When you’re in need of some extra cash flow, there are a number of ways you can make money online. You can use your talents to write articles and content for blogs and websites. You can take online surveys and make money from home. Or, if you’re a fast typer, you can take advantage of online typing jobs that pay pretty well!
But while these are definitely legit ways to make money online, there are also ways to make money that are a little less trustworthy. For example, you can become a virtual assistant and earn an income online simply by answering emails and requests for information. Or, you can join a company that provides affiliate marketing as a means of making extra cash online. Simply sign up and promote their products and earn a commission when a purchase is made.
While there is certainly a lot of potential to make money online without doing anything dishonest, it’s still best to proceed with caution. Why? Well, as with any newly monetized endeavor, there is always the risk of getting ripped off or cheated. There are just too many ways to make money online nowadays to keep track of them all. So, rather than take the chance and lose all your money, it’s best to play it safe.
The Difference Between Honest And Dishonest Ways To Make Money Online
As discussed above, there are several ways to make money online that are completely honest. But that doesn’t mean that all the methods provided below are ethical or legitimate. In fact, there are ways to make money online that are completely honest but still considered dubious or even fraudulent by the authorities or authorities-authorized groups.
So, to help you understand the difference between these two distinct categories and how to proceed safely when getting paid to do something online, let’s examine the definitions of some of the more common terms and behaviors associated with each type of online venture.
Scam
In the world of making money online, a scam is anything that appears to be intended to trick or cheat you. You can lose a lot of money through scams, so it’s essential that you understand what makes them dangerous and how to avoid getting scammed. There are actually a few broad categories of scams, including:
- Phishing scams
- Fake Facebook accounts
- Automatic phone call scams
- Scamming apps
- Virtual assistant scams
- Penny auction scams
- Affiliate marketing scam
- Get-rich-quick schemes
- Pyramid schemes
If you do decide to engage with a company or individual online and they ask you for any sort of financial information, particularly if they ask you to wire them money or offer you an interest-free loan, then you’re most likely dealing with a scammer.
Fraud
In the world of making money online, a fraud is anything that lies, cheats, or steals in order to gain money or other valuable assets. The term fraud can also be applied to someone or something that you’ve been tricked or conned into believing is honest. In this case, you’d have a fraudulent employer, loan provider, or business partner who tricked you into believing they were legitimate.
Fraudsters can be very convincing online, especially if they have a website or social media account dedicated to scamming, conning, and tricking people. Because of the nature of the internet, where anyone can claim to be any kind of expert, it can be very difficult to tell what is legitimate and what is a scam. However, there are some key red flags that you can look out for:
- They ask for money upfront
- Their website or social media is dedicated to deception and trickery
- They ask you to wire money or provide them with an interest-free loan
- They ask you to do something that seems above and beyond what they’ve asked for
- They want you to perform a task that doesn’t seem to make sense in the context of your conversation
- They ask you for personal information that they can use to steal your identity
If you see any of these red flags, then it’s probably best to stay away from this particular business or individual and look for a safer option.
Honesty
In the world of making money online, honesty refers to any endeavor or practice that is upfront and honest about what is going on. In other words, everything can be tracked and verified. So, if you’re getting paid to write an article for a website, then that website will need to verify that you actually wrote the article and that you didn’t just copy and paste something from elsewhere. As a writer, you’ll have to be completely open about everything that you do for your clients. If a potential client asks you for any sort of copy and pasted content, then you’ll need to politely decline the offer.
When working with an online marketer or web developer, you’ll need to be upfront about the nature of your relationship and the fact that you’re being paid to promote their products. If they ask for any sort of hidden fees or charges, then that’s a huge red flag. Lastly, if you’re getting paid to take online surveys, then make sure the website you’re visiting is a qualified member of the Swagbucks network and isn’t a scam.
Now, let’s examine each of these options in more detail. We’ll begin with the most straightforward way to make money online, which is to write articles and sell them to editorial websites or blogs. Then, we’ll move onto some of the stranger methods that are a little less straightforward.
Blogs And Websites
If you’re looking to make money online, then the simplest and most obvious way is to start a blog. The idea behind a blog is to create a space online where you can write and share information about various topics. You can pick and choose which topics you want to write about and you can even make money off of those that you enjoy writing about the most.
You’ll need to register with a domain name and build a blog platform from scratch. You can use a tool like WordPress to create a blog and you can use a tool like Google Adsense to monetize it. Simply place Adsense units on your website and when someone clicks on an ad, they’ll be directed to a different site in the network where they can make a purchase or continue reading the content. You’ll earn a small amount of money whenever someone clicks on an ad and makes a purchase or visits a blog or website in your network.
The advantage of this method is that it’s very easy to set up and you can begin earning money very quickly. The disadvantage is that your income depends entirely on how many people are searching for the products or services you promote. If someone in your network decides that they want to purchase an iPad or Macbook but you don’t have any content promoting those products, then you’ll never earn a penny from that click.
If you want to create a passive income stream, then the next best thing is to begin writing for websites and blogs that earn money online. The idea is to write for high-profile or established websites or blogs that already have an audience and can afford to pay you. You won’t need to worry about how many people are searching for the products you write about because the editors of these websites will be doing that for you.
The catch is that you’ll need to have a reliable and sustainable source of income in order to sustain yourself while generating a passive income stream. Otherwise, you’ll just be dipping into your savings every month.
Product Review Blogs And How to Make Money From Them
A product review blog is similar to a regular blog, with the exception of the type of content you’ll be reviewing. A product review blog typically will review a different product or service each week or each month. While it’s relatively easy to get started with a product review blog, it can be extremely lucrative if you’re able to gain a large audience.
Why? Because while it’s easy to set up and you don’t need to have a lot of money to get started, you will eventually need to upgrade your equipment to keep up with the demand for organic content. As with any other blog or website, the more popular your content is, the more you’ll be able to charge for your work. And don’t worry, you won’t need to keep up with the demand yourself because there are several companies that will be happy to pay you to write product reviews for them. The catch is that you’ll need to make sure that the products you’re reviewing are verified to be of good quality before you begin writing about them.