Over the past 15+ years, our team has tried a wide variety of online side hustles, including blogging, building websites, selling items online, affiliate marketing, and more. Some of these activities even grew into full-time businesses and main sources of income.
With the rise of new technologies and platforms, there are countless ways to make money online today. This has made earning extra income through side hustles more accessible than ever.
Whether you want to boost your savings, pay off debt, or achieve financial independence, exploring online side hustle opportunities can help you reach your goals. That’s why we did the research to find all kinds of online business ideas that you can put into practice today.
In this article, we will share with you our list of easy side hustle ideas for making money online.
Why Use Side Hustles to Make Money Online?
A side hustle is a part-time job or business that you pursue in addition to your main occupation. It can be an easy way to make some money on the internet without having to dedicate too much time to it.
These extra gigs offer you more flexibility in terms of working hours, allowing you to balance them with your main job or other commitments. Plus, they require minimal upfront costs and can provide a significant boost to your income.
These side hustles can include selling t-shirts, launching a blog, starting a podcast, and more.
We recommend choosing a side hustle that really interests you. This will make it easier to stay motivated and dedicated, even when faced with challenges after a long work day.
Overall, if done right, your extra job can be a great way to generate some passive income and contribute to your financial freedom.
Why Trust WPBeginner?
At WPBeginner, we’re a dedicated team with over 15 years of experience. We specialize in WordPress, but we have extensive knowledge of many other online topics, including search engine optimization, online marketing, and monetization.
We’ve used a bunch of different strategies to make money online, and we also researched more options for this guide. To learn more, see our complete editorial process.
Having said that, let’s take a look at some online side hustle ideas to make money:
1. Start a WordPress Blog
Starting a WordPress blog is the easiest way to earn some side hustle money. It has a low investment cost, and you can work on it whenever you have free time. This helps make it compatible with your other commitments.
Many successful bloggers are currently making six-figure incomes with this side hustle. In fact, our founder, Syed Balkhi, has created an eight-figure online business that started with a blog.
You might want to start your business with a blog, too. Once you launch your blog, you can make money by displaying Google AdSense ads, promoting affiliate products, writing paid reviews, and so much more.
However, we would recommend selecting a niche before you start writing content. This will help you study your target audience, give direction for your content plan, and build a community.
For detailed instructions on this idea, see our guide on how to start a WordPress blog.
2. Build a YouTube Channel
If you enjoy making and sharing video content like vlogs or tutorials, then you can start a YouTube channel. For instance, you can build a cooking channel, create educational videos, or just make vlogs about your daily life.
At WPBeginner, we have created a thriving YouTube channel dedicated to empowering users to build successful WordPress businesses. We currently have more than 1 million followers, so we know everything there is to know about creating visual content that builds a loyal following.
YouTube has about 2.7 billion users worldwide and is the world’s largest video hosting platform. Creating a channel allows you to reach a global audience and earn money from advertisements, sponsorships, and deals.
However, keep in mind that you will need at least 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months and 1,000 subscribers to make money through YouTube ads shown before your videos.
Though it may be difficult at first, if you commit to your YouTube project, it could be well worth your time.
For details, see our guide on how to start a successful YouTube channel for your business.
3. Start a Podcast
Starting a podcast can be a great way to make money. For this side hustle, you will need to create a series of audio or video episodes that can be downloaded or streamed online.
At WPBeginner, we’ve observed lots of podcasts grow and evolve over the years. We even had our own WPBeginner Podcast for a while. Although our followers ended up being more loyal to our pre-existing YouTube channel, we still believe that podcasting can be a great option if you’re starting out fresh.
Podcasts cover a wide range of topics, from news and current events to entertainment, education, and hobbies. You will just need a microphone and some recording software.
After that, you can record and edit podcasts at your own convenience, making it a flexible side gig. It will help generate income with ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.
However, remember to choose topics that excite you, and make sure you stay within a defined niche that you’re knowledgeable about. That way, you can create engaging and authentic content. This will also help you establish authority while finding a target audience. Plus, it will make monetization and sponsorships easier in the future.
For detailed instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to start a podcast and make it successful.
4. Sell Digital Products
Selling digital products like ebooks, music, or PDFs can be a profitable side hustle since you won’t have to set up a physical store or manage inventory. Additionally, you can create products at your own pace and from anywhere with an internet connection.
Another advantage of digital products is their scalability. Once created, you can sell an unlimited number of copies, earning passive income easily.
To do this, you will need to set up a website and use Easy Digital Downloads, which is the best plugin for selling digital goods. We use it on our partner company sites to sell WordPress software, and we love it.
For more information about our experience with this tool, feel free to check out our complete review of Easy Digital Downloads.
Keep in mind that you will also need to set up payment gateways, add a theme, and use multiple plugins to set up a visually appealing online store.
For step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to sell digital downloads in WordPress.
5. Design Your Own T-Shirts
We’ve also seen some of our readers make money by designing and selling t-shirts on platforms like Spreadshirt.
This is an online store that allows you to create and sell custom-printed products, such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, and more. You can design your products using their online design tool or upload your own artwork.
Once you do that, Spreadshirt will add these items to its marketplace. Then, when a user places an order, the platform will handle the printing, shipping, and customer service, while you will earn a small commission for your design.
This is a great way to earn some passive income because you will only need to design your products once and won’t have to deal with inventory management, payment details, or customer support.
For details, see our tutorial on how to easily create a t-shirt shop in WordPress.
6. Promote Affiliate Products
Another way to earn some quick cash is to promote affiliate products on your website. It is a marketing strategy where you promote products or services of another company and earn a small commission for it.
At WPBeginner, we’ve had a lot of success with affiliate marketing. That’s because we only partner with highly relevant businesses that we know can help our customers. What’s more, we make sure to test out every product or service that we promote.
You can join any of the affiliate programs available on the internet, and once you have built an audience, you can earn passive income from your affiliate links. It is the perfect extra gig as you don’t have to invest any money and can work any time you like.
This can be an excellent option if you already have a WordPress blog with a following. That said, you’ll want to make sure that you only promote affiliate products that are relevant to your niche.
For example, if you run an educational blog about parenting, it would make sense to recommend children’s toys and nutritional snacks for kids. You should also be confident about the quality of the items you are promoting.
Meanwhile, if you’ve built your personal brand on social media, or you don’t have one yet, you may want to build an Amazon affiliate store using WordPress. In this model, you can list products from Amazon on your website and earn a commission when someone clicks the link and completes a purchase.
For more information, see our ultimate affiliate marketing guide.
7. Sell Photos Online
If you are a photographer, then you can showcase your talent online to earn some quick cash. Your photos can be sold to businesses and individuals in need of visually appealing stock images for their projects.
This is a great side hustle because you don’t have to spend a lot of time maintaining your website daily. Simply upload images occasionally, and visitors can purchase them whenever they want, generating passive income for you.
However, keep in mind that you will still need to work on your site’s SEO and content so that your website is ranked higher in the search results, bringing more traffic.
To get started, view our tutorial on how to sell photos online in WordPress.
8. Teach Fitness Classes Online
We’ve also seen lots of gym instructors and yoga enthusiasts earn money online by teaching fitness classes. It is a flexible idea since you can set your own schedule and can reach students all over the world.
Plus, it won’t cost you much as you will only need a computer, webcam, and microphone.
We would recommend offering subscription-based classes to provide a steady stream of income. This is really easy if you use WordPress and a dedicated membership plugin like MemberPress.
For more information, check out our complete MemberPress review.
Once users purchase a membership program, they will be able to view workout videos on your website while you get to make some quick cash.
For more information on how to set this business up, see our tutorial on how to teach online yoga classes in WordPress.
9. Start a Dropshipping Business
If you’re looking for a super simple side hustle, you might want to open a dropshipping store. Tons of our readers have seen success using this approach.
With dropshipping, you sell products without managing any inventory. When a customer places an order, you purchase the product from a third-party supplier and have it shipped directly to the customer.
For instance, you can showcase skincare products from a third-party vendor that you partner with using AliExpress (online retail platform). Now when a customer purchases a product, you can ask the vendor to ship the product to the address provided by the user.
This allows you to offer a wide range of items in your online store and easily scale your business to meet increasing demand. Plus, if a product isn’t selling well, you don’t have to worry about being stuck with inventory.
However, it is important to note that dropshipping can be more time-consuming than other side hustles. Additionally, product quality and customer satisfaction depend on the supplier you choose.
For details, see our dropshipping made simple guide.
10. Rent Equipment
Another simple way to earn extra income is by renting out equipment you don’t use often, such as lawnmowers, gardening tools, or carpet cleaners. You can either buy this equipment specifically for rental or rent out items you already own.
This will provide a steady stream of recurring income and you won’t have to invest any money for it. Keep in mind that this additional business will have a local focus since you will only be able to rent products to customers within your city or close to it.
Plus, you will need to ensure that users have a positive experience renting your equipment to bring back customers.
For details, see our tutorial on how to add equipment rentals to your WooCommerce store.
11. Teach Online Classes
If you have a particular skill set, then you can use it to earn some extra money by teaching online classes. For instance, you can teach photography, painting, sculpting, cooking, musical instruments, social media marketing, and more.
Online classes offer flexibility and global reach. You can set your own schedule, teach students worldwide, and even pre-record lessons for convenience. This eliminates the pressure of live teaching and allows you to perfect your content.
Remember to choose a niche, create high-quality content, and build an online presence to make this venture successful. Using a super simple platform like MemberPress can also help streamline your business operations.
We’ve used this plugin to create successful video courses for our readers. If you’re interested in using the tool, check out our complete MemberPress review.
For more information, see our guide on how to run a virtual class with WordPress.
Bonus Tips to Grow Your Business Online Without a Lot of Money
Now that you have decided on a side hustle idea and created a website for it, you will still need to put in some effort to make this business successful.
You will need to look for ways to attract visitors, convert potential customers, build a brand, and scale your business. Here are some tips that can help you along the way:
- Build a visually appealing site: We recommend choosing a WordPress theme that matches your niche to make your site aesthetically pleasing. However, if you don’t like any of the options, then you can opt for SeedProd. It is the best theme builder on the market that lets you create a custom theme without any coding.
- Add a contact form: You need to make it easier for customers to contact you to address their queries, report a problem, or ask any relevant questions. For this, just add a simple contact form with WPForms.
- Create an email list: To communicate with your users and inform them about any site updates, you need to start building an email list. For this, you can use Constant Contact, a popular email marketing service.
- Optimize site SEO: You need to optimize your search engines for Google to bring more traffic and grow your site. To do this, you can opt for All in One SEO which is the best SEO plugin on the market.
- Make data-driven decisions: To make your side hustle successful, you must know details like how many visitors are coming to your site, where they are coming from, and what they do while there. You can easily do this by installing Google Analytics in WordPress.
For more tips, see our beginner’s guide on growing your online business without a lot of money.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Side Hustles
Here are some questions our readers frequently ask about online side hustle ideas:
Do I need any special skills or qualifications to start a side hustle?
Having specific skills or qualifications can certainly be helpful, but many side hustles can be started with minimal experience.
For example, if you enjoy writing, you could start a blog. On the other hand, if you are passionate about a particular hobby, then you can use that to make money online, like selling handcrafted items.
Even if you don’t have any specific skills, you can learn new ones through online courses or tutorials. The most important thing is to find a side hustle that aligns with your interests and strengths.
How can I find my niche for a side hustle?
To find your niche for a side hustle, consider your interests, passions, and skills. Think about what you enjoy doing and what you are good at.
Then, you can research popular niches and identify areas where you can offer unique value. You can also explore online communities and forums to connect with people who share your interests and get feedback on potential niche ideas.
How can I balance my side hustle with my main job or other commitments?
To effectively balance your side hustle with your main job or other commitments, it’s important to set realistic goals and prioritize your tasks.
Create a schedule that allows you to set time aside for your side hustle without neglecting your other responsibilities. You can do this by breaking down larger tasks into smaller steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Most importantly, be patient, as building a successful side hustle takes time and effort.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when starting a side hustle?
Here is a list of some common mistakes to avoid when starting a side hustle:
- Overestimating your abilities
- Neglecting your main job
- Underestimating the time commitment
- Not marketing your side hustle with social media
- Not seeking and using feedback
- Ignoring legal and financial considerations
- Not building relationships with other entrepreneurs
We hope this article helped you learn some side hustle ideas to make money online. You may also like our tutorial on how to sell a single product online with WordPress and our expert picks for the best website ideas to launch an online side business.
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