How to make money now. Really.
“How to make money,” as a search term on Google, pulls in 546,000,000 results, as of October 20th, 2015. “How to make money now,” still pulls in 520,000,000 results. In fact, if you type in the ridiculously long search term, “how to make money from nothing free and with no work at home,” you STILL get 300,000,000 results!
This means two things. One is that these are some really high competition keywords! But the most important thing this shows is that a lot of people really want to learn how to make money online.
Sadly, there are many ways to lose a lot of money online, and no shortage of scammers wanting to steal it. It’s just too easy for them, and very difficult to prosecute any that are tracked down.
The good news is there are plenty of good work at home opportunities and lots of people who are happy to help you learn how. One thing this online world has done is allowed us to communicate like never before.
Here’s a few tips on how to make money, that will work for most people willing to work, right now. Really. You can have your own business set up in the next few hours. That’s the easy part…
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means we may make a small commission if you make a purchase. This doesn’t cost you any more but it does help us to continue publishing helpful content – thank you for your support!
Where the real money is
The real money is in a few of the really rich affiliate programs that are out there, businesses that have already been well tested and pay really well, with good commissions and real products. The ones I list on my website are good examples. But think of these as your long term plan. If you go with these, you can do very well, but it won’t be instant. They require long term commitment, and in fact, the number one reason people fail in affiliate marketing is because they quit. Many quit constantly, hopping from one to another. Imagine doing that in the offline world!
In this article on how to make money now, we’re going to look at something different, something I do that makes me money, right now. It’s not “big bucks” at the beginning, but it pays and most people have the necessary skills to do it. I’m talking about a niche market that is actually made up of an almost unlimited number of “mini-niches.”
Think about the skills you already have. Make a list. Are you good at spelling? Is your grammar excellent? Many people need help editing their ad copy, and you can charge for that. Do you have a website with some traffic? You can offer to place ads on it for a small fee. How many languages do you know? Translation service is in great demand. Do you write well? People need to have articles written for them. These are only a few ideas to help you brainstorm. What skills do you already have? Write them down!
You see, there IS a market for the skills you already have. It used to be that you had to build a website advertising your skills, then work like crazy and likely spend money on advertising in order to get work. But now, there’s a whole new wealth of places to sell your skills, without ever having to have your own website.
Here’s a list of ten places where you can create gigs, as they are called, to sell YOUR skills:
- Fiverr. This is my personal favourite. Some of the services offered by freelancers like you and I are in Graphics & Design, Online Marketing, Writing & Translation, Video & Animation, Music & Audio, Programming & Tech, Advertising, Business, and more. This is also a good place to go if you need some low cost traffic to help boost Alexa rankings for a website you’re developing. Just remember, buyer beware and see what others are saying about any “gig” you’re interested in.Also, be sure to go out of your way to get your own ratings up. Go the extra mile and provide fast, courteous, excellent service. That is the best way on Fiverr and any of the rest of these listings to get ahead of your competition. I earn a steady and growing income on Fiverr
Alexa Rank: 446
Google Page Rank: 5 - SeoClerks is another favourite of mine. Their layout is similar to Gigbucks, making you wonder who copied who. I actually think this one has been around longer. This is a good place to sell services, but also a good place to buy them.
Alexa Rank: 5945
Google Page Rank: 4 - Gigbucks is a different layout from the first two, with both the categories of services for sale as well as requests for services are in a one column menu on the left, with the searches open down the main body of the page. It is a nice layout, and offers lots of opportunities for marketing your own expertise.
Alexa Rank: 50,323
Google Page Rank: 4 - Fourerr is different again. They give you points and rewards (virtual coins) just for signing up and for various tasks around the site. Like the others, you can list your gig, starting at $4. Their sign up process, to me, is very cumbersome. The site is also a bit of a bear to navigate, but is saved by the handy search bar at the top.
Alexa Rank: 84,660
Google Page Rank: 3 - Zeerk is very similar to Fiverr, except that they do not place an initial limit of $5 on anything. You can charge whatever you like for a job, all the way up to $500. Remember, there is a lot of competition. Don’t price yourself out of the market. The key to success in these programs is to start low and upsell later. If you give spectacular service and value to begin with, it’s not hard to upsell. That’s why grocery stores offer “Loss leaders,” which are sales of prominently displayed, high demand items below cost. People come in to buy those things, then start buying everything else then need.
Alexa Rank: 145,132
Google Page Rank: 4 - Fiverup is much newer, but very similar to Fiverr. Be aware that with any of these sites, people may advertise services that are not family friendly, such as body art for advertising, etc. This site seems to have more of that than the others.
Alexa Rank: 156,548
Google Page Rank: 2 - Gigsta is a bit different. For starters, they’re using a WordPress platform (smart choice). Their site is clean and uncluttered, and very simple to navigate. They also have a seller school! When I joined, I went to the seller school, then quickly and easily posted my first gig. Was it ever simple! I think this is the simplest of all of them for posting a gig. It literally took me about a minute to post my first one. Furthermore, they review each gig to make sure it meets their requirements. This one gets great marks.
Alexa Rank: 160,505
Google Page Rank: 0 - Tenrr is a little different, again, and may be a place you want to put an ad to gain leads for other, bigger jobs. At Tenrr, the MAXIMUM you can charge is $10. When you create a gig, you decide what to charge, anywhere from $1 to $10. Depending on where you live, this might be an excellent choice, as people are always looking for a good deal, and a dollar goes a lot further in some places than in others.
Alexa Rank: 347,507
Google Page Rank: 2 - TenBux is another one that is very similar to SeoClerks. The menu is in a column on the left, while the results are scrolled down through the body. It’s clean and easy to navigate.
Alexa Rank: 353,159
Google Page Rank: 3 - Roundshelf is another company that has chosen the WordPress platform for their content management system (CMS). Like Fiverup, this site allows images on their site that are not family friendly.
Alexa Rank: 654,629
Google Page Rank: NA (not a good sign!)
The lower the Alexa ranking is and the higher the Google page ranking is, the better the traffic flow, perceived trust, etc. My recommendation is to start with Fiverr and possibly SeoClerks. They have the most traffic and are most likely to get you started selling. In fact, you may want to start with ONLY Fiverr, until you figure out what sells best.
This is one of the best ways I have ever come across for almost anyone to start learning how to make money online, without spending ANY of their own money. That’s more like it!
Please leave a comment below and share! We would love to meet you.
