Five ways to make passive income on the web

Passive income is one of the buzzwords of the 21^st century, as everyone dreams about earning money without doing anything, and the online world seems to be filled with opportunities.

The truth is — there’s no such thing as easy money, and you should put in a lot of effort to navigate the cash flow right into your pocket. However, the idea of bootstrapping a business that requires just a push-start and nothing else is more than possible.

We live in the day and age where we need to work smart rather than work hard. If you play your cards right, you might just as well become an owner of a business that brings you passive income. Let’s take a look at some of the up-and-coming business ideas that could be your side hustle.

Blogging

You probably think that few people read nowadays, right? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. For more than a decade, blogging has been one of the most popular ways for writers to share their ideas, express their creativity, and discuss various topics with their readers.

Blogs have become so popular that owning a successful blog could potentially bring in thousands of dollars a month. All it takes is finding a meaningful niche with the topics you are knowledgeable about and you can start sharing your thoughts via your blog.

If you have managed to attract readers, that means you are doing a great job. Many professionals will give out pieces of advice for free, and several articles offer step-by-step guides on how to start a blog. Once you have enough followers, many marketers will reach out to promote their products and services via your site, either through guest posting or by simply placing their ads.

Investing/crowdfunding

Hundreds of investment opportunities are available on the web, and one of the most popular ways to do it is through crowdfunding. The terms may differ for every project, so make sure to invest in those which, if successful, will bring you potential income.

Apart from investing in businesses, people also invest in cryptocurrencies which represent an emerging industry that is bound to take over the world in several years’ time. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies are convenient to buy at the moment, and there is a huge possibility for their price to go up again.

Investing requires knowledge, so make sure to check out Investopedia, which is the most popular free website that educates the readers on investment.

Playing games

Games may not be a passive activity, but more and more portals are offering payments to players. Some see them as fun, others simply as investment opportunities. Sites such as Bonus Seeker offer a selection of websites that you can choose from.

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketers promote products and services which are not their own. For example, Amazon has a huge affiliate marketing program where marketers can sign up and get paid for every product from Amazon that they manage to sell via their affiliate websites.

It is up to you to come up with an online marketing strategy and execute it. If all goes well, you could start attracting hundreds of people who would shop on Amazon and other sites that you promote, thus creating passive income for you. Make sure to check out some of the great affiliate marketing courses that offer a detailed overview of every step you need to take to succeed in this type of business.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is very similar to affiliate marketing, except for the fact that you are also the one that is selling goods. It includes building a dedicated online store which will resell products from other big platforms.

Let’s take AliExpress as one of the possible options for dropshipping. You probably wonder: “Why would I sell items which people can already buy at AliExpress?” The key here is not selling but reaching your customers before your competition. In other words, marketing is once again the primary focus that you should explore and learn more about before starting either an affiliate or dropshipping business. However, once you go through the basics and implement them, you will ensure steady cash flow. All it takes is a bit of learning and playing it smart.

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