10 Ways to Make Money Online in 2017

The internet has changed the way people do business, allowing everyone the opportunity to make money. Whether you're a small business owner or a young, enterprising professional, extra money in your bank account is only a few clicks away.

Here are a few ways you can use the internet to make money in 2017.

Work as a Contractor

If you have an area of expertise, chances are there's someone who is willing to pay you for it. You could serve as a contract consultant for businesses in your area. If you're busy running a business but need extra money, consider parsing out the services you offer clients and putting in proposals for jobs on sites like Upwork or Freelancer.

Write for Publications

Put your expertise to use in guest blogging for a variety of publications. Some will even pay you for your blog posts in addition to the exposure they give. Use a site like Guestpost.com to identify the large websites that accept contributions and narrow your list to those that pay for pieces.

Write a Book

Thanks to the ease of self-publishing, anyone can write and publish a book. If your knowledge is in demand, consider writing a book and publishing it directly to Amazon.

Using CreateSpace, you can publish your book in print format and take it to conferences and other engagements. If someone asks for a consultation, you can point them to your book. I've personally used this to promote my payments company. It's been one of the best ways that I can help other people while promoting my business.

Start a Podcast

Podcasts continue to grow in popularity as listeners become more comfortable with finding and downloading them. If you have an area of expertise, you can produce a podcast that consumers will find interesting enough to download more than once. If you can grow a decent fan base, you can add in advertisers and start making money.

Sell Merchandise

For some business owners, swag is an unavoidable expense, especially if they participate in conferences and trade shows. Don't waste those efforts. Instead, upload your items to a shop on a site like CafePress and make sure it places in Google search results. You may find you occasionally get a sale as your company grows.

Teach a Class

Putting your knowledge into a teachable form serves two benefits. You can charge for your sessions and bring in extra revenue, but you can also boost your own career, as well as raise awareness for any business you're running. Over time, you'll establish thought leadership, which will likely lead to other opportunities.

Invest

If you have extra income, you can make it grow by choosing wise investments. The stock market is an option, but sites like AngelList can also connect you with startups looking for capital. You can find the ventures that fit your own interests and begin to build a portfolio that will hopefully pay off for many years.

Host Webinars

While webinars can be a valuable way to get more customers, you can also monetize them. This works particularly well if you have a specialized expertise with high demand. An attorney could charge for a webinar on legal issues for small business owners, for instance. Determine whether a fee-based webinar might work with your target audience.

Perform Tasks

If you're looking for a way to make extra money, task-based services could be an option. Sites like Fiverr and TaskRabbit let people pay for small tasks to be completed. Some of these are household-related jobs, but you can also use sites like these to offer graphic design, writing, or consulting.

Make Videos

It isn't easy to make money with videos, but if you're creating them anyway, make a YouTube channel and upload each of them there. Consider content that might appeal to a large viewership, such as tutorials on the services you offer. You may feel as though you're giving your knowledge away, but you'll likely find the tutorials lead customers to want to learn more about your business. As a bonus, when your viewership grows, you can also make money on ads.

There are many ways to make money online in 2017, whether you're looking for work or supplementing your business marketing efforts. Start off with a goal and you'll soon be able to identify the best way to bring in extra income while also growing in your career.

Source: 10 Ways to Make Money Online in 2017