The internet is a wonderful thing and each year there are more and more ways for you to earn online. If you are looking to find the best ways to make money online from the UK, then you have come to the right place.
The focus of the article is on proper business ideas or jobs that will pay decent wages rather than filling out surveys for pennies. These are ideas that can actually help you make money from home in the UK.
We think these days everyone should be looking to diversify their income online. This will give you greater security and less dependence on your monthly wage.
If you are determined to work hard and focus on an online income, it could even open up the opportunity to quit the 9-5 and embrace the freedom of a full-time income that is location independent.
If you are ready to start earning an online income, here are the very best ways to start making money.
Make Money from Home UK 2022 – Side Hustle Ideas
1. Start a Blog or Niche Affiliate Website
This one is a bit more of a long-term project but starting a blog or niche affiliate website can eventually provide you with an ongoing passive income so is one of the best make money online UK ideas.
Not only could you earn a regular full-time income from your website, but you will be building an asset that could be sold for thousands should you wish (and all you need to get started is a laptop, and maybe a camera).
Our recommended route to creating an online business is through Wealthy Affiliate which will teach you everything that you need to know about how to start a website and make money through affiliate marketing, adverts (like Google adsense), or selling physical or digital products.
It is a totally free way to start your own website and provides all the training and support that you need to make your business a success. You just need to sign up with an email address no credit card or further details are required.
If you are not sure if it is right for you, have a look at this in-depth Wealthy Affiliate review to find out all the great features of this site, and how they can help you to build your own online business.
2. Matched Betting
By far the best way to start making money from home UK is through matched betting. It is easy to learn, fast, doesn’t require a lot of money upfront and you can earn thousands of pounds tax-free. If you are wondering how to make extra money really quickly this is probably the best place to start. This is a make money UK idea and is not really possible to do in most countries.
Don’t be put off by the word ‘betting’, there is no gambling involved in this and it is a risk-free way to earn a decent second income.
Matched betting takes advantage of the free bets that are offered by bookmakers so that we can make a guaranteed profit each time.
You will essentially be placing two bets on an event like a football match or horse race, these bets will cover the opposite outcomes so it doesn’t matter who wins, you will make money either way.
This really is the best place to start earning money online so have a read of our detailed matched betting guide to get a better idea of the processes involved.
If you like what you have read so far and are raring to go, you can get started straight away with a free trial with Oddsmonkey, this should earn you around £45 for an hour of work.
Why not combine our top two money making ideas? Build your wealth online through matched betting and use this profit to build a blog or niche website using our strategy to earn money online from the UK.
3. Invest in Stocks, Shares and Cryptocurrency
The internet has made investing in stock and shares far simpler than it was just a few years ago so it is now a great way to make money from home. I use the online platform Etoro for this purpose. It has a very clear and simple design that allows you to easily invest and monitor your progress.
I first got into it as it is probably the easiest way to buy cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Doge, XRP and many others but it also gives you access to a whole range of stocks and shares including the likes of Amazon, Netflix and Tesla.
One of the unique features of the platform is the ability to copy an experienced trader. In this case, you simply choose an investor that you think has a good trading style and that fits your risk profile. You then choose how much money you would like to allocate for them to manage.
Your money will then be invested to match how that trader invests their own money. This is a good way to start if you are inexperienced and do not have the time and inclination to research companies or learn about technical analysis.
You can set up a free virtual demo account and get to grips with the system before depositing any real money. Of course, you should be aware that investments can go down as well as up and only invest what you can afford to lose.
4. Teach English Online
If you are a native English speaker wondering how to make money from home then you should definitely consider job opportunities to teach English online from the UK via video chat. You can use a laptop or tablet for this.
There are currently more opportunities available for Americans and Canadians than British people, but if you have a university degree (in anything) you should be able to earn around £10-12 an hour through companies such as MPC Connect.
If this is a route that you are interested in it is worth getting a Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification. This will open up many more opportunities and increase the amount that you get paid. It will also allow you to find work abroad should you wish to earn some cash offline whilst travelling.
5. Fulfilled By Amazon
Another popular route for building a proper online business is by selling products on Amazon via Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA). The FBA programme allows you to send products to Amazon who will then store them in their warehouses and distribute them to their customers. It has got to be one of the best side hustles UK.
Of course, Amazon will take a cut of your sales but you are able to leverage the enormous reach of their system and the vast number of people who prefer to buy through Amazon.
There are 3 main business strategies that can be used with Amazon FBA.
– Retail Arbitrage: This is pretty simple and if you are trying to find how to make money online for beginners, this is a good place to start. You go into stores near to where you live and find a product that you can buy for less than they are sold for on Amazon. You buy the product in the store, send it to the Amazon warehouse, set your price, and wait for it to sell.
This is a great way to start out and get to grips with the Amazon system. Start-up costs are minimal and you can reinvest profits to build up your business.
– Online Arbitrage. This is the same as retail arbitrage but is all done online, you find low priced products that you can sell at a profit through Amazon.
You can either do this manually by searching through sales websites and comparing with the Amazon price or you can use software like Tactical Arbitrage to search thousands of products for you at the touch of a button.
Following this option also has low start-up costs but allows you to scale more quickly and access a far wider range of offers. This is probably the best way to start if you want to earn extra in your spare time. You can start small, but if you get the hang of it and enjoy it you can scale it up to a full time income.
– Private label. This is another great way to earn money with Amazon but it does involve more capital upfront and has more risk involved. Private labelling essentially involves finding a product that is a good seller on Amazon, finding a way to improve the product and creating a brand that will help your product to sell.
A common route to achieve this is by finding a product in China through Alibaba, and working with the supplier to modify it and then ship it to your country.
It is a longer process than RA or OA but if you find the right product you can make huge sums of money and can simply reorder more units from your supplier rather than having to search for the latest deals as with OA and RA. If you can create a brand around your product then you are on the road to internet riches.
6. Switch Bank Accounts
Banks want your business and are prepared to pay for it. There are usually 3 or 4 offers along the lines of ‘£100 free if you switch your current account’.
This won’t make you a lot of money as there is a limit to how many offers you can do, but we have included it in our list as if you have no money this is a great way to get a little seed capital that can be used to start up your Matched Betting, Affiliate or FBA business.
Money Saving Expert has a good up to date list of the best offers.
7. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a way of running an online store without having to have any inventory upfront. Once a customer purchases one of your products you will contact your supplier and ask for it to be shipped directly to the customer.
It is a great business model that has very low start-up costs as you can have an ecommerce store with a full range of products but without the need to pay upfront for the product and with no storage costs.
As such it is a business that you can start with very little financial risk and almost unlimited earning potential. Most dropshipping businesses run on Shopify which makes the process of creating your store very simple. The harder part is in product selection and marketing your store to your target audience.
8. Freelance
Sell your skills on a site like People Per Hour, Upwork or elance. There are all sorts of skills that people are looking such as copywriting, photography, data entry, SEO, social media management etc. There is sure to be something there that you are able to do.
The tricky part is establishing your presence on the website. They all have a rating system and people are naturally inclined to pick people that have lots of positive reviews.
Just keep plugging away, write good proposals when applying for jobs, and consider some low paid work to get your profile up and running. When you are given work, make sure that you do a great job and earn yourself a fantastic review. It will get easier over time as people will feel more confident in hiring someone that has a proven track record of quality work.
Don’t have any skills that are in demand? Why not try following the free training at Wealthy Affiliate, this will give you a chance to develop and showcase skills in writing, keyword research, SEO, website development, and many other skills that can easily be monetised on the sites above.
Click here to see what skills you will learn and how much you could earn
9. Write an ebook
If you have knowledge of any particular area, why not create an ebook? Generally, the more successful ebooks are non-fiction titles focussing on a specific skill or niche. If you think you have some specialised knowledge or are prepared to put in some research to create a product, then an ebook is a fantastic way to earn passive income online.
10. Ebay
eBay has been around so long that it feels like the grandad of the internet. The fact it has been around so long and is so well known helps many people to make a full-time income from running eBay stores.
eBay can be used with a dropshipping business and your orders can even be fulfilled by Amazon. If you just want to sell a few things to make some money fast, there are also other options like Shpock, Gumtree and Facebook to sell locally.
11. Betfair Trading
This is something that you may want to get into once you have got to grips with matched betting and understand how odds move before a sports fixture or race.
There are numerous different strategies to be learnt that could prove profitable. As with all forms of trading, there is an element of risk as the odds movement could go against you.
12. Domain Flipping
Domain names are like an online piece of real estate that can be bought very cheaply but could potentially shoot up in value. The premise is simple, you just purchase a domain with the aim of selling it later for big profits.
Some of the biggest sales are for multiple millions (eg FB.com sold to Facebook for $8.5M or VacationRentals.com going for $35M). You won’t hit the big time like this but it is possible to make some money this way. It is a fairly niche pursuit that will require quite a lot of research, effort and maybe some luck to be successful.
13. Become a Web Search Evaluator
This is a great home based opportunity to earn a decent regular income. You will be paid to carry out various tasks to evaluate content and help to improve the results that are produced by search engines. You will be able to get involved in a number of different evaluation projects, including web search, video evaluation, and maps.
One company that recruits into this position is Leapforce, who are looking for internet savvy applicants with excellent web research skills, comprehension and written communication skills. You will be asked to complete an exam before being accepted as an agent.
You can choose how many hours you work, and at what times, so it offers a good degree of freedom and is a way of guaranteeing some income whilst you are building other online businesses.
Final Thoughts on How to Make Money Online from the UK
So there you have it. Our roundup of the very best ways to make money online from the UK. Which one are you going to try? Our top tip is to choose one and take action. This is the key to earning online, stop thinking about it and just do it.
It is all too easy to research these and spend lots of time on it but without taking the plunge to actually get stuck in. Give one a try, it could be your ticket to financial freedom. Let us know how you get on in the comments below.
I’ve actually explored almost all of these options, as my mental health makes it necessary for me to find alternative sources of income. Oddly enough I’d never heard of matched betting as a way to make extra money online. I was intrigued since you mentioned it first! I’ll definitely check out oddsmonkey and can’t wait to read more on the topic soon! Thanks for sharing your insight!
Matched betting is a revelation! I recommend that you take it slow at first to ensure that you understand it properly. It wont take long at all to get the hang of it though and then it is almost like being able to print your own money! Oddsmonkey are great and will walk you through you first bets so that you are up and running in no time!
Fantastic article. I had been searching ways to make money and I came across your article. I like the Idea of freelancing and flipping domains I have had an interest in these but didn’t know you really could make money from them. As a US resident I’m very sure I could make good money doing this. thank you again for this very informative article.
David
Thanks for your kind words! You have chosen two good options for making money online and I wish you every success. I will be posting in detail about freelancing options soon so be sure to come back and get some great tips for launching yourself as a freelancer.
You have clearly explained all the best ways to make money online. This is the first time I am hearing about switching bank accounts. Very informative article!
Thanks! Switching bank accounts is a great way to make a bit of money to start you off. You can then re-invest this in other business opportunities and start to make an online income.
I thought I had already researched EVERY way of making money online but this list proved otherwise. It was interesting to read about how matched betting works, and the more I read about stocks and shares the more I want to get involved. Great job!
Thanks for your kind words. I’d suggest getting involved with matched betting for some easy and quick money. Then invest some of your profits in stocks and shares and you should hopefully see your profits grow even more.
I think that blogging is a great idea. However how long does it take to reach success and how much should I work? What are your opinions about that? Because I really can’t work more than 3 hours per week.
It can take some time to get a blog off the ground. Most people expect to start having some success after around 3 months when Google will begin to trust your site and start sending people in your direction. To be honest, there is a lot of work involved in blogging and many people do it full time. With only 3 hours to spare each week you will have to be super focused on what you want to achieve as it is easy to get bogged down in the details. Matched betting is another great option if you dont have a lot of time to spare and will give you guaranteed returns from the start.
Thanks, I like the idea of affiliate marketing. I will look into it further.
I think that is a good move. I recommend using wealthy affiliate to set up a website for free and see if you like it.
What a great write content up you have written. It will be an inspiration to others
Thank you!
Thanks for this article, you have covered some cool ideas that I hadn’t thought of. I need to earn online now that I have lost my job. What do you think I should try?
Hi, I am glad that you enjoyed this post! I really hope that learning online works out for you. My top recommendation would be to start a blog. I love how creative it allows you to be. If you get it right you can earn good money too.
Brother Blogging is good but Affiliate marketing is best I made more than $2500 in my first few months as a beginner
That’s awesome! congratulations! I agree, affiliate marketing is a great way to make money
Thanks, these are some great ideas for making money online from home. I can’t wait to get started on my own blog.
Glad we could help and best of luck with your blog. I love blogging!