This post will focus more on the best online jobs in Nigeria, regardless of your age, location, and occupation.
Some jobs can be done online without having any physical office address or a registered company.
The beauty of the online job is that; you don’t have to worry about when you resume working every day; you work at your own pace, and to some extent, determine how much you earn by the end of the month.
Web Designing As An Online Job
Web designing is one of the most lucrative jobs online. When people hear about web design, the first thing that comes to mind is that; you must have programming skills.
This is not true in most cases. With various content management software (CMS), you can be a web designer with zero knowledge of programming.
All you need to do is pick a CMS software and be good at it.
It is important to clarify that there is a big difference between being a web designer and being a web developer.
Web developers earn more than web designers do. You are expected to have some programming skills in other to be a qualified web developer.
Back to being a web designer, which, by the way, requires zero programming skills.
There are various content management software online; the most popular ones are:
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Joomla
All these software works like regular desktop software; they allow you to drag, drop, and click until you create your desired website. It’s as easy as that.
You can learn how to use WordPress in less than 24 hours if you’re a fast learner, and if you don’t learn as fast, you should be good in a week or a month.
I would suggest that you focus on WordPress because it’s currently the most popular CMS, and it’s arguably the easiest of them all.
WordPress software can be installed locally on your personal computer. You can set up a local server; install WordPress locally on your PC, and learn with several practices. The whole process is not complicated in any way.
There are many free eBook guides on WordPress for beginners. Most of the eBooks would show you how to set up WordPress on local servers and other essential things that you should know about WordPress.
Once you master your desired CMS, the next thing is to create a portfolio for yourself.
For any online job, it’s important to have a portfolio of the work you’ve done in the past, a portfolio and a testimonial from previous clients go a long way in establishing your authority online.
Being a web designer; I would advise that you set up a personal website for yourself.
Get yourself a domain and hosting (This should cost less than $30 per year); set up your website.
Your website should not be a complex one; make it an online front office that tells people about your services, create a Contact Me page, a Hire Me page, a portfolio, and a testimonial page.
When everything is set up this way, you are 70% close to making money online as a web designer.
Let us take a review of what you have at this stage:
- An online office/portfolio,
- Web Design Skills,
- You need one more thing,
- A well-designed professional theme.
In as much as WordPress relies solely on the click, drag, and drop method to create a website.
What this implies is that a larger percentage of the functions you would be using on your websites already exist, so you don’t have to worry about creating them yourself.
Most of these features would come either with the theme or as a free or paid plug-in.
The idea is to buy at least one professional-looking theme with a commercial license. Provided you have read a book on WordPress; you would understand what I am saying here.
Get a premium WordPress theme that you can easily adapt (edit) to suit your taste when working on the client’s project.
When you have all these within your reach, the next thing is to look for web design jobs.
There are various websites online where freelance jobs are listed. One of them is Fiverr, etc. All you have to do is sign up on these websites and bid on projects.
It’s worth mentioning that it might be a little bit difficult getting your first online job, but once you get your first job and you deliver as expected, then you’re on your way to making serious money.
There is a way around getting popular on Fiverr; I will write more about this in my subsequent blog post.
Marketing your skills is one of the most important things you should know about as a freelancer. Create a page for your business on Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
Tell your family and friends about your business; promote your business through social media and word of mouth.
You never know; your next client might be sitting right next to you during your regular church service.
Freelance Writing As An Online Job
This is one of the fastest ways of making money online. You can start a freelance career today and earn the same day. Only a few online jobs offer that kind of opportunity.
The difference between a veteran freelance writer and a newbie is the amount they charge per hour and the volume of clients they have. Other than that, they pretty much stand the same chance of making money online as a freelance writer.
To be a freelance writer, you don’t need a physical office address either. You need a portfolio; and in fact, your portfolio would be the most important asset you would have online.
Your online writing portfolio would be your bait for new clients. When they see your work, and they like it; the stigma of being a newcomer would no longer be there. You would charge them like a pro.
Let’s see how you can create a portfolio for yourself.
When I was writing about being a web designer; I mentioned the importance of having a personal website. The same thing applies to a freelance writer.
If this is what you intend to do for a very long time; then it won’t hurt to invest some money in creating a website for yourself.
Why you need a website as a freelance writer
Here are some of the reasons why you need a website as a freelance writer:
Online Portfolio: I would not just hire any kid off the block. When I intend to hire a writer, I do conduct some basic background checks.
I want to make sure they are good writers; I want to see their previous works and what previous clients have to say about them.
The only way to show a prospective client all this is by having them displayed on your website.
You can easily point them to your site when they start asking questions about your experience and writing samples.
Many would argue that you can display a portfolio on a third-party platform, of the truth; you can, but you have little control over what is displayed.
Take, for instance; there was a time when I wanted to try my hands on freelance jobs on iwriter.
I bid for a project, I wrote on the keyword, and submitted it, a few hours later, the requester rejected my work and gave me a 2-star rating.
I was quite willing to contend with the fact that I might have failed to give him what he wanted, but then he could have just rejected my submission without giving me a poor rating; take note that I did not get paid for the job and at the same time my rating was affected negatively.
If it were to be my website; do you think I would have a negative review hanging on my neck?
Sales Funnel: A simple “Hire Me” page can bring in lots of clients when your website gains popularity in the blogosphere (I will write more about this much later).
When a prospective client uses the hire me page on your website to contact you regarding a freelance job, you’re obviously at an advantage here because you did not market yourself to them.
They discovered you; which means they must have loved what you’re doing. This makes it very easy to charge them any amount that seems right to you.
Writing Practice: The more you write, the better you get at it. This isn’t just about writing; the saying applies to anything in life.
The more you do something, the better you get at doing it. As a freelance writer, you don’t have to wait for new clients before you write.
Having a website of your own gives you a platform to write about a topic that interests you in the blog session. While doing this; you get to attract readers and indirectly market your skills to them.
Extra Source of Income: Having a blog (or website) of your own gives you the opportunity of making extra income for yourself; passively. Doing this is very simple.
Create a blog section on your professional website, write on issues that interest you, and share it across social media. Eventually, the blog section will begin to gain popularity.
When it does; you can put some ads across the blog and earn money when visitors click or view your ads.
Professionalism: Your charges as a freelance writer online depend mainly on how much you understand the basics of marketing and professionalism.
Calling your business a Freelance Writing Agency with a company website, professional logo, and customized email address would bring some certain confidence in prospective clients.
They would eventually see you as top-notch, even though it’s a one-man business, and you’re the only one doing all the writing.
Having a website of your own gives you the professionalism that your online writing business deserves.
Back to creating a portfolio for yourself…
Yes, it’s important to have a website of your own and do all the things I suggested earlier in the article. The truth, however, is that about 70% of newcomers die in the trenches.
That’s just the truth. The remaining 30% who understand the basis of climbing on experts’ shoulders would eventually make it to the top as successful freelance writers.
So what does “standing on experts’ shoulders” mean?
It means taking advantage of those that have a name already. To do this, as a freelance writer, you must understand the principle of guest posting to the core.
Some experts would tell you to pick a niche as a freelance writer. I don’t advise this as a starter. It’s best to take any job that comes your way; at least for the first six (6) months, this is a way of testing the water to know what you’re good at.
Back to guest posting…
Make a list of popular blogs and send them a pitch of your guest post idea. Tell them you would like to feature on their blog as a guest writer.
Most blogs would give you an author box where you can write about yourself with a link back to your blog/website.
Now you know the basics of freelance writing and web designing as a job online for Nigerians. Pick something and stick to it; do not stop until you get it right.
#Best Online Jobs In Nigeria
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