Work at Home Business Part 1- 10 ways to write all the way to the bank!

Are you wanting to work at home but have no idea what to do? Don’t think you have any marketable skills? Stop right there! The web abounds with opportunities, and despite all the spam you might get, it’s not all limited to internet marketing, either.

Work at home business as a writer

Might there be a writer in you? Maybe, just maybe?

Now hold on, I’m not talking about writing your memoirs or an action-packed thriller. What I’m talking about is writing or re-writing content for websites.

You see, the Internet is all about content and the content is all about words. And as we all know, the Internet is getting bigger and bigger so it’s a safe bet that the demand for content, and I mean good content, is getting bigger, too. And what some of us know who make it our business to understand the fundamentals of internet marketing is that search engines absolutely LOVE the written word. It’s not the pretty pictures; it’s not the fancy Flash; it’s not even the cool videos (although the search engines love the verbiage around the videos). It’s the words!

So take a few minutes and browse through our list of ways you can start making money from writing online.

And if you know of any other income-earning writing opportunities, please drop us a comment, and we’ll add it to the list.

1. Don’t know where to start? Need a little inspiration? Then check out Craigslist, Elance.com and Guru.com and search for “writing” or “writer.” That’ll certainly give you a good start!
2. Know-it-all, know a lot or just a little? If so, take a look at eHow.com.  Write brief “How to” articles on any topic you choose, and get paid for the article. The more popular the article, the more income you can expect.
3. You be the judge! At SoftwareJudge.com, you can write reviews of select software products and earn up to $50 each for a top review. And don’t forget Epinions.com - Did you know they pay cash for good quality reviews? You’re not going to get rich, but it’s a great start.
4. It’s all in a name at PickyDomains.com. Suggest domain names according to site descriptions and get $25 for each name that is chosen.
5. Love those ads! At Xomba.com, you can write anything you feel like, and collect 50% of any advertising income from Adsense clicks on your page…thank you very much. Check out Squidoo and HubPages for a similar deal. Just set up a webpage, they’ll serve ads on those pages, and you split the revenue with them.
6. Ads and more ads!! Create your own blog or website to make money online and keep all of the ad revenues. The idea is to write about something you’re passionate about, generate as much traffic to your site as you can and have your visitors click on the ads that are on your pages. The more people visiting your site and clicking on ads, the more income you can earn. Now don’t expect a lot of money at the beginning but as you steadily add content to your site (or sites), and build traffic, your ad income will steadily grow. Check out Google Adsense, Yahoo Publisher Network, and Microsoft adCenter for more information about this.
   

   Please note: People who make a significant income from this method, typically have multiple niche sites. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. They don’t pay hosting charges for each site they have. Hostgator.com (arguably one of the best hosting companies around) has an incredible deal where you pay $7.95/month for hosting and you can host as many domains as you want with a single hosting account. That’s right! Unlimited website hosting for less than what most people pay for just one website. And I’m going to let you in on another secret. That same account includes automatic WordPress blog set-up and thousands of professionally designed website templates from which to choose and use. An absolute steal of a deal, designed especially for regular folks who don’t know a thing about programming.

7. Virtual fleamarket, anyone? At Orble.com, you can take ownership of an abandoned blog with a specific focus, like Film, or Travel, and collect a portion of the ad revenues. The advantage of this is that the blog is already well-represented in search engines, and can often generate much more traffic than a new blog of your own. Check out Orble - where one person’s junk just might be another person’s treasure!
8. Sell other people’s stuff! Once you’ve decided on your blog or website, see if there’s any related products or services offered by others that your visitors might be interested in buying. This is called affiliate marketing and is an incredible way to make additional income without worrying about inventories, fulfillment, billing. You simply get a commission for referring people to the product or service. To learn more about affiliate marketing, check out our two-minute video on how to get started. And don’t forget to check out the Hostgator.com deal if you’re planning on setting up multiple websites or blogs.
9. Q&A super-sized! Did you know there are people who earn income as online researchers, answering questions on everything under the sun: investments, market research, divorce law, homework help…you name it. The Association of Independent Information Professionals helps people build their own Q&A website and business. Two sites to look into that offer payments to questions are Uclue and JustAnswer.
10. Finally, don’t forget to check out forums and social networking sites that attract entrepreneurs and other “suits” who are looking for writers to create content for niche websites, articles, press releases, ebooks, newsletters, product descriptions, reviews, you name it. Just go to your favorite search engine, enter the “keywords” of your favorite pastime, niche, or anything else you’d be interested in writing about + the word “forum” or “blog” and see what you get. A word of caution - understand proper protocol for the sites you join. Spamming is definitely a “no-no” and will get you a “heave-ho.” Just read their “rules of engagement.” And when you join those sites (especially the forums), make sure you set up your “signature” so that it’s clear you’re looking for writing opportunities.

Hope this has gotten your creative juices going! In the next couple days, we’ll be adding Part 2, but get started on this list now. And definitely let me know about your own work at home business and how you’re writing all the way to the bank. Maybe you can be our next feature interview at Women’s Work.

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Tags: Work At Home Business, writing online