How to Make Money Online: The Definitive Guide

Want to finally make money online? This guide will show you every possible way there is to make money on the Internet.

The ability to make money online has become way more realistic than it was in the early days of the Internet. While the scams and scammers still exist, most users have experience on their side, not to mention a wealth of opportunities that actually work and a community of fellow adventurers, who won't hesitate to out a company that isn't on the up-and-up.As people, who've earned a living online for over a decade, we decided it was time for a definitive roundup of the legit opportunities and give you some idea of how you can start making real money online today. Let's get started!

Make Money Online Index

• Freelancing
• eCommerce
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Online Marketing

• Affiliate Marketing
• Network Marketing
• Paid Surveys + Cash Back Websites
• Stock Trading
• Fantasy Sports

What are the benefits?Work from home; set your own schedule; pick the kinds of projects/people you want to work with; work as much or as little as you want; get started without giving up your day job.What are the drawbacks?If you don't work, you don't eat; it can take a while to build a large enough client base to go full-time; tax season.Where do I find work?That depends on the type of work you do. Upwork, Guru , and Fiverr, are all great starting places, and they can help you supplement earnings while bigger jobs are sparse. They can also help you build connections to more lucrative clients.However, these sites often attract clients looking for budget pricing, and that's something you want to avoid if you can. For more lucrative endeavors, market your services directly to a niche. Ask yourself where someone hiring for a specific skill set would go to find quality help. Take on a few jobs at a lower introductory price, then get what you're worth on the back end.As a professional freelance writer, my niche-specific choices are the ProBlogger Job Board and FreelanceWritingGigs. I also work for local clients, who need more attention and aren't hesitant about paying for it.What's the best way to get started?Determine what you're good at; think about the types of businesses that could use those skills; build a resume and a portfolio; make a list of 10 to 15 places where you would like to apply; if you get a response positive or negative say thank you, and mean it; if you're hired, focus on that one job and give it your all; if you're not but they respond, thank them for taking the time, and ask them to keep you in mind if they need help in the future or if they have any colleagues that might benefit from your services.

Freelance Resources

Problogger Job Board - is where bloggers looking for jobs and companies looking for bloggers meet.

Upwork - is the world's largest freelance talent marketplace. Our vision is to connect businesses with great talent faster than ever before.

Guru - provides businesses with tools to find and hire talented freelancers all over the world. We also offer freelancers the opportunity to market sought-after skills to a global audience for a minimal cost.

Blogs to Follow

Copyblogger - a blog that teaches how to create killer online content.

WritetoDone - is about learning to write better

Mens with pens blog - a leading resource for writers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

The Write Life - Helping writers create, connect, and earn

Courses

30 Days to Freelance Writing Success - a course design to help you make money as a freelance writer in 30 days or less with Gina Horkey.

Becoming a Successful Freelancer - A course taught by Arianna Orland is your guide to managing the logistics of freelance life.

What are the benefits?No handling of physical inventory; make money while you sleep; personal fulfillment from connecting your followers to brands/products/services you actually believe in.What are the drawbacks?Wasting time on unscrupulous marketers skilled in the art of creative accounting; no upfront payment; convincing people you are sincere (the best way: actually BE sincere with what you choose to promote); handling your own benefits and accounts receivable; and, again, keeping up with taxes.Where do I find work?There are several great places where you can get started. Shareasale, Flexoffers, CJ Affiliate, and JVZoo, are all reputable networks for general markets. The Amazon Affiliate Program is perhaps the easiest to implement, and is also quite lucrative, though it can be restricted in certain locations. Clickbank is the main show in town for digital products. Your success depends on how good you are at picking products/services you sincerely believe in, and how capable you are of influencing your followers.What's the best way to get started?This depends on how much you know going into it. If you want a dummies guide to getting started, there are plenty of affiliate blogs and forums that you can visit to learn more about making money as an affiliate. The key is picking an industry that you want to promote products in, then finding products to promote, and then building a website to promote those products.

Affiliate Marketing Resources

Shareasale - a leading provider of performance marketing solutions for the past 15 years.

Clickbank - World leader in performance marketing of digital products, with six million clients and distribution in 190 countries.

Flexoffers - an award winning affiliate marketing network providing comprehensive solutions to publishers and advertisers via multiple strategic options.

CJ Affiliate - an online advertising and internet marketing company that specializes in affiliate, media, and tracking services.

JVZoo - An instant commission affiliate network with global cookies.

Amazon Associates - one of the first affiliate programs online, the program allows you to refer customers to Amazon for a percentage of the sale that you generate.

User Guides

SugarRae - Learn the ins and outs of affiliate marketing and SEO with guides, how-to's, in-depth analysis and editorials.

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners - If you are a newbie at affiliate marketing, these guide will cover the basics and terminology that you need to know an order to get you started.

The Ultimate Guide to Affiliate Marketing - This guide covers affiliate marketing, including an introduction to this monetization technique, strategies, tips and the top affiliate ad networks.

Blogs to Follow

Luke PeerFly - Affiliate marketing blog written by Luke Kling (LukePeerFly) to help you make money online.

FinchSells - is an affiliate marketing blog by Finch minus the bullshit and no guarantees of success.

CharlesNgo - blog of super affiliate and well-known internet marketers in the world.

StackThatMoney - STM is the #1 rated community for affiliate and performance internet marketers. See how we generated $XX,XXX,XXX of affiliate revenue in 2013 and join our private forums.

Recommended Courses

Rich Jerk - is an affiliate and online marketing training program

Affilorama - provides software tools and education for affiliate marketers, so you can get it right the first time, saving time and money

Wealthy Affiliate - Online Business starts at Wealthy Affiliate with the four essentials required to run a thriving online business. Training, Support & Coaching, Tools, and Services

What are the benefits?Sell products you care about; run your own storefront without the massive overhead; sell online to complement your brick-and-mortar business; drop shippers can make it possible to sell products without actually handling them.What are the drawbacks?When dealing with products, customer service/complaints may sometimes be an issue that you have to address; more steps to getting started as well as upfront costs; and, you guessed it, dealing with taxes and benefits on your own.What platform should I use?With eCommerce, it is not so much about finding work as it is finding a quality product and then connecting with the right customers. All you technically need is a storefront and something to sell. Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento, can get you started with a storefront and the ability to accept payments with very little overhead.What's the best way to get started?Read as much as you possibly can on the subject, and take your time jumping in. Just because you can open for business tomorrow doesn't mean that you should. There is still the matter of picking a great product, getting incorporated, and developing a business plan. Read each one of the user guides below before making the mistake of doing too much too quickly. There will be some repeated information in each, but that's not a bad thing when you're starting out. You need the extra repetition to internalize it.

eCommerce Resources

Recommended Platforms

Shopify - Sell online, in-store, and everywhere in between.

Bigcommerce - The leading ecommerce platform for fast-growing businesses.

Magento - is the eCommerce software and platform trusted by the world's leading brands.eCommerce GuideseCommerce Business Blueprint: How to Build, Launch, & Grow a Profitable Online StoreThe Mega Guide to Maximizing eCommerce Sales, Revenues, & Performance on All Fronts The Complete Beginners Guide to eCommerce The Ultimate Beginners Guide to eCommerce

Blogs to Follow

GetElastic - #1 Subscribed Ecommerce Blog. Get Elastic blog is meant to share ecommerce best practices and better ways to manage the digital relationships

Practical Ecommerce - Ecommerce marketing and business strategies to help you succeed online.

eCommerceFuel - The private community for experienced store owners.

Shopify Blog - A blog about ecommerce marketing, running an online business and updates to Shopify's ecommerce community.

eCommerce Courses

eCom Premier Academy - Complete eCommerce training to help you build your own online Shopify store

ECom Masters - Course that is designed to help you make money by selling products via Amazon FBA

Amazing Selling Machine - program that teaches you how to build a highly profitable business selling your own brand of physical products by leveraging the power of Amazon.

What are the benefits?Rallying a community around an idea of value; building friendships while making money; real chance at passive earnings.What are the drawbacks?Relying, perhaps, too heavily on others to grow your business; overcoming the stigmas created by scammers and comparisons to pyramid schemes of yore; fighting the get-rich-quick polish; and, always, handling taxes on whatever you make.Where do I find work?You don't find work; you create it. The key to successful network marketing is to realize that relationships create buzz, and buzz generates revenue. However, it all starts with a product or service worth selling. That's because you have to get people excited to spread the word.What's the best way to get started?Create something of value without expecting anything in return. Target your searches online to key influencers in your niche. Let the magic happen.

Network Marketing Resources

User Guides

Blogs to Follow

MLM Blog - A blog run by network marketing veteran Ty Tribble that reviews different network marketing companies and provides tips on how to succeed in the industry.

Ray Higdon - Ray Higdon, online mlm leader and homebased business entrepreneur. Ray helps you explode your network marketing business opportunity with his marketing tips and strategies.

Network Marketing Pro - Network marketing and MLM training by mlm coach Eric Worre with FREE daily network marketing video trainings and tips

Amplified Network Marketing- is a weekly podcast, hosted by David T.S. Wood, a network marketing industry expert, trainer, author, coach, humanitarian, and host of the internationally acclaimed podcast, Crank It Up.

Recommended Courses and Communities

Empower Network - to empower small-business owners, entrepreneurs and opportunity seekers to learn how to leverage the Internet and technology to get more customers without dealing with the technical, marketing and overhead challenges that frustrate many entrepreneurs and small-business owners.

Futuristic Marketing - Coaching program by Jonathan Budd that teaches you the ins and outs of marketing.

What are the benefits?Choosing a topic you're passionate about; connecting to people with similar interests; building a sense of community around your passion; turning your passion into dollars; having a personal platform for your business-related ideas.What are the drawbacks?Feeding voracious content demands and finding the time to do it; making the leap from community to monetization; no upfront money; taxes.Where do I find work?What kind of work would you like to find? If you're just wanting to write about topics of interest to you and get paid, then you should consider the freelancing path instead. If you're niche-focused and don't mind doing the extra legwork that comes with building a successful blog around one core purpose, then you're in the right section.What's the best way to get started?Start with a blog of your own. Set up a WordPress account by far the best content management platform there is choose an available domain name that is somewhat descriptive of your purpose; then get web hosting. Once your blog is set up, make a list of topics you'd like to write about/vlog about/podcast about. Don't get started until you have about 30 narrowly-focused ideas.Then, get started writing or doing videos or podcasts on those topics. Hammer out your first five to 10 posts. Once you're satisfied, schedule them out over a week or two, and get involved on related blogs and comment forums that allow you a little self-promotion in your auto signature.In a nutshell, you should join a community of like-minded folks before you can expect a community to join you. Once you have an engaged audience, the money will come. That's the Cliffs Notes version anyway. For help that goes much, much deeper, check out some of our favorite resources below.

Blogging Resources

User Guides

Blogs to Follow

Problogger - Blog Tips to Help You Make Mon