10 ONLINE BUSINESS IDEAS
Well, yes: online jobs are a concrete opportunity for those who want to start their own business (as a freelancer or entrepreneur) or find a fixed salary. But you need a winning idea to be successful.
As you know, many famous people have already taken charge of their lives and started an online business, turning an idea into reality starting with little initial money.
Just search a little on Google or on social media to find:
- Individuals who have transformed their lives while working on a Mac computer;
- visionary entrepreneurs who have bet on the internet;
- young people and housewives who have set up an online business from home, to supplement their salary.
Starting an online business or finding a job with a fixed salary is not that difficult; however, the point is to make the business profitable. It takes little to start a business, but a lot of time to make real money.
However, with a little commitment, passion to spare, some economic resources, and a pinch of luck, the results can come. The internet is democratic; it offers opportunities for everyone.
You have to know how to grasp them, but before that find them. Here are then 10 online business ideas that you can start with little money and within a few months.
1. SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
The social media manager is the job or business of those who know how to work on social networks in a professional way. It's one of the hottest topics in the business world today: companies have realized the value of having a quality presence on social media. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, but also LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok are increasingly used and are mines of potential customers.
If you learn the job of being a social media manager well—how to create quality content, grow social accounts, and channel the traffic of these accounts toward monetization—you will be providing a truly profitable business (or job).
Focus on how a particular social platform works. The "social media expert" is less effective than the Facebook Specialist, the LinkedIn Specialist, or the Instagram Specialist.
In addition to branding, images, and text content, the marketing strategy you choose to implement will be crucial. It is the factor that will ultimately make the difference (and the profit) when starting your online business as an entrepreneur (or freelancer).
This is an entrepreneurial activity, or a job opportunity, that can be learned in a reasonably short time.
Start taking some social media marketing courses: online training schools offer dozens of paths to become a social media manager and develop entrepreneurial and marketing skills.
2. WEB DESIGN AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
The web designer and graphic designer are other online businesses that have a large customer base and good profit margins. In the first case you will work on designing websites, while in the second you will find yourself creating images, infographics, landing pages and anything else that requires a touch of style.
You can found your own web design agency, or propose yourself as a freelancer on various sites such as Fiverr or Upwork, where companies are looking for skilled developers, programmers and designers .
The average salary of a web designer is around $5,000 net per month: an intern receives $3,000 per month, while a Senior Web Designer can even exceed $6,500.
3. SEO EXPERT
Another online job par excellence is that of the SEO Specialist, the expert in Search Engine Optimization. Knowing the rules for indexing and ranking a site for strategic search terms means having the key to accessing online business.
Who manages to succeed and earn money online? Those who know how to be found by many people at the right time with the right answer. When millions of people search for a product or service online (like right now), those at the top of Google searches make money.
Advertising, affiliate marketing, online purchases: it all starts from an effective SEO strategy.
How do you make money if no one can find you?
Therefore the work of SEO expert is highly sought after, both as a paid employee and as a freelance online business.
But above all, it's easy to get started. Take a good SEO course, then start practicing with some personal blogs or looking for an internship that will help you grow.
To launch a business from scratch, you can open an SEO company or take advantage of the skills acquired with your personal blog.
4. COPYWRITERS
How important is knowing how to write online nowadays? Half of marketing activities, search engine ranking, social campaigns, and website usability are based on well-made, clear, and persuasive copy.
The copywriter precisely handles this job: writing for blogs, websites, social profiles, companies, and advertising agencies, working on words to create a message—a mix of emotion, empathy, and persuasion that must induce the reader to:
• Request information
• Gain loyalty
• Sign up
• Acquire
Many businesses are in dire need of online writers. That's why being a copywriter can be a valid online business idea to start with very little money.
To become a copywriter or a web writer, you just need to have a strong foundation in writing. Acquire the basics of SEO, SEM, and digital marketing in a broad sense.
5. START A PROFITABLE BLOG
Becoming a blogger is an online business idea that anyone can try to undertake. The first thing to do is to open a blog, which involves:
• Finding a topic for the blog;
• Choosing the name and structure;
• Buying hosting and a domain;
• Installing WordPress/blogger;
• Choosing a professional theme and blog plugins;
• Writing engaging, SEO-oriented, monetizable content.
A blogger must dedicate time and money to their website if they want to achieve the desired results, like any business.
The advantage is being able to work from home, with flexible hours and without huge investments.
It may be useful to acquire some initial skills, and for this reason there are articles in this website that teach every aspect of this holistic activity.
If, instead, your goal is to receive a fixed salary as a blogger, many web agencies are looking for writers to manage their clients' corporate blogs in their marketing campaigns and online ranking.
6. OPEN AN ONLINE STORE
Everyone buys online these days, you know that. What if you, too, opened an online store to sell your product (or someone else's)?
Selling on the internet means launching an e-commerce from scratch, working on SEO and marketing (also spending some money), and setting up a potentially very profitable online business.
Attention. Starting and maintaining a shop is not easy, especially on the web. It's a little simpler, when:
• Fixed costs are lower.
• You can help yourself with platforms like Shopify to launch your store.
• You have no employees or closing times (your shop remains open 24/7, including holidays).
However, you cannot expect easy earnings right away, much less a fixed income. You need precise skills, communication skills, marketing, work with social media, programming knowledge, and a bit more.
Is opening an online store a profitable online business? There's no doubt about it; on paper, it's a solid 'Yes' (ask Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon).
7. AFFILIATE MARKETING
Affiliate marketing is a potentially very profitable business. It involves promoting third-party products or services to an interested audience, helping companies push sales.
The affiliate can use web channels such as blogs, social channels or other digital tools to suggest the purchase of products/services to their audience.
If a customer purchases via an affiliate link, the company recognizes a percentage or dry commission to the marketer for the activity.
There are sectors that pay handsomely for affiliate marketing activity. It involves:
• Opening a blog, a social profile, or any digital channel that can reach many interested people.
• Looking for companies that offer affiliate programs.
• Closing the agreement and obtaining affiliate links (for correct tracking of the customer journey).
• Creating content suggesting affiliate products/services.
8. SELL COURSES OR BECOME AN ONLINE COACH
There is a growing demand for quality training courses, especially among entrepreneurs and young talents eager to improve their skills, create content, or grow their online business.
An online coach is a professional who helps people master new skills or make better decisions, or both. If you have the right kind of knowledge and skills, you could start a good profitable business as an online coach.
From coaching you can generate a good monthly salary, set up an online business from home even with just one client at a time, and have the time to dedicate to your personal life.
If you have excellent skills in a specific sector, or a niche, you can combine your consultant/coach activity with the sale of online courses .
Creating courses and selling them goes well with a consultancy business or freelance work. In fact, once you set up your business, you won't have to do much anymore.
The steps to create an online course are as follows:
• Find a profitable niche, in which you are particularly expert;
• Choose the platform to sell courses. You can choose a customized solution (a little more expensive, but more profitable), or to put your work on a course marketplace;
• Create the course: content writing, video shooting, final editing. You can also decide to create a written infoproduct if you prefer;
• Put it up for sale (always through the online platform).
9. OPEN A PODCAST
Opening your own podcast is currently one of the most sought-after online business opportunities and is likely to remain so throughout 2024. Radio and streaming platforms are promoting this new audio entertainment format, which can prove to be a profitable venture for those who establish it.
Creating a business around your podcast is not easy. You need a good idea, equipment and lots and lots of passion to slowly grow your fame and the community around you.
Don't expect superfans to rain from the sky at first. However, if you can provide valuable, entertaining or unique content in your niche you could create a good community of loyal listeners. And that's where the real business comes in.
In fact, podcasting allows you to:
• Work in affiliation with some brands;
• Sell courses, ebooks or products you create;
• Create promotional content for partner companies;
• Offer coaching and consultancy sessions.
Not enough for you? You can create exclusive content just for your most loyal fans, sell merchandise from your podcast, or crowdfunding to get financial support from your community.
Think, write, record, edit and upload your work. You can get help from some professionals on Fiverr to speed up the processes and improve the quality of the final product.
10. CREATE A SUBSCRIPTION BOX
The subscription boxes are a new online business idea. Companies and freelancers create thematic packages of various products and send them to subscribers on a recurring basis.
In United States, subscription boxes are appearing in practically every sector, from food to fitness products, from crafts to makeup. In some countries, the market is still in its infancy, and entering now could mean entering as a pioneer in a profitable niche.
Creating a subscription box is quite simple. First of all, you need to find an effective idea that has not yet been explored.
Then, you need to create a well-made website. You can choose to create a personal blog and activate paid subscriptions or launch an e-commerce with Shopify and allow customers to purchase the packages they prefer.
Finally, it is important to bring traffic to your site (with SEO), to make your product known and work on social networks to advertise.
Remember that subscription boxes are new online business concepts that bring with them the idea of convenience and surprise. Those who subscribe to a service like this often want to receive some real goodies or save time.
When choosing products, make sure that these two expectations are not disappointed. You will be able to create a sustainable and long-lasting online business.
ONLINE BUSINESS IDEAS: 5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
When you have a business idea or the desire to work online but little money, ask yourself these questions before getting to work.
• Is this a service-based job? If you don't necessarily have to produce, you can get started more quickly and without large initial investments.
• Is it a business that can be started at a low cost? The lower the money you need to start, the lower the business risks will be (in this case, an online course is sufficient to get started).
• Are there many people who need this service? Look for niches that are in high demand, as are all the digital jobs we have listed.
• Are the profit margins acceptable? Here you can generate a fixed salary or open your own online business and multiply your earnings if things go well.
• Does this job offer me skills that will benefit me in the long term? If, unfortunately, your online business goes badly, you will still have acquired skills that can be used for the rest of your life.
If you have managed to answer these questions in the affirmative, then the business idea is viable.
Whenever you want and if you want it (Never consider this article as advice; it's for informational purposes only)
HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
The Internet has broken down every barrier to entry and today anyone can start an online business from scratch and without huge investments. All you need is a good idea, the right skills and a mix of passion and perseverance to generate results and create a truly profitable job.
If you're willing to read articles like this, you can visit our 'business' category, where you can find content related to business. Starting a business needs ideas, and I hope this article gave you some online business ideas.
