Top 5 Quick Ways to Earn Money Online

Top 5 Quick Ways to Earn Money Online

An internet connection makes nearly everything accessible, regardless of location or device. If you’re looking for ways to make money immediately, consider our top picks:

1. Review websites. Give feedback on people’s websites to improve their usability.
2. Do voice-over work. Lend your talents to commercials, trailers, and audiobooks.
3. Complete online surveys. Make extra cash by sharing your opinions.
4. Try mystery shopping. Get paid to review businesses and share your experience as a customer.
5. Test games and software. Provide developers with insights into their software’s user experience.
6. Sell stock photos and footage. Ideal for photographers and videographers looking for a way to make passive income.
7. Sell second-hand items. Declutter your home and sell used items like clothes, appliances, and vehicles.
8. Sell school notes. Popular among students who want to maintain good grades while making money on the side.
9. Carry out small jobs. Excellent for people with limited technical skills and free time.
10. Monetize art and designs. Sell products bearing your designs or do art commissions.

Let’s take a closer look at these online money-making ideas and discuss tips to make your business successful.

1. Test Websites and Give Feedback

If you have a keen eye for website design and development, consider becoming a website tester. It’s a great way to make money quickly and immerse yourself in the web development industry.

A website tester must have critical and logical thinking skills, excellent communication abilities, and knowledge of website functionality and design. These qualities can improve your job prospects and test-reporting quality.

Payments are usually project-based, and the rates differ based on the testing methods and the platform’s policy.

For example, UserTesting offers $4–$120/test. Website testers who perform live conversation sessions with clients make more money.

Here are a few other marketplaces where people can make money online via website testing projects:

• Ubertesters. A crowdsourced testing service focusing on websites, mobile apps, and games.
• Userbrain. An online tool offering user experience testing for websites and digital product prototypes.
• Testbirds. User experience testing for digital products, including eCommerce stores, mobile apps, and fitness trackers.
• Userlytics. In addition to testing websites and apps, it offers projects focusing on reviewing video commercials.
• TryMyUI. Provides impression testing for websites and mobile apps via recorded videos and survey-based feedback.

2. Do Voice-Over Work

Voice-over work is an excellent way to make money fast. Since most voice-over jobs are project-based, a long-term commitment isn’t required.

Companies are always looking for new voice-over talents. Here are a few examples of how to use your voice to make good money:

• Audiobooks. Help bring a story to life by narrating various types of books, including novels, biographies, and essay collections.
• Advertisements and commercials. Ads with voice-overs are still a popular way for companies to market their products and services.
• Trailers. Movies, shows, and even events create trailers to build anticipation.
• Demonstration videos. Some companies create how-to videos and hire voice-over talents to help demo their products.
• Guides. Audio guides are used by museums, galleries, travel agencies, and tourist destinations to enhance the visitor experience.

How much you earn from voice-over projects depends on your experience, the project’s type, and the script’s length. In the United States, the average salary of voice-over artists is around $30/hour.

On the other hand, audiobook voice talents can earn up to $125/recording hour and $500/finished hour – the latter referring to a book’s reading time.

One of the easiest ways to get started is by creating a profile on Upwork and responding directly to voice-over job ads. Joining freelance websites is an excellent way to test the waters and compare available jobs.

Alternatively, sign up for Voices or ACX, which connects voice-over talents with clients and audiobook narrators with authors.

A good voice-over talent is flexible, dynamic, and can bring a script to life no matter the topic. With audiobooks, for instance, a consistent narrative voice, excellent articulation skills, and the ability to voice different characters are crucial to master.

To prepare for voice-over work, try sample scripts and see which niche fits your voice and style the best. Knowing your strengths will help market your services to the right clients.

Since producing high-quality audio is crucial for this job, investing in a good microphone and recording software are a must. Also, try to minimize background noise when recording audio samples.

3. Complete Online Surveys

It might sound too good to be true, but you can earn extra cash by completing surveys online.

Many companies pay people to participate in surveys for general market research and consumer behavior analysis. These surveys help companies make business decisions, like what types of products to launch or where to publish advertisements.

However, not everyone can do online surveys. Take a look at some of the reasons why:

• Limited demographic. Some surveys only target specific groups of people, such as their gender, age, or occupation.
• Low pay. Many online survey sites use a point system. You’ll accumulate points after completing surveys and can only cash out after reaching a certain earnings threshold. For example, you can make money for $0.50-$3/survey. However, unless you reach the earnings threshold of $10-25, you won’t be able to cash out.
• Time-consuming. Due to the payout systems of most survey sites, you’ll have to dedicate a lot of time to see real returns. Some surveys can take up to one hour to complete.
• Not for the long-term. Unlike other online moneymaking methods in this article, you won’t be able to transition this into a full-time job for the above reasons.

If the drawbacks don’t phase you, here are some popular survey sites:

• Swagbucks. Watch videos, play games, and complete online surveys to earn points. Then, redeem them for cash or gift cards.
• Survey Junkie. Help brands deliver better products and services by participating in their market surveys.
• Harris Poll Online. Enter a rewards program by answering polls run by this survey platform.

4. Try Mystery Shopping

If you love shopping, becoming a mystery shopper is an excellent way to make extra money.

Retailers and market research companies hire mystery shoppers to shop at specific locations and report on the overall consumer experience. They monitor customer service, store conditions, and product quality without the company’s employees knowing they’re being examined.

You can do some mystery shopping work remotely. For example, some jobs involve testing the service quality at call centers or evaluating the shopping experience at an online retailer.

Here are some of the most popular companies where people can sign up to be mystery shoppers:

• Market Force. Get hired by grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and even gas station convenience shops to try out their products and services.
• BestMark. Become a field representative or evaluator to help companies improve their business operations.
• Secret Shopper. Perform on-site or phone service evaluations for companies all over the world.

Payments for mystery shoppers vary depending on the company. For each job completed, you can get reimbursed for the items you purchased, receive vouchers and gift cards, or earn between $10–$25 on average.

To avoid scams, remember that you should never pay to become a mystery shopper. Since you would be an independent contractor, companies can’t force you to take on a certain number of mystery shopper jobs.

5. Test Games and Apps

In 2021, the video game industry was worth $178.73 billion – an increase of 14.4% from 2020.

Video games also hold the largest share in the global digital media market. As a result, many opportunities have appeared for users to make money online by testing games and other apps.

Some games or apps, like Mistplay, require players to perform specific tasks and collect in-game currency rewards. These rewards can be redeemed as gift cards or real-world money.

The Global Beta Test Network by Keywords Studios pays people to play games before release. Other platforms like Givling and Golden Hearts Games offer online games with real cash prizes.

Beware of platforms that use these games and apps as a front for scams to steal personal information and bank account details. While they provide an easy way to make money online, be sure to check reviews and ensure their legitimacy beforehand.