Online businesses are an easy way for anyone, at any age, to start their own business. Over the past decade, the Internet has become a major part of our daily lives.

This new technology doesn't just help us get through our work day; it also provides new opportunities for entrepreneurs to create and run their own businesses.

From popular websites like Amazon and Etsy that allow anyone to sell their wares and services, to small business owners running online versions of their brick-and-mortar stores, the trend toward online entrepreneurship is only going to continue.

So if you are looking for some online business ideas you can start, this list will give you a headstart.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If you're knowledgeable about search engines, have a good understanding on how Ad Networks (like Adwords, NG Adverts etc) work, and know how to effectively use SEO methods, becoming an SEO consultant may be a lucrative business option for you.

Many small company owners don't understand the impact search engine optimization (SEO) has in growing their companies. Teach them about SEO, how it can help give their business more visibility in order to boost their conversion rates.

Note: Due to the fact that Google's algorithm is always changing, you will need continuous SEO education to keep yourself relevant in this industry.

If you want to learn search engine optimization (SEO), a good resource to check out is the Moz's Beginner's Guide to SEO.

2. Online Tutoring

Do you have skills or experience in your field which you believe will help someone become better at what they do or work more efficiently? Then you should consider online tutoring.

You don't need to have a certificate in education to become a tutor. The good thing about Online Tutoring is that you can teach your favorite subject from anywhere in the world and make extra income for a long time.

Platforms like Udemy, EasyLearna, Teachable and lots more make it easy to host your courses and sell to anyone, anywhere in the world.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing presents a lucrative opportunity to earn money passively.

Affiliates advertise for brands and can earn a commission on sales generated from their unique referral link. The more sales generated the higher the commission, but there is no limit to how much income an affiliate can generate with affiliate marketing.

This is a great option for anyone who wants to work from home and don't want to start their own company or simply want an additional income stream that requires little time or effort.

There are many benefits of affiliate marketing. One of the top benefits is that you don't need much overhead to get started with this type of marketing because, you can easily start promoting products without any upfront cost.

4. Become A Virtual Assistant

Becoming a virtual assistant is a great way to make money and work from the comfort of your own home. There are many other benefits as well, such as increased productivity and overcoming anxiety or social phobia.

However, those who want to embark on this career should not do so without educating themselves on all aspects of how to be a successful virtual assistant first.

Virtual assistants live by email and other teleconferencing tools (like Zoom and Skype) to connect with their clients, stay productive and work efficiently.

5. Bulk Sms

According to a 2019 research, 23 billion text messages are sent each day worldwide. 

That’s 270,000 each second! 

To put this into context, nearly 1 million SMS messages were sent by the time you read this! 

With these staggering numbers, alI you need to do is position yourself and provide this service to millions of businesses that are yet to embrace this technology.

To get started, you will need to sign up as a reseller via an sms service provider. Or you can sign up as a normal user, add a little markup to the default price and let people pay you to send their messages for them.

6. Web Hosting

Every website you see is powered by a Web Hosting company. Web Hosting companies are like online real estate companies that sell land but in this case, they sell web hosting services and receive payments for these services yearly.  

You can also start your web hosting company and provide thousands of businesses the basic infrastructure they require to get their business online. 

To get started as a Web Hosting service provider, you will need to sign up as a web hosting reseller and provide web hosting based services to your own clients. The good thing about this kind of business is that you earn on yearly renewals if you provide a stable service.

Note: Providing this kind of service will require you learn some technical terms used in this industry; so be prepared to do some reading and research on how things work in this industry.

7. Web Design

Becoming a web designer is like being an architect who plans and builds houses for other people. 

Though this skill is a bit technical, you can still get to learn how to build good looking websites (even without knowing how to  write code) with the help of web builders and Content Management Systems like WordPress.

To get started, search and take any good course on Web Design using WordPress.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can start an online business with minimal, if any, upfront investment. The best way to make sure your business is successful is to identify a niche that is not already saturated and focus on providing quality content rather than quantity