Data entry is the process of entering data into computer systems. The data can be in the form of text, audio, video, or images. Data entry experts also work on data classification, validation, and other data manipulation techniques. The digital landscape has changed significantly in the last few years. Businesses around the world now depend more than ever on data to function, so they frequently outsource data management tasks to professionals looking for data entry operator roles.
The shift to outsourcing has created opportunities for professionals seeking part-time income, but data entry side hustles offer more than just that—they provide an opportunity to learn, develop, and achieve financial stability. Fortunately, there are many options available to people with a variety of interests and skill sets, many of which offer competitive pay rates. This guide will go into detail about data entry and the types of roles that can be found when searching for data entry positions. You’ll also discover 10 of the best data entry side hustles to consider.
Is data entry a good side hustle?
Data entry side hustle is a common side gig for people looking for a quick way to make extra money. Most of the time, it doesn’t require higher education training, which makes it a desirable option for people who want to make extra money without having to spend years in school to become knowledgeable in a particular field. As a data entry specialist, you can expect to make between $10 and $20 per hour. There are many benefits and drawbacks to data entry.
Benefits of data entry side hustle :
- Flexibility: Many remote data entry side hustles are doable from any location in the globe. This is a job you can do from home or on the go if you’re seeking a remote position.
- Lack of educational requirements: Since many data entry side hustle only require rudimentary computer knowledge, you can pick up the necessary skills quickly on the job and help your customer.
Cons of data entry:
- Repetitiveness: You must repeatedly enter information in many data entry tasks. It can be difficult for those looking for diversified jobs because of this repetition.
- Competition: You might notice greater competition for these opportunities because data entry labor has a lower entrance barrier.
Some data entry skills will make you a more desirable hire for companies seeking data entry competence, even if many occupations don’t have strict educational requirements.
- Paying close attention to details: Businesses depend on their data entry professionals to accurately enter and double-check their information. For that, you need to pay close attention to detail.
- Quick typing: Data entry side hustles require you to enter large amounts of information precisely and quickly.
- Software skills: Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, and Google Docs are required for many data entry positions. To complete the task, you’ll need prior expertise using these tools.
- Reliable internet: While working from home as a data entry clerk can be advantageous, it requires having easy access to dependable high-speed internet.
- Confidentiality: You’ll frequently be working with data about individuals or groups that must be kept secret. It’s possible that you’ll be required to sign and abide by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Platforms for Finding Data Entry Side Hustle:
Freelance websites are a popular source of employment for recent graduates with experience in data entry side hustle. These networks can put you in touch with individuals that require data entry labor.
Similar to social networking, you can create a profile and receive job alerts via email or text message whenever a position matching your qualifications is posted.
There are a lot more jobs available on these platforms than just data entry side hustles. In addition, they provide typing jobs as well as roles for graphic designers, independent writers, transcribers, administrative assistants, social media managers, and customer service representatives.
1. Flexjobs
Data entry side hustles are often available on the employment board Flexjobs, which offers a variety of flexible work options.
In order to weed out scammers, employment leads on Flexjobs are manually chosen and investigated by people. In a field like data entry, this ought to ease your concerns, but the service is not free. You will have to pay a monthly subscription fee and sign up for Flexjobs.
A $15 or so subscription may seem expensive in a field as low-paying as data entry, but it’s something to think about, especially if you’re hoping to apply for additional flexible jobs.
Flexjobs now offers online skills assessments so you may demonstrate to potential employers your proficiency with software or typing.
2. Fiverr
You create a profile on Fiverr and “sell” your data entry abilities to customers that are in need. Your chances of success increase with the amount of prior experience you have and the effectiveness of your self-promotion.
The most prosperous “sellers” are multi-skilled, but you may advertise yourself as an expert in data entry and see if any business comes your way.
You’ll be more successful marketing your services if you have more years of data entry experience and can list a higher number of happy clients on your profile.
You would typically face competition from service suppliers throughout the globe and in the US.
3. Upwork
Another site where you could market your data entry abilities is Upwork. Only a small percentage of the 70,000+ new job advertisements that are posted on the website every week are looking for a data entry specialist.
Still, you might be able to connect with contract jobs by signing up for this service and creating a compelling profile. The majority of job listings for remote data entry require your work on a project-by-project basis.
It’s less probable to find full-time or even part-time employment.
4. Amazon Mechanical Turk
Mechanical Turk, sometimes referred to as MTurk, is Amazon’s crowdsourcing platform. This service connects people in need of modest jobs completed with remote workers.
These low-skilled tasks are referred to by MTurk as “microtasks.” Data entry is a component of several microtasks, or they are related to it. Thus, it’s likely that you’ll find some assignments that fit your ability level.
For instance, you can be asked to transcribe an audio tape of a meeting; this task is similar to data input.
MTurk is an expanding platform that serves a large number of users. However, exercise caution: some jobs that can be done from home are labor-intensive and low-paying. Many pay much less than the minimum wage.
5. Virtual Vocations
Similar to Flexjobs, Virtual Vocations allows you to sign up for a limited time for no cost. You will receive a daily hand-picked list of work-at-home data entry side hustle leads as a free member.
You have to upgrade to a paying subscription in order to have full access.
You may view all job ads, create a compelling profile to draw in clients looking to complete data entry work, and enroll in online courses to hone your abilities with a monthly membership.
10 Data Entry Side Hustle Ideas for 2024
Let’s examine the best data entry side hustles that you can consider.
1. Data entry for e-commerce
For e-commerce businesses to give their customers the finest information, correct data is essential. correct information is necessary for product listings to help buyers understand what they are purchasing, and correct information about a company’s operations is necessary for businesses to make wise decisions.
Online business operators benefit from data entry specialists in a number of ways.
- Enter the product’s details.
Product details are entered by data entry professionals into the back end of e-commerce stores. In addition to creating product descriptions to tell customers more about what they’re buying and how it satisfies their needs, they make sure that the information regarding the products is precise and correct.
- Order processing
Once clients place orders, the correct personnel need to receive them. In order to ensure that the product is delivered to the customer promptly and accurately, data entry specialists will take orders, verify the information, and forward it to the appropriate parties.
- Inventory control
Experts in data entry will monitor the warehouse’s current stock levels. They monitor incoming orders, verify accurate entry, and check current levels for mistakes.
- Management of email marketing
Email offers e-commerce sellers effective marketing and sales opportunities. Data entry professionals frequently handle scheduling, update email lists, and enter data into CRM (customer relationship management) systems.
- Analytics of data.
In addition to assisting with data accuracy in the system, data entry specialists may provide analysis to support business decision-making.
Anyone who can manage a lot of data for e-commerce companies and can make sure their consumers are satisfied will be a good fit for this profession.
2. Services for transcription
Whether the spoken word is recorded on audio or is spoken in person, transcriptionists convert it into text. Businesses use people to do transcription work so they may record meetings, interviews, phone conversations, and other activities. A transcriptionist assists by accurately transcribing what they hear into documents for their clients through the use of their expertise.
There are numerous venues where one can accept transcription job offers. Two of the most well-known websites for transcribing are Scribie and Rev. They serve both novice transcribers seeking to learn the trade and seasoned transcribers seeking increased employment.
You can begin transcribing as a novice, but in order to provide high-quality work, you’ll need to swiftly catch up. To increase your productivity and transcribing abilities, use the following advice.
- Use good equipment.
High-quality transcription requires high-quality equipment. Invest in high-quality headphones and gear, such as foot pedals, to handle audio data.
- Keep practicing.
When transcribing, you won’t get simply flawless English audio. To increase your accuracy, practice listening to low-quality audio and dialects you don’t hear frequently.
3. Clickworking and multitasking
You can perform quick online data entering activities like clickworking and microtasking. These can be as simple as typing a few lines of text or as complex as reviewing receipts and adding data (such categorizing data).
You must register for a site that offers microtasks in order to begin completing them. Clickworker and Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) are two of the greatest solutions for remote workers looking to earn money online.
You have to learn what kinds of jobs these Microworker platforms provide and how to finish them fast if you want to make the most of your time on them. For example, MTurk has a large number of data categorization activities. You can expedite the work by understanding the task requester’s expectations and the classification procedure, which will assist you comprehend what they’re seeking for.
Clickworker includes a ton of rating assignments. If you want to make the most money possible on the site, you must follow their content requirements to find out what they anticipate.
4. Legal data entry
Legal firms depend on timely and precise data entry. For legal research, case files, and court documents, they require information. Law firm data entry employees enter, examine, and verify the information that the firms use.
For those who desire to work in the legal area but haven’t taken the initial steps yet, this side business is rewarding. In order to obtain experience in the field, they can be exposed to the profession and participate in cases.
You need to have an attention to detail to prevent errors in the legal profession because precise information is crucial. Attorneys will use your information to inform their case choices.
To manage the work that your clients assign you, you will also want strong time management abilities. A lot of lawyers have demanding cases with tight deadlines. To deliver your job to them on schedule, you’ll need to practice effective time management.
Certain legal data entry positions might call for expertise in certain subjects. For some positions, you might need to have some experience before applying.
5. Data entry for real estate
To conduct their professions, real estate agents deal with a lot of data. In addition to handling client information, they update listings, maintain property databases, and much more. To perform their duties, they depend on accurate information in their systems.
You will handle that work on their behalf if you provide real estate experts with data entry services. These are some samples of the types of tasks you will be doing in real estate.
- Property data administration
Keep track of property details for both active Realtor listings and upcoming markets. Keep an eye on the costs, features, attributes, and more.
- Client information
For your clients, maintain a record of buyer and seller information. You’ll keep an eye on contact details, client preferences, communication details, and other information that facilitates a real estate professional’s work.
- Market analysis.
Collect information regarding the state of the market and compile it for clients. They will make better use of this knowledge to assist clients and comprehend the state of the market.
6. Data entry for accounting
Accurate data is essential for accountants to provide their clients with practical solutions. When figures are off, clients are not provided with proper information, which can lead to expensive errors.
As an accounting data entry specialist, you will guarantee that your clients have correct records. Transaction, invoice, payment, and other financial data will all be entered by you.
This is a great chance if you love statistics and have an eye for detail. Once you establish your worth to a company, it can give you a reliable stream of revenue and give you additional insight into how businesses operate.
7. Data entry via social media
Social media has completely changed the way businesses communicate with their clients. In order to provide engaging content and develop their profiles on other websites, businesses now interact directly with their audience on social media platforms.
You’ll assist in social media account management as a data entry worker for social media managers. When it comes to social media management, you have multiple tasks.
- Analyze the data
Many statistics about social media content are available via social media. Views, interaction, demographics, and more are all available for viewing. You can learn a lot about your audience and what they want to see by using this data.
- Time management of content
Social media managers prefer not to be online when a post is about to go live. It will be your responsibility to plan out social media postings, get them up on the various platforms, and instruct websites on when to show the content.
Participating in social media data entry will aid in your education in marketing. You’ll learn how to locate, organize, and monitor marketing collateral—skills that translate to various professional settings. There are a lot of work-from-home job advertisements on social media because a lot of businesses are becoming more active on these platforms.
8. Data entry for market research
Most firms are built on the foundation of market research. By providing business owners with information on market trends and the most likely path to success, it influences decision-making.
Market research data provides insights into consumer preferences, new trends, and rivalry. But those ideas need to be precise and well-structured in order to have any effect.
Verifying the accuracy of market data and organizing it for business owners is what it means to work at a market research data entry company. You’ll examine study data, gather survey responses, and create reports using software.
For those that have an analytical mind and enjoy looking at data, this side business is fantastic. You’ll gain a lot of knowledge about various marketplaces and their workings.
9. An expert in data verification
Dependability of data is critical to any industry. It is used by business owners to anticipate demand for goods, project future market trends, evaluate historical performance, and a host of other duties. Companies could employ inaccurate information and make poor decisions in the absence of correct data.
A data verification specialist’s role is to examine an organization’s data, search for mistakes, and fix any problems they discover. As a verification professional, you must possess the ability to closely examine data and identify even the smallest mistakes. To ensure accuracy and make any necessary corrections, you must be able to conduct research on information and compare it with your present data.
It can also adopt a variety of shapes. It’s possible to get work checking reports for accuracy or examining data on an Excel spreadsheet to make sure computations are accurate. Your preferred work and your present skill set will determine the kind of verification you decide to complete.
10. Typist
Many businesses weren’t founded as digital businesses. They didn’t convert their data to digital form; instead, they managed their businesses using pen and paper. Furthermore, a corporation can have used paper for some tasks even if they had access to technology.
Nowadays, a lot of those businesses are digitizing their processes, which is where typists come in handy. By accepting typing positions, you will assist businesses in converting handwritten or scanned documents into computer documents.
This is more of a typing-intensive role than a research-focused one. Make sure your keyboard is comfortable, then type quickly—about 60 words per minute, or WPM.
It’s advantageous to accept a remote typing job because it allows you to work from home. Businesses like as Sigtrack give employees the opportunity to work at their own pace and provide them with a platform for remote data entry side hustle. Are you interested in becoming a typist as a side gig? On Upwork, you can get started.
Begin Your Data Entry Side Hustle
The main draws of data entry side hustle are its inexpensive setup costs and lack of requirements. But as we’ve observed, the majority of well-paying data entry jobs hire sporadically and make you wait on their waiting list for a long time.
It’s obvious that the notion that working as a data entry clerk will enable you to start earning easy money right away is untrue. You have the option of beginning right away and taking a low pay or delaying and earning a better wage over time.
A third option is to look into finding another online job. As we’ve seen, data entry and transcription are closely related; specializing can help you increase your income and secure your position in the future. Numerous additional internet jobs are also accessible, such as teaching English and proofreading websites.
The final say on the matter is yours. Data entry side hustle may be the perfect online job for you if you want a stress-free work environment, but be sure you understand what you’re getting into beforehand.
