18 Online Business Ideas Worth Trying in 2024

The online marketplace continues to expand, providing opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses without major upfront costs. With low barriers to entry, these online business ideas can be started as side hustles and scaled into full-time ventures. This guide covers 18 of the most promising online business models to pursue in 2024.

1. Dropshipping

Dropshipping allows you to sell products without holding any inventory. When customers purchase from your online store, you forward their order details to your supplier or manufacturer, who then ships the items directly to the customer. Popular platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce make setting up an online dropshipping store relatively easy. You can source product suppliers through directories like SaleHoo. The key is finding high-quality suppliers that integrate easily with your ecommerce platform.

2. Print-on-Demand

Similar to dropshipping, print-on-demand (POD) enables you to offer customized products without carrying inventory. For example, you can design t-shirts and other merchandise and sell them through sites like CafePress and Zazzle. When an order comes in, the fulfillment company prints the products and ships them directly to customers. Setting up a POD storefront allows creative entrepreneurs to turn their designs into passive income streams.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing provides commissions for referring customers to businesses through special tracking links. Popular affiliate programs are run by major retailers like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. You can build an affiliate website focused on product reviews and recommendations in a niche. When readers click your links and make purchases, you earn affiliate commissions. Top affiliate marketers earn six and even seven figures per year.

4. Selling Online Courses

Online learning is a booming industry, making now an ideal time to create your own educational courses to sell. Platforms like Udemy and Teachable allow you to create courses centered around your expertise. For example, you can develop photography tutorials, marketing seminars, fitness programs, and much more. By leveraging these course marketplaces, you can build a passive income stream through your teachings.

5. Becoming an Influencer

Social media influencers leverage their large followings to promote products and services. Brands are increasingly collaborating with influencers in their niche to boost engagement. You can start building your influence by creating content focused on a specific industry, passion, hobby or lifestyle topic. Over time, you can monetize your influence through brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, selling merchandise, and more.

6. Launching a Blog

Blogging represents one of the most accessible online business ideas to pursue. You can quickly set up a blog for free using platforms like WordPress. Choose your primary topic area and start publishing in-depth content. Implement affiliate links, display ads, sponsored posts, eBooks, online courses and coaching to generate income. Many successful bloggers make six figures or more per year.

7. Becoming a Freelance Writer

Quality writing remains in steady demand. Businesses worldwide hire freelance writers to create blog posts, articles, white papers, email newsletters, social media updates, and numerous other content assets. Taking on writing gigs provides flexible income you can perform from anywhere with an internet connection. Specialize in an area like finance, health, tech, or marketing to land the best-paying assignments.

8. Selling Digital Products

Creating digital products enables you to generate passive income. These products, like eBooks, online courses, photography, music and more exist as files hosted online. You sell licenses to access the content, not physical products requiring shipping and handling. Expand your best blog posts into an eBook. Package your expertise into a video course. Sell your stock photography online. Digital products require more upfront time to create but eventually earn income through automation.

9. Becoming a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants (VAs) handle administrative, social media marketing, customer service, data entry and other tasks for clients remotely. Many small business owners and entrepreneurs hire VAs so they can focus on higher-level priorities. Depending on your niche, VAs can earn $15-$50 per hour or more for their services. Expand your portfolio and open the door to more lucrative long-term client contracts by specializing in an area like real estate, accounting or executive assistance.

10. Consulting

Consultants leverage their industry experience to provide advice and implementation help to organizations seeking expertise in areas like marketing, IT, HR, finance, healthcare and more. Launching a consulting business allows you to work directly with clients to solve complex challenges while earning attractive hourly or project fees. Clearly communicate your niche, ideal customers, and areas of specialty through your website, content and marketing. Consider developing highly visible thought leadership content to attract lucrative consulting gigs.

11. Information Products

Publishing information products represents a significant online business opportunity, leveraging your knowledge into residual income streams. These products can take many forms, including written reports, audio courses, video tutorials, digital downloads, templates, spreadsheets and more. The beauty lies in the ability to create a product once then sell it infinitely to customers across the globe through automation. Focus your products on specialized, in-demand niches where you can provide tremendous immediate value.

12. Freelance Web Design

Skilled web designers remain in steady demand, especially those well-versed in popular platforms like WordPress. Many small business owners and startups have websites created through easy DIY site builders but eventually seek custom designs to stand out and better represent their brands. Specialize in a niche like local service companies, retailers, restaurants, real estate agencies or tech startups to streamline your client targeting. Consider offering web hosting and support services to earn ongoing income from existing clients.

13. Selling Stock Media

Stock media represents one of the more intriguing modern online business ideas. When you take photographs, capture videos or develop graphics, artwork and templates, you can sell licenses to this media content. For example, sites like iStockPhoto and Shutterstock enable you to sell stock images and footage. Graphic design marketplaces like Creative Market permit designers to sell templates, icons, fonts and other assets. Build a valuable design portfolio then benefit from residual sales.

14. Facebook Ads Management

Facebook remains the dominant social media advertising platform. However, many companies struggle figuring out this platform or lack the time to properly manage their campaigns. You can launch a business focused specifically on managing Facebook ad accounts on behalf of your clients. Specialize in a niche like ecommerce stores, lead generation, local services or nonprofits to demonstrate your expertise. Consider expanding into other platforms like Google and Instagram as well.

15. Mobile and Web App Development

Developing apps for smartphones, tablets, wearables and the web itself fuels one of tech’s hottest industries. Businesses want custom and innovative mobile apps to engage customers, facilitate payments, capture data and more. Supplement your development work by offering user testing, app store optimization, maintenance and support too. You can build apps solo or construct a larger development team over time. Focus on quality work first and foremost, eventually expanding your capabilities to take on more complex projects.

16. Online Bookkeeping

Many small businesses dislike handling their own financial books and accounting. That’s why online bookkeeping presents an in-demand service niche. You handle tasks like accounts receivable/payable, payroll, monthly/quarterly/annual financial reporting, bank reconciliations, expense tracking, invoicing, and other routine financial items for clients entirely online. This knowledge service business allows you to leverage your expertise into a location-independent company. Specialize in an industry like healthcare or professional services to streamline client targeting.

17. Online Tutoring

The global private tutoring market keeps growing, forecast to reach $215 billion by 2026. You can claim your share of this market by becoming an online tutor. Setup video calls to provide personalized instruction to students of all ages in topics like math, science, languages, music, test prep and more. Join platforms like Chegg Tutors and Wyzant to access their student bases, tools and earn favorable hourly rates. Consider specializing in standardized test prep (SAT, ACT, GRE) which sees significant ongoing demand.

18. Start a Podcast

Podcasting’s soaring popularity provides myriad business opportunities. Of course, your podcast can earn income directly through advertising sponsorships and affiliate marketing. However, it also serves as a platform enabling you to build authority around topics tied to other products/services you offer. For example, an entrepreneur can use a business strategy podcast to land higher-paying consulting clients. Take an educational approach focused on delivering tremendous value for listeners above all else.

Turn Your Side Hustle Into Success

This list highlights 18 of today’s most promising online business ideas spanning many industries, models and startup costs. You can turn many concepts into side hustles then scale into full-time ventures over time. Conduct diligent niche and competitor research before committing fully to an idea. Leverage your unique knowledge, expertise and passions to provide differentiated value. Maintain lean operations initially then reinvest revenue into expansion once concept validation occurs. With consistency and perseverance, 2023 presents no limits in terms of the online business ideas you can transform into thriving enterprises.