20 Online Business Ideas
Jennifer Dunham Starr
Profitable Lifestyle Designer, Automation Strategist, Author & Speaker. Are you ready to work smarter, not harder?
Without an idea, there is no chance to start your own online business.
With tons of entrepreneurs out there this first step is one of the hardest challenges, where you might find yourself wandering around the web to get your creative juices flowing.
Here I have put together a list of 20 online business ideas that you can start tomorrow, with some preparation and research.
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my disclosure policy here.
1. Start Your Own Listicle Blog
The recipe is quite simple.
Look for emotional, inspirational, interesting stories on Facebook, Reddit, or wherever you wish and rewrite the short stories into a detailed article.
Set up your own site and publish the articles. There are a bunch of listicle blogs out there by now, however, the fact that Viralnova.com was sold for $100 million might get your motivation high.
Even though it seems like a simple business, monetizing your site might prove to be a bit of a challenge, however, if you know a few things about SEO and AdSense, there is a great chance for success.
With a successful promotion, you will be able to pull in tons of unique visits per month, as it seems like we just cannot get bored with these stories.
2. Get Into the Domain Business
Even though you might think that best deals have been made long ago, the domain business is still an ongoing thing.
Lots of people buy and sell domain names to earn money as it requires only a small investment.
With some thorough research, you can get an idea about what are the most trending domain names currently. This will help you to buy potential domain names which can be later on sold for a profit.
Look for domain auction websites on the web, as you can stumble upon expired names, which are back in the pool and available to buy.
The chances are high, that you will be the next domain guru, who can make a profit with only a few clicks from home.
3. Sell Apps
Smartphones are everywhere and everyone enjoys quality applications. In case you feel like you are up for the challenge, start building apps.
With a few clicks, you can get them into the Google or Apple market and start selling. Check for the latest trends and start developing.
Overall, app building is a cost-efficient online business, which if done right, can get you great profit.
You might need some time before getting things right, however, in the long run, apps can get you the success that you’ve always dreamt about.
Performing apps can make thousands in ad revenue each month, this might as well be a great choice for you.
4. Sell Your Design
If you are good with designing and creating unique images, you can simply start selling your own design.
There are numerous sites out there offering the opportunity to sell your design in form of T-shirts, bags, mugs, etc. The only thing to keep an eye on is to keep your creations printable.
Once your ideas start selling, you will be receiving a commission for each sold piece. You don’t have to worry about shipping, or actually printing the design, the only thing you’ll be asked to do, is to upload your images.
The registration is free, there are usually no fees, however, before you would start, you should start thinking of your own brand.
It always proves to be a great decision to come up with a catchy name at least, as people can follow your shop and will keep an eye on your work.
By creating your own brand and selling creative images, you can gain a better reputation, which will lead to better sales.
5. Start Freelancing
There are numerous professional platforms on the web which offer the opportunity to start your own freelance career.
These sites enable businesses to get that required extra help for their project success, while they enable freelancers to build their reputation and apply to various types of projects.
Starting from graphic design, translation, programming to data entry tasks, you will find various projects which you can join.
Build your own rockstar profile and start bidding to get your business running.
6. Build Websites
If you are into coding, offering a website building service can get you big bucks.
Set up your own site and describe your services. Start advertising your service on social media and start a marketing campaign.
Pay attention to the latest trends and keep up with them to attract as many customers as possible. As the world of web design is constantly changing, you will be needed to learn things constantly.
You can get an idea about the latest design trends with a simple Google search.
7. Create WordPress Themes
Another option if you have a talent for designing websites, is to create your own WordPress themes and sell it.
As many people look for easy and simple solutions to establish their online presence, WordPress themes are highly popular.
You can sell your own designs for numerous sites and profit from your hard work.
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8. Become a Blogger
Even though nowadays it seems impossible to get profit from blogging, lots of people managed to do so.
If you are passionate about writing and have the right amount of motivation, you can give blogging a chance.
Setting up your own blog does not require a lot of technical skills, however, getting high traffic is a different challenge.
Picking a topic is always hard. If you are an expert in something, you might want to choose to share your own insights, which can help other professionals.
Whatever will be your topic about, you will need to invest time to build a strong audience. This will enable you to promote other brands, build new business relationships and finally gain profit.
Blogging is rather competitive but if you are good with the words, you can make a profit.
9. Becoming an Online Affiliate
If you are up for making a few bucks online and would like to do it without developing any product yourself, becoming an online affiliate might be your best choice.
Amazon, Ebay, and most of the bigger companies offer an affiliate program, where the only thing that you need to do, is to drive traffic to their site and get people to buy their products.
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After each sale, you will be getting a considerable commission, where the top commission tier is around 8.5%. You will be also generating profit after users who sign up via your referral.
You can either build a new site for a specific product type or add referral links to your already existing blog or website.
10. Get Started with Ecommerce
Shopify and Woocommerce make it easy to set up your own online shop in a second.
In case you have a product in mind, you can easily start selling online, while there are also several methods, like drop shipping available which can save you from a headache when it comes to storing or delivering products.
11. Social Media Expert
With the growing popularity of social media, large corporations are in need of professionals who can manage multiple social media accounts at once.
Look for social media expert/consultant opportunities and be prepared to implement, or in some cases even create a social media marketing plan for the company.
If you have professional experience and you know how to turn social media connections into customers, this is your best choice.
12. Stock and Forex
The stock and forex market is considered to be a risky investment, however, there are numerous success stories all over the web.
In case you have previous experience this might be a great opportunity to start your own online business.
By exchanging foreign currencies and stocks you can earn a considerable profit, however, it is always advisable to start out small.
13. Sell Your Website Space
If you already have your own blog or website, you can work together with advertisers and sell a portion of your page.
This way, you can earn money each time the ad placed on your site is clicked. The CPC (cost-per-click) model is based on the level of traffic to your site, and the CTR (click-through-rate).
You can further enhance your profit by utilizing SEO tools and Google AdSense.
There are numerous other tools that can help you maximize your advertising potential and get a great profit.
14. Write
If you want to solely focus on writing without worrying about the various marketing aspects that come with an online business, you can do that also.
Either by writing for other sites or blogs, you can get paid per article. E-books, topics that require special knowledge (marketing, legal, pharmaceutical, etc.) will get you higher-paying projects.
You can also become a professional copy or content writer or editor.
Freelance writing is getting more and more popular, so if you have a talent for writing, you should considering this new career path.
15. Become an Online Marketing Expert
Do you have experience with SEO? Do you know what SEM is? You have yourself a career in the world of online marketing.
Once a site has been optimized for SEO and is full of rockstar content, it is time for the SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
In case you have experience and professional knowledge about promoting techniques around the web, the chances are high that you can get an online business running.
Usually, these tasks are outsourced by companies, there is a vast pool of potential customers out there. Also, a great chance to get a huge profit!
16. Share Your Knowledge
Webinars have brought online education to a new level.
If you are an expert on a topic, you can share your knowledge online and make an extra income in your spare time.
There are numerous platforms on the web which offer courses on various topics, while they also enable professionals to sign up as online tutors.
Dedicate a few hours a week to sharing your insights and you can easily end up with a new passion and source of income.
17. Sell Quality Photographs
The era of stock photos is slowly coming to an end, as web designs are aiming to feature unique, quality photographs.
If you are a passionate photographer, you have numerous options to sell your pictures online.
Putting quality material on the web will get you a great opportunity to generate revenue, while if you also focus on creating your own brand, you can get higher chances for an even bigger profit.
18. Become a Virtual Assistant
As all businesses are in need of a helping hand to run their everyday administrative tasks, there is a great chance to land a full-time virtual assistant job.
This work from home type of job will get you flexibility, while you will surely not get bored, as virtual assistants have to deal with several types of tasks.
If you have a phone, an internet connection, a skype account, and some office experience, you might as well get started right away.
19. Create Video Content
Since the popularity of video content is on the rise, especially when it comes to online marketing, if you have experience with video content creation, you can surely get a business running.
Offer video packages to potential clients, look for online projects to participate in, and most importantly have a compelling portfolio.
Video content can get you a huge profit, but only if you have the required technical skills and marketing knowledge.
20. Podcast / YouTube Channel
Are you an entertainer? Well, it might be time for you to hit the virtual stage and show people what you got.
With the rising popularity of podcasts and YouTube channels, you now have the opportunity to build a huge audience and share your ideas.
Either if you are planning to comment on daily political events, or you would like to create gameplay videos, you can with a few clicks.
There are millionaires who became wealthy thanks to the online community, so don’t be afraid to step out there and let others enjoy your talent!
Leave us a comment and let us know which of these online business ideas are you going to try!
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