Looking for the best services to sell online so as to bring in an extra income? In this post, I take you through some of the highest and most on-demand services that you can provide your clients as a freelancer.
While there are hundreds of tasks you can do online for little cash, knowing which ones are worth your time and effort is crucial since, we ought to be paid for our expertise, as these skills have taken some of us years to master.
Best services to sell online
1) Copywriting
Copywriters are the wordsmiths of our times. They wield words to capture their targets, persuasively compelling them to make a purchase decision.
As a freelance writer, you will be helping clients create highly converting sales page copy to promote their flagship products.
This service is more demanding than SEO freelance writing since you need time to review the company in general, and the product offering, and do industry and competitor research to help determine what features need to be highlighted in the copy.
To be a successful copywriter, it’s not enough to know the copywriting tools and frameworks or have a stack of copy swipe files, but when to use these tools, and how to tailor your messaging to speak to the heart and soul of the prospective buyers.
You also need to do customer research to ensure that your copy is communicating with the intended buyer personas, in the manner to achieve the desired end results.
Industries that pay copywriters really well include:
- Finance
- Emergency Preparedness
- Alternative Health
- Healthcare
- Pharmaceuticals
- Technology
- FinTech
These industries pay well since many companies in these spaces are in dire need to make their complex content accessible to the common users of the products. Copywriters come in to translate their messaging into easy-to-understand concepts. (People care about 1000 songs in their pockets, and not some gigabytes of storage that their devices come with).
How much can you make as a copywriter?
Copywriting projects are usually in the range of $1000- $15000, depending on the number of pages needed.
In a nutshell, copywriting uses words to persuade people to take action. You can do it on your own or as part of a group. The good news is that it is something you can learn and perfect with time. Freelance copywriters can make $48,397 – $66,436 per year.
You can find jobs as a copywriter in a variety of ways:
- FlexJobs: This is a great platform for pre-screened writing projects. You have to pay a small fee for access(weekly, monthly, three-month, and annual access plans)
- Fiverr: Fiverr, a popular freelance platform offers a variety of opportunities for copywriting freelancers. Here’s our ultimate guide to making money with Fiverr.
- ProBlogger: This free-to-use freelance job board offers a variety of writing jobs, including copywriting projects
- Upwork: If you don’t mind bidding on copywriting projects, then Upwork can be a great place to get started as a copywriter.
- Contena: This is a popular paid job board that manually reviews every job listing, ensuring that you only have access to genuine jobs
- LinkedIn Copywriting Jobs: LinkedIn offers a section where you can scout for jobs. Make sure to optimize your LinkedIn profile before applying for jobs to help you appeal to copywriting clients in your niche.
- Writers.Work: For a one-time fee of $47, Writers Work offers you access to writing training, writing tools, an online portfolio, a community, and a job board that is updated daily with new writing jobs. If you have some money to spare, then you can give this a shot.
- Warm Email Prospecting: You can use AI email assistants to help you generate personalized outreach emails from your prospects’ LinkedIn profiles.
To be a successful copywriter, you need to be great at marketing and sales perspective, as well as have the ability to write persuasively, economizing on words.
Learning Copywriting:
If you want to start off as a copywriter, there are great copywriting programs you can take. However, these can be quite expensive.
The most affordable short and insightful copywriting courses I found were on Fiverr learn:
Become a Professional Copywriter For Any Platform (Course Bundle)
This program contains 5 Fiverr Learn courses around copywriting, and the best one is on Stories That Sell, which has nearly 700 5-star reviews.
Here are all the courses included in this copywriting bundle.
- From Structure to Style: Master Your Copywriting
- Blog Post Writing: Create Engaging Blogs
- E-commerce Copywriting: The Key to Conversion
- Stories That Sell: 7 Secrets To Create Killer Content
- Create and Self-Publish Your Book or Ebook
You get access to all of these courses for just $150 today. Given that most copywriting courses are in the range of $997-$1997, I say this is a great bargain. Alternatively, you can click on each of the links above to purchase the individual courses, for as low as $49, but you save more with the bundle price below
2) Freelance writing (Article writing jobs)
This is another great side hustle idea that you can offer online.
Freelance writing is perhaps the most lucrative field, since, once you’ve mastered the rules of the game, you can easily make $100 a day, working on just one article of around 1500 words.
However, before that, you might have to condone netting just under $30 for the same amount of work, and depending on where you live, your topical understanding, and your typing speed, this amount might still be a ‘not-so-bad-an-amount.’
There are several websites that will pay you to write articles for different use cases, such as SEO blog posts, product reviews, product descriptions, and even LinkedIn short posts for enhancing their topical authority.
Some of the most profitable niches for freelance writers include
- Education and Edtech
- Personal Finance
- Health and Fitness
- Food and Recipes
- Fashion
- SaaS
- Technical writing
- Real Estate
- Travel writing
- Alternative Health
- FinTech
- Compensation management
- Human Resource Management
- Crypto Currency and Bitcoin
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing, etc
You can set your rate depending on how experienced you are. If you’re starting, offer low rates and charge higher as you gain more experience.
To be a successful freelance writer, you need to know how to write for the web, optimizing your articles for on-page SEO and for readability.
Then, you need to find freelance clients!
Places where to find article writing gigs:
- Freelance marketplaces like Fiverr
- Freelance websites such as Upwork
- Freelance job websites like ProBlogger
- Paid job boards like Flexjobs and SolidGigs
- Scouting for jobs in LinkedIn Jobs
The amount of money you make as a freelance writer will differ based on your rates or the customers you work for.
Ready to become a freelance writer?
I recommend enrolling in this short but extensive freelancing program. This bundle contains four courses that will make you a productive freelancer:
- Entrepreneurship Fundamentals: Being your own boss
- Digital Decluttering: Organizing Your Digital Life
- Making More Time in Your Day: Becoming a Speed Demon
- Online Freelancing Essentials: Becoming a Successful Fiverr Seller
You can grab all the courses above in the Freelancing Essentials bundle for just $59 using our link.
3) Proofreading
If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s the process of reviewing the final draft of pieces of writing to guarantee consistency and accuracy in grammar, spelling, formatting, citations, fact-checking, and punctuation.
While most proofreaders hold a bachelor’s degree in English or Journalism, you don’t need one to provide this service to clients. There are some great online courses that will teach you the ropes in the industry for a fraction of the cost.
To prove competency, most employers will require you to take a proofreading test. If you’ve taken an online course, then chances are you already know what to expect with these proofreading tests. Basically, you can expect quizzes on:
- Sentence structure (Subject verb agreement)
- Grammar
- Style guides
- Punctuation, etc.
The proofreader’s salary is slightly less than $53,800 per year. The salary range is between $47,000 and $61,000 annually.
Where to find online proofreading jobs, no experience required:
- Fiverr for entry-level proofreading jobs
- Sribbr
- Proofreading Services
- Wordvice
- Gramlee
- Proofreading Pal
- EditFast
- Proofreading.org
- Reedsy
- Wordy
- Scribe Media
If this is a service you’d like to offer to clients, I recommend taking on a short online course to help you learn the tech aspects of proofreading, identify the best tools, and how to find proofreading clients online.
Proofread Anywhere Course
This extensive proofreading course by Catlyne is the course you need to grow a scalable 5 figure proofreading business from home.
You’ll learn how to spot common errors quickly, identify grammatical errors and master how to market your skills, command more pay and turn your hustle into a full-time business in no time.
4) Virtual assistant services
A virtual assistant is a remote worker who provides administrative assistance or any other form of help to help companies be more productive and complete repetitive tasks faster.
As a general admin VA, your tasks might include:
- Making and scheduling appointments
- Making and receiving phone calls
- Taking meeting notes
- Making travel arrangements
- Email inbox management, etc.
While administrative assistance is the most common one, there are lots of other types of virtual assistance services you can offer, including website management, public relations, research assistance, social media management, content marketing, outsourcing, outreach assistance, etc.
To work as a virtual assistant, you need to be tech-savvy, with a broad range of computer skills, and be proficient with widely used software and business applications. Your communication skills should also be impeccable.
Companies that hire virtual assistants
Upwork and Fiverr can be great places to find quick virtual assistant jobs, as there are hundreds of clients who use these platforms to find VAs for their businesses.
Other companies that hire virtual assistants include:
- Zirtual
- Time Etc
- Belay Solutions
- Task Virtual
- Boldly
- Vava Virtual Assistants
- Rock Solid Virtual Assistants
Your earnings as a virtual assistant differ based on the company you’re working for. You can earn up 1,250 – $10,875 per month.
Learn how to start a VA business from our ultimate guide, or explore 170 plus VA services that you can bundle and sell online.
5) Website design and development
If you are tech-savvy and know how to build and design websites, you can make money with your skills by building websites for people.
What is great about this service to sell online is that you can master it within a few months, without learning how to code.
With WordPress, there are great page builder plugins like Elementor and Thrive Themes that allow you to create almost any type of layout with drag and drop editor interface. There are also other options like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, and Webflow.
A simple 5-page informational website can net you $500 and only takes you around 2-3 days to complete, while websites with more features such as Learning Management Systems and eCommerce websites can make you as high as $4500, and takes you two-three weeks to complete.
How much you charge (and hence make as a web developer) will depend solely on you, the types of platforms you use, the complexity of the sites, how you find your clients, and where your clients come from.
Where to find gigs for creating websites:
- Freelancer.
- Fiverr
- Upwork.
- YunoJuno.
- Toptal.
- Behance.Dribbble.
- 99Designs.
6) Coding / programming
If you know how to program things to life, then coding can be a great service to offer to clients, and make good money.
As a freelance programmer, you get paid to create functional websites, web applications, mobile apps, and native apps or make sense of complex data.
If you don’t have a background in Computer Science or a related field, you can still curve out your career path by learning to code online. If you commit to your classes and assignments, you should be able to freelance within a year.
You’d need to know structural and design languages (HTML and CSS), a CSS library like Bootstrap, and a more robust programming language like Javascript (and frameworks-React or Angular) for frontend development.
For backend development, languages such as PHP, NordJS, Python, C#, C++, or Java come in handy. Focus on one area, as going full-stack as a beginner is highly not recommended, as you wouldn’t have really mastered anything.
You can find freelance coding jobs on:
- Job boards such as Upwork and Fiverr for quick and shorter projects
- Authentic Jobs
- Vetted tech talent networks
- Toptal
- Flexible
- Arc. dev
7) Transcription
If you have great typing skills and are comfortable with a variety of accents, then you can make money as a transcriptionist.
Transcription is listening to speech and turning it into a written document.
You can make money online this way while also being able to stay at home and be with your family.
Several websites allow you to sign up and transcribe audio recordings. It would be best if you had excellent concentration skills, impeccable grammar, and time management skills.
You can find transcription jobs at
- Flexjobs
- TranscribeMe
- Rev Transcription
- Go Transcript
- CatingWords
- Crowdsurf
- GMR Transcription
- Focus Forward
Your salary depends on the website you’re working for and your experience. You can make up to $7. 5 — 25 per audio hour.
Transcribe Anywhere
If you are looking to perfect your transcription skills, then I recommend taking on the Transcribe Anywhere course.
This extensive program will teach you everything you need to know about freelance transcription, from the tech aspects to finding clients online.
8) Online translator
Online translators change written speeches from one language to another.
Your job as an online translator is to render the text in the same tone and meaning as the primary text. You should be able to express the meanings behind slang that can be challenging to translate literally.
To work as an online translator, you must be fluent in at least two languages and have experience working as a translator.
How much do online translators get paid?
In the US, the average hourly rate for online translation jobs is $37.99, though the median for most countries is around $14.9 — $48.08 an hour. This variance is largely dependent on the skill level, job location, and years of experience.
Where to find online translation jobs online:
The industries that hire translators frequently include health, finance, travel, hospitality and tourism, SaaS, and retail, amongst others.
9) Voice-over services
A human voice-over service provides a voice for audio-video content.
The audio voice-over is just as essential as the video quality when making videos for products or companies. Voice-over artists help organizations get the attention they need.
That’s why it is a critical aspect of marketing and branding strategies.
The average voice actor earns around $6,358 per month or $37 per hour. Your earnings will climb as you become more experienced.
You could find voice-over gigs on
- Fiverr Voice-Over Jobs
- Voice Crafters
- Voices.com
- Voice123
- Backstage Voice Over Jobs
- Filmless
- Snap Recordings
10 UI design
User Interface (UI) design is the process of creating digital products’ look, feel, and interactive elements (digital interfaces).
The purpose of UI design is to design an interface that is simple to use, fully functional, and visually appealing; allowing platform users to interact with the product’s features.
As a UI designer, you’d be responsible for designing coherent graphical elements for apps and websites, such as color, layout, buttons, text field boxes on forms, illustrations, etc.
UI Design Skills
To work as a freelance UI designer, you’d need to master some critical skills such as:
- Interaction design principles,
- Wireframing,
- Prototyping,
- Color theory
- Branding, and
- Typography design
- Mapping User Journeys
- Style guides
- User research, and persona creation
Besides these skills, you will also need to know how to use at least one key industry design tools such as Adobe XD, Figma or Sketch.
Here are places to scout for UI design jobs:
11) Graphic designer
Graphic designers make complicated ideas more understandable by illustrating content with text, color, and images.
They can convert statistical data into illustrations, and visual graphics and design logos and marketing materials.
To work as a graphic designer, you need to have mastered at least one design tool, and these vary depending on the types of creations you create. Common design tools are Adobe suite of products (Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, etc.)
For some quick creations, you can still make money as a graphic designer using Canva Pro, which helps anyone design graphics for different use cases such as social media posts, ads, and now even functional websites.
Graphic design jobs websites:
12) Data entry
Data entry is a type of job that requires speed, accuracy, and the ability to work independently. It’s also important that you are able to work in a team and under pressure.
Data entry workers can work at night and on weekends, which makes it extremely attractive for people who want flexible working hours or have other commitments outside of their employment.
13) SEO Services
If you have a knack for optimizing websites, this is a great way to earn money.
You can optimize clients’ websites and blogs to help them achieve higher rankings in search engines.
When done right, SEO (search engine optimization) will increase the amount of traffic your client’s website gets from people searching online. This is important because it helps with their bottom line—more visitors means more potential customers!
How much you can charge will depend on what optimization strategies you are implementing, and your experience as an SEO expert.
Some SEO services you can offer your clients include:
- Website SEO Audit
- SEO setup — installing and setting up an SEO plugin for WordPress websites like RankMath or Yoast SEO
- On-page optimization
- Keyword research using Semrush or SERanking
- Link building services
- Guest posting
14) Email Marketing Management
If you know how to work some popular email service providers like ConvertKit, Active Campaigns, and Mailerlite, and have some experience writing emails that convert, you can make money offering email marketing management services to clients.
Some of the email marketing management services that you can offer include:
- Designing email templates
- Creating email lists
- Designing and building email sales funnels
- Creating email series
- Replying to the responses to your client’s broadcast emails
- Sending newsletters
- Suggesting lead market ideas for list building
- Integrating ESPs with other services through API or Zapier
As you can tell, you do need some technical know-how to be able to sell this type of service. Luckily, most email service providers are easier to master, and they’re well-documented.
15) Video Editing
Video editing is the process of manipulating and modifying recorded video footage. Most commonly, this means cutting together multiple pieces of footage into a cohesive whole and adding soundtracks, titles, and graphics.
If you know how to edit videos using programs like Final Cut Pro, Camtasia, or Adobe Premier Pro, you could use your skills to help businesses and individuals who need your services.
The most common way to get started is by offering your video editing services through an online marketplace such as Fiverr or Upwork.
16) Social media management
Social media management is a growing industry for businesses. It involves managing the company’s social media accounts and posting content on behalf of the business.
It’s a great way to earn passive income and get paid for doing something you love.
Your tasks as a social media manager include:
- Coming up with social media post ideas
- Creating social media copy
- Scheduling content and managing social media calendars
- Responding to comments and questions
- Engaging with followers
- Social inbox management
Companies often hire social media managers because they don’t have the time or resources to manage their own profiles.
The key to success with social media management is knowing how to use those platforms effectively for your clients. That means creating content that gets attention and encourages people to share it on their feeds or accounts.
It also means helping companies understand which platforms are best for their business goals and how to get the most out of each platform’s features. It’s like marketing 101, but applied specifically to social media platforms instead of traditional methods like print ads, TV commercials, etc., which many businesses still use despite their limitations in today’s worldwide web environment!
17) Consulting services
If you have skills in a lucrative field like business development, marketing, project management, or human resources, you can offer consulting services to small businesses.
To be a successful consultant, you need to be a market expert. The niche you choose should be something that interests you and is on-demand.
For example, if you love working with computers and solving problems related to them, then offering computer consulting services would be a good idea.
Likewise, if you love working with numbers and finances (e.g., accounting), then offering financial consulting services would also be a good idea.
Other examples of consulting services to sell online:
- SEO Consulting
- eCommerce consulting
- WooCommerce consulting
- Technical consulting
- SaaS marketing consulting
- Link building consulting
- Email marketing consulting
Conclusion
These are some of the best services to sell online and make a decent living. Pick any that aligns with your skill sets and run with it.
You can self-train in article writing, proofreading, and virtual assistance and become a pro, thanks to information galore on the web:
- Learn with Udemy
- Learn with Fiverr Learn
- Learn with Skillshare
- Learn with YouTube
You can even combine different skills and bundle them together to make your offer more appealing, and comprehensive, hence netting you more money. However, I’d suggest you remain super niche and focus on perfecting your craft. Be the best copyeditor there is!
