I love working online. So much so that I also love helping other people find legitimate online jobs of their own.
Honestly, working online has changed my life. The TL;DR version is that I was an underpaid and overworked high school teacher that started a blog, quit my teaching job, and now I get to spend a ton of time doing things I enjoy.
See, most online jobs are inherently flexible. You pick when you work and where you work. You can build a business online in your spare time, earn extra cash alongside your day job, or make money while you’re at home taking care of your kids.
It’s not magic all of the time – sometimes I struggle staying focused working at home – but the positives absolutely outweigh the negatives.
If you’re ready for a change and want to start working online, here are:
15 online money making jobs – Legit online jobs for 2020
Quick Links
- 1. Facebook digital marketer
- 2. Blogger
- 3. Virtual assistant
- 4. Pinterest virtual assistant
- 5. Proofreader
- 6. Transcription
- 7. Take surveys online
- 8. Bookkeeping
- 9. Web developer
- 10. Freelance writer
- 11. Social media manager
- 12. Create a course
- 13. Online tutor
- 14. Customer service representative
- 15. Etsy shop owner
- Online money making jobs – the final word
- FAQs about work online jobs
1. Facebook digital marketer
Digital marketers run ad campaigns online for business owners, and Facebook is currently one of the best places for businesses to advertise online. Facebook has incredibly robust ad targeting capabilities, meaning business owners can put ads in front of the right kinds of potential customers.
The problem is that most business owners, especially small business owners, have too much on their plate to learn how to run Facebook ads effectively.
That’s why becoming a Facebook digital marketer is one of the best online jobs right now. Facebook’s ad platform is something you can learn, and you can make around $1,000/month per client.
It takes, on average, 2-3 hours a week to run Facebook ads for your clients, which involves:
- Creating effective ads
- Testing the ads
- Managing leads
- Targeting the right online audience
- Maintaining ads
This is one of the online jobs I worked after I quit my teaching job to blog full time. I needed to supplement my income, and I taught myself how to run Facebook ads.
My first client was the jeweler who sold me my wife’s engagement ring. A few months later my client roster had grown to the point that I was out-earning what I made as a high school band teacher.
This is an in-demand and legit online job, and if you’re interested in learning more, I recommend checking out the Facebook Side Hustle Course. I teamed up with my buddy Mike Yanda (lawyer turned digital marketer who now brings in $30k/month with his digital ad agency) to teach others how to start, run, and manage their own Facebook ads agency.
2. Blogger
Whenever I tell people I’m a blogger, I still get a lot of weird looks and questions. “A blogger? Is that even a real job?” Blogging is 100% a legit online job!
While it’s a slow business model overall, blogging has the highest earning potential out of any of the options on this list. My first payday from this site was $3 earned from display ads, and it’s now grown to a 7-figure online business.
Not all bloggers will have the same outcome – that’s the same for any kind of business you start – but there’s still a lot of money to be made in the online blogging world. I know a lot of bloggers who comfortably make around $5,000-$10,000/month from their sites, and they’re able to do it on the side of their regular jobs.
One of the reasons that blogging is so appealing is that it’s insanely flexible. You can blog about pretty much anything you want – kids, investing, real estate, pets, home decor, etc.
Plus, you’re in control of how you monetize your site, and you can grow your blog in your own time. It’s not something you want to slack on though, because you get out of your blog what you put into it.
I highly recommend starting a WordPress blog on Bluehost. Bluehost costs as little as $2.95/month – that’s less than the cost of a latte – and it’s set up for new bloggers who want a professional-looking site.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the technical side of starting a blog, check out Launch That Blog. This is a free service if you sign up with Bluehost, and my team sets up your blog for you. You get a free domain name, bonus freebies, and we make sure you have all of the right plug-ins installed.
3. Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants, or VAs, are usually self-employed and handle administrative services for their clients. It’s a good online job for anyone who has previous experience in customer service, project management, data entry, executive assistance, office management, or related fields.
I have a couple of virtual assistants who help me run this site, and I would be lost without them. This is the kind of thing you hear from anyone who has a VA, and it’s why they’re so valuable.
Beginner virtual assistantsearn $15-$25/hour on average, and there are lots of companies that are currently hiring virtual assistants.
My friend Gina Horkey has a great course if you want to learn how to start your own virtual assistant business – 30 Days or Less to VA Success.
4. Pinterest virtual assistant
Pinterest is a specialized niche for virtual assistants, and it would be a fun online job if you already like playing around on Pinterest. But keep in mind that working as a Pinterest VA is a lot more than just pinning all day long.
Pinterest virtual assistants are responsible for:
- Creating pins
- Scheduling pins with Tailwind
- Automating the pinning process
- Keyword research
- Running Promoted Pins
- Making rich pins
- Building sales funnels, opt-ins, and more
You can make around $500/month per clientworking online as a Pinterest VA. Common clients are bloggers, e-commerce site owners, entrepreneurs – basically anyone who is trying to drive traffic to their website using Pinterest.
My blogging friend Kristin Larsen created a course to help people start their own Pinterest VA business, called Become a Pinterest VA Today. Check it out if you’d like to learn more.
5. Proofreader
Do you find yourself finding the smallest grammatical or punctuation errors in practically everything you read? You know, restaurant menus, books, Instagram posts, etc. If that’s you, proofreading would be one of the best online jobs.
Proofreaders freelance for all kinds of clients, because let’s be honest, most of us aren’t good at spotting those kinds of errors. Sure, Grammarly is good, but it’s not as good as a real person looking things over.
You can make around $15-$45/hour as a proofreader, and you can learn where to find work in this post: Proofreading Jobs – Make Money Pointing Out Mistakes.
Learn how to proofread anywhere
6. Transcription
Transcriptionists take what they hear in audio or video content and convert it to text. There are specialized jobs for medical transcriptionists and legal transcriptionists. Or, you can work as a general transcriptionist, a role that covers everything that doesn’t fall into the medical or legal fields.
It’s easy in theory – type what you hear. But there can be some factors that make the work harder: think background noises, heavy accents, unfamiliar terminology, lots of people talking, etc. Concentration skills are a must with this job!
Transcriptionists make $15-$30/hour, and you don’t need previous experience or a background in anything to start working as a general transcriptionist.
7. Take surveys online
Okay, this isn’t technically an online money-making job, but it’s too easy to leave off this list.
I know what you’re thinking… uh Bobby, easy money sounds like a red flag. Are you sure online surveys are legit?
Taking online surveys is a legitimate way to make money online, but the catch is that you won’t make a lot of money from surveys. You’re definitely not getting rich with this one.
Online surveys pay around $1-$3/hour… I told you the pay was low! But it’s work you can do while you’re watching Netflix, waiting at the dentist’s office, or in the carpool line to pick up your kids.
Think about it like this: if you’re in a situation when you would pull out your phone and swipe through Facebook or play Candy Crush, you can make a little money with online surveys instead.
I highly recommend Survey Junkie if you want to start signing up for survey sites, but there are even more options in 11 Best Survey Sites to Make Extra Money in 2020.
8. Bookkeeping
Bookkeepers and accountants aren’t the same thing – a lot of people get them mixed up. The difference is that bookkeepers record daily financial transactions for a business, and accountants interpret those financial transactions.
That means that most bookkeepers can start working without previous experience, and you certainly don’t need the kind of specialized training it takes to become an accountant.
Here’s an idea of what bookkeepers do:
- Paying bills
- Collecting payments
- Updating financial records and checking them for accuracy
- Receiving and recording payments
- Reimbursing work-related expenses
- Managing payroll
This online job pays around $20-$40/hour. You’ll need to be highly organized and have solid math skills. Learn how to get started in How to Become a Bookkeeper (Can You Really Start With Zero Experience?).
9. Web developer
Web developers are incredibly in demand right now. More and more people are working and learning online. Apps for ordering groceries and meals are being used more now than ever. Web developers are needed to maintain that technology and create even better options.
Web developer is a pretty broad term – there are jobs in frontend, backend, Java, Python, JavaScript, full-stack, UI and UX designers, and more.
This is one of the best online jobs because it pays really well. Depending on your experience and which coding language you specialize in, you can make anywhere from $40-$80/hour.
Read 11 Best Places to Find Freelance Developer Jobs to find out how to get hired.
10. Freelance writer
Freelance writers are responsible for the vast majority of stuff you read online, from online articles, blog posts, web copy, emails, and more.
You don’t necessarily need a background in English, creative writing, or journalism to find online jobs for writers. Many of the successful freelancer writers I know have a natural writing ability or they’re self-taught.
New freelance writers earn anywhere from $15-$45/hour, but if you have high-value skills like copywriting or SEO, you can earn upwards of $50-$75/hour.
One of my staff writers, Ariel, shares how you can start freelance writing and find online jobs in How to Become a Freelance Writer: The Ultimate Guide for 2020.
11. Social media manager
Social media managers help business owners reach new customers, increase brand awareness, and are responsible for a brand’s online image. It’s part of public relations, part marketing, and a little customer service.
More and more small businesses are outsourcing social media management to freelancers because you need more of a strategy than most of them realize. For example, a social media manager might run a cohesive campaign that involves:
- Scheduling posts
- Replying to comments
- Creating images for posts
- Running reports and analyzing traffic data
- Moderating online groups
- Developing a brand identity and ensuring brand consistency across platforms
Online jobs for social media managers pay anywhere from $15-$40/hour depending on the services you’re offering. Learn more in How to Become a Social Media Manager in 2020.
12. Create a course
This might surprise you, but you probably have a skill that you can distill into an online course. We all have something we’re good at. Maybe you’re an amazing illustrator. Or you know how to build sales funnels. You could be a spreadsheet master.
You can leverage nearly any kind of marketable skill and create an online course.
This is what I did with my Facebook Side Hustle Course and the Facebook Ads for Bloggers Course. I took what I learned while running Facebook ads for my blog and other businesses and turned that knowledge into a course.
One of my readers has created a series of successful graphic design courses, and she went from earning a few thousand dollars a month extra to more than $80,000/month selling courses on platforms like Skillshare and Udemy!
How you market your course and the online platform you use makes a big difference in how successful you are. There are lots of course platforms out there – I use Teachable for my courses, but you can compare the options in 8 of the Best Online Course Platforms in 2020.
13. Online tutor
If there is a school subject you know really well – think algebra, chemistry, French, etc. – parents are willing to pay good money to tutors who can help their kids get their grades up. As a former high school teacher, I knew lots of kids who were getting outside help from tutors.
Parents want their kids to do well in school, have an edge when it comes to tests like the ACT and SAT, and they are willing to pay good money for quality tutors.
This is the kind of money-making online job for those who don’t want to start their own freelancing gig or start a business. And it pays well too – subject-specific tutors can make $30-$60, and test prep tutors can earn around $45-$100/hour.
I highly recommend Wyzant if you want to start tutoring online. Wyzant tutors schedule their own hours and get to keep 80% of their tutoring fees.
14. Customer service representative
Big companies like Apple and Amazon have moved their customer service jobs online, and more companies are following suit.
Most customer service jobs are steady, entry-level work that pays around $10-$20/hour.
This online job requires a lot of patience and problem-solving skills – I’m not sure I could do it! You’re going to get some pretty rude customers, but that’s not the case all of the time. You’ll also be answering questions, processing refunds, and just offering general customer support.
FlexJobs is a good place to find online jobs for customer service representatives.
15. Etsy shop owner
This is one of the best online jobs for creative people who want to do something a little different online. Etsy is the go-to online marketplace for all things creative, handmade, unique, or vintage.
While you can make and sell clothes, jewelry, furniture, artwork, and more., one of the more lucrative niches is digital printables. Think planner pages, invitations, birthday cards, stickers, budget pages, calendars, cards, and more.
These are files that people can purchase, download, and print. You’re not holding onto inventory, spending time creating every single item, and you don’t have to ship anything out.
All of that saves time and money, and it’s why selling printables on Etsy is a somewhat passive online job.
Learn how to make Etsy printables
Online money making jobs – the final word
There is a lot of space online to find work and earn a regular income. Technology has only increased the options, and I think that’s really freaking awesome for anyone who wants a flexible job they can work from home.
My goal was to make sure this list had something for everyone. There are serious build-a-business online jobs like blogging and freelance. Or you can start something that takes less of a commitment, like taking online surveys or tutoring.
Think about what your goals are, then go forth and put in the work!
FAQs
You can earn $1,000 a month with a number of these jobs. My top pick is running Facebook ads for local businesses because you can make $1,000/month per client with around 2-3 hours worth of work. A number of the students who’ve taken my course have been able to scale their digital ad agencies to the $5,000 or even $10,000/month mark.
There are a lot of ways to make $100 a day. For example, a freelance web developer could make $100 in just a couple of hours. A Pinterest virtual assistant could make $100 in a few hours working on their client’s Tailwind schedule. An Etsy shop could net $100 in just one sale, depending on what you’re selling.
The highest paying online jobs go to skilled workers, like freelance web developers, graphic designers, computer engineers, high-level freelance writers, etc. These are online jobs that start out paying well.
If you’re willing to put in the work, there’s virtually unlimited earning potential if you start a blog. Remember it’s a slow business model – not a get-rich-quick scheme – but the potential is there.