Out of the many online business types, the most profitable online business ideas you can easily launched includes app development, SEO consultant, tutoring, digital courses, YouTube channels and even coaching. Many of these online businesses can be started with limited startup capital. Some of the highest-paying online businesses include app development, SEO consultant and software development.
12 Profitable Online Business Ideas you can Easily Launched
1. Small business consultant
If you have a great deal of business experience and knowledge, why not create a business that helps aspiring entrepreneurs find success? As a business consultant, you could use your skills to help new business owners get off to a good start and help experienced entrepreneurs keep up with demand. Your chances of success are greater if you focus your strategy on a niche aspect of business consulting.
2. SEO consultant
If you know the ins and outs of search engines and have technical skills in platforms like Google Ads and Google Analytics, becoming an SEO consultant could be a lucrative option for you. Many small business owners don’t realize how much of an impact search engine optimization (SEO) can have on their business. Start your online consulting business by educating those business owners on the power of SEO to help transform their websites and increase their conversion rates.
3. Social media consultant
Larger enterprises can hire an agency or full-time staff member to run their social media accounts, but small businesses often have to handle their social media marketing. With so many responsibilities, business owners are often too busy, overwhelmed or undereducated about the importance of a social media presence to spend time developing and implementing a great social media strategy. As a social media consultant, you can help small businesses determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will your business.
Facebook and Twitter are still the top business networks, but businesses often struggle with more visual platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Snapchat. These platforms have huge consumer audiences, but many businesses don’t realize how big they are, how effective they can be and how to make them work for their brand. If you have a background in social media marketing and a passion for photography, focusing your consulting business on one specific platform, like Instagram, can be a great way to make money while helping other businesses improve their content and achieve their business goals.
4. Web designer or web developer
If you are a creative, digital professional who thrives on forming the layout, visual theme, font set and color palette of a website, freelance web design may be a good path for you. If you have little to no experience in this field, you can learn the basics of web design and master the tools you’ll need for success, like Adobe XD, Chrome DevTools and text editor software.
5. Blogger
Blogging may seem like an outdated business strategy, since nearly everybody already has one, but the competition should not deter you from starting this online business journey. If you love writing or have important information to share, blogging may be a profitable business for you.
Starting a blog as a business is very simple with website builders like Weebly and WordPress, but consistency and quality are key to success. To gain a steady following, you must continually write and produce high-quality content that provides value to your readers. Content that educates, informs or entertains your readers gives them a reason to follow you.
6. Remote tech support
Many small businesses don’t have room in their budgets to hire a full-time IT employee, so when their systems go on the fritz, they usually call a computer-savvy friend or family member. If you are tech-savvy and have experience working on computers and networks, you can eliminate their need to call in a favor by offering immediate remote technical assistance.
7. App developer
Mobile applications are more popular than ever, with people willing to pay good money for ways to manage their lives from their smartphones. If you have a great new idea for an app and know how to code, you can run with it and create your app. You can also become an app developer for businesses that need to create specific apps. Both options require you to know the basic elements of software design and at least two common programming languages, such as SQL, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails or iOS.
8. Search engine
Google and Bing are ubiquitous, but they don’t necessarily address all users’ needs. If you’re an expert in a certain field, build your own search engine that helps people with less knowledge find what they’re looking for. Your chances of success might be higher if your search engine gives users opportunities to insert parameters, such as subtopics and source type, rather than just conducting a general search.
9. Dropshipping
If you want to run an e-commerce site, you might be worried about storing inventory. With drop shipping, you can take customer orders on an online store and send them directly to a third-party retailer for fulfillment. As long as your business model involves selling items at a price higher than what you’ll pay to the third-party retailer, your dropshipping business will be set for success.
10. Tutoring business
Just because somebody is taking classes in a subject doesn’t mean they understand the material well. If you’re great at explaining things to somebody in a one-on-one setting and have ample experience and knowledge in a subject, consider starting an online tutoring business in that field. You can use video chat tools such as Skype to conduct tutoring sessions remotely and offer your knowledge to anybody, anytime, anywhere. Consider incorporating a budget for ads on Craigslist and Fiverr into your business model.
11. Digital courses
Similar to tutoring, people all over the world might benefit from you sharing your expertise with them. Starting an online business that offers digital courses to anybody interested in the topic can easily earn you money – you can sell prepared written materials or other downloadable content for a fee.
12. YouTube channel
YouTube makes starting an online education business especially easy. Upload videos of yourself educating viewers on any subject, whether beginner or advanced, and use social media to spread the word about your channel. As your number of viewers grows, you’ll be able to monetize your videos and make a profit from them.