The idea of working online, from anywhere you please, can seem too good to be true. You get to stay home whenever you want, you can do your job anywhere there’s internet (which means almost anywhere in the world) you’re your own boss and make your own hours.

Times are changing, and employment options are changing with them. It’s a digital world and there are more opportunities to work online than ever before and more support services to help you succeed. Marketing your services through the major platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn is easier than ever, websites like Udemy let you learn new skills and you can even use web scraping services to gather information easily and identify new opportunities in your niche.

With so many different ways to make money online nowadays, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are some of the best online business opportunities that you can start this year.

1- Self-Publish A Book on Amazon

The days of needing to shop around for a publisher are behind us, you can take control and publish your own book on Amazon and start making money from it in no time. There are some excellent resources out there to help you with everything from writing your book, to publishing it and on how to push sales through Amazon. And the good news is that once you get a few hundred sales under your belt, Amazon will start to promote your book for you as they’ll see you’re offering something of value to their customer base.

2- Create a Digital Product or Course

Everyone’s an expert at something; you might be a great web designer, maybe you’re a whizz in the kitchen or perhaps you have a passion for painting. Whatever your skills are, you can teach what you know to others and make money at it. If you don’t already have an audience consider using a platform like Udemy, Podia or Skillshare to create your course and offer it to people who are already looking for classes.

3- Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is basically earning a commission by promoting someone else’s product. If you already have a blog, you can easily work affiliate links into new or existing posts (just make sure you are disclosing to your readers when a link earns you money.)

It’s important to maintain your integrity, be honest and don’t start promoting every link you find as people will see through this tactic immediately. Instead, promote products you truly believe and genuinely use yourself. Just tell people what you like, why you like it and include an affiliate link to the product or service so they can get one too. If you find this kid of business interesting, you may also consider dropshipping business.

4- Copywriting

Writing content for websites, blogs and online publications is a great way to enter the online business world. If you fancy yourself a wordsmith and think that you can produce engaging content on a wide variety of topics, this might be the business for you. You need to be detail-oriented, have an excellent command of the language you will be writing in and be able to research topics thoroughly.

Projects can vary from one or two articles to rewriting an entire website or even ghostwriting an ebook. It’s important to stay organised as deadlines must be met or your clients may go elsewhere in search of a more reliable writer for future jobs.

5- Graphic Design

If you’re more of a visual thinker, graphic design may appeal to you. You don’t need a college degree or to be great at drawing, and you don’t need expensive equipment. Graphic designers are visual communicators, and it helps to specialise in something such as infographics, logo creation or even social media business page images. Create a professional portfolio for potential clients to show them what you can do.

Start Your Business and Start Earning

Seeking out new business opportunities, whether in the online realm or the ‘real world’, takes time, dedication and perseverance. Rates for work online can be very competitive as you will often be competing with people who are based in countries with a lower cost of living to you, allowing them to charge less for services.

With that said, don’t be put off starting your own online business in 2018. Hone your skills, start reaching out to clients and see what happens. Show your value and don’t give up. When that first job comes in, you’ll be glad you worked hard and before you know it, you’ll have your very own online business empire.