In one of my previous posts about making money online in Sri Lanka I talked about things to avoid and few resource to get you started. I didn't talk much about different ways to make money online in Sri Lanka. In this post I will look into some free methods you can use to make money online and some method that you need to make an investment. The free methods are more than enough to get you started but as you learn new things and start to earn money then you can start experimenting with the paid methods. Obviously there are more than 10 methods to make money online but these are the methods that I have had success with. If you know of a profitable method that you can use to make money online in Sri Lanka feel free to share it in the comments section so I can update the post with your method. I will start with the easy to start and low investments and ways and go on to the ones that needs some investment. You want make any money without taking action, so I will list down some actions you should take after each method.

1/ Creating Hubs , Squidoo lenses

If you got the talent for writing then creating Hubs and Squidoo lenses is a very good way to make money online. These services are free to join, have great tools to create beautiful articles, rank well in search engines thus bringing your more traffic. It is definitely much easier than creating your own blog and getting your posts to rank. These services are also great for people who like to write but don't want to be bothered about managing a website etc. These service share a percentage of there earnings with you, so more articles your write greater the chance of making money. Some of these websites require you to have an Adsense account but services like Squidoo don't need an Adsense account. Also if you have enough quality content in your account you can apply for an Adsense account through there website.

• Create a HubPages account, write a quality article.You can even send it to me so I can review and point out some things to improve. Create HubPages account for free.
• Create a Squidoo account, write another quality article and if you wish you can send it to me for review. Create Squidoo account for free.

2/ Blogging

To earn money from blogging you need some patience and perseverance. You can't start a blog and expect to make money straightaway. The good thing about blogs is you can rank different posts in search engines and make money from them. Niche blogging is something that is profitable but it requires some basic background knowledge. Check my article about the keyword academy to get an idea on how to start niche blogging. It is best if try the things mentioned in the first point. If you are comfortable with those sites then you can consider starting your own blog.

• Read the articles about niche blogging with Keyword Academy and SEO and Affiliate marketing for your blog.
• At least write five article with one of the free services mentioned above to find out whether you have the commitment required for blogging.
• If you already have a blog contact me to discuss about various ways to make money from your blog.

3/ FOREX trading

FOREX trading or currency trading is a great way to earn money and it can lead to very quick profits as well. At the same time if not done properly this could lead to huge losses as well. You need to spend some time learning the basics of FOREX trading and use a practice account until you are comfortable with trading.

• Read the article FOREX trading in Sri Lanka and follow the steps listed in that article.

4/ Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is pretty similar to marketing, you promote a product of some company or business and earn a commission every time someone buys through you. You get a unique link with your affiliate code embedded on it and once someone goes through your link and buys something you will be paid a commission. Although you don't need a blog to do affiliate marketing it is far easier to promote affiliate products through a blog. If you don't have a blog you can use forum signatures, Email signatures etc to promote your affiliate link. I promote few products as an affiliate and make a decent amount from them.

5/ PTC programs

PTC stands for paid to click and this is not the best way to build a sustainable income but I understand that some of you just want to earn some quick cash. These programs require you to log in for like 10-15 minutes everyday and clicking on ads and reading them. If you want to be really successful at this then you need to get lots of referrals because you earn a part of what your referrals earn as well. You can earn a decent amount if you manage to get enough referrals.

6/ Reading commercial e-mails

Another method that is very easy to start with not investment at all. Reading commercial email is also pretty similar to PTC sites, you want be making much unless you have a decent number of referrals. Also users outside US and Canada tend to get low number of emails as well.

7/ Doing Freelance work

If you are good at programming or graphic designing etc then you could earn some money doing freelance work. The great thing about freelance work is you can set your own time table and work accordingly. This is a great way to earn some extra cash for university students because they are already involved in these thing in the university. It is not easy in the beginning since you have to build a good reputation to get profitable projects but a very worthwhile investment.

• Read the article freelance work in Sri Lanka and follow the instructions given in that article.

8/ Data Entry Jobs

My article about data entry jobs gets a considerable amount of traffic so I know that this is a thing most people interested in, but it is very hard to find legitimate data entry jobs and even the legitimate ones don't pay that well. You need to have some knowledge of English and a decent typing speed if you want to make adequate money through this method.

• Read the article Data Entry jobs in Sri Lanka and follow the instructions given in that article.

9/ Doing Paid surveys

Online surveys are a very legitimate method to make money online but the problem is most of these paid surveys are targeted towards US and Canadian citizens. It is very hard to find worldwide surveys where Sri Lankans can participate in. These programs do have referral programs so as with most things in making money online, if you can get enough referrals you have a chance of making a decent income. Currently I'm testing out AWSurveys , so you can also start by using that service. signing up for AW Surveys.

10/ Buying and selling domains

This is another good way to make money online but you need to have some knowledge about domain valuation etc to make money through this method. There are few Sri Lankans who are doing it but if you are new to making money online then it is better if you focus on the other things mentioned above.

Listed above are some good ways to make money online in Sri Lanka, if you know some other good way to make money online in Sri Lanka please mention in the comments section so I can consider adding it in the list. Taking action is the most important thing needed to make money online, follow the steps mentioned in the article and you have a good chance of making money online.