Believe it or not, people get paid to search the web daily, and if this is something you would be interested in knowing more about, then stick around my friend, as I have the full breakdown for you.
Get Paid to Search the Web: How It Works
When companies offer to pay you to search the web, it is usually for two reasons.
1. They are trying to get you to switch over to their search engine
I don’t care how old or young you are, but when the topic of search engines comes up, Google and Bing are the two that come to mind.
Because we are so used to these two search engine powerhouses, on some level of our subconsciousness, we might have even forgotten that other search engines exist or that they can exist.
It would interest you to know that tons and tons of search engines exist apart from Google and Microsoft, and they are all battling to get in and stay in the spotlight.
Lots of search engines trying to break into the business, or simply trying to gain notoriety, would pay you a certain amount of money each time you search using their search engine.
Since we probably search the web for 5 billion things before the day ends (I know I do), this might seem like an easy way to make money by doing nothing.
All these search engine companies require from you, is to turn to their search engines as your default search engine.
Yes, you indeed get paid each time you make a search, but with most of the search engine companies, it is not possible to determine how much you get paid exactly for each search you make.
Like with lots of other tasks you can perform online for pay, do not expect to get rich or make millions of dollars by searching the web.
It isn’t just possible, and you will see why when we get to the pros and cons aspect of this article.
Only turn to searching the web for pay, if you are looking to make extra money on the side, and nothing else.
2. They pay you as a search engine evaluator
What is a search engine evaluator? I bet you are wondering.
Well, a search engine evaluator is a person who gives candid user experience reviews after they use a search engine.
To explain further, a search engine evaluator is an individual who helps to filter search engine results, and if you think about it, this is just basically searching the web, but with extra steps.
How does it work exactly?
First, you sign up for a search engine evaluation program, and when you meet the program’s requirements, you will be accepted into the program.
Next, you would be required to use the company’s search engine like you would use the search engine on your desktop every day for your web searches.
Each search engine company has its evaluation duration; after which you would be required to give honest feedback on your user experience.
When everything is concluded, you will be paid for your time, and feedback.
I really can’t give you a pay range, as it varies with every search engine company.
By helping to rate and filter the results that come up for a search engine search, they help to ensure a better user experience for a search engine.
They help to match the intent of a web user with the relevant results of their web search. I mean, imagine searching, and 8 out of the 10 results you got were absolute trash.
Using the internet, especially for important research, would get mighty stressful, and your productivity retarded by a lot. All this job requires is for you to adhere to a given set of guidelines. Generally, five major companies are known to hire people like you and me for the job.
Payments
In regards to payments, it does differ by country and the hiring company.
There is more information online on how to become a search engine evaluator if you are considering this line of work.
But….
I know I said that getting paid to search the web shouldn’t be seen as a real job, as the payouts are very low, but that isn’t the case when you sign up and become a search engine evaluator.
It is said that the earnings lie in the range of $12 to $15 per hour, and it is even said that some people make as much as $20 per hour.
Working as a search engine evaluator isn’t a fixed job, as you are hired as an independent contractor who could be let go at any time. You would even be required to fill out a tax form at the end of the year like any other job.
Platforms like Leapforce, Appen Butler Hill, and Lionbridge are excellent platforms where you can sign up and become a search engine evaluator.
You can check those out at any time.
Now that we have touched on the two ways in which you can get paid to search the web, let us touch on the pros and cons of searching the web for pay endeavors.
This part should help you decide for yourself if this is something you would consider to make money online.
Websites to Get Paid to Search the Web
1. Microsoft Rewards
If you know Google, then you probably have heard of the Microsoft (Bing) search engine. Bing is a Microsoft search engine, and to most people, a top competition of the Google company.
It is said that the Microsoft search engine gets 20% of the total number of web searches in comparison to Google’s 60%.
This might be a good reason why they have a rewards program, as a way to try and beat the competition, or at least try to level up.
The Bing rewards program simply requires you to sign up for the program, and then begin to use the Bing search engine for all your daily searches.
How much can you earn from Microsoft Rewards?
Monthly Point Goals:
- Achieve a minimum of 500 points per month.
Additional Benefits for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers:
- Maintain an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
PC Search with Bing:
- Earn 5 points per search.
- Maximum of 50 points per day.
- Daily limit: 150 points.
Mobile Search with Bing:
- Earn 5 points per search.
- Maximum of 100 points per day.
- Daily limit: 100 points.
Search with Bing in Microsoft Edge:
- Bonus +5 points per day.
- Daily limit: +20 points.
Online Shopping at Microsoft Store:
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers earn 10 points for every $1 spent.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers using Microsoft Edge earn 20 points for every $1 spent.
The Three Ways You Can Withdraw Your Earnings From Microsoft Rewards
When you are set to receive or withdraw your earnings, you have three options to do so, and they include:
Payment via gift cards
Since this is an online gig, it makes sense for a payment option to be via gift cards.
You have a variety of gift cards to choose from, including Burger King, Amazon, Starbucks, etc.
When you have reached the cashout threshold, you can cash out via any gift card of your choice.
Just head over to the appropriate outlet and redeem your gift cards. Or like for Amazon, simply redeem it online.
Payment via online subscriptions
This is one of the rarer payment methods, but it does work.
When you reach the required cash-out threshold, you can choose to have your earned Bing credit go to some of your online subscriptions, including Hulu and Skype.
If you are an avid subscriber of some of these platforms carried by the platform, you can easily have your monthly earnings go towards your subscriptions.
If you don’t care for any of that, you can simply go with the other payment methods.
Payment via sweepstakes entry
With sweepstakes run by the Bing rewards programs, you can win some pretty neat stuff like Xbox or iPhones.
You can put your Bing rewards programs credits towards entering the sweepstakes competition, and win a wide range of high-end items.
The credit amount required for each is different for each sweepstakes entry.
2. Inbox Dollars
Unlike the Bing rewards program that pays you strictly for searching the web, the Inbox Dollars platform pays you for a lot more than that.
With inbox dollars, you get paid to search the web and complete other tasks like playing games, reading emails, and taking surveys, amongst other things.
When all the points you have earned on the platform are up to a $30 equivalent, you are eligible to request payment, which is typically sent to you via cheque.
Every new user who signs up to the platform gets a sign-up bonus of $5.
And they also have an affiliate program, where you can earn a commission, each time you refer someone to the platform and they sign-up.
3. Fusioncash
The Fusion cash platform simply expects you to download, and install their search engine toolbar, and search, search, search away!
With this platform, you get paid 1 cent each time you make four web searches via their search engine.
If you are an avid web searcher like most people are, this sum can pile up before you know it.
In addition to getting paid to search the web, you can also get paid to read emails, listen to paid radio, watch videos, and take surveys amongst other online tasks.
Like with the Inbox Dollars platform, you also get an instant $5 sign-up bonus.
4. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the more popular platforms when it comes to well-paying surveys, but you can also get paid to search the web on their platform.
Signing up
Immediately after you sign up, you get a $10 sign-up bonus.
The sign-up process is easy, and after the sign-up process is complete, you can head over to the Swagbucks search section.
This section is all about getting paid to search the web, and though they don’t tell you exactly how much they pay per search, they do pay you 50 Swagbucks points when you send them one hour of web search activity.
The great thing about the Swagbucks search is that they use the Yahoo search engine, which is as good as any excellent search engine, which means you might not notice any significant difference by making this search engine your default one.
In addition to getting paid to search the web, you can perform other tasks like watching ads, playing games, watching videos, and taking surveys to earn extra cash.
Most people would typically complain that their $25 payout threshold is quite high, but trust me when I say that there are lots of other platforms that require you to reach a higher minimum before you can cash out.
The key to meeting the payment threshold is to take part in the other tasks on the platform to meet the threshold faster.
Payment
Their payment method includes the redeeming of gift cards for a wide range of brands and businesses.
You can also receive your pay via a direct PayPal deposit. Whichever rocks your boat.
Bonus cash opportunity
You can sign up for their affiliate program and earn $5 each time someone signs up to the platform via your affiliate link.
You can learn all about affiliate marketing and affiliate programs for free.
5. Wonder
With the Wonder platform, you are required to become a full-on search engine yourself (yep, I will explain in a bit)
Wonder connects you with real-time individuals who are looking for answers to their searches.
First, the wonder platform furnishes you with questions from individuals all over the world.
Next, you would have to do thorough research on the topic, provide an excellent answer, and are also required to supply the asking client with where you got the information used to back up your answer.
The sign-up process
After the official sign-up process, you would be provided with a sample search, and afterward, if you meet their requirements, you would be officially accepted into the program.
If you don’t meet their requirements, well, you know what happens.
The key to succeeding here is to take your time and conduct your research intelligently.
The payment method is via PayPal, and this is done every two weeks, you can earn between $8 to $35 per answer, depending on the difficulty of the questions.
Get Paid to Search the Web: Pros
1. It is easy to do
Searching the web is one of the easiest things to do.
I would know, I do it every day.
Whether for work reasons or just because, we all search the web a lot for free, so, getting paid to do it, is pure delight!
So, though you are getting paid to do it, it feels nothing like actual work.
2. It doesn’t take time
Searching the web takes a few seconds for each search at most; hence, it isn’t something that takes forever to complete.
Just type, type, type away at your keyboard
3. It doesn’t require any qualification
If you have ever searched the internet with your phone or PC, then you are more than qualified to get paid to search the web.
Unlike some online pay endeavors that require you to know a bit of coding and stuff like that, nothing like that is required of you before you get paid to search the web.
4. It doesn’t cost money
With lots of good ways to make money online, it typically requires you to spend or invest some kind of money in it, but you don’t have to spend any money to get paid to search the web.
All you need to do is to find an excellent search engine company and sign up for their program.
5. The scam rates are low
The problem most people have with earning a living online is that they get scammed a lot by these too-good-to-be-true companies.
Most people I have met immediately stop listening when you try to talk to them about ways to make money online.
In regards to getting paid to search the web, there are few of these scam companies; hence you have no worries.
There are more reputable search engine companies than the scam ones.
Try to sign up for some of the popular programs with great reviews, instead of trying to explore newer companies.
A quick Google search will fetch you some of the top ones, and I will be listing the best ones you can work with later on in the article.
6. It is very flexible
When you get paid to search the web, it only has to be at your own time. I.e., you only work at your own time.
You can decide to spend the whole day searching the web and get paid for it, or you can invest your time in it every other day.
Unlike other ways to earn money you need to answer to a boss and have to sign in and out, this would be an excellent option for you if you do not fancy jobs that require you to work on your own time.
7. They have one requirement
Unlike the other ways to make money online that require you to do this or that, all it takes to get paid to search the web is to switch from one search engine to the other, and that’s it.
If you were using the xxx search engine for your daily searches, all you need to do is to switch to this new search engine that pays you to use it.
Get Paid to Search The Web: Cons
1. It doesn’t pay a lot
As I said somewhere up there in this article, you can’t get rich or not need an actual job.
The amount paid for this kind of work is very little.
If you were to earn a substantial sum of money from searching the web for pay, you would have to invest a lot of man-hours to make anything substantial.
This time would have been invested into doing even more profitable things, my favorite is affiliate marketing. The sad news is that even if you were to invest a lot more time in this endeavor, you still wouldn’t make a lot of money.
2. Revenue tracking is near impossible
We know that yes, people do get paid to search the web, but how much exactly? No one knows exactly.
Knowing how much you get paid exactly for an endeavor is important, as it lets you determine if it is worth your while, and how much you would earn over some time.
Because of this little hitch, the only way you can be able to determine if this is good enough for you to invest your time and effort is if you start the endeavor.
3. You can’t join more than one program
I mean, you can, but how many search engines can you use in a day for your searches?
The point is, it would take a whole lot of time to use all the search engines, which programs you signed up to.
It would take a lot of time and pay you very little, so it is honestly not worth your time.
Now, it is time for us to get to our top list of websites where you get paid to search the web, so sit tight, my friends.
Conclusion
Getting paid to search the web has been a great go-to for people to earn that extra income in their spare time, and if you can afford said spare time, you might want to check it out too.
But, if you are looking for better ways to earn a substantial income online, then Wealthy Affiliate teaches you all about that for free here.