10 Ways You Can Tell If Online Business Opportunities Are Legit

Online Business Opportunities

Finding online business opportunities that are legit can be tricky, especially with the thousands of sites claiming to be have ‘the secret’ to quick easy money, and promising you the ability to make millions with little to no work.

Knowing what to look for, and what  the red flags of an online business offer look like so you can avoid one some of the pitfalls, and make the business you want and the financial independence you need.

Starting an online business, and making good money, is possible, being aware of some of the common gimmicks, while being able to recognize legitimate opportunities when they show up.

Online businesses models come in many forms, from service related businesses that offer their assistance and products online, to passive income style business that generate income via selling digital products and advertising, to virtual stores that sell and ship products via eCommerce.

Regardless of the business model you are interested in,  it’s important to be able to recognize offers that aren’t legit, and which ones aren’t. This can help you avoid wasting money on empty promises and hot air, and get you on the road to making real money online far more quickly.

The Red Flags – What To Look Out For And Avoid

1) Guarantees Of Quick Millions – With Little To No Work

Although it is possible to make big bucks online (think Google), any program that promises quick, easy, millions should raise a red flag. Regardless of what the business is, there is no way to make millions without work, and loads of it, at least at the beginning. Even if the business model is one that can eventually run on autopilot and keep generating money for years after the initial set up, they require a lot of work to get going, and maintenance from time to time.

The basic notion is that there is no reward without work, and any offer that promises the moon, while you sit on the beach watching the money pour in, is probably not a legit program. Realistic online business programs will require work, and while they might promise to tell you how to get started, they are open about the fact that it isn’t a get rich quick scheme, and will require work, time commitment and in many cases a steep learning curve.

2) Pay or Invest With The Promise of ‘Guaranteed Profits’

Another red flag are programs that require an upfront investment for ‘guaranteed earning’. This is actually a very common scheme, and is extremely lucrative to those running it because it promises a huge return on your investment that seems too good to pass up. Headlines like ‘How You Like to Make 50k For The Price Of A Blender!”, the user is then required to pay x-amount of money for a ‘one time opportunity’ to make millions now.

What usually happens is that once the user pays, they are given access to the information that pertains to how the business works, in most cases the information is either stuff you can find on other sites, or the scheme requires you purchase more expensive software, programs, or items in order to actually work the program.

This can be extremely expensive, as individuals who are looking for online business opportunities invest hundreds or thousands trying to make their investments count and find the golden goose. There are legit programs that require payment, but make sure you do your research, check previous users reviews, and find out if the marketer or scheme is one that has worked for other people.

5 Legitimate Online Business Opportunities

Despite all the gimmicks and  empty promises, there are many legitimate online business opportunities that you can use to gain financial freedom, and make real money online from home. The best part is that the majority of these business models aren’t very expensive to get started, and, if you put in the hours to slowly build you it is possible to achieve your goals. Following are only a few of the opportunities that are available, and many successful internet marketers use one, or a combination of these methods to build their online business portfolio.

From Visually.

1) Niche Websites and Affiliate Marketing

Building and running niche websites is one of the most common online business methods, and can be extremely profitable once you get the formula down and learn to rank websites quickly. The idea is to build smaller websites with useful information about a particular niche or micro topic. For example, a niche site could offer a potential solution to a problem, such as how to get your ex back or lose 5 lbs  in a week, The site is optimized to rank in search engines for terms that relate to the information provided.

Niche sites are usually monetized with advertising, such as pay-per-click advertisement, affiliate marketing or a digital product that is sold on the site, such as an eBook or manual. Online businesses that use this model usually have hundreds of websites in their portfolio and in many cases most of them require little upkeep once they are established and can continue generating income for years at a time.

2)Build Authority Sites

Authority websites are the big fish in the online world, with a single authority site having the potential for making 50k a month in affiliate sales alone. Of course, building and maintaining an authority is much more work intensive, and requires more investment in servers and hardware to keep it running properly. If you have a skill or knowledge in a certain area that is valuable, starting an authority site and investing the time needed to update, maintain, network and create a solid online venture might be a great way to get started.

3) Selling Self Published Ebooks On Amazon

Another extremely profitable online business is creating and selling eBooks via amazon or a personal website, in many cases individuals have books on a wide array of topics, usually centering on providing solutions to common problems.

The marketer will research to find holes int he market and provide users with the information they are looking for, but have a hard time finding. In many cases the books will mention products that link to an online store that sells the item, the links are usually affiliate links and with every sale the marketer gets a cut of the profits.

Selling the books on your own site means more profits, but it also means having to market and rank the site. Many marketers prefer to use Amazon as there is an instant market already made, and the slight loss in profits is nothing compared to the value of the massive client base they provide.

4) Amazon FBA – Fulfilled By Amazon Business Model

Another rarely mentioned business model uses Amazon’s FBS program to deliver the goods they have to sell. Using this model marketers acquire used or like-new books and in demand items, and instead of handling the shipping to clients, send the things they have for sale to Amazon. They then list the items, and amazon takes care of the rest – handling shipping, returns, client complaints, and payment. And thanks to Amazons love of control, the program is relatively inexpensive.

This is a great business model for individuals who would prefer to avoid the hassle of packaging and shipping the items they are selling. Amazons massive popularity and client base also means you have a ready made market, and once you determine what is in demand and find holes in the market, the sky is the limit!

5) Consulting And Other Service Related Ventures

Another legitimate online business model involves offering real personal services online for cash, this could be consulting businesses, therapy seasons via Skype or other video services, writing web content, virtual assistant positions or design related tasks.

Unlike other business model is mentioned, this is far more similar to the traditional time-for-money method of generating income. If you do have a skill that can be monetized online it can be a great way to work from home, and make real big bucks by selling your skill set.

If you are interested in setting up an online business, being able to recognize the red flags and the real opportunities is important to ensure you don’t waste time and money on gimmicks and scams. Making real, good money online is very possible, but like with any other venture it takes time, work and dedication to get started.

Avoid any programs that require payment, or purchasing software from them to get started as in most cases they will prove to be a waste of money, and you can sink thousands of dollars into something with no returns what so ever.

Understanding how people make money online can help you decide which online business opportunities are right for you, and play to your skills and strengths. Not matter what you decide on, remember that you will be in it for the long haul, to try to choose something that you are interested in and passionate about to really make it big.