paying graphic designing jobs. If you have a creative mind or are good with software like CorelDRAW, Indesign, Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator, you can land your first client as soon as you create your profile. Providing a portfolio of your work can increase the chances of turning potential clients into paying clients. On average, a professional graphic designer earns at least $60 an hour for an assignment. This could be your main source of income if you find major clients. Everything depends on how you promote yourself on these platforms.

Sell Your Crafts on Etsy

Selling products to a wider customer base across the world has gotten easier through platforms like Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. With global marketplaces providing platforms for niche-specific products, the income is much higher than a brick-and-mortar business if done the right way. Moreover, making your presence heard on every relatable platform can bring you more customers and more revenue. Selling crafts and products through Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms is necessary for omnichannel marketing. Building a presence on every site that is relevant to your business will increase the chance of success.

Publish an eBook

Another way you can create a reader base and make more money is through eBooks that offer more detailed information on a subject.

If you have a skill or passion, you can create eBooks to provide more information for others. You can self-publish eBooks through Amazon, Kindle or promote them on social media platforms. Offering loyal readers, subscribers, or listeners limited free reads of your eBook on Kindle can entice your audience to look at your other content. Bestseller eBooks typically range in price from $3-$7 per book. It may not seem like much but once the book is created and published, you can start earning money passively.

Create YouTube Videos

Instant fame, overnight success, and earning a million bucks may sound like some kind of magic when you think of it, but this has been the case with thousands of YouTube stars using the site to their advantage.

Monetizing your YouTube account through affiliate marketing and ads can help you create side income within a few months. If you focus on making quality videos with great titles, cross-promoting through other channels, and setting a consistent schedule, you will see a surge in the number of views and likes on your videos.

Once you build a following, you can set up an AdSense account which makes you eligible to put ads into your video so you can earn money as people watch. If you become a Youtube Partner, you can earn even more through Youtube Premium subscription fees, follower donations, and merchandise sales.

Take Surveys Online

Online survey sites like Swagbucks and Survey Junkie help individuals earn passive income by letting them take surveys online for brands and companies. These survey websites let you complete questionnaires and provide genuine feedback that will be handed over to market research companies or directly to brands. In exchange for completing their surveys, you will be rewarded with either cash, gift cards, or redeemable points. This is the perfect way to earn extra income if you are busy with your full-time job, business, or profession.

Start a Dropshipping Business

Unlike a traditional e-commerce platform, dropshipping doesn’t require you to hire a team, maintain inventories, and get a warehouse. Simply create a website for customers to buy your products. All orders will be forwarded to the manufacturers and the product will be delivered by the manufacturer to the provided address while you keep the margin.

Venturing into a less competitive product market can even get you a dropshipping deal with Amazon or eBay if you are clever enough to present the right margin offer. You can start small by using Facebook Marketplace to promote and sell your products.

Photography

If your camera is your eye, then you must make money out of it. This is a pretty old side hustle that can get you pretty consistent dividends.

Selling stock photographs to photo agencies such as Shutterstock, Corbis Images, Getty Images, Adobe Stock, etc can become passive income. These agencies are always eager to add more pictures to their archives so they can be sold to publications, magazines, newspapers, and various other media platforms. Take pictures of long-forgotten areas, cultures, traditions, practices, or items and upload them on the website of any of these agencies and get paid. Photos captured through an iPhone are also considered appropriate for the archives.

Start a Podcast

A huge community has emerged who spend a great deal of time eagerly listening to audio content – most of which are podcasts on every niche and subject out there.

You can develop a podcast where you can discuss topics, bring in guests, and involve listeners. Monetize the podcast through sponsorships and affiliate marketing to generate wealth. Choose the most lucrative hosting platforms (Spotify, iTunes, TuneIn, etc) that don’t charge you too much monthly fee for hosting your show.

To start your own podcast, you’ll need podcast hosting, and a device to record audio, such as an iPhone or computer.

Rent Out Your Stuff

If you have stuff piled up in your attic that you haven’t used for a long time, maybe it is time someone else uses it. Don’t like to give away stuff? Well, you can charge rent for it and still have it to yourself.

Be it that old convertible sitting in your garage or the vintage crockery that your grandma gave you at your wedding, everything can be rented out if you know the right platform. Platforms like Spinlister can be used to rent bicycles, Style Lend for clothes, Airbnb to rent out a room or the entire place to short-term guests or Turo to rent out your car at profitable rates. Using great pictures of your items can attract more customers.

Let’s Wrap It Up

Now that you have the 12 most lucrative side hustles, start putting your heart, soul, and sweat into promoting and sustaining them. They may even turn into a full-fledged business.

Staying on top of sales and marketing trends and innovating constantly will ensure greater success and put you in the pond with the big fish. All you need to find is the unique selling point (USP) for your products and services.