There are lots of people who don’t believe making money online is a possibility. A lot of people have never made money online, not even a single coin. There are those who don’t even know there is this possibility to earn a decent legit income online. Others have heard about it but don’t believe they have the skills, expertise, background or resources to make a living out of the internet. But the good news is, you can make a living earning a decent above average income from behind your keyboard.

The Basics Resources in Making Money Online

TIME: It won’t cost you much to get started. Actually, for me, it cost nothing but my time. That to me is an essential requirement to get started. It doesn’t mean that you need to spend all your time online but to begin with, you will need to set aside some dedicated time to making money online.
GADGET: You don’t need to own a computer, at least not in the beginning. You don’t even have to possess a smartphone. You can always start in the cyber (though it can be expensive in the long run) but you have to start somewhere. Personally, my online journey started at the e-resource section and American Corner at Kenya National Library, Nakuru. I all owned then was a feature phone but that did not stop me.
PASSION, SELF-KNOWLEDGE: You need to be passionate about your preferred choice of making money online. If you want to earn money writing, you must be passionate about the topic you choose to be writing about. Be it marketing, Data Entry, Design or any other avenue that you choose, make sure that you are passionate about it to enable you to keep on pushing on even when times are hard.
You also need to know yourself. One of the greatest tragedies in life is that people go through it without knowing whom there are. They are unaware of their strengths, weaknesses and what they can be exceptional with. Once you have discovered yourself, it will be easy to decide what you want to focus on in making money online.

Why Making Money Online is an option

The youth usually comprise the largest percentage of the total population. Unfortunately, there are not enough jobs to meet the ever-rising demand from the youth entering the job market every day. Neither the Government nor the private sector can absorb all the job seekers being churned into the system daily.
In addition, organisations are automating their processes and reducing its workforce opting to outsource as the need arises. Even the Kenyan Government through the Ministry of ICT has said it will be offloading some of its short time work online. And with many government services being automated (Tax Returns for example) there is a need for skilled service providers to undertake these functions.

Who can work Online

Anyone with some basic computer skills can work online. In addition, you have to be good in what you do especially if you want to get good reviews and maintain a long-term working relationship with your client.

Opportunities available in Making Money Online

Making money online can be a very fulfilling full time or part time engagement. Someone somewhere needs the kind of services you can offer. Listed below are just some of the services you can offer your clients online;

Writing – If you are passionate about writing, there are a lot of opportunities out there. As a writer, you can be engaged to write blog posts depending on what you are knowledgeable about, contribute to online news sites, reviews and such.

Web Design – There are people and businesses out there wanting to get an online presence without going through the hassle of creating a website for themselves. Either they don’t have the time or the requisite skills and this is where you come in.

Logo and Label Design – If you are really good in graphic design, it’s time to go out there and sell your services to the world. Individuals and organisations are looking for awesome designs for their business cards, product labels, logos, banners, letterheads and posters. Sit on your talent no more.

Data Entry – Dealing with a huge amount of data is not a favourite of many people. Some companies, law and accounting firms to name but a few usually outsource for these services. All you need are some passable skills in either MS Excel or MS Access depending on the customer preference. You also need good typing skills and having an eye for detail. Being accurate is paramount in Data Entry.

Web Research – How many schools are there in your County? How many fast food outlets are there in your town and can you get their contact details? At some point, there will be someone seeking information or data they can’t get on their own. If you are good at manoeuvring through the internet knowing what to look for, you can always charge these people to gather this information for them.

Video Editing – Give some people the right tools and they will turn some shoddy raw videos into an amazing piece of art. They have an uncanny sense of knowing just what to trim, what portion to retain and join with the other with amazing results. If you are such a person, you can charge a good amount of money to offer this service to the many clients out there.

SEO Management – It can be disappointing to have a website that never appears anywhere in the search results when people search for services or products you offer. SEO which is the short form for Search Engine Optimisation is a way of making a website more visible by use of Keywords. Keywords are specific words that people are likely to search for and as a SEO expert, it is your duty to understand the needs of the client before embarking on this. As an experienced SEO analyst, your services will be in high demand from people who want their sites ranking high on Google or any of the other search engines.

Social Media Management – Social Media platforms are playing an ever-increasing role in the way businesses run. Business owners have realised that more and more people are spending their time on social media and have resorted to following them there. This calls for a savvy person able to craft posts that elicit action from users in whichever platform they are on. Some Social Media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter even allow users to advertise on the platform targeting the most likely prospects.

Advertising – If you have a huge number of followers or fans on any Social Media platform, this is the time to make money from those numbers. You can post strategic adverts on your platforms for a handsome fee. In addition, if you have a blog, you can post the adverts on the site.

Marketing – Like Advertising above, this also depends on numbers. With a huge number of followers, you are considered an influencer and any product or service you endorse are likely to sell. With a high volume of traffic on your blog/website, you can also make money through content marketing, affiliate marketing and reviews.

Personal Assistant – in the freelancing world, we have a Virtual Assistant who is basically personal assistants but working from hundreds or thousands of miles away. The functions of a Virtual Assistant need someone who is extremely well organised, someone with an eye for detail, a timekeeper with good communication skills and somebody who can handle a crisis. If you can do all this, someone is looking for you.

*Transcription is one way of making money online*

Transcription – Transcription involves listening to an audio or video clip and writing down whatever is being said. This could be a radio interview, a movie clip, an advert or anything else a client may want to be deciphered. You need a fast typing speed, fluency in the language you are using and accuracy.

App Development – These days we have apps for practically anything. Every day, there are people coming up with ideas they would want apps developed for and if you are the creative geek the potential is exponential.

3D Design – I think 3D is the next big thing. The potential in this field is huge and we are just scratching the surface for now. I don’t think there are many qualified 3D designers out of work though I might be wrong but am sure the demand for 3D designers is high.

Photography – Do you have a nice camera or high-resolution phone camera? Can you take photos that tell a story? There are clients looking for just the kind of unique photos you can capture.

There are many other services that you can offer online. There are online tutors, translators, Google Analysts, call centre services, human resource and many others. Just think of something you can do really well, someone is willing to pay for that.

Platforms Available for Making Money Online

If you are a blogger, you already have a platform through which you can make money only. As a blogger, there are a variety of avenues through which you can make money and to mention but a few, you can have; Promoted Content (Content Marketing), Affiliate Marketing and advertising to name but a few of the main avenues.
However, for many freelancers, there are dedicated sites why you create an account and place bids. The sites act as links to connect freelancers and clients. Some of them include

Expected Earnings

Online work is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes time to build a reputable profile and a lot of hours go into bidding before you can land on assignments that pay well. However, once you have learnt the ropes, with a few happy clients a several favourable reviews or ratings on your profile, life becomes easier.
At the beginning, you will be forced to on jobs paying just around $5 but this will rise with time and you will get to a point where you can charge even $20 per hour. If you can land gigs paying this and just work 10 hours a week, you will be making an average of Kshs. 20,000 per week. But it takes time to get to this point.

Risks involved in Making Money Online

Like any other venture, Online Work comes with its own risks and challenges. As mentioned earlier, you can go for days or weeks without landing an assignment. There are scammers who will want to get away without paying you and phishers who will try to steal your information.
It is always advisable to approach every new client with caution and to be wary of anyone asking for any private information. Once you set up your payment system, you don’t have to share the information with anyone. In most cases, the platform on which you are working will handle financial transactions.