Making Money Online Gains Popularity in Down Economy

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August 07, 2009
By the ZippyCart Shopping Carts Content Team

With the US unemployment rate skyrocketing to 9.7% in June, more and more people are turning to the Internet in search of quick cash. Those feeling the pain in their wallet have opened up a whole new market for sites that offer less than traditional methods of earning an income. In this story, we’ll cover 3 such sites that can help you take the first step into the space of online entrepreneurship or improve your already growing ecommerce portfolio.

MakeMoneyStudio – This website offers a unique way to make money online with a small amount of elbow grease and a flare for creativity. The premise of the company’s offer is pretty simple: you sign up (there’s always free sign up periods and there’s one right now), they help you build a website, and then they help you add their affiliate offers to the site. Every time you sell something, you get a commission of that sale and so do they. It works for them and for the merchant. So what’s the catch? While they say that there isn’t one, it’s likely that the catch is visibility. When you launch a new website, it will take quite some time for users to find your site and start making purchases through it. Typically, customers will visit your site at least 3 times before making a major purchase. As such, the first few months you will probably only make a few bucks here and there, while six months in you should start seeing the cash flow.

Freelance Writing Sites – There are so many of these sites springing up, that it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few. These sites have gained considerable popularity over the past year as many journalists have become victims of budget cuts. On the Internet, content is king, so it’s only logical that these sites have become such a high demand workforce for many small to large Internet companies. Writers can expect to make anywhere from $2 – $20 per article and could quickly make a living if they join the right sites. To see a list of the top sites, checkout this Examiner.com article.

Affiliate Programs – Affiliate networks have always been a popular driving force of the online economy, but as the offline economy worsens, affiliates are seeing an upswing in webmasters wanting to join their lucrative programs. If you own a website, consider signing up for a program like ShareASale or FlexOffers. As a member, you will be able to choose various merchants that you wish to promote on your site and will get paid everytime one of your users becomes a sale, lead, or click (traffic source) for that merchant.

Unfortunately, the programs listed above are not a cure all for the current economy. While they definitely offer great opportunities, they still rely on many brick and mortar businesses that might be hurting as well. As such, it’s important not to put all hope into one of these growing online spaces. Instead, job searchers should consider these methods as a way to improve their current situation while looking for a long term solution either offline or online.