However, if you are careful and research the sites you sign up with, you can actually find a number of ways that you can earn money online, and for many, there is no investment involved.
12 Ways to Make Money Online
1. Work as an Insurance POSP
A good way to earn money online is by becoming a POSP (Point of Salesperson). This is a kind of insurance agent who works with insurance companies, and sells insurance policies. All you need for the job is a smartphone and a good internet connection, and it can be done online from home.
To qualify as an insurance POSP, you need to be over 18 years old, and graduate Class 10, then you must complete a 15-hour compulsory training offered by the IRDAI. Your income will be on a commission basis, and the more policies you sell, the more you can earn. You can find out more about the steps, requirements, and regulations for becoming a POSP agent here.
2. Look for Freelancing Work
Another popular way to earn money online is through freelance work. Those who are good at programming, editing, writing, designing, and more can look at portals like Upwork, PeoplePerHour, Kool Kanya, Fiverr, or Truelancer to find work with businesses that look for freelancers. You just need to register on one or more of these portals (usually for a small fee), and based on the work you offer, you can gradually work your way towards high-paying gigs as a freelancer.
3. Try Content Writing Jobs
If you’re good at writing, you can even look to make money online through content writing. Lots of companies these days outsource their content work. You can register yourself on websites that offer this online work, such as Internshala, Freelancer, Upwork, and Guru. There, you can set your preferences as a writer and then start to get paid work from companies to write about things like brands, food, travel, and other topics, or even just correcting existing articles.
4. Start Blogging
If you enjoy writing, but you don’t want to work as a content writer for others, you can also start your own blog. Blogging sites like WordPress, Medium, Weebly, or Blogger, offer both free and paid services. Once you know your areas of interest, like book reviews, food recipes, travel, arts and crafts, etc., you can start writing about it.
Once your site begins to get some visitors, you can earn money through ads. Depending on the traffic to your site and your readership, you can earn up to ₹2,000-15,000 a month for your ad space.
5. Sell Your Digital Products
On your blog or website, you can even sell digital products of things you have covered, like recipes, or instructions for crafts. This includes audio or video courses, e-books, design templates, plug-ins, PDFs, printables, or UX kits.
You can also distribute and sell these kinds of downloadable or streamable media through sites such as Amazon, Udemy, SkillShare, or Coursera. Since you only need to make your product one time, and you can sell it as many times as you want, you can have high profit margins for a well-made and unique product.
6. Look For Translation Jobs Online
If you are someone who knows multiple languages, you can also earn money online as a translator. In this global age, there is quite a demand for people to translate everything from documents to voice mails, papers, subtitles and much more. You can find such work with specialized translation agencies or through freelancing portals such as Freelance India, Upwork, or Truelancer.
Your income will be based on the number of languages you know, and while you can earn sufficient money through Indian languages alone, you can always earn more if you know a foreign language (like French, Russian, Spanish, or Japanese) and have a certificate for the same. Generally, you will be paid per word, and you can make from ₹1 to ₹4 per word based on the language.
7. Beta Test Apps and Websites Before They are Released
Since almost everyone has a smartphone or a computer these days, one of the easiest ways to earn money online is by testing out apps and websites. As companies and app developers don’t want users to get confused by their new products, they hire users to do what is called ‘Beta Testing’. Sites like BetaTesting, Tester Work, Test.io, or TryMyUI offer such jobs.
You just need to test out these sites or apps and then report your user experience, or identify any bugs before they go live to the public. Depending on the product that is being beta tested, and your experience with the process, you can earn from ₹1000 to ₹3000 each time.
8. Work as a Travel Agent
One underrated and easy job you can do online is to find work as a travel agent or a travel planner. While making travel bookings can be done online nowadays, it can be quite a hassle for those who are busy with work or unfamiliar with the internet. Thus, many people look for travel agents to help them through the process.
You can either work with sites like Upwork, AvantStay, or Hopper, or just work as a self-employed travel agent. In both cases, your earnings will depend upon your clients, as well as the company you work for.
9. Find Data Entry Jobs
Another option to make money from home is through data entry jobs. These kinds of jobs can be done online with just a computer, knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft tools. You just need to register on a trusted site like Axion Data Entry Services, Data Plus, Freelancer, or Guru. Then you can start accepting data entry jobs from companies worldwide. They will send you an email or a link to the data source, and instructions about what to do. With these jobs, you can earn ₹300 to ₹1,500 per hour (be sure to check their legitimacy before transferring your details).
10. Opt for Online Tutoring
If you have a lot of knowledge about a given subject, or you are currently a college student, one good option to earn money online might be to offer online tutoring lessons. Students at every level are looking for lessons in everything from English, math, science, history, and even help with competitive exams. And based on which subjects you teach, you can set an hourly rate based on your expertise and you can earn up to ₹200–500 per hour.
You can choose to sign up with an online tutoring platform like Udemy, or Coursera, or you can also reach out and look for people in your social circles who need tutoring classes.
11. Invest in Stocks
A lot of people are wary of investing in the stock market, but it can be a great way to make money online. When you invest in stocks, you are just buying shares of a company, and when those company shares increase in value, you will get paid “dividends” by the company.
While stocks can indeed be risky (as when companies aren’t doing well, the value of your shares may reduce), but you can reduce this risk by diversifying your portfolio. With a number of profitable shares, you can earn high dividends just by working online.
12. See if Affiliate Marketing Works for You
Another good way to earn money online is through affiliate marketing. While this method would work best if you have a large social media following a website, blog, or a large mailing list, it can be a great way to make money online with no investment.
With affiliate marketing, you become an affiliate to a brand or company like Amazon, and you promote their products to your followers or readers including a link on your site. Then, you will be able to earn money on a commission basis. Thus, the more people who buy the brand’s products using your link, the more you will earn.
The past few years have disrupted many of our regular lives, but as you can see that there are a lot of ways that you can turn your hobbies and interests into ways to earn money online.
There are lots of options for anyone looking for how to earn money from online jobs. You can easily find something that suits your interests and areas of knowledge and turn your free time into a way to make money on the side. These are perfect for students, homemakers, retirees, and even those who already have a job, to earn money online.
Just remember to be on the look out for fraudulent websites and companies.
You can research any site thoroughly and read their reviews and comments before you register.
If a website offers long work hours, but won’t pay you much as compensation, try to avoid it.
When sharing your personal details online, always be careful.
And, always remember to read any contract offered to you before signing.
Read other important articles
How to become an Insurance Agent
How to become a Health Insurance Agent
How to become a Vehicle Insurance Agent
How to Make Money from Home in India?
How to Make Money Online in India?
How Can You Sell Insurance Online?
Benefits of Becoming an Insurance POSP
Effective Ways for Senior Citizens to Earn Money Online
How to Earn a Passive Income
How to Earn Money at Home for Housewives
How to Earn Money Online without Investments for Students?
How to Earn Money Online Without Investment?
How to Start An Insurance Agent Business