There’s no doubting the role of the Internet in almost every aspect of life today. It’s so intrinsic that it is almost part of everyone’s daily routine. Can you imagine waking up in the morning and not having access to your smartphone and social media? How did people survive before this?

You use the Internet for everything – from catching up with the latest news, researching products and checking your social media channels to keeping track of your emails, shopping online and chatting with friends.

And while you’ve been used to the Internet for every social aspect of your life, did you also know that you could use it to make money online whether you want to supplement your main income or find a full-time job? Some people think it’s complicated and only professionals can make money online. This is simply not true.

The beauty of the Internet is the sheer potential it has for almost everything. So you don’t need to have a specialised skill to make money. This guide looks into some ways you can make money online in Australia.

Easiest ways to make money online by everyone:

Here are the 7 simple ways to make money online:

• paid surveys – join them online
• virtual assistant job – work from any place
• freelancing – be your own boss
• data entry – simple monkey job
• teach online – give support online
• testing products – test new products
• transcribing – easy to find

Here are the 7 most common ways to make money online in Australia:

1. Paid surveys – find paid survey websites and join them

Paid survey websites can help you make a fair amount of money if you have time to spare. While you won’t necessarily be raking in the dough, there are several opportunities to make a sizeable sum through paid survey websites. Want to know more? Read further:

• Data is the most important aspect for most brands today, which is why they often do research to understand consumer behaviour.
• The best way to reach out to consumers is through the Internet, which is why most big brands offer opportunities to hear your feedback about their products and services.
• Brands are willing to exchange money in return for this kind of feedback whether positive or negative as it allows them to adjust their offerings accordingly.
• Join as many survey websites as time permits so that you can keep making money from different questionnaires.

Paid survey websites serve as agents between brands and their consumers, so you can communicate your needs. This gives brands the opportunity to deliver products that resonate better with their consumers – and can make you some money in the meanwhile too.

2. Virtual assistant job – find a virtual assistant role

The nicest part about finding a job online is the fact that you could work from home. This means that you don’t have to worry about leaving your kids if you’re a parent. A virtual assistant role could help you do that while helping you make some money. Consider the following:

• Virtual assistants need to perform a variety of admin tasks like email responses, meeting schedules, travel organisation and much more. If you do something similar in your regular role, there’s no reason why you can’t earn a little extra online.
• Remote-working virtual assistant roles are increasingly popular as businesses are trying to cut costs and prefer to work with people on a more casual basis.
• Virtual assistant roles can be flexible in timings so you won’t be stuck in a 9 to 5 framework if you cannot commit to those timings.

A virtual assistant role is a good way to make a little extra money online and you won’t have to do much to land a job.

3. Freelancing – check out freelancing websites

Become a freelancer and work with flexible hours. Have a particular skill that you could share with the world via freelancing websites? Here are some ideas of what you can do on freelancing websites to help you get started –

• If you’re a writer, then you could contribute blogs, articles, resumes and other pieces of content.
• If you’re a video producer, then you could make marketing videos, promotional videos and much more.
• If you’re a data entry person, then you could look into jobs that require data entry and similar information inputs.
• If you understand multiple languages, you could offer your services as a translator.
• If you’re a designer, then you could find jobs that require web design, brochure design and similar opportunities.
• If you’re into IT, then coding and development jobs may be exciting for you.

As you can see, the opportunities are limitless with freelancing websites today. Companies often turn to these websites to look for casual workers so they don’t have to commit to employing people full time. If you aren’t freelancing and are looking to make money online, now is the time to get on to these websites.

4. Data entry – get into data entry

With data becoming so important today, companies are always looking for data entry operators who can do repetitive typing jobs with accuracy – without having to employ them in a physical office. Consider the following:

• Many companies seek data entry operators during nights and weekends, so you don’t have to leave your day job and can use this opportunity to make a little extra cash.
• Data entry jobs are not specific to any particular industry, which means that you’ll find plenty of opportunities provided you look in the right places.
• Data entry jobs simply require you to have a working Internet connection and a fast computer to ensure the job is complete on time.

As mundane as it sounds, data entry is a good way to earn money online, as companies need a lot of data in order to succeed. Since it is expensive to hire people in a physical location for these kinds of jobs, it is far more lucrative for companies to hire someone who can work from home. You can make sure it is you by looking for these jobs when they are posted online.

5. Teach online – provide support online

There are many websites seeking people who can teach online so if you’re good at something in particular, perhaps you can make some money by teaching online. Let’s look at an example:

• You could possibly look at ways to teach subjects online to people seeking to learn – for example, you could teach English to non-English speaking audiences.
• You can choose timings that suit you so you don’t have to work around anyone else’s schedule but yours.
• You can decide what to teach without having to stick to any strict course curriculum, unless you work with a structured organisation with a specific teaching module.

Teaching online could be another good way to make some additional cash apart from your day job. There are several online services that are looking for talented teachers, so you always have a platform if you don’t want to venture on your own. Keep an eye out for these opportunities when looking for ways to make money online in Australia.

6. Testing products – find products that need testing

Another way to make money online is to find products that need to be tested before they go to market. They are even willing to pay someone for the job. Consider the following:

• Companies need to have enough information before they release a product or service and are always on the lookout for people willing to experiment for them.
• Find products that need to be tested and start using them to provide a legitimate review for the business.
• Check out a variety of platforms online to look for product testing jobs that will reward you with monetary benefits along with other offers.

With so much competition in the market today, companies need to have the pulse of consumers’ right, which is why regular product testing is important. You could become a tester and earn some additional cash almost instantly online.

7. Transcribing – find a transcribing job

Transcribing jobs can be menial and monotonous, which is why large organisations don’t usually waste resources during working hours. They often outsource this to freelancers, so why not take advantage of this opportunity to make some additional money online? Consider the following:

• Audio transcriptions can be dull and monotonous, which gives you an opportunity to find something where you can make money online.
• You should ideally be able to type quickly to take advantage of these types of job opportunities to help you earn an extra income.
• You’ll also need to understand what parts of the audio are more important than others so you don’t miss out on any words in the context of the story.

Plenty of transcribing jobs are available for companies that don’t want to hire dedicated staff for them. Take advantage of this opportunity to work from home.

The Internet has made it possible to find all kinds of jobs for people of all ages. You don’t have to be a youngster to be able to make real money from the Internet. You simply need to have a good computer, a good Internet connection and a willingness to learn and undertake new things when looking online. If you think this could be you, start surfing today to find ways to help you make money online in Australia.