3 Ways to Work-at-Home Doing Internet Research

January 9, 2015 27 Comments This post may contain paid and/or affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for further information.

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By Holly Reisem Hanna

Hi Holly,

I found your advice in the Woman's World Magazine and have been searching all through the Pinterest for work from home jobs. There are so many to go through, and some want money, and others I am not sure are real jobs. But Holly, I LOVE to research and would like to start a business doing research, but have no idea how to get started. I thought I would ask if you had any ideas since you are seeking ways of possible employment for people.

I hope you will have some ideas and share them with me as I am very eager to get started.

Sincerely, Judy L.

Hi Judy,

Internet Research is a great way for you to work from home! In fact, there are lots of companies who hire freelancers to do their research for them — you just need to know where to look. Law firms, marketing departments, insurance companies, healthcare providers, political groups, even writers, publishers, and college students need researchers.

If you have background experience in one of the areas above, I suggest starting there first, as you’ll have a leg up on your competition.

Here’s where to find Internet Research gigs and how to get started.

Online Job Boards.

Indeed is one of my favorite sites to use when searching for telecommuting jobs, here’s why. It’s an aggregated job board, which means their platform pulls job listings from all the other major job board sites. This means you save tons of time because you don’t have to search each job site individually. While the jobs are not screened for legitimacy, Indeed does requires that all listings contain a company name, location, job title, and complete job description.

To find Internet Research jobs just use the keywords, “work-at-home,” “remote,” “freelance,” and “internet research.”

FlexJobs is an online job board that caters to flexible working arrangements. Simply use their job search function and enter “Internet Research” or “Internet Researcher.” This will take you to a page that lists all the jobs in this category. While it does cost a small fee to join, it’s well worth it. All jobs are hand screened, so you know that you’re dealing with legit opportunities.

Upwork is a freelance job board that lists different tasks for freelancers to complete. Simply register for an account (it's free), search for Internet Research positions, and submit your bid. If your bid is accepted, you'll complete the work and get paid through the platform, minus a small fee (usually 10 percent). While many freelancers complain of the low rates on these sites — it can be an excellent way for you to establish yourself in the field, and to work with repeat clients. Also, check out this article from Copyhackers, on how Danny Margulies was able to earn six figures from Elance. He really has a neat strategy for using the platform!

Companies That Hire Researchers.

There are a bunch of sites that hire independent contractors to answer questions on various topics. So if you have experience in a particular area that will be extremely helpful when you’re applying. With these opportunities, you’re not only researching answers for people, but you’re also writing the answers online — so you’ll need to write well.

Experts 123 – Is a revenue sharing platform, so the more popular your answer is the more you'll get paid. Payments are made via PayPal.

Just Answer – Pays 20 – 50 percent of what the person is willing to pay for the answer (if it's accepted). Payments are made via PayPal. Has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Pearson – Is a leading educational company that occasionally hires remote Quantitative Researchers in Education and Market Research Analysts. These positions require advanced degrees. Click on the Reseach and Analytics tab to see what jobs are available.

Small Biz Advice – Browse questions and make a bid. Payments are made bi-monthly via PayPal, minus a 5 percent commission fee.

Wonder – Hires internet researchers to gather product info, explain trends, gather stats, and determine the size of a market. Researchers are paid per assignment.

Launch Your Own Internet Research Business.

1. Educate yourself on the topic of Internet Research.

There aren’t a lot of books on this topic, but here are a couple:

2. Get all of your legal and administrative ducks in a row.

Choose your business structure, fill out your DBA (Doing Business As) form, set up a PayPal account, so that you can accept credit card and online payments. You’ll also need to consider things like health insurance, retirement, and taxes. This article explains a lot of what you need to know.

3. Set up shop.

Next set up your website, social media profiles, and email marketing account. These three items will help you market and advertise your new business.

4. Get clients.

There’s a variety of ways to do this, but first, start with the job boards I mentioned in this post.

Here are some other ways in which you can get clients.

Good luck with your Internet Research Business and keep me posted on your progress!

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Internet Research is a great way for you to work from home! In fact, there are lots of companies who hire freelancers to do their research for them -- you just need to know where to look.