Best 51 Online Business Ideas in 2024

Are you searching for top profitable online business ideas that can make good money with zero or almost no money at present? Find here in this article,  online businesses that are very easy to start and run.

Starting an online business is a tempting prospect – but that’s the easy part! The real challenge is to find out which opportunities are specific to your area of expertise or knowledge.

Modern technology has enabled entrepreneurs to do their work from almost anywhere. In fact, many companies operate in a wholly digital environment, lowering overhead costs and offering freedom to entrepreneurs who want to conduct business on the move.

A report from Statista predicts that eCommerce sales will be reaching $8.1 trillion by 2026. Hence, we can easily conclude that now is the best time to start a small online business.

To make your decision-making a bit easier, we have created a list of the best profitable online business ideas that shows you some specific examples of independent career paths suitable for various skill sets.

51 Online Business Ideas

1. Blogging

Starting a blog is one of the most lucrative online business ideas at present. . There are thousands of bloggers making million out of blogging. It’s based on the commission model, and the steps are listed below:

• Select a Niche. Niches are easier, so focus on specific activities, demographics, or locales.
• Optimize the blog for your target partnerships.
• Write quality, useful content until you have a good following.
• Now start posting content that supports your partners.

See our detailed guide on how to create a blog.

2. E-Commerce Business

You can begin an incredible online business that will be web-based completely. The business can be like an e-commerce store, e-commerce business solutions, giving stunning shopping to the buyers.

You can begin your entrepreneurship by offering items and products in your own online shop and making a simple mobile application and web application. By filling a unique niche and executing the right marketing techniques, you can make your e-commerce store a profitable success.

3. Dropshipping Business

Simply put, dropshipping business is an online answer to a brick-and-mortar distribution business. The concept is selling products of other manufacturers from your own online store.

The easy part of this business is that you don’t need to stock products in advance. This allows you to start the business without much cost.

4. Digital Marketing Agency

The primary job of A digital marketing agency is to help businesses in building their customer base and brand personality. Digital marketing agencies work in tandem with the parent company to increase their sales of products or services.

As more and more companies are concentrating their marketing campaigns to increase their online presence, the demand for digital marketing personnel is only to rise in the coming future. It is predicted that the digital advertising budget will be around 571.16 billion U.S. dollars in the year 2023. Hence, starting a digital marketing business at present can be highly profitable.

5. Web Development

If you are a coder or have knowledge about coding this might be the one for you. Web Development has incredibly valuable skills that are extremely high in demand.

Once you command a knowledge of HTML, Ruby, Python, Javascript, or CSS, you can start a freelance business as a side business idea to build your portfolio while you still hold onto your full-time job.

If you don’t know the languages there are tons of websites that will help you learn to code for free.

6. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is a method of earning money by promoting someone else product to people you are connected with. You need to tie up with companies looking for affiliate partners. They will provide you with affiliate links if you are allowed to promote their products.

You can promote their products through your blog or through social media networking sites.

7. Online Appointment System

The world has changed so has society. In spite of the fact that medical experts have neglected the inclusion of innovation in their profession. But now they are prepared to come up with or join innovative and newer ways of reaching out to patients directly.

You start your business by catering to the healthcare segment, by which patients can get an appointment without going personally to the doctor. Fundamentally physical presence is not necessary but rather what is required is virtual presence.

Hence enabling an online application, by which you can discover different specialists and facilities as per your choice.

8. Group Buying

This concept is similar to the ‘Daily deals’ sites. The difference is that daily-deal sites offer discounts on individual purchases, whereas with group-buying there is a need for several buyers to place an order for the deal.

Once the deal goes live, the customers are sent discount vouchers via email. It’s also worth noting that group-buying is usually aimed at a local market.

9. Amazon Reselling

Anyone can sell goods on Amazon, provided they have products to sell (or buy low, then resell). If you’re the type to hit all the local garage sales each weekend, there are all sorts of valuable things that can be resold online as a side business idea.

If you want to step your Amazon selling game up, you can also start a blog to attract even more audiences. This is one of the better lucrative money-maker side business opportunities.

10. Online Coaching

Have something you’re skilled at and very passionate about? Well, you can turn that winning combination into offering your services with one-on-one online coaching as a solid side business idea.

On top of just the skill and experience components of being a successful online coach, this side business idea is all about building a community around the help you’re offering and fostering trust with members.

Proper advertisement at least creating an active Facebook group is needed.

11. SEO Consultant

Do you know the ins and outs of search engines and have skills in platforms like Google Analytics? The owners of a lot of smaller companies don’t realize how much of an impact search engine optimization (SEO) can have on their business.

Educate those business owners on the power of SEO to help transform their websites into more SEO-friendly properties. Use your skills to show business owners how to read and use their analytics data the right way, and how to properly use keywords and structure content to get more traffic.

12. Content Writing Service

This is a sort of quality many people possess. You don’t have to be an expert writer with a lot of credentials, have academic proficiency, or to be honest, be a particularly good writer.

You need to be able to research things you aren’t fully aware of and be able to express yourself in a certain language. There is so much content being added to the internet, billions of pages discovered every month,  and a lot of demand.

Gather up a team of at least 5-6 content writers and take up projects or contracts for websites and media houses.

13. Website Developer

We live in a digital world where every business needs a website to drive its traffic in order to make sales. If you have the skills, you could enter an industry that will never die. You can also start small by creating websites on platforms such as WordPress. You can launch a service to create attractive, easy-to-use websites for small businesses.

Build a comprehensive portfolio, and then create your own website to show it off and attract a steady stream of clients.

14. Virtual Assistant

Businesses are moving away from full-time in-house assistants and using online assistants instead. With this niche set to continue growing, you could capitalize on it now by starting your own virtual assistant business.

A virtual assistant is a job that you can do from home with little capital required. You need to advertise your company well for industries to have a chance to spot you and also need to develop a good reputation for carrying forward.

15. Remote Technical Support

Many small businesses don’t have room in their budget for a full-time IT employee, so when their systems go on the fritz, they’ll usually call a computer-savvy friend or family member. If you have experience working with computers and networks, you can eliminate their need to call and offer immediate remote technical assistance.

16. Online Property Business

People beginning a property business offers you to rapidly build you’re procuring capital by applying a short-term strategy.

There’s so much data online about houses being sold, that you can basically do a mix-and-match. Have people come to you with their requirements, do the search, and take a small commission of the deal.

If you have a website or a blog to show, you might be able to get some more customers to find them buyers or charge for higher incentives.

17. Online Auctioning

As an auctioneer you are engaged in selling products by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder.

The best-known online auction website is eBay. As a seller, you will need to create a listing based on the site requirements, which will stay up on the platform for a certain time unless you decide to close it earlier.

There can also be fees associated with listing and selling items, which will depend on the type of seller account you opt for.

18. Kid-friendly Apps

Kids are your future customers, so gaining their loyalty now isn’t a bad idea. According to Common Sense Media, three-quarters of kids have access to a mobile device.

This spells a big business opportunity for anyone who can create products or design apps just for kids. And, if they also happen to be educational or promote good health, you’ll win their parents over, too.

The development of these apps will require little know-how but good marketing and a good concept.

19. 3D Printing Services

Most predictions say the market for 3D printing will reach $20.2 billion by 2019, and you can take a chunk of that by printing 3D blueprints, prototypes, and anything else your customers need.

You’ll probably want to start by focusing on one niche, like 3d printing for dolls, etc. This idea is also one of our better ones among the best online business ideas

You can get a decent 3D printer these days for around $3,000 large.

And good news: the vast majority of the world doesn’t have 3D printers sitting at home. The market is ripe.

20. On-Demand App Creator

People have a crazy appetite for apps, and it only gets bigger the more they consume.

Everyone wants to make an app these days, and if you know how to write code for one, you can write your own ticket, too. Apps are a fast-moving money train, and it’s a good time to climb aboard.

Still, it’s getting crowded quickly, and making an app certainly doesn’t mean success.

21. Provide ChatBot Solution

You would need a good amount of programming and software knowledge before taking the plunge.

An automated bot allows an automatic response by machine learning, asks a question, and gets quick answers with chatbot app solutions. It is a ready-made app solution for both users and admins. The app must be compatible with Android, iPhone, and web chat, thus helping chat in a convenient and safe way.

22. Social Media Consultant

Larger companies can hire an agency or full-time staff member to run their Facebook and Twitter accounts, but small businesses often have to handle their own social media marketing.

With so many responsibilities, business owners are often too busy, overwhelmed, or undereducated about the importance of social media to spend time developing and implementing a great social media strategy.

As a consultant, you can help them determine the best tactics, posting schedules, and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will your business.

Read: Best Social Media Marketing Courses

23. Online Bookkeeping Services

If you are great with numbers and want to work from the comforts of home then you can start a bookkeeping business. To become a freelance bookkeeper, may not need to be a Certified Public Accountant, but you do need to be good with numbers.

You will need proper marketing and advertisement. You also need to tie up with different organizations and companies online and cater to their different needs.

• Creating balance sheets
• Providing income statements
• Creating various monthly, quarterly, or annual financial reports

24. Food Ordering System

To be straightforward opening another eatery can be a hazardous venture. However, food ordering and delivery is a new online business idea and it has evolved with technology coming into the forefront.

You need a good business model like – grocery delivery, meal-kit delivery, restaurant table booking, midnight food delivery, and more.

The online office food ordering and delivery business surely fills the void between busy professionals and delicious food from nearby restaurants.

25. Online Business Coaching

If you possess a great deal of business experience and knowledge, why not create a business that helps aspiring entrepreneurs find success? You can use your skills to help new business owners get off to a good start and help experienced entrepreneurs keep up with demand.

To show off your knowledge and skills and bring in clients, you can also write articles about business on platforms like LinkedIn.

26. Video Editing Provider

You’ve probably seen those annoying, transcribed videos on your Facebook timeline, right? (the ones you can watch on mute), Yeah, those. If you can make those you’ll be employed for as long as you want.

If you can lay down killer cuts with Final Cut, Avid, or Adobe Premiere, starting an online video editing business is a no-brainer.

27. Handmade Clothing and Garments Online Selling

With the rise of online craft marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, people with decent artisanal skills like sewing and woodworking have an always-open market to sell their products as a side business idea.

If you’ve always wanted to design and make clothes by hand, then you can start turning those fashion ideas into real, hand-sewn garments that can earn a lot with this side business idea while you sleep and customers from around the world browse your Flipkart & Amazon stores.

28. Interior Design Consultant

With the advent of virtual reality and 360-degree video, professions that once required real-world interactions no longer do. Interior design is becoming one of them.

If you have the skill and style, online interior design is a profitable place to be. This is one of our better ones among the best online business ideas.

You’ll probably wanna start blowing up your Instagram and Snapchat to showcase your skills.

And as always, make your style harder to follow. Be different.

29. Self-Publish a Book on Amazon

Have you ever thought about writing a book, but didn’t know where to get started?

Well with Amazon, you can self-publish a book fairly easily, and actually, make money from it. And there are some simple and inexpensive guides to help you write your book AND have it generate consistent income.

Here are a few tips for writing your book:

• Validate the book by giving a survey to friends, an email list, and/or survey sites like PickFu.
• Set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour each day to write.
• Format the book according to Amazon’s standards.
• Post 1-2 guest posts during the launch week that link back to your book page.

30. Specialized Retailer

There’s an audience for everything, whether it’s making dollhouse furniture or creating organic dog food. With a specialty e-commerce store, you can reach those customers who are seeking your specific products. All you need is a web-hosting service with an integrated shopping cart feature or with e-commerce software, and your business will be operational in no time.

You can even work with vendors to ship products to customers on your behalf, which means you don’t need to own a lot of inventory.

31. Become a YouTuber

The video is becoming more and more popular. From Instagram and Snapchat Stories to Facebook Live videos, the video will only continue to grow. So, if you’ve always loved the thought of being behind the camera, now is the time you can take advantage.

Not only will making YouTube videos help you tell better stories and provide more valuable content to your audience – it can also help you get profitable speaking opportunities.

32. Online Photo Selling

If you are a professional photographer or just have a deep-rooted passion for it, you can make money from your pictures on photo-selling websites. All you need to get started is a DSLR camera, a computer, and photo editing software like Photoshop.

Upload on social media sites and once you have established yourself on websites such as GettyImages.com and Flickr.com, you can set up your own website with a list of your watermarked images and their price per unit.

33. Facebook Advertising

Facebook continues to expand and grow, and with it, businesses are spending more on Facebook ads. A lot of old-school businesses don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to Facebook ads. And even newer companies don’t have the time it takes to learn the ins and outs so that they get the most return on their Facebook ads investment.

So, they’re looking for Facebook ad specialists to step in and do it for them. Luckily, this is something you can learn fairly quickly. And once you do, you can reach out to businesses and offer to help create profitable Facebook ads.

34. Skype Coaching

Do you have the expertise that you’d like to help people with? Then Skype coaching may be a potential option for you. Basically, you hop on Skype and provide assistance to your coaching clients. This can come in the form of daily, weekly, or monthly calls.

There are Skype coaches for just about everything – life coaches, health coaches, dating coaches, etc.

Note: It’s much easier to market your coaching services when you have a blog on your coaching topic.

35. Online Personal Finance Consultancy

This role focuses on helping people manage their finances. In practical terms, personal finance consultants assist their clients with sorting through and choosing the right investments, insurance, and other financial options. They also do retirement planning, college funding, estate planning, and general investment analysis.

It will be better if you already have a website related to financial management or you could link up with websites like such. It is advisable though that you have the option to start a website or blog beforehand.

36. Data Entry

In this role, your input/manage information into/in various types of documents. Typical tasks include entering data into existing sheets, creating new data in databases, updating existing records, and deleting the records that are no longer in use or no longer current, etc. This is one of the most common of our best online business ideas

Sometimes you may be required to work with various data entry software such as EpiData or Entrypoint Data Entry.

37. Paid Private Facebook Group

A paid private Facebook group provides you with the chance to create a highly engaged community.

It gives you a place to deliver your content, allows your community members to interact with each other, allows you to limit access to qualified members, and also allows you to moderate and control the group.

Note: if you already have a website and an email list, it’s easier to create a paid private Facebook group, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

38. Create Online Courses

A potential business idea would be to create a niche website teaching full courses so that visitors can get all the information they need in detail without the need to go elsewhere. You could monetize the site by offering a subscription fee or through affiliate marketing on the site.

You can also build an app on the website. Along with proper advertisement and quality content, you could see profits soaring.

39. Website Purchase and Selling

Websites aren’t too dissimilar to stocks. Many are junk, but some can generate value for you, making it a strong potential business idea if you have an eye for spotting the diamond in the rough That’s why, like stocks, they are bought and sold all the time.

You can buy and sell websites as a side business idea in the hope of generating future earnings based on their user traffic, current revenue intake, domain name, or some other factors that might be a hidden cash cow everyone else has overlooked.

40. Creating Listings or Ads

Many small businesses need help with creating and updating their listing on e-commerce websites or their own site. They also often promote their products on classified advertisement websites and seek assistance with the creation of entries. Some of the most popular websites that businesses use to advertise are Gumtree, So Sell It, and Craigslist.

You can create a website or work for individual small businesses to help facilitate their advertisements in the most competitive manner possible.

41. Start a Podcast

This will be a little easier if you already have a website for which you want to create a podcast. If so, you’ve already chosen a niche for that website, then the niche should be very similar to your podcast.

As you grow your podcast, you can offer paid sponsorships and sell your own products and services. And through the podcast, you’ll be able to earn the trust of your listeners, which makes them that much more likely to buy what you have to offer. This is one of our better ones among the best online business ideas.

42. Stock Management System

Stock management is not something that gets the most or, in simple words, it’s one of the toughest segments. In any case, stock management can make things more straightforward and simple to deal with your stock. Stock management is a critical piece of retail business.

One can compose stock, request, and deal with this arrangement. A stock management app solution that can be easily accessible via Android, iPhone, and web app handle business sales and stock details on the smartphone.

43. Create SaaS (Software as a Service)

Google Apps, Dropbox, and Leadpages – these are all SAAS.

SAAS is any kind of online software that you pay to get access to.

To do this, you first must brainstorm/find an online service that people are willing to pay for on an ongoing basis. Once you create it, the challenge is to maintain it, which is no easy task. That being said, it can be quite profitable if you can make it work.

44. Technical Writing

Ever wonder who writes the online pdf of the instruction manuals for that new TV? Those are the job of technical writers.

If you have a love for writing and like the technical side of things, then you may have what it takes to be a technical writer.

Generally, good education qualification is preferred, link up with local companies and organizations and take up their manuals, Quick Reference Guides, and online help.

45. Data Analytics Start-up

With over 90% of the information on the internet being created in the last few years, big data is big business. You could start a data analytics business that processes big data to spot patterns and trends.

The prospects are sky-high because the demand is not going to die down soon. There is a lot of potential profit in making data valuable for businesses.

Read: Best Data Analytics Courses

46. Webinar Business

Webinar offers an engaged audience that is ready and willing to purchase whatever it is that you’re offering.

The best way you can launch a webinar business is to find a product you can promote and get behind. Then, build an excellent webinar.

Either way, you approach it — whether you have an existing business or just want to sell as an affiliate – there are some really good webinar platforms that you could use online.

47. Coaching and Mentoring

If you are qualified in education or business psychology studies and want to try an independent path in your profession, these types of careers might be for you.

In general, coaching and mentoring professionals usually focus on the following areas: Advice for small businesses, Career, Executive, Soft Skills, Parenting, Marriage and Relationships, Personal, Life, Spirituality, Fitness & Nutrition.

To provide these services people usually set up their own websites or blog and conduct their sessions using Skype or video presentation software such as Emaze, Powtoon, or Slidedog.

48. Outsourcing Business

You need to establish yourself as an authority or brand if you want to make huge money from this business. There are millions of companies worldwide that can pay any amount but need quality work as per their standard.

And there are millions of freelancers who can provide high-quality work at a fraction of the price these companies pay.

You can take orders from such companies & outsource all the work to these freelancers & make a great profit.

49. Create WordPress Themes

With more websites now using WordPress as a content management system, there is a demand for fresh new WordPress themes. This is one of our better ones among the best online business ideas.

If you are good at designing and coding then you could start to create and sell your own WordPress themes.

As they are digital products, you can create them once and then make a profit for every single sale. There are numerous marketplaces such as Themeforest where you can sell your themes.

50. Software Training

If you have extensive experience with computers and various computer software, a computer training business might be a good small business idea for you.

There are a lot of options for getting started with a computer training business. You can train others on general computer use (both Windows and Apple computers), or you can train people on how to use specific software and apps.

Provide computer training classes for many people at once, or you can train people on an individual basis.

You will need to build up links, market them properly, and advertise on social media effectively. The medium of training can be through Skype or Facebook video calling.

51. Online Customer Service

You know how when you call your phone company that has local offices but the support staff is often answering your calls from elsewhere on the planet (India anyone?) Well, as a virtual customer service representative, you’ll be on the other side of the phone helping to answer customer questions and complaints.

You only need a landline and/or an Internet connection to get this job. If you can speak other languages, this will be a plus. You can expect to earn anywhere between $10 to $20 an hour.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Internet itself is overflowing with one money-making opportunity after another. The best part is that starting one of our Best Online Business Ideas is a great platform if you are low on capital.

While making money online for most people isn’t their primary source of income, it can net a very solid supplement stream of incoming cash each month.

Online Business ideas can be many, however, the key to success depends on you and how you implement these ideas. You can also check out an article in which we have covered the Best eCommerce Platforms for an Online Business Startup.

Since owning a business is both a major lifestyle and a time commitment, make sure your choice is one you see bringing you both profit and joy for the foreseeable future. We hope this curated list of potentially profitable online business ideas will inspire you to start your own venture in the online space.