Making Money Online

I have been working from my home since 1999. I started out with direct sales, selling everything from Tupperware to baskets to scrapbooking supplies. It was fun, and getting a discount was nice, but I didn’t make very much money. Eventually, with help of some great friends I met at WAHM.com, I ventured into web design, affiliate marketing, and blogging.

I am in no way getting rich, BUT I DO MAKE MONEY working online from my home. I know in today’s tough economy, you might be looking for ways to bring in even a few extra hundred dollars per month. It is possible. Here is an overview of how I personally earn money each and every month.

Affiliate Marketing

I started with affiliate marketing after creating my first business website in 2000. A good friend was heavy into affiliate marketing (today it’s her ONLY source of income!) and encouraged me to look into it.

Affiliate marketing is basically getting paid to promote someone else’s products and/or services. Notice the banners on my website. If you click on them and make a purchase, I receive a small portion of that sale.  There is a vast assortment of programs to join out there. You can promote pretty much anything and everything from animal treats, to books, to internet services (like domain names and hosting), clothing, dating services, communication products (cell phones, long distance plans), etc.

I recommend choosing something that either interests you or something you are already knowledgeable about (or are at least willing to become knowledge about). This makes promoting the product easier. Some affiliate programs require you to have your own website, others do not. It’s up to you to decide if you want to promote your programs online or off. I personally make the most online via links in reviews, and articles, and also regular banner ads.

Swag Bucks

Search & WinI love Swag Bucks! I discovered it only a few weeks ago, but have already earned over $50 in FREE Amazon gift cards. Swag Bucks is basically a search engine powered by Google and Ask. When you use their search engine, you randomly receive points (called SwagBucks) that can be redeemed for prizes like gift cards, clothing, video games, etc. for free.

While there a lot of different items in the SwagStore to spend your points on, I am personally using mine for free Amazon gift cards. My goal is to earn enough to pay for ALL of my kids Christmas presents. (I have FIVE kids!) But if you prefer to earn CASH instead of merchandise or gift cards, you can also redeem your points for cash paid into your PayPal account.

Swag Bucks is very easy to use. First, sign up for a free account. Second, install the Swag Bucks tool bar. Third, start searching. You don’t earn points for EVERY search, but I usually earn anywhere from 25-75 points per day.

Taking Surveys

You may have heard of this, earning hundreds of dollars sitting from your computer taking surveys. Maybe there are people who are making loads of money doing this, but I am not one of them!

I do however make some money taking 1-2 paid surveys daily. There are dozens of survey sites claiming to pay you generous amounts, but I personally have had good luck with only two: Opinion Outpost and Survey Head. I generally earn between $1-$2 per survey I complete. Again, I AM NOT GETTING RICH taking surveys, but the extra $50-$100 per month does come in handy. Especially considering I spend very little time doing it, as I don’t seem to qualify for very many surveys.

Web Design

We purchased our first computer in 1998. It was a purple iMac. Our ISP offered a free website which we used to keep family updated on our first child. I spent hours tweaking the website. After teaching myself the ins and outs of web design, I began helping other Mom’s I’d meet online who needed help setting up their websites. In 1999, one of those Mom’s offered to pay me for my time and my “career” in web design was launched!

Today, although I seldom take on new clients, freelancing is still my largest source of income. I love it because I set my own hours, taking on projects that fit into my schedule.

If you have experience with web design, graphic design or programming – you can make money online! MANY people are looking to start websites every day. Check your local Craigslist, it’s a great way (not to mention free) to find projects and build your portfolio if you are just starting out.

These methods may not yield results for everyone, but they have worked for me. Once again I will remind you that I am not getting rich by doing any of the above. On average months, I earn less than $1000. I also spend less than 4 hours per day “working” during the week.  A fair trade off I think :)