Proven Successful Ways to Make Money on the Internet

If you need to make extra cash or want to transition to working from home, you may be wondering about the best way to generate a steady income. For some, the Internet is a good resource for finding ways to make money. While there are a number of online scams, there are also some legitimate ways to successfully make money from your computer.

Surveys

Completing surveys does not require a large investment of your time. According to Mathew Day, there are a number of companies, such as CashCrate and Survey Scout (see the Resources section), that specialize in offering cash in exchange for completing surveys for a product or service review. The pay scale varies by company and some charge a fee to join. However, according to Homeschool Entrepreneur, as of 2010, pay for completing surveys is declining.

If you're familiar with social media and have above-average writing skills, you may want to consider starting your own blog. According to ProBlogger.net, you can make money blogging in several ways. You may install Google AdSense on your blog (see the Resources section). Every time a reader clicks an ad from your web page, you earn cash. Also, you can create an affiliate program by installing a company's link on your blog. You are then paid a fee for every sale that you help generate. Offering ad space to companies in exchange for a premium fee is another way to produce income on your blog.

There are several ways to make money as a freelancer, whether you're a new or experienced writer. According to Homeschool Enterpreneur, content sites hire freelance writers to produce short, topic-specific keyword-driven articles. These sites may pay an upfront fee or they may offer a percentage of the advertising revenue generated by each article. There are sites like Elance that allow you to bid on specific writing projects that may pay hundreds of dollars (see the Resources section).

If you have experience working in an office setting or you're familiar with accounting, bookkeeping, spreadsheets, word processing or data entry, you may consider hiring yourself out as a virtual assistant (VA). Virtual assistants are essentially digital employees of larger companies who work from home and transmit their assignments electronically. According to Work At Home Moms, as of 2010, more experienced VAs can make as much as $45 per hour.

Use the Internet to sell something. If you have old DVDs, CDs, clothes, toys or collectibles lying around, consider posting them on eBay. Amazon also offers a way to sell for a small commission. If you make your own arts and crafts, Homeschool Entrepreneur recommends selling them through an online service like Etsy, which allows you to post your homemade items in a number of different categories and doesn't charge a fee for registering your account (see the Resources section).