At no extra cost to you, some or all of the products featured below are from partners who may compensate us for your click. It's how we make money. This does not influence our recommendations or editorial integrity, but it does help us keep the site running. Read our full Disclosure.
There are countless ways to make money online, but the biggest hurdle many people face is simply not knowing what to do or how to get started.
When you feel overwhelmed or inadequate, it’s easy to fall into doing nothing at all.
Today, that changes. I want to share three practical, proven methods anyone can use to make money online.
These are strategies I’m actively doing myself, so I know they work—even if you’re not a tech wizard or marketing expert.
Let’s dive in.
1. Blogging: The Classic Online Income Stream
Blogging might seem outdated to some, but it’s far from dead. In fact, blogging has been one of the most reliable and lucrative ways I’ve made money online. You don’t have to be a professional writer to succeed. One of the biggest misconceptions is that blogging requires perfect grammar or fancy language, but the truth is, blogging is just writing the way you talk—conversationally and naturally.
If you know how to speak, you can write blog posts. Tools like Grammarly make it easy to fix grammar or spelling errors, so there’s no excuse not to try.
But how does blogging actually make money? Writing about your daily routine or what you had for dinner won’t cut it. The key is to help people solve problems or answer questions they’re searching for online. When you write helpful, informative blog posts that rank well on Google, you attract readers who need that information. This traffic can then be monetized through ads and affiliate marketing.
I use tools to discover what people are searching for. For example, I found a keyword phrase—“top 10 money earning apps”—which has about 2,300 searches every month. I check the keyword difficulty to see if it’s easy or hard to rank for. I usually go for easier keywords to get my articles to show up high on Google’s search results.
By writing blog posts that answer popular questions like this, my articles consistently appear near the top of search results, generating steady traffic. This means people click my articles, read them, see ads, and I earn money from those ad impressions. Additionally, I use affiliate marketing within the content. For instance, I recommend apps like Rakuten that I use myself. When readers click my affiliate links and sign up, I earn commissions.
The beauty of blogging is that once your articles rank, they keep bringing in traffic and money—passive income in action. The first year I blogged, I made about $5,000, but the following year, I earned over $200,000. This income has been life-changing for me and my family, and it all started by answering questions people are actively searching for on Google.
If you’re interested, there are plenty of free resources and courses that can help you learn how to blog and use SEO tools to grow your traffic. Blogging is a long-term strategy, but the payoff can be huge.
2. YouTube: The Power of Video and Affiliate Marketing
YouTube might intimidate you if you don’t like being on camera or feel you’re not “video material.” I get it—I felt the same way. In fact, I never wanted to start a YouTube channel, but when Pinterest changed its algorithm and I lost most of my traffic, I knew I needed a new way to reach people.
YouTube turned out to be a great solution. I started my channel in March 2020 during the pandemic. It took about five months to get monetized (meaning I reached 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours), but even with a small audience, I was already making $4,000 to $6,000 a month from affiliate marketing on my videos.
One way I make videos is by scripting everything out using a teleprompter, which helps me stay on track and sound confident even if talking on camera isn’t my strong suit. You don’t have to be an expert or have fancy equipment to get started—just the willingness to try and learn as you go.
What’s great about YouTube is that you can create content based on what people are searching for. I make videos about apps and services like Instacart or Amazon Flex without ever using those services myself—I interview others or research and share the information. These videos rank well on YouTube search and earn money through ads and affiliate links.
For example, if you search “Shipt Shopper review” on YouTube, you’ll find my video near the top. This consistent search ranking means steady views and income, just like blogging but with video.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to monetize YouTube with affiliate marketing, I’m putting together an ebook to share my strategies. You can sign up to be notified when it’s ready.
3. High-Ticket E-commerce (Dropshipping): A Scalable Business Model
The third way to make money online is through high-ticket e-commerce, also known as dropshipping. Despite what some people say, dropshipping is far from dead. It remains one of the most accessible ways to start an online business because you don’t need to buy or hold inventory upfront.
Here’s how it works: You create an online store and sell products that are shipped directly from the supplier to the customer. You only purchase products after you make a sale, which means there’s less financial risk.
High-ticket dropshipping focuses on selling more expensive products, usually costing $800 or more. The advantage here is that you don’t need a ton of sales to make a meaningful income because each sale has a higher profit margin.
That said, it’s not entirely hands-off. You have to choose the right niche, find reliable suppliers, set up your online store, and drive traffic through ads and SEO. You’ll also need to handle customer service to maintain good relationships with your buyers.
Because I already have my hands full with blogging, YouTube, and family responsibilities, my husband and I decided to hire a company to build and manage our dropshipping store for us. They set up everything—from creating the website and running ads to managing suppliers and even hiring a virtual assistant. It was a costly investment but a “business in a box” promise that we will net at least $5,000 a month.
If you’re committed, you can definitely start a dropshipping business on your own, but it requires dedication and hard work to succeed.
I also wrote an article explaining how to get started with dropshipping, and I’ll link it below for those who want to learn more.
Which One Will You Try?
Now that you know these three practical ways to make money online—blogging, YouTube, and high-ticket dropshipping—think about which fits your skills, interests, and lifestyle best. Do you enjoy writing? Blogging might be your path. Are you comfortable with video or ready to give it a shot? YouTube could be your platform. Want to run an online store but don’t want to hold inventory? Dropshipping might be perfect.
If you’ve made it this far, I’d love to hear from you. Which one are you most interested in trying? Leave a comment and let me know.
And if you haven’t already, check out my other video where I reveal my top five work-from-home jobs that few people talk about but that have great earning potential.
Making money online isn’t a secret or magic—it’s about taking consistent action, learning new skills, and using tools strategically. There are no excuses. You can start today and build your own online income streams, just like I did.