How to Make Money Online Testing Websites

Businesses invest a lot of money into their websites, as they want people to stay on their site and use their product or service. Some websites (and apps) are great, others are so frustrating and you can’t find what you are looking for. In this situations it is most likely you will leave that site or delete that app and move on to the next one. This is where you come in, as a consumer, you can make money online as a website usability tester, by providing feedback to website owners regarding the good and bad qualities about their website. You can expect to earn about $10-$15 for a 20 minute test.

To get paid to test websites, you’ll need the following::

- The ability to follow instructions

- 15-20 minutes free time to perform the test

- A suitable platform – PC/Mac/Mobile/Tablet

- A good internet connection

- A headset to voice your opinion.

Some testing sites will only conduct tests in English, and some may require you to use a webcam, as they want to see your facial expressions as you move through the test. When you sign up to a website usability testing site, often you will be asked to complete an unpaid test to assess your ability to be a good usability tester. When performing a website test, make sure you are on the correct platform, as some tests are specific for laptop/desktop use whereas some are for a mobile version of a website for use on a tablet or mobile.

A tester has to follow a set of instructions in the test as they explore a website, and these are often designed to see how “user friendly” it is for users to perform these tasks. Testers need to voice what they do and do not like about the site, and how they think certain aspects of the site could work better. Basically, to be good at website usability testing, you need to be opinionated and you need to be vocal about it! There is no point telling a website owner everything about their site is great, as they are trying to find ways to improve their site to attract more visitors to generate more business.

The following sites are worth visiting if you want to try website usability testing. They have different style tests and payment arrangements, so look at what might work best for you before signing up.

• TryMyUI

  This very popular site requires you to sign up and complete an unpaid qualification test before they will start sending you any paid tests. It takes about 20 minutes per test, payment is via PayPal, usually $10 per test.

• StartUp Lift

  This is a smaller site where start-ups can get their website tested by group of people fitting their demographics. If that happens to be you, your in luck! Payment is $5 per test via PayPal.

• What Users Do

  This is a UK based company, open to testers worldwide. These tests are recorded via your webcam, most tests take 20 minutes and you get paid about £8 per test.

• Userlytics

  Typical tests here take $10 (paid via PayPal), for a 10-20 minute test. These tests involve the use of a webcam and downloadable software.

• User Testing

  $10 per test of a website or app paid via PayPal which usually takes 20 minutes. This is another very popular and competitive site.

• Enroll

  This site is all about testing across platforms - mobile, tablet and desktop. Assignments are sent via email with varying lengths and payments. Payment is via PayPal

When you sign up as a usability tester, you are ranked against everyone else on that platform. Here are some tips to try and improve your ranking and get more tests send to you.

• Speak clearly, and voice your thoughts logically with clarity.
• Take your qualification test seriously. This is really important, think of it like a job interview -you are competing with thousands of other people for these tasks. Businesses are paying for these tests, they want the best outcome from their investment so they want people who are most committed to providing them with useful, thoughtful responses.
• Stay focused on the task at hand. If you are testing a shopping website and see something you like, note it down for later!

This is a very variable source of income. Your demographic information will determine what website usability tests you qualify for and how often you receive an invitation to test a site. This type of online work should be treated as a hobby, and is not a reliable source of income as opportunities to test websites are very sporadic. But that being said if you sign up for a few sites, complete a good practice test and have useful opinions, you could make an extra $100 dollars a year or more, and what's wrong with that?