Best Websites to Make Money Online

Upwork

How it works: Upwork is essentially a meeting site where businesses and freelancers throughout the world can connect and collaborate on certain projects. Businesses hire freelancers for a variety of different services, including writing, web design, running SEO campaigns and pretty much any work that can be done on a computer.

Highlights: Upwork takes a commission from 5% to 20%, but the more money you make, the less the commission is.

Drawbacks: Upwork has been so successful that there is a lot of competition on the website, and that can be a real drawback for people who are new to the site, says Sacha Darosa, owner of a digital marketing agency in Toronto called The Shirtless Web Guy.

"Before I started my business in web design, I created profiles on websites such as Upwork. In the beginning it was a struggle to attract any attention from buyers on those platforms because there's so much competition. And much of the competition was from overseas, which made it impossible for me to compete with others on price."

So Darosa lowered his prices and for a while, he was working for next to nothing. But the positive feedback made his profile look better, and Darosa started charging more

Fiverr

How it works: This is also a popular website that can be helpful for freelancers. Know something about digital animation? You can work for someone who doesn't have these skills and pick up some extra cash. Even better, you can offer to compile web research for someone for fast cash.

Highlights: You can make good money from the site, asserts Dan Bochichio, a web designer and digital strategist in Albany, New York, who runs a two-person company called Bocain Designs. He says that his firm makes $3,000 to $5,000 a month from Fiverr. "To stay ahead of the competition, I make sure my Fiverr profile and gig descriptions are well written and communicate the value of the services I'm offering. When someone reaches out to me, I make sure to reply as quickly as I can and follow up with to inquiry by asking good questions. A quick, but carefully written reply will increase the odds of them hiring you drastically," Bochichio says.

Drawbacks: Bochichio's success aside, Fiverr's name comes from the fact that many people used to work for $5 a task. You can ask for more (and arguably should), but a lot of your prospective clients are probably expecting you to work for next to nothing.

Etsy

How it works: If you're artistic and are the type of person who can make custom jewelry or refrigerator magnets, Etsy is the place to sell your products.

Highlights: It's easy to navigate the site and set up a shop.

Drawbacks: There's a lot of competition on the website. On one hand, the branding is big, and a lot of people know about Etsy. But once you put up your wares, as with Upwork and Fiverr, you are one in a gazillion people selling stuff on Etsy. It may feel a little overwhelming.

TaskRabbit

How it works: Are you willing to get your hands dirty? People come to this site to find those willing to do various tasks, such as putting together a bookcase, cleaning a garage or running an errand. Do as many tasks as you want, and this could become quite the part-time (or full-time) job.

Highlights: You can apply for tasks, but you can also put up a profile, explaining what tasks you're available for and skilled at, and people may end up seeking you out for work.

Drawbacks: A lot of the tasks you'll find on TaskRabbit are, as noted, physical – like setting up furniture. Of course, if that's your jam, that's a plus.

Wonder

How it works: People come to this site when they need research done. Wonder doesn't hire just anyone, but you can apply. The process takes about five minutes, according to the website. And if Wonder thinks you have the skills to do research, you'll get access to its dashboard. You can then choose to answer a question – perhaps coming from a business executive or an author writing a book.