In the midst of the pandemic, with many facing pay cuts or job losses and numerous companies going bankrupt, earning money online from home is undoubtedly one of the best choices. You can create your own website or earn through other websites or apps, or find remote freelance work on the Flexjobs platform. This requires minimal costs; with just some time and intellect, you can achieve earnings comparable to traditional jobs, or even exceed them, paving a new path in life.
Moreover, this allows us to spend more time with our families and reclaim control over our time and lives, rather than being exhausted by the demands of work.
In fact, in this digital age, making money online is not a dream. I have been earning through my own website for over a decade, and I know thousands of others have found various ways to earn online through websites, live streaming, or selling their own products. Many have built successful careers this way.
With the emergence of more online tools (like various website builders, Upwork, WeChat, TikTok, etc.), earning money online is becoming increasingly accessible. However, like any business, the income generated online takes time to grow. As long as you are willing to invest time and energy to realize your ideas, even if the initial progress is slow, persistence is key.
If you’re looking to make money online but aren’t sure where to start, consider these practical and legitimate methods to help you earn:
1. Start a Blog/Website
There are numerous ways to earn money through a blog or website. Displaying ads for website traffic is one of the most basic methods. Currently, the most popular way to earn is through affiliate marketing, which is a practical and effective online income method. By writing articles, you can build passive income; when readers click on links that benefit them and make purchases, you earn money. However, this process isn’t instantaneous; it requires continuous improvement, hard work, and dedication to truly earn.
Many bloggers and website owners recommend platforms like Google Adsense (which has become less lucrative), banner ads, and Amazon Affiliates. While these can generate income, relying solely on these outdated methods in a competitive market will only yield modest returns, often around $100-200 per month, which won’t significantly impact your life.
A significant number of bloggers fail because they follow these outdated recommendations. If you want to start earning $10,000 a month within a year instead of waiting 3-5 years, it doesn’t have to be difficult. You just need to find the right direction. Focus on specific topics rather than general content; look for high-traffic keywords that are most likely to convert. Sometimes, keywords may not bring much traffic, but they can yield substantial earnings.
For instance, https://www.adamenfroy.com/ launched in 2019, and by June 2021, its monthly blog income surpassed $280,000. The owner later started a YouTube channel, suggesting a total income of around $8 million annually. The site owner noted that in the initial stages, traffic and visibility may be low. Therefore, it’s crucial to sell products with higher commissions early on and focus on a few high-earning affiliate products to achieve significant income.
Let’s look at some Chinese websites, such as the personal site Ten Best Reviews, https://www.10besty.com/, which closely imitates 10beasts, offering reviews of various products and services with affiliate links. The owner has put in significant effort, and the traffic and conversion rates for long-form content are impressive, potentially earning thousands of dollars monthly.
Additionally, the domestic site What Worth Buying, https://www.smzdm.com/, promotes products from Chinese affiliate networks, primarily featuring items from JD.com and Vipshop, with excellent income potential.
Another site, Dealmoon, https://cn.dealmoon.cn/, is entirely comprised of affiliate links and enjoys substantial traffic in North America. It has become a significant business, with many imitators following its success. The site primarily targets overseas Chinese users, with about 80% of the recommended products aimed at women, likely resulting in high conversion rates.
The first step to starting a blog or website is to purchase hosting and build a WordPress site.
The process is quite simple, with the following steps:
- Go to Bluehost.com and click Get Started.
- Select the hosting plan you want (get a 70% discount at $1.99 per month through my link).
- Enter a new domain name or choose one you already own.
- Fill in your account and billing information.
- Submit your payment to set up your WordPress website with one click!
Once you complete your purchase, building your site is essentially one-click. For detailed steps on how to build a site, check out our comprehensive article on how to create a WordPress website using Bluehost. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Whether you already have a website or are preparing to build one, you can explore affiliate networks. Through affiliate marketing, you can collaborate with brands or businesses that have affiliate programs by leveraging your website’s content. By mentioning their products or services, you can earn money through a unique link that connects to those products or services. Whenever someone purchases through your link, you earn a commission.
My website primarily generates income through affiliate marketing, which is significantly higher than passive ad revenue. Many successful individuals in the foreign market showcase their earnings, which are truly eye-opening. For instance: Adam Enfroy, Breaking The One Percent, Ryrob, Great And Go, and A Sassy Spoon, whose monthly income ranges from $10,000 to over $30,000.
These individuals have achieved great success in affiliate network income. You can draw lessons from their success stories. Their achievements demonstrate that as long as you understand your audience and accumulate enough traffic to convert into sales, you can profit from almost any affiliate company or product.
There are many affiliate networks available, such as Flexoffers (I currently earn about $1,000 a month from this platform and highly recommend it), Amazon Associates, CJ, and ShareASale. For details, check our top foreign affiliate network recommendations. In China, you can explore JD Alliance and Taobao Alliance. Some websites also have their own affiliate marketing plans, which you can try.
Of course, the foundation of affiliate marketing is creating a website. You can visit our WordPress building tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to create a website.
3. Google AdSense
You can see Google ads on many websites. By creating your own website, once you start receiving a stable amount of traffic, you can set up AdSense ads with simple configurations to start earning money.
Setting up Google AdSense is very easy. If you have a blog or website, you can register for a free Google AdSense account. Once registered, Google will provide a unique code to paste onto your website. After that, Google will automatically display ads for you, allowing you to earn without needing to maintain it yourself.
Yang Yang, a webmaster from Dalian, makes a full-time income from AdSense content sites, generating passive income through English content sites with AdSense ads. After years of effort, his AdSense monthly income exceeded $15,000. While some earn even more, most will not reveal their methods or income.
How much can you earn? Over the past decade, one of my English sites performed best on Google AdSense, earning about $2,000 in its top month, which was already more than my salary. It was thrilling to go from earning nothing to $2,000 in a month. However, what excited me even more was discovering more actionable methods to make money.
Everything starts with building a website or blog. I created a tutorial on how to build a website and blog to share my experiences. You can set up your website in just 30 minutes and start your entrepreneurial journey from home.
4. YouTube
YouTube is another platform where you can earn money online. There are countless channels covering a wide range of topics. If your videos get enough views, you can apply for Google Ads to monetize your content.
According to Statista, some of the highest-earning channels on YouTube from October 2022 to September 2023 generated a staggering $300 million. The highest earner, Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson), made $82 million in just one year.
In the Chinese-speaking world, there are many profitable YouTube channels as well. For instance, 办公室小野, known for its creative office cooking videos, reportedly had a monthly income of 4.5 million yuan (now inactive). Another example is 李子柒, showcasing rural Chinese life and cuisine, with a monthly income of 3.7 million yuan (also inactive). Lastly, 滇西小哥 focuses on Yunnan local cuisine, earning about 2.5 million yuan per month. While these income figures may seem exaggerated, their earnings are undoubtedly impressive.
Will you earn that much? Probably not. However, if you enjoy making videos, have a particular skill or hobby, and are willing to invest time consistently, you can definitely make money through YouTube.
For further reading: How to Make Money on YouTube.
5. Online Product Sales
If you have quality products at the right price and are ready to enter the e-commerce field, you can create your own shopping website. Start by choosing a suitable website building platform, such as WordPress, along with a reliable hosting provider, like Bluehost. You will also need a merchant account, such as PayPal or WeChat Pay, to complete the payment process.
Currently, a popular option for setting up an online store is Shopify. If you’re interested in e-commerce and have a basic understanding of English, this is a great choice, as it provides a one-stop solution for building a website in just a few minutes. Alternatively, you can use WordPress, which offers many beautiful themes and allows you to quickly launch your own shopping site using the WooCommerce plugin. The image above is an example of a shopping website, featuring a template from WPzoom. You can click Balance to purchase the template, which comes pre-set with the WooCommerce shopping cart system, allowing you to add content and start selling online right after installation.
If you find building a website too complicated, you can register as a seller directly on established shopping platforms. For example, you can sell products globally on Amazon, or register as a seller on Taobao, although the competition is intense in domestic stores, requiring products with competitive prices and quality to gain a foothold.
6. Freelancing (Online Part-Time Work)
If you enjoy writing, graphic design, working with Excel, translation, or even data entry, you can find part-time work online. You only need some basic skills to perform simple tasks that others don’t have time for.
The benefit of freelancing is that you can work from home using your time and skills to earn income from clients around the world.
If you speak English, consider trying out freelancer websites like Upwork.com, where many domestic and international freelancers offer services like translation and software localization.
Another freelancing site is FlexJobs, which features a wide variety of work-from-home jobs. The range is extensive, including graphic design, logo design, web design, infographics, voice-over work, and more. Regardless of your experience level or industry background, you can find suitable jobs here.
In China, you might consider setting up a virtual store on Taobao, where you can charge service fees based on word count, task difficulty, or specific client requirements.
7. Selling Images
If you have a passion for photography and talent, you can earn money online by selling your images to stock photo companies like ShutterStock or iStockPhoto. You can submit your high-quality photos to these websites, and you’ll earn income every time someone makes a purchase.
However, to truly succeed, consider building your own photography website to showcase your portfolio, which may open opportunities for higher-paying private photography gigs. For more information on how to build a site, visit my WordPress building guide, which includes many beautiful free photography themes suitable for your website.
8. Teach Chinese, English, or Other Languages Online
If you’re proficient in English or any other language, you can teach others online.
Teaching and tutoring in your second language is a great way to earn money online. People from some countries (like Hong Kong or the UAE) are willing to pay $15-25 per hour to learn a new language. Check out Indeed, VipKids, or One-to-One Chinese for teaching job opportunities.
This model is quite simple. You can create engaging content and courses to attract users, teaching them yourself or hiring other teachers to assist. Users will pay for one-on-one language learning sessions.
9. Create DIY or Cooking Videos
Create DIY or cooking videos to earn online income.
If you excel at crafts or have some cooking skills, you can film videos of your creations and upload them to YouTube, embedding them on your website to showcase your work. Many successful blogs focus on food, DIY crafts, and travel, such as Adventure In You, Local Adventurer, Serious Eats, and Pinch Of Yum.
You will also need to learn about PPC advertising to attract followers on YouTube and earn money through ads and viewership, or through clicks on ads on your website.
10. Live Stream Sales
Live streaming sales have become quite popular recently. If you have a particular skill, you can showcase it on live streaming platforms to attract followers. Once you have enough followers, you can start selling products.
Compared to other methods like tips, soft articles, and short videos, live streaming sales can yield quicker profits, but they also demand higher personal abilities.
The most famous figure in live streaming sales is Li Jiaqi, who earns a 30% commission on each lipstick sold; he can sell thousands of lipsticks in just one hour, generating substantial profits. Other profitable options include selling clothing, books, alcoholic beverages, jewelry, and baby products.
Popular live streaming platforms include Douyin, Kuaishou, Taobao, and WeChat. Douyin has a lower barrier to entry, while Taobao Live requires an approval process.
11. Offer Consulting Services
Another way to earn money online is by providing consulting services. If you are an expert in a particular field, you can offer advice to individuals and businesses for income.
For instance, if you are skilled in using social media tools like Facebook or WeChat, you can guide others on how to earn money; if you are knowledgeable in finance, you can provide financial advice; if you have a legal background, you can offer legal consulting; or if you excel in English, you can teach it online.
You can create your own website or promote yourself through social media platforms like WeChat.
12. Build an Online Community
You can also earn money by building an online community, such as using a blog to create a community. Alternatively, you could establish an online forum and charge membership fees.
You can even create a Facebook page or WeChat public account, Weibo, etc., and leverage your influence to sell and promote products.
The key to succeeding in this is finding a content gap. As long as you have good content, you can attract people and gain followers. If you can identify a significant content gap, gaining thousands of followers is very achievable.
Conclusion
There are many online money-making methods that you might not even think of, and what I’ve introduced here is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have time, passion, and some creativity, you might be able to establish one or several sources of online income.
If you search online, you will find thousands of success stories from which you can draw inspiration. If you dare to try, one day you might even tell your own success story to others.
