What is the best way to earn money online?

Top ways to make money online

Top 10 easy ways to make money quickly

1. Online surveys

An increasingly popular way for students to make money is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members worldwide to answer surveys and test new products.

For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or rewards. You can bag up to £3 ($5) for some surveys!

A few good ones to try are: Toguna, Branded Surveys, Life Points, Inbox Pounds, On poll, I-Say, Opinion Outpost, YouGov, Pinecone, Survey Bods, Panel Base, Valued Opinions, The Opinion Panel, Prize rebel, Opinion Bureau, Market agent, .

2. Online market trading

Whilst this isn't necessarily an easy way to make money, investing in stock markets can be lucrative if you learn to do it properly and safely. By the same token, you may suffer significant losses if you don't take it seriously.

Today there is no need to fund the yachts of Wolf of Wall Street style stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of online market trading platforms.

Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I've been experimenting with the popular platform7searchppc.com.

One of the best things on e Toro is the Copy Trader feature. This lets you literally see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders.

Follow George's complete guide to trading on e Toro to learn more. I think $200 is a good amount to get the most out of the learning curve by trying out a few different markets. If nothing else you'll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.

Please be aware that all trading involves risk. e Toro is a multi-asset platform which offers real asset ownership and high risk leveraged 'CFD' products. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is not financial or investment advice.

3. Start your own website

Interested in generating passive income? You need a website. It's THE way to make money while you sleep.

Starting a website with Bluehost takes less than 20 minutes, costs hardly anything and can be done by an 82 year-old. It only takes a bit of plugging on social media to get your first visitors, and there are plenty of ways to monetize your site.

Save the Student is just one example of a successful website, started at university by Owen Burke in his first year, which has since grown into a full-time and sizable enterprise.

Read Owen's step-by-step guide on how to start a website in 20 minutes. It's really one of the best assets you can have.

4. Become a delivery rider or driver

Make money as a delivery driver

Got a bicycle, motorbike or car? What about a Smartphone? That's all you need to make some extra money by delivering food or people whenever you've got some spare time.

Sign up to delivery specialist companies like Deliveroo who are always on the hunt for new riders. They allow you total flexibility to work when you want, delivering food from restaurants to the customers' door. You can make up to £16 an hour.

Double-up your opportunities by directly contacting local takeaways and bigger chains like Dominos to see if they have any delivery jobs going.

5. Write and publish a Kindle eBook

If students are good at anything, it's researching and writing. With the Amazon Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money. And the Kindle app is now available on almost any device (laptops, iPads, smartphones and yes, Kindles) so your global market is huge!

List your book for £1.49 - £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal. The key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and compiled on a common problem (eg. 'secrets' to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.

Another big tip is to have a great cover design (browse these) so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store it's really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book. The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you've invested the time (say 20 hours), you'll earn a passive income for years to come! For a step-by-step guide to publishing and earning with eBooks, see "How to write a nonfiction eBook in 21 days".

6. Affiliate marketing

 If you've got a good presence on social media or perhaps you even have a blog or website, you can start bringing in money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online. Sign up as a publisher on the Awing network, check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your friends would be interested in, grab your affiliate link and share it. 

If someone buys (can be within up to 90 days) using your link you'll make a nice commission. To take it a step further, set up a website (read our guide) or a topical Facebook page and invite all your friends to join it and post your affiliate offers on there.

7. Mobile phone recycling

You can earn good money and help the environment by recycling your old mobile phones and other unused devices. Maybe ask your parents if they have any lying around too. 

Head to our page on making money from old phones for the best companies to use and how to ensure you get all the cash quoted to you online.

8. Part-time job

A part-time job is the obvious first choice, opted for by most students looking to supplement their student loan. It provides a pretty steady flow of income and can enable you to gain valuable work experience. But good jobs are not always easy to find!

Start with our student job search, then check local classifieds and your university careers service for vacancies. It's also worth signing up with CV Library, a free service which will match your CV with suitable part-time jobs and career opportunities.

Read our guide to finding a part-time job whilst studying for more tips.

9. Gigs on Fiverr

Fiverr is now the world's largest marketplace for people to make money selling small services (known as 'gigs').

What you offer could be absolutely anything, from writing and translating, social media posting, playing pranks and teaching to creating music, voiceovers and short video clips for people all around the world!

The default price is $5 (hence Fiverr..), but you can attach extra services to gigs for more money. Whilst it might not seem like much, it can quickly add up and there are plenty of examples of people making a really good living from the site. The key is to get a system in place which minimizes the time spent on each gig.

But there is another way to profit even more from Fiverr for potentially far less work. How? By simply reselling gigs elsewhere. For example, find a decent logo designer then reply to jobs on Upwork or even local classifieds. A $5 spend can easily become $50+, and it's repeatable!

If you're not interested in selling at all there's SO much good stuff you can get done for yourself. Have a browse and get inspired!

10. Freelance work

Perhaps you enjoy writing, managing Facebook pages or doing a little bit of graphic design in your spare time.

There are so many freelance jobs out there that require simple skills or just time that someone else might not have. And the best thing about freelancing is that you can work for clients in the UK and around the world with just an internet connection from home, to your own hours whilst developing valuable skills.

A great place to start is with the leading freelance site Upwork.com. Or try using our student job search to find freelance jobs closer to home.