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7 Ways to Earn Money Online in Your Spare Time

Updated on August 25, 2011

If you were able to put every minute of your waking day towards something that provided you with direct profit, you will very likely find yourself in a financially secure position before too long with the right determination. Unfortunately, the jobs that most people have only allow them to work a certain amount of hours per day or complete a certain amount of contract work in a given time. Using the internet to generate money is a solution that more and more people are turning to as the job market continues to dwindle, and the direct financial benefits you receive for the amount of time you put into any of these online money making resources really pays off - literally.

#1: Article Writing / Content Creation

The countless websites across the web are always in need of new written content to be used directly on their site or as a means of advertisement or promotion. You can easily apply at any online company that provides written content for various websites with a brief resume and writing sample - providing you with a selection of paying article writing jobs or assignments in as little as a day or two. The Content Authority is a reputable content writing service that uses a tier system promoting higher pay for better work, but there are tons of content writing job positions online. Alternatively, you can contact webmasters directly to offer your services.

#2: Surveys and Questionnaires

You've probably stumbled upon a website or received some sort of email in your junk folder that mentions online surveys for cash at some point. Although many of these offers might be more of a waste of time than a way to make money online in your spare time, there are many ways that you can complete legitimate studies, questionnaires and even surveys for a decent amount of cash.

Http://www.Mturk.com is a website owned by Amazon that acts as a basic platform for anyone to accept or assign jobs that can be completed online. Universities and research groups regularly use Amazon's Mturk (Mechanical Turk) and similar platforms to perform studies that can often times pay upwards of five Dollars.

Car owners, Home owners and many other individuals can also participate in market research studies through domains like Vindale Research, but be warned that you will not be eligible for payment if you do not meet special requirements, and these requirements will almost never be shown to you until after you complete a long set of questions.

#3: Data Entry Work

Other than writing quality content for websites and link building purposes, simple data entry jobs can be done by just about anyone. Mechanical Turk is a great place to find data entry work, and the majority of assignments you complete will require little to no prior knowledge of any sort. By simply finding and inputting addresses or phone numbers, checking information for correctness, or completing other simple assignments that require little more than a computer and an active connection to the internet, you can generate yourself some serious income on the side in your spare time.

#4: Affiliate Earnings / Advertisement

Through your own domain or websites like HubPages, you can use your written opinions or advice to earn money through affiliate marketing programs that will be featured alongside your work. This will require some level of ingenuity on the topics that you choose, and search engine optimization and internet marketing will be important if you hope to take your earnings through online advertising to a higher level. Website like Blogspot or Wordpress allow you to make your own website without having to pay for hosting or a web address, and either of these options are a great way to feel out the market and see if you have some potential to earn money through this avenue.

#5: Special Offers and Sign-Ups

Finding special online discounts can save you a whole lot of money by printing out coupons or providing a special discount code during your purchase, and some of these great offers and signup deals even offer cash back offers upon providing proof of purchase or similar verification. Coupon websites such as Yahoo Deals or coupons.com can be a quick way to save a whole lot of money, and you'll likely stumble upon some really valuable offers if you spend enough time browsing through similar websites.

#6: Contests

The internet is constantly hosting new contests of varying levels. From cash prizes to cruise ship getaways, plenty of contests can be found online, and you usually need little more than an address or phone number to enter yourself. Be careful of false advertisements that claim you have already won a contest, or untrustworthy websites that seem to be asking you an excessive amount of information as these will rarely provide you with a legitimate chance to win anything.

#7: Wholesale or Resell

Through auction or sale platform websites like Ebay and Amazon, profits can easily be made by selling just about anything. Opening your own E-commerce website to host your products is another alternative, but you will have to have extensive knowledge in various areas to reach the customer base that you can easily find by hosting your product on one of the above mentioned sites, as well as a much larger initial investment.

You can sell things that you own or make, or you can even use wholesale sources to purchase things in bulk and resell them individually. Trying to find great deals on Ebay or Amazon can also be another way to make small commissions through reselling as some of the prices you find will be much less than any wholesale or bulk price.

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