We live in a tech-driven society, and there is no reason you cannot start your online business idea in 2021. The internet has made it relatively easy to create a profitable online business.  However, it's not about starting a business, but what type of business you are creating. A business needs to be profitable, and online businesses are no exception. Online businesses have many valuable perks to offer. For instance, a full-time parent can choose flexible working hours. Travelling enthusiasts can work on the go. Students can work during the extra hours they are not studying.  The hardest part of running an online business is setting up a physical address. Once this is set up, you then have ample freedom to work. As a techpreneur, you can make money from any part of the world. This is an enticing prospect, although many people have a difficult time kick-starting their online business ideas for 2021. You begin by identifying an idea that matches your strengths and skills. Your business needs to fulfil the consumer's needs for it to be successful. This is the biggest challenge in setting up an online business.  Still, I have compiled a list of the ten most viable online business ideas. With good planning, everything should be smooth for you. 

Best Online Business Ideas for 2021

Here are the best online businesses to start in 2021.  young man looking for online business ideas on his laptop

1. SEO Consultant

This is one of the best online businesses to start for people with knowledge of the ins and outs of search engines. To be a successful SEO consultant, you need to be good in platforms such as Google Ads and Google Analytics.  Small business owners may not realize how impactful search engine optimization can be to their business.  To start an SEO business, you need to educate these business owners on its importance. This begins by making clear the importance of using data analytics and strategic keywords. By improving the content structure and including relevant keywords, you can help business owners increase Search traffic to their website.  To stay relevant, you need to educate your viable candidates continuously. Start by reading the available online beginners guides to SEO.

2. Web Designer and Developer

Are you a creative digital professional? Do you thrive in the formation of visual themes, colour palettes, and font customization? If you do not have experience in this field, you can go through e-books on web design basics as a start.  We are living in a tech infested world where everything is being digitalized. Many companies seek to set up institutional websites for their online customers. All this is the work of web developers and designers. Remember, companies are willing to pay handsomely for an excellent operating company website.  However, becoming a web developer needs technical skills in programming languages like HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. It would help if you also had the eyes to solve problems through creative solutions. You need to build attractive and usable websites for small businesses. 

3. Blogger

According to many review sites in the UK, blogging is quite a widespread business in 2021. It may seem outdated since many people have blogs today. Even so, competition shouldn't be a factor to deter you from beginning your online journey.  This business idea is for people who love writing. You can also it in if you like to share information, or are a good poet. It's simple to start blogging. You can use simple website developers first like Weebly and WordPress.  Through quality and consistency, you will have a large following. This is as long as you provide what your readers want to read. After mastering the art of making consistent content, you can start making money.  How is it so? You can sell e-books, online courses and even offer coaching services. Your blog can also be used for ad spaces and sponsored posts. It's a business strategy that can take time and much effort to monetize. However, in the end, it can be very profitable.  feamle online blogger making money with online business idea

4. Publish an eBook

In the current world, writing and getting published is a tricky business. Even professionally qualified authors receive countless rejections. Yet, online writing and publishing have made money making writing books an easy venture. This makes it a lucrative online business idea for 2021. Anyone can write and publish their eBook even on prominent websites like Amazon.  The best part about it is that it's completely free. With this idea, the starting and set-up costs are minimal. What you will invest in a lot is the writing time. You will need to find a niche in the source. The smaller the niche, the lesser the competition, which is better for you.  To boost your sales, you have to make the eBook a lot more professional. You need a professional editor, and if necessary, a professional proofreader. You might also need a professional to create your book's cover art. This will significantly boost your sales. 

5. Affiliate Marketing 

When it comes to online business ideas for 2021, affiliate marketing takes top spots. Brands depend on affiliate marketers to improve their sales. To venture into this business, you need an affiliate link to generate traffic to a dealer's website. You'll then receive commissions on all sales generated via your link. Commissions stand between 5% to 10%.  This can be a risky trade because payments entirely depend on your advertising performance. It means the number of sales and commission generated is what pays you.  On the optimistic side, the start-up costs are close to none. It means you can post your affiliate links anywhere to make sales. You can even use paid advertising to reach more people. As an affiliate, networks like Amway and Amazon Associates can help generate your merchant more traffic. Amazon, especially, has a massive audience. Click-bank is also one of the top-rated affiliate networks. 

6. Digital Product Stores

This online business idea is a good way to profit from this technology-dependent society. A digital product store does not require your presence or much effort. The business entirely operates online, even for clients. No physical resources are needed to start. Your biggest investment will be time as you start.  Digital products refer to anything you can download online. Since there is no physical presence of the seller, you cut entirely on production and storage costs. PDFs are the most cost-efficient products you can sell. You offer them in different formats and templates. It creates diversity for CVs, letters, emails, business cards, and more.  With very little information, you can come up with a template for almost anything. Yet, wholesome creativity is needed here.  The advantage of digital products is they are not challenging and costly to produce. Other examples are eBooks (especially "How to"), books, recipes, audio and video files, fonts, logos, and backgrounds. This is among the most cost-effective online business idea for 2021. 

7. Work as an Online Freelancer

Freelancing is one of the most versatile jobs for you. The internet has made it even more accessible. Freelancer work involves contracts that can be hourly or contracts per project. Most freelancers work from home and in the hours of their choice. If you have the skills and tools, then you can start immediately.  Starting is easy. Identify a specific skill you have and capitalize on it. It can be a web design or online consultancy. Once you commercialize it, you immediately start making money. Note that you can monetize any skill you have. There are no limitations on the services you can offer.  You can find customers on websites such as Upwork and People-Per-Hour. Here, freelancers advertise their skills and prices.  The downside of this online business idea is that work and income are not constant. Work fluctuates monthly. 

8. YouTube Videos

This is one of the best online business ideas for 2021 if you are a creative genius. Popular YouTubers make enormous sums of money from ads and rival videos. You only need a camera and an idea to start. Creating and publishing a video on YouTube is free.  To make serious money on YouTube, you need years of hard work, consistency, and creating captivating content.  Today, vloggers upload up to 500 hours of video content into YouTube each minute. The trick to earning more on you-tube is through ad revenue or partnership with brands. You can only secure these paid partnerships by having a large following.  The key to YouTube fame and success is identifying a niche. You should offer different content from everyone. Lifestyle, beauty, health, and fitness: these are already saturated markets. Try to stand out, and you will win.  Youtube specialists using laptop in office

9. Create Presentations

There is a high demand for presentation creation. Companies use presentations to educate their staff, as well as persuade customers to buy their products. To save time and spending, companies prefer freelance presentation creators.  To establish a presentation design venture, you have to study presentation design software. The most requested formats by clients are Keynote, Google Slides, and Canva. 

10. Purchase and Sell Websites

People who constantly check business review sites in the UK already know that the concept here is similar to owning property. The concept here is the same as owning property. You start by buying undervalued websites and improving them. You then resell it at a higher value for profits. It allows you to make profits on the sale, plus a monthly profit. This makes website trading such a lucrative business online if you do it right.  Websites for purchase are available directly from buyers or website brokers. Some website marketplaces include FEinternational.com, Wesellyoursite.com, and WebsiteBroker.com.  After buying a website, you then improve the traffic to increase your site's monthly income. After maximizing the profit, you resell it directly or through the websites mentioned.  You can make a lot of money in this sector. First, you need to identify the pitfalls of the website you bought. Next is filtering out the money drains and looking for areas of traffic and revenue. If you cannot figure it out, website brokers can help you find potential purchases.  Conclusion The prospects mentioned in this article are for entrepreneurs seeking inspiration for online business ideas for 2021. Many top-paying business ideas involve consultancy and software development. For most of them, you can start with limited capital. This is as long as you have the skill, inspiration and consistency to pursue a particular field.