Chapter 1: How do I make Money Online?

The age old question. As soon as the internet came around, the first thing people wondered is how they could profit off of it. Decades later, the same question still remains. The problem now days is that there are so many "get rich quick" schemes online, that people have it burned into their head that making money online requires no effort, no work, and no time. 

Let me tell you something now. You will probably fail. You are probably too lazy and too unmotivated to actually get some work done and make yourself some money online. You might get started, but more than likely you will end up back on Facebook mindlessly staring at your updates, wasting time you could be earning yourself some disposable income. If you're okay with that, then great, enjoy your boring 9-5 dead end mindless job. If you're not okay with that, then keep reading and do something about it. If you can't succeed after reading this guide, than you don't deserve to even own a computer. (but just in case, don't quit your day job just yet)

So how do you make money online? There are many different ways. I will be giving brief overviews about a lot of ways, and then going into more details with the ways that are actually going to earn you some real cash.

CashCrate

What is it? You've probably heard some buddies talk about this website. Basically, you go on and fill out surveys using your real information, and get paid to do so. Most surveys will pay you $0.50 or less, but some do occasionally pay in the $1.00+ range. They are able to pay you because companies pay them every time you fill in the information. All they do is give you a cut of the pay as a way of enticing you to fill them out. Some of the higher paying offers do require an initial investment from you, but generally you earn more than you spend. Hell, just for joining they give you $1.00, and another $1.00 for confirming your email.

Verdict: You aren't going to get rich anytime soon on this website. I joined, and made $15 in my first hour. Yes, it is legit. Yes, you may earn some extra beer money for a weekend or two, but you aren't going to end up driving a Lambo from it. If this sounds like your cup of tea though, by all means, go sign up and give it a shot. But if you found this guide, you probably are looking into making a little more money than is available at CashCrate.

SwagBucks

What is it? SwagBucks is a website that pays you in online currency that you can redeem in their store for things like giftcards and actual products. You can earn Swagbucks through using their search engine, filling out surveys, completing offers, voting on polls, and more simple ways. You can also cash in your SwagBucks for money in your PayPal account. They also offer Swagstakes, where you use your Swagbucks to purchase entries into drawings for different items.

Verdict: If you have some time to kill online and aren't looking to make and kind of serious cash, than this is for you. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is something you can sign up for and use in your downtime like I do. If you're interested, click here to get started.

Google Adsense

What is it? The largest online advertiser in the world is Google. I would think it is safe to say 95% or more of the ads you see on the internet are from Google. Adsense works by publishers paying Google to display ads on your site. When visitors click the ads, you get a cut of the commission. The main problem with Adsense is that Advertisers are bidding for the lowest possible CPC (cost per click) so the lower that ends up being, the lower your commission is going to be. You can customize your ads, such as the size, colors, etc. And Google does a good job of displaying ads relevant to the page they are showing on. Actually, the ads on this page are Adsense ads! If you click one, then I make a little bit of cash. Go ahead and give it a try. See how easy it is?

Verdict: Google Adsense is great for a beginner website that you're working on, or a website where you need to fill in blank space with something. and what better to put in blank space than an ad to make you some money? You can make decent cash off of adsense, but you have to remember that people these days are really prone to ignoring ads, so relying on it as a solid stream of revenue probably isn't your best option.

Affiliate Marketing Companies

What is it? Affiliate Marketing companies are middle-men between you and companies that want you to advertise their product or service. Instead of having to deal with thousands of clients, the companies deal straight with Affiliate Marketing companies and they offer you a giant list of different offers you can try to gain conversions on. Sound confusing? It really isn't.

Verdict: Affiliate Marketing is going to be your best bet to making money online. This is where people exceed and make the real cash, and it is what most of the rest of the noob guide is going to be dedicated to. 

So, now it is time to move onto Chapter 2: Affiliate Marketing