Technology is booming and Internet use is spreading faster every day. The number of Internet users grew from 3.26 billion in 2016 to 3.74 billion in 2017. As you can see, the Internet is expanding very fast.
As you can also see, that’s a lot of potential customers for an online business.
Starting an online business is a great way to give yourself some freedom. You can work anytime, from anywhere. You could even experience life in another country for a time and still earn enough income.
Does this sound appealing to you? Here are some online business ideas to get you started.
Blogging
Do you enjoy writing? Would you enjoy writing about a particular topic? Turn that passion into dollars with an online blog.
This is perfect for folks that have something to say. It doesn’t have to be all written either. You can post videos, repost interesting articles or news, and pepper your page with pics.
It takes a little while to start making money with an online blog. It takes time to build your readership up. But if you have something interesting to say (and say it in an interesting way) you’ll have loyal readers in no time.
Starting a blog is one of the most popular online business ideas out there. It doesn’t even cost much to get started. You can get going with a free site like Blogger. You can also do your own site and find inexpensive hosting.
You will have to put a lot of time into it. You have to be consistent and keep finding interesting content to post. But the great thing about blogging is it can be the starting point of so much more.
Once you build up a significant readership you can start adding moneymakers to your site.
You can add Pay-Per-Click ads like those offered through Google AdSense. You can start up affiliate marketing. We’ll explain more about that in the next section. And you can market any other products you may wish to sell to your already gathered audience.
With blogging, the sky is the limit. Be creative about the products and information you offer. And be genuine. People like to read genuine content.
A blog can be a nice supplementary income, or you can turn it into a substantial income stream. It all depends on how much effort you put into it.
Affiliate Marketing
As promised, we’ll now explain what affiliate marketing is.
Companies always want new ways to get their products in front of more potential customers. One way is to use affiliate marketing.
You, as an affiliate, will put other companies’ products in front of your audience. If someone in your readership decides to buy (and clicks on it through your site) you’ll get a commission.
Pick what you want to promote. It can be anything from electronics to Old School Tees.
Some bloggers base their blogging around reviewing and recommending products. If you can provide helpful input, this can be a lucrative income stream.
Once you get the ball rolling companies may even send you products to try out for free. At first, it might only be small stuff. But you could at some point start getting some awesome stuff for free! As far as online business ideas go, this one can be super great!
Drop Shipping
Drop shipping is a handy way to sell products without having to keep an inventory.
How does it work?
You set yourself up with a reputable drop shipping company. Reputable is important. If they are late or their product is of unacceptable quality that comes back on you.
You also set yourself up selling products on a known platform like Amazon. Your customer then buys something. You then buy that product from your drop shipper (wholesaler) at a reduced price. The drop shipper then sends out the product.
You can even automate the order process so you don’t have to send each order by hand.
This is a competitive market and you won’t make a killing on each individual sale. But a lot of little sales over time can add up. You can even create your own brand to help stand out from the competition.
Sell Handmade Crafts
Online businesses ideas don’t always have to be about selling other people’s products. If you like working with your hands and making crafts you could sell your work.
Sites like Etsy are great for selling handmade crafts. This will never turn into a passive income stream. But you can turn your hobby into handy supplemental income.
You can buy your materials cheaper in bulk. So if you plan to make enough items to sell, be sure to look for those deals. That will keep your startup costs down and raise your profit margin.
Videos and Informational Products
This is the digital age and digital information is at a premium. With knowledge about a niche and the ability to express it in an interesting way, you can make money.
There are a few ways you can do this. You can make videos and post them on YouTube. Allow YouTube to put ads on your video and you’ll make money when viewers click on them.
You don’t have to have a bunch of fancy equipment to make this happen. While a video production crew might be nice, a smartphone will do. Make sure the lighting and audio is good and learn to use a simple editing software and voila!
If you create engaging and informative content, people will watch. They won’t care that you recorded the video with a phone.
You can also write e-books and manuals. Instruction books, travel guides, cookbooks, the possibilities are endless!
Once you get enough popular content, it’s a great passive income stream. Check it once in a while to find out what your moneymakers are and create more along those lines.
Choose Some Online Business Ideas
Go ahead, pick one of these online business ideas and get started today! Check out our blog for lots more information and ideas. A little extra income never hurt anybody.
Someday you may even make enough to quit your job and travel the world! When you are not tied to a 9-5 the opportunities are endless.
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