Can I make money online from home?
This is a question I’ve asked myself many times in the past. I dragged my feet. I procrastinated. Then finally, as we’re nearing retirement and needing supplemental income, I buckled down and started to really research the topic.
I found some amazing information and statistics and started kicking myself. Why hadn’t I started this sooner?
My name is Suzanne, and my mission is to help people answer that same question. And to show you how easy it is to get started.
With the proper education and tools, I overcame my fears and am now proud to say that I’m an online marketer. This is where I learned all about it...
Contents
Some Of Those Amazing Stats…
As of April 2019, more than half of the world’s population (56.1%) has internet access. And the majority of those users (81%) are from the developed world.
In 2017, global online sales were 2.3 billion dollars. And they’re projected to be 4.9 billion by 2021. I would love a piece to that pie, LOL.
I think I can safely say there are definitely opportunities to make money online.
According to other statistics, the projected internet advertising budgets were expected to exceed the TV advertising budgets. E-commerce is the way of the future.
The brick and mortar stores are struggling to keep up with online markets. Those that haven’t integrated their own online sites are slowly disappearing.
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Why Are People Wanting To Make Money Online Anyway?
Think of why you were searching this question online. Is it because you want to supplement your income?
These days it’s difficult to live on one income unless you’re a loto winner haha. Many families are struggling to make ends meet with even two incomes. And if you have children at home, the last thing you want to do is leave for a second job.
Are you a stay at home parent? Many couples choose one parent to stay home with their children. This is often a blessing and a burden financially.
Are you near retirement or already retired and discover your pension plan or life’s savings just aren’t enough? Or maybe you dislike working for other people and dream of having your own business.
What If I Don’t Have Any Online Experience?
That’s OK. I didn’t either. As I said earlier, with the proper education and tools, anyone can start building their online business. With dedication and a little hard work, you can become successful too!
When I started searching for online courses, I came across so many people promising me overnight riches or made-for-you businesses. All I had to do was pay them $$$.
Please promise me you won’t fall for these scams. They can sound so convincing and sincere. I have to admit I fell for a couple but learned my lesson.
Nothing worthwhile comes that easily, and you certainly don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to learn how to do this.
I want to save you the stress of trying to figure out how to do this and show you how I started.
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Where Do You Start?
With your niche!
Your niche is the topic you wish to talk about. It should be something you’re passionate about and want to share with people, but you also need to know that some niches are better than others.
The proven niches that work, according to The Balance, are:
- Fitness and Weight Loss
- Health
- Dating and Relationships
- Pets
- Self Improvement
- Wealth Building Through Investing
- Make Money On The Internet
- Beauty Treatments
- Gadgets and Technology
- Personal Finance
I’d like to throw a couple more in there… Food, and Lifestyle.
Lifestyle is a pretty broad niche, so you’ll want to narrow that down to things like:
- Gardening
- Travel
- Survival
- Home Decor
- etc…
If you have a passion or at least an interest in one of these areas or have any sort of expertise, then it’s a win-win!
The whole idea behind a niche is to find a problem that resonates with people. And when you’ve figured that out, address the problem and offer solutions.
People inherently want to be better versions of themselves. So to attract your readers, you want to understand what it is they want. Is it to be a better parent? How to make more money? How to lose weight?
If your blog can promise them solutions to their needs, they will listen to you.
So the next question is how to find your audience.
Where Do You Find Your Audience?
This is the most important step to making money online. Because, no audience, no money!
So you need to build that audience. And if they pay attention to you, you can make money.
One way to attract visitors is to use social media. If you have a Pinterest account, for example, that can drive a lot of traffic to your site.
And don’t forget Facebook. According to Smart Insights, Facebook still takes up the lion’s share of time spent on the four main sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Learning how to properly use social media for marketing is also important. It’s not as simple as throwing up images or videos, and hoping people will find you, lol.
Finding some great training could mean the difference between “cricket sounds” on your account or thousands of views each month.
Here are some ideas for you:
- Udemy – There are top-notch social media marketing courses here. And if you time it right, they often have their courses on sale for $14.99.
- LinkedIn (formerly Lynda.com) – Here are more excellent courses.
- Facebook (and Instagram) – Why not go straight to the source?
- You can probably find tons of advice on Youtube.
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Five Great Ways To Make Money Online
No matter what means you choose to make money online, it will usually involve a website and blogging or content marketing.
It’s your articles that reach people. With the proper use of keywords, you can attract those people who are searching for answers to their problems.
#1: Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the easiest way to make money online from a product point of view. You don’t have to make anything, store anything or ship anything.
You simply post your affiliate link on your site, linking to the manufacturer of the product you’re promoting. When someone makes a purchase from your link, you get paid.
Now, this isn’t saying that you just post links and people will come, lol.
You will need to write a lot of content for your site, as well as find other means to drive traffic there. Like social media, Youtube videos etc.
Some “gurus” will try to tell you that you don’t need a website, but I don’t recommend that. Any successful online business has its own website. That’s the face of your business. Your online real estate. Your brand.
#2: Ads
When you read through my article, do you notice some ads? These are Adsense Ads by Google. I usually place them in 3 or 4 places, depending on the length of my article.
There are many ad networks you can apply for. And they do all the work for you.
The only issue with display ads is that you need a ton of traffic to make it worthwhile. Adsense will accept your application fairly early on.
But the better-paying networks like AdThrive or Mediavine require you to have a minimum amount of page views each month. 25K for Mediavine, and 100K for AdThrive.
When your site is well established and getting lots of views, then your ad income can become a significant part of your overall income. And I’m talking thousands of dollars!
#3: Ebooks
This is another simple way to make money. If you love writing, then create a book that people will love, and your off to the races!
Everyone has the tools to write books. Like “Word”, “Pages”, or Google Docs. When you’re done, just export it as a PDF.
There are also online tools to turn your PDF into a great looking book with images, fancy fonts, headlines, chapters, etc.
Designrr is my favourite tool to use. It’s easy. Just upload your document and it’ll transform into an awesome book that only needs a little touch up from you. I’ve noticed they are offering a great promotional price right now too. This will give you a great idea of what it can do.
If you’re a budding author, there’s also Kindle Direct Publishing. You can self publish ebook and paperbacks for free for Amazon readers.
#4: Online Courses
This is one of the most lucrative ways to make money online. With online courses, you can make a thousand dollars by selling only a few, depending on your price.
And with the income comes many time-consuming processes to make it great. It’s not only the writing but usually involves videos and personal coaching.
But if you sell your course at $997 or so, and sell even 10, it’s all worthwhile don’t you think?
Did you know there are online tools to help you create wonderful courses? Teachable is one such tool. It’s used by many very successful online entrepreneurs, like Pat Flynn and Melyssa Griffin!
#5: Membership Sites
This is a great way to create passive income. When you can offer various courses, community support, video lessons, etc, and continue to provide value to your audience, membership sites are a wonderful way to create a recurring income.
It can be monthly, quarterly, or annual. The trick is having a large enough community to keep people interested. If they joined your program to be amongst other like-minded people, it won’t work too well if there are only 1 or 2, lol.
Because that’s a big factor in keeping people engaged, you will want to have a large, loyal following before attempting to ask people for their investment.
Are There Other Ways?
Oh my yes! There are many more ways…
- Podcasting
- E-commerce
- Dropshipping
- Services
- Freelance work
- Flipping websites
- Creating digital products
And the list goes on… I’ve written a few articles on various ideas. Take a look at 40 Way To Make Extra Money At Home. This post keeps growing when I discover more ideas, lol.
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Conclusion
After failing a few times, and becoming very overwhelmed with the process of building my own business, I found the perfect place to settle down and take it one step at a time.
They have everything you need in one place. They have certification courses, lots of video classrooms, all the tools I needed for websites, hosting, and keyword research.
My favourite part is the global community. It’s large, live, and very active. It’s easy to get immediate answers any time of day or night.
You can sign up for a starter account for free. No credit card needed.
You get access to the entire platform to check it out. You get two free websites and phase 1 of the certification course. It’s a step by step course that shows you how to build your website and get your business up and running.
They have been a success online for 15 years and currently have over 1 million members. Surely they’re doing something right, eh?
No matter how long you search online, I can guarantee you there’s no other platform or combination of services that provides all this for such a low price, let alone all under one roof.
If you click on the image below, you can read all about it. When you join, I’ll greet you on the inside, and help you as long as you need me to. See you soon!
Would you like to learn how to make money online? If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I’d love to hear from you.
If you know of anyone else looking to make money online, please share.
Your friend,
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne,
Great post. Absolutely spot on. There are so many scams out there these days it really can be hard to find the wheat from the chaff! So I myself have often questioned whether it is truly possible to make money online. But like you, I have enjoyed fantastic success at Wealthy Affiliate and am so glad that you and others here in the comments area have too. It really is a great platform – backed up by great support and superb tools…. such as Jaaxy. Thanks again. I really appreciate this information and wish you every success for the future.
Sean
Thank you Sean, so nice of you to comment! It’s taken me a lot of years to finally find myself here, and I’m so glad I have. Onward and upward!
Blessings,
Suzanne
Great post! I think the Wealthy Affiliate you talked about is priced pretty good for what you get. But you do have to put it to use I’m sure. We’ll written and informative.
Hi David,
Yes it’s an excellent price for everything you need in one place. If you tried to put all this together online, from various products, it would cost you so much more. And no one provides excellent, updated training like Wealthy Affiliate. Best wishes to you!
Cheers,
Suzanne
With the invention of the internet, it is amazing how life has changed the way we do business. Getting into business in the online world is truly amazing because of the global reach
Hi Norman, and yes things are changing rapidly aren’t they. To think we can work a business from home, online, and communicate with people around the world in seconds is incredible. And Wealthy Affiliate is an amazing place to get that business going!
It can be done and I’m living proof.
The secret having and great learning platform and community just like Wealthy Affiliate. You also need hardwork and determination and anything is possible.
Great post Suzanne.
You are so right Vince! If you’re willing to put in the effort and commitment, Wealthy Affiliate will get you there. There’s no better platform online. It has everything you need under one roof.
Cheers,
Suzanne
I am looking to eventually leave my job some time in the future and would like to know how long it is going to take to replace my income if I choose to do affiliate marketing? Will Wealthy Affiliate allow me to make money fast?
Hi Jessie,
That all depends on how committed you are to working on your business. Some see sales as early as 3 months, but to gain authority with Google, you’re most likely looking at 6 months to a year. Like any business, it takes time to gain people’s trust. The more “real” you are with helping people, the sooner you’ll gain that trust. The free membership with Wealthy Affiliate will guide you through this question. Why not give it a try and let me know how it goes? I’m here to help!
Blessings,
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, this was an awesome post! I like how you shared the online stats. Very interesting.
I definitely agree with you Wealthy Affiliate is the best investment that I have made all year.
What I know today, is because of what I learned through the awesome WA community and step by step training.
I too experienced the programs that made a lot of promises, cost thousands of dollars, and after I signed it went downhill hill from there. So, just because a program cost more does not mean it is worth it. I got nothing out of the programs that I signed up with but, a lesson learned and another bill to pay.
After not giving up, I found WA and I am a current member of WA, started off as a free member. I saw the many benefits that was offered and went premium. It is the best decision I made. Awesome post, Suzanne! Thank you for sharing this…
Thanks so much Lakisha! It truly is the best place to be. My favourite thing with Wealthy Affiliate is their live chat and support. It feels like family. Getting answers and encouragement, almost immediately, is such a blessing when you need it.
Cheers,
Suzanne
This is a great post. I’m just starting out in the online business and I have not started seeing returns as yet, but it is a great learning opportunity and it’s worth the work to see real returns.
Hi Motheo,
Any education is worth the time investment. Wealthy Affiliate is a great place to learn about online businesses and I wish you the very best with your campaign. Don’t give up. It will pay off in the near future.
Blessings,
Suzanne
I’m living proof you can make some coin online. I’ve used WA and learnt so much which has got my passive income rolling in.
Best of all its free to try and do all the online courses.
Hi Vince,
I’m so happy you’re seeing success! With a little work, anyone can do this. I’m proof of that lol.
Cheers,
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne,
Great article, with valuable information for anyone wanting to have an online business. I am retired now and absolutely love WA, like you I wish I had found this long ago. But, better late than never. You did a great job telling the great things WA has to offer.
Hi Riley, and thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I wish I had found it years ago too. Think where we’d be today!! lol.
Cheers,
Suzanne
Very informative post. I really learned a lot from the link you posted to the Wealthy affiliate site and video. He explains exactly what the process is of making money online and showed how simplistic the process is. It’s really about taking the time out and making it happen. I’ve read so many scammy things online about making money on the internet but this company seems legit!
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, there are many scams out there. There are legitimate ones too but way too costly. At WA they walk you through step by step and you earn while you learn. I enjoy it immensely.
Blessings,
Suzanne
Suzanne, great informative post here. I almost took part in a different online affiliate program myself until I saw the cost upfront. I’m not sure if there would’ve
been any recurring costs. But being able to be a free member at WA sold me. However, I quickly saw the need to go premium.
Hi Michelle,
There are many programs out there but all are more costly than wealthy affiliate. What I like is that you can try before you buy. And yes, it doesn’t take long to discover the awesome benefits of becoming premium.
Cheers,
Suzanne
Great post, Suzanne! I’m kind of in the same sort of boat as you… but I’m not facing retirement, I’m facing going back to work after my kids are both in school. Currently I’m a SAHM, and we hope to have me stay that way until the kids are in school – but we’ve chosen a private school (public schools where I am are a bit of a mess), and it’s pricey. If I don’t want to have to enter the rat race again, I need some supplemental income. Can I make money online… it sounds like with some work on my part, and some excellent training, it can be done! Wishing us both luck!
Hi Marlaine,
I hear ya! I was a stay at home mom too. We had to sacrifice but it was worth it. And yes, with a some commitment we can do this! WA has the excellent training, all we need is a little elbow grease.
Best wishes to you and your success,
Suzanne
As a member of Wealthy Affiliate I totally endorse this post. The WA experience is a life changing alternative that delivers for everyone interested in an online business.
Thanks Maurice, for your comment. I’m glad you enjoy WA as much as I do.
They’re providing everything they promise!
Cheers,
Suzanne
Thank you for the information. The statistics you gave in the beginning of this post really put things into perspective regarding what we actually have our hands on. One thing that would be helpful to know is what are some of the benefits of wealthy affiliate compared to some of the other programs you have tried. Again, great post and thanks for the info!
Thanks Kayla, it’s amazing how far the internet has come! I have a couple reviews on my website of other platforms similar to WA. They’ll explain what they offer so you can compare. In my opinion, nothing even comes close to WA. Some of the biggest differences are the communities, and their upsells. It can get pretty pricey.
If you have any more questions, just leave me note.
Blessings,
Suzanne