Business Ideas - Start an Online Business Without a Website

There are many ways you can start a small business online and make money without going through the process of building a website. In this article, we will focus on four of them.

Blogging

You can actually blog your way to the bank.You can write reviews about other people's website, products and services and get paid for doing so. For every review your post your get paid.

You will be happy to know that you can start blogging in minutes without spending a penny to buy any software. For instance, WordPress is a free standard publishing platform that you can install in minutes. If you can't afford to host your own blog or you don't want to involve yourself in any technicalities, then you can get free blogging spaces too. The best way to become a profitable blogger is to stay in your comfort zone. Only write about what you know.

Writing articles and papers

You can earn good money for writing articles. Just like blogging, you can write articles and papers and get paid regularly for doing so. The difference between blogging and article writing is the structure, the tone and the length. Blogging is more like running commentaries about specific issues and such commentaries can be your opinion about a product, service or a current issue. Article writing on the other hand is more information oriented, and content rich. For me, a well written article should not be less than 450 words.

You may write articles to required specification and submit it to article sites, companies or webmasters that pay you. You can become a ghostwriter if you have the ability to write at a professional level. More so, if you have some technical writing skills you can write technical papers for money. All you have to do is register as a freelancer or join article writing services online, and you are ready to make money.

Get paid for promoting other people's business (affiliate programs)

Here, all you have to do is promote other people's businesses. You don't need a website of your own to do this. Usually, a unique affiliate link is given to you, and you can promote this in many ways. For instance, you may promote your affiliate link through pay-per-click advertising or free advertising sites. You can also promote the site through blogs or online communities. If people buy a service or product through your link you get paid.

Turnkey - Ready made websites

Turnkey websites are ready-made websites. They are built with complete e-commerce functionalities. Functions such as feedback forms, newsletter sign up forms, shopping carts and so on are usually included. These websites sometimes include administration control panels, which allow you to customize your site as you wish. You don't have to do anything but include your affiliate links and other minor details such as setting up your emails and sometimes your bank or payment details to work with the site. Your main job is to promote your site and then make money. You can get turnkey websites for free. Please note that, not all turnkey websites are free.

Some websites are built and sold to people who don't have the time or the technical know-how of building an e-commerce site. Such sites are sold at what I believe to be reasonable prices - if you compare this to the amount of time, money and effort you would have had to put into building your own website and creating your own products. If you decide to go for a free turnkey website, note that the company or website that powers your turnkey website will place some adverts on your site. It is mandatory to keep these adverts on the site. Sometimes, all they require is a link back to their site. This link is usually placed at the bottom of the webpage. Choosing a Business opportunity You need to decide which of the opportunities listed above suits you best. Once you have made your decision, the next thing to do is to find out websites or online companies that can offer you these opportunities. The word here is 'caution'. Make sure you read the policies and terms of service before you commit yourself.

In summary, there are many money making or business opportunities online. If you have little or no money to invest, then you should think about blogging, writing of articles and earning from affiliate programs as a starting point to making some money online. You may also decide to get a ready made website for free or for a little fee. Make sure you ascertain the creditability of a website and understand the terms of service and policies before you engage in any business online.

Lola Adegbulu has been involved in Internet study and information distribution for over five years.