Where to start, where to find clients and customers, as well as a few ideas for business on the Internet.
Ten years ago, the Internet was seen as a source of additional income. Today, it is a separate business platform that allows people to become millionaires. And you don’t have to invent Facebook to do it. Many people create online stores, moderate forums, and look for clients through social networks.
A bit of a statistic:
- In January 2018, the number of active Internet users around the world grew to 4.021 billion people, every one of whom is a potential client or customer.
- In 1995, the overall percentage of freelancers in the U.S. was just 7%; in 2018, that number doubled, and by 2020, one-fifth of the adult population will offer services online.
- In 2018 in the U.K., 62% of companies have remote workers and use freelancers.
- The number of professionals planning to switch completely to remote work has grown from 9% to 15% in recent years.
The general trend is obvious: both companies and specialists in various fields are interested in freelancing and are beginning to actively use the Internet to make money.
There are two ways to make money over the Internet: to offer your services remotely (this is work from home, freelancing) or to open your own online business. Both options are promising, but they have their specifics. If you need the income now, read more about how to make money online fast. Let’s start with the first one: remote work.
How to make freelance money
A few years ago, a good additional source of income was serviced to find unskilled labor. Payments were offered for surfing sites, likes, comments, and reviews. The offer was mainly aimed at schoolchildren and students looking for a quick buck. This market is still thriving, but in this article, we will look at full-fledged remote work options.
How much do freelancers make?
According to a recent study, the average income of a freelancer in the U.S. is about $60 per hour, but the figure varies by:
- the main area of activity;
- number of customers;
- conclusion of a contract with a domestic or foreign partner.
For example, remote workers working with foreigners almost double their average monthly income.
As for the areas in demand, the distribution is as follows:
- 36% of customers are looking for web programmers;
- 19.8% are interested in working with texts;
- 19.5% hire designers;
- 9.1% use freelancers for Internet marketing.
But more often than not, designers go into freelancing, not programmers.
Where to look for customers
The easiest way to find a customer is to seek help from specialized exchanges. Among their main advantages are:
- clear interface and quick registration – most sites are similar to each other, once you understand one, it is easy to offer services on others;
- a large number of daily published projects;
- additional opportunities for promotion (reviews, rating of performers, posting and editing of portfolios);
- safe deal that protects from scammers: customers are guaranteed to get the work, and performers – payment.
Exchanges have a disadvantage – high competition among performers. You can cope with this not only by getting feedback and updating your portfolio but also by avoiding template responses. To save time, many performers publish the same standard response for each project. Yes, it is convenient, but the percentage of clients interested is about 1% (one customer per 100 responses). Increase the rate by 10 times with individual proposals.
Among the exchangers, the undisputed competitor is upwork.com. All the most popular areas of freelancing are represented on the portal.
Conclusions
- Freelancing is a good way for specialists who are confident in their abilities to make money online.
- It is more profitable to work with foreign customers because they are more likely to use the services of remote workers and offer higher pay.
- Freelancers’ income depends only on diligence and diligence.
- The easiest way to start looking for work is to register at freelance exchanges.
- To get good orders, it is important to spend time on the portfolio, earn a reputation and make individual offers for each project.
- Fluency in foreign languages is an important help for those who want to earn remotely.
- In addition to exchanges, blogs, personal websites, social networks, and even email lists of potential clients are used to find orders.
How to start a business on the Internet
Creating and launching your startup is a good alternative to freelancing and a real way to make money online. Previously, many potential entrepreneurs were limited by the rigid economics of the “real world” – serious investments and solid startup capital were required to find clients and promote them. With the development of Internet technology, it has become much easier to start your own business without investment.
The digital market continues to grow and develop. There is a positive trend in the U.S. and Europe in 2018:
- The number of social media users has increased by 15% compared to 2017;
- 85% of users go online daily;
- the average time people spend on the web has tripled: from 2 to 6 hours a day.
And the e-commerce market is booming: nearly 45% of global Internet users regularly buy and sell goods and services through the Web. And the average check is rising all the time.
All of this says one thing: starting your own online business on the Internet is easier than ever. What do you need? The right business idea.
Business ideas for making money fast
Starting your own business is easier if you already have a hobby or professional skill: from baking or basket weaving to rebuilding retro car engines or winter fishing. With the internet, any hobby can be monetized.
If there are no hobbies, you can use a lot of life experience or excellent knowledge of a topic – that will also work. In that case, you can create your blog.
How to create a website for work on the Internet
You will need a website not only for those who start their own business on the Internet, but also for freelancers – to place a portfolio, attract clients, and maintain a thematic blog. Its advantages:
- Working with any target audience.
- A simple way to deliver a proposal and get feedback.
- Minimal investment in the initial stages.
Today there are many designers, allowing you to create a simple site from scratch, without the skills of layout and programming. Some of them – free, others ask for a small subscription fee.