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Make Money Online From Home – Earn More Inside

Make Money From Home & Stay Safe by Working Online and Staying Inside – 7 Ideas on How

If you are trying to stay indoors due to the current pandemic, but need more ways to supplement your income, the good news is there are some great ways to earn extra money from the comfort of your own home. Since there are many options out there, I recommend: finding some ways to make money online from home that can fit your schedule and your skillsets!

So, you may want to just earn some supplemental income in your free time; or you may want to get a little more experience and eventually work from home full time through multiple side jobs; or focus on one that you have found to be very lucrative. Try out one of these ideas today!

Make Money Online From Home - Graphic

Work from Home Online for some Side Income, Extra Money, or Full-Time Income

Some of the ideas I have listed below can indeed turn into a full-time income for some people. BUT, I will caution that to earn a full-time income working from home online, it often takes a bit of time to get started. Of course, tere some lucky exceptions.

However, it is possible. And so, I recommend starting out trying some things on the side, and see where it takes you.

Do Not Undervalue Earning Side Extra Income

Even if you eventually want to earn a full-time income online from home, never underestimate the value of earning extra money on the side. Because it’s a starting point, or just a nice way to supplement the income of your full-time job. Also, earning some side money is a great way to build up some savings too!

Seven Ideas for How to Make Money Online from Home – AND staying inside! – Earn Extra Money Today

Now, here are seven ideas for how to make money online from home (without having to leave your home!).

1. Survey Sites and Apps to Make Money Online from Home

While surveys may not pay the most, the advantage with using survey websites or apps for extra money is that they are widely available and can be done on your own time. So, if you have a few moments here and there, I suggest trying out a few to find which one you like the most. And then make it a habit to do one or two of them a day, such as when you are eating breakfast. And there you have a little extra income already.

Recommended Survey Sites and Apps

Some of my favorite survey sites and apps are:

Mturk.com and Prolific.co.

More Suggestions

But, for many more suggestions, with details and reviews, of additional survey apps and website platforms to make money online from home, check out these posts:

Other Notes on Surveys to Make Money Online from Home

As you can tell from these posts, or from my master list of ways to make money post, there are MANY survey websites and apps that pay you real money (and many do so quickly and via PayPal!) for completing surveys online from the comfort of your own home. Do not forget to check out my referral code master list to get a sign-up bonus! And contact me with questions.

2. User Testing

So with user testing, you are asked to try out a website, app, or otherwise provide your opinion on a prototype, beta, or newer version of some online experience or product. Typically, this is reviewing a website or app in development. And so, you provide your feedback remotely for some money.
So, this can be a lot of fun and some of these pay quite a bit for just sharing your opinion!

Platforms for User Testing

Try out some of these user testing websites to get paid to share your opinion on websites and apps:

  • Usertesting.com/ (App and Website).
    • Here, you can earn an average of $10 per 15-20 minute test; but there are periodically options for more money and focus groups!
    • With this site, you review websites and apps while speaking out loud to answer the prompted questions.
    • The idea is to get feedback from potential users for the sites prior to their launch.
    • Payment is fast (within 7 days) and is via PayPal.
  • TryMyUI.com (App and Website).
    • This is very similar to UserTesting.com and pays about $10 per 15-20 minute test.
    • Payment is via PayPal on a bi-weekly basis.
  • UserFeel.com (Website).
    • Another platform for user testing. And get paid $10 per test for evaluating the usability of websites.
    • Similar to UserTesting.com and TryMyUI.com.
    • Pays via PayPal at the end of the week.
  • UserLytics.com (Website)
    • With this website, give feedback on websites, applications, and platforms – in a similar way to Usertesting.com, TryMyUI.com, and UserFeel.com.
    • For each test, you earn $5-20 on average, but some tests pay up to $90. Time per test varies.
  • UserZoom.com . But to join the panel, go to IntelliZoom.com (Website)
    • Take surveys (average pay of about $2) or do tests, where you speak your thoughts out loud (audio and video) for an average pay of $10 for 10-20 minutes.
    • Payments are made within 21 days (if not earlier).

3. Market Research and Focus Groups

Since market research and focus groups covers a very broad group of possibilities, there are many ways to find these. However, sometimes it is difficult to find the best sources! If you try googling for focus groups, you are likely to come across MANY websites – which may lead you down a rabbit hole. Here are some platforms I have enjoyed!

Market Research Platforms to Check Out

dscout
  • dscout (App and Website)
    • With dscout, there are many ways you can get paid to share your opinion on current (or potential) products or experiences. Or share insights to help guide in designing new ones.
    • The payment ranges from $5-$150+ per study.
    • After you apply to a study (which takes about 5 minutes on average), then you need to be invited to that study.
      And: Do not get discouraged if you are not! Keep applying to others, which show up frequently.
methinks
  • methinks (App and Website)
    • This is a similar platform to dscout. And with methinks, you can earn quite a bit by giving feedback on prototype products, apps, games, websites, applications, and more.
    • Get paid by PayPal on Friday for completed studies.
    • Payment can range from $2-$300+ and the time commitment varies. But, there are many that you can do in your own time. Also, the team is flexible in scheduling the ones that have a real-time video interview!
    • Sometimes you are evaluating a prototype app or website. Then, other times you may be doing a live interview (via video) to share your feedback on a product’s design, website template, application prototype, etc.
    • As with dscout, you need to apply for studies, but the applications are short.
VocalViews
  • VocalViews.com (Website and App)
    • Get paid for online focus groups, diaries (short written or video entries), product reviews & testing, video interviews, and surveys.
    • Sign up as a participant to browse what is available!
Respondent
  • Respondent.io (Website)
    • Apply for focus groups after filling out your general profile. This step can help you find more relevant ones for you and speed up applying.
      • But, expect occasional emails when your profile indicates you are a good fit for an upcoming study!
    • With many remote focus groups available, this is a great way to make a decent chunk of change in a short period of time.
    • The pay is good and can range from about $20-$250+, depending on the time commitment involved. For example, I received about $200 for a 2.5 hour in-person focus group. Plus a free product and snacks. Not bad!
    • Tip: link your LinkedIn profile for more focus group prospects!

More information

Also, see my post on ways to get paid for sharing your opinion online for more details on the above apps and websites. And it has additional options to try out to get paid for virtual focus groups and market research studies. Plus, see my post on the apps and websites that I love (which includes some of these user testing platforms that I still use!).

4. Sell Print on Demand Products – A Work From Home Online Option that Makes Some People 6 Figures!

Another great way to make money online from home while staying inside is to offer your own patterns and designs on shirts, coffee mugs, laptop sleeves, masks, and more with print on demand.

If you want to add your own design to items, but do not have space or capacity to manufacture, maintain inventory, and/or ship products, then you are in luck. There are print-on-demand dropshipping companies that take care of this for you. And so, you can customize goods to feature your own design. But then utilize a print on demand (POD) company to produce and ship the product.

Print-On-Demand Companies for Dropshipping to Learn More About

To get started with learning more on this, check out Redbubble, Printful and Printify. And you can get some ideas on what types of clothing, jewelry, home goods, office accessories, and other items that you can have your own design printed on.

Comparing the Companies

If you are having trouble choosing the best company for your needs, Printify offers a comparison between it, Printful, and PrintAura. While this is good to compare costs and other useful details such as shipping speed, mark-up options, customer support, and more, I would recommend not focusing too much on limiting yourself to only one print-on-demand company.

Since these companies can vary some in the products available (for example, some offer more jewelry options), you should get familiar with one that offers products you want to customize and sell. AND also make sure you like the quality of the product once it is customized.

More on Where you Sell – Etsy & Shopify

Another thing to think about is where you want to sell it. Because some POD platforms allow you to easily integrate your products with other sites, such as Etsy. Then you can sell via Etsy, your own website, or by using Shopify, as examples.
If you use Printful, there is an easy way to integrate these products to your Etsy store. P.S. read more about my Etsy store here and here, where you can see some of my listings; and with the Owl products, I use Printful. OR check out my Etsy store here.

Redbubble

Redbubble is a little different as you create the products on the website and sell them directly on that site. So with this method, there is no other company that you need to integrate to fulfill the order.

Resource to Learn More About Print on Demand

To learn more, see these great mini-courses on print on demand that I found very helpful and are FREE: https://ryanhogue.com/free-mini-courses/. This really walks you through the process so that you can get started right away.

Why Print on Demand?

With print on demand companies, you can start selling t-shirts and masks without ever touching the goods yourself, or leaving your house. Because it is all online, this is a great way to make money while inside during the pandemic; especially if you really do not want to go out of your home, but want to sell some items that are popular now.

5. Sell Printables

Another online selling option to make money online from home is to consider selling printables. These are downloadable documents, guides, or pictures. On Etsy, you can sell digital download items such as printables for categories such as: organization help, lists, instructions/guides, pictures, planner pages, journal inserts, etc., and offer them by digital download. Try searching instant download printables for some ideas of what others are buying!

Check Out My Etsy Store to See Some Printable Examples!

To get an idea of some printables I have created to sell as digital downloads on Etsy, check out my Etsy store. I have made printable goal trackers, habit trackers, weekly planners, recipe templates, and I plan to do more! Personally, I love printables as the design aspect can take a lot of time; and so if I find one that fits my needs, then I am willing to spend a few bucks instead of having to create it myself. Also, it is a lot easier than finding one in a store.

I also bought a laminator so that I could reuse printables I bought!


And, as another note, if you would like a printable similar to one that I have on my Etsy store, but customized, please let me know!

PLUS, if you start selling printables, please contact me. And I will consider listing your Etsy store on my blog to give you some exposure and give readers ideas of types of printables to sell!

And see my posts on printables here and here.

6. Start a Blog

To start out a blog with the host that I use, check out Bluehost, starting at $3.95/month using my link below:

Blogging is a good way to make money online from home and can teach you a lot about web design, ad optimization, content creation, email lists, marketing, e-commerce, SEO, social media, and more. No wonder there are so many successful bloggers earning a full-time income by making money online from home!

How to make money blogging

By starting a blog, you have a few ways to make money:

  • Sell some of the items directly from your website by integrating Shopify, WooCommerce or another website shopping platform. This is a great way to sell items such as the ones I mentioned above.
  • Direct traffic to places where you sell items – see how I did so above.
  • Affiliate marketing – check out Amazon, eBay and Apple if you are new. But also reach out to places that are in line with what you blog about!
  • Sell online courses.
  • Provide virtual coaching in a wide array of areas.
  • Redirect traffic to sites that are offering courses or products for sale in exchange for a percentage of sales.
  • Accepting donations via a plug-in!
  • Ad revenue – which I suggest checking out Google AdSense when you are new.

7. Freelance

Another way to make money online from home while staying inside as supplemental income or possibly full-time income is through freelance services.

Many freelance options are available but it’s important to note that some can be done quick, such as editing a resume after you sign up for Upwork. And then you can make a full time job out of it with larger hourly projects or multiple small ones. It is a good idea to work on building your portfolio which can take time but it does pay off after you complete a few jobs.

Freelance Platforms to Check Out

Here are some freelance platforms to get your started:

Tips

Get Recommendations

If you are starting out on a platform such as Upwork (and most others) that includes reviews for past projects in your profile, I suggest asking a friend or family member to hire you for a small job on that platform. By doing so, you can get your first review and successfully completed job. This shows to potential clients that you have some experience and happy clients that you have done work for already. And do not feel bad asking if you are providing services for which your friend needs anyways!

Make a Strong and Complete Profile!!!

Another tip is to fully complete your profile, including any verifications or certifications that the platform may require. Also, some platforms let you take tests to demonstrate your proficiency in different categories of skill sets, which can be displayed on your profile.

So really your profile is a big deal – you want it to look professional and emphasize what your strengths are. Samples of your work can also be beneficial in addition to listing any certifications, and your experience.

Note for when you are new

But, when you are new, your profile can look great and yet you may still have trouble finding some work. It is often hard to get your first few jobs as many platforms are more likely to display the profiles of candidates with a history of work experience through that platform.

More Tips for Your First Few Jobs

Again – Recommendations!

So, to get some record of work experience (and help increase your chances of finding a job), again I recommend asking some friends or family members to hire you for small jobs. If you do this, try to make the job related to the types of services you hope to offer.

Consider Some Lower Paying Jobs to Build Up Your Resume

Also, you may want to apply to job postings that are at a lower rate than what you ultimately want to help establish some credibility. If you do this though, I would be careful with how many jobs that you do this for. There are many job postings for VERY low rates. And if you start out very low, you may get burnt out, and also, it may be more difficult to raise your rate later.

Keep Applying, Looking, and Modifying your Profile and Proposals

Finally, just keep applying and looking! Look at what the job descriptions are asking for. And then, modify your profile and your applications/job proposals accordingly to highlight skills that match the types of job postings for which you are most interested.

More Resources to Seek Out Additional Advice!

P.S. – check out resources such as subreddits on Reddit about freelancing and any platforms you are interested in to hear about other people’s experiences!

Final Thoughts

This is meant to give a variety of ideas so that you can try out quick easy ways to make money from home online (while inside). And, earn some extra income while stuck inside today!

My suggestion is to start somewhere to get an idea of what you enjoy and make a little extra cash on the side. Also, it is a good idea to try things out that you otherwise enjoy. Or take up something new on the side to learn a new skill!

Also, read my other posts because there are so many ways to earn money online, but also with side jobs and gigs!

More Posts to Help you Earn More Money from Home

For even more ideas on how to make money online, with gig jobs or side jobs, or by earning passive income, and referral codes for money making apps and websites, check out these posts:

And contact me with any questions or thoughts!

P.S. I hope everyone is staying safe!

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