How To Make Money With Google Slides: 4 Real Methods That Work

You already have Google Slides. It is free, it runs in your browser, and you do not need to install anything. Most people use it to put together a quick presentation and then forget it exists. But there are four real, working ways to turn that free tool into income, and none of them require you to be a designer or a tech expert.

In this post I am going to walk you through all four methods exactly as I laid them out in the video above. I will give you the specific numbers I found during my research, the platforms involved, and how each income stream actually works in practice. By the time you finish reading, you will know which path fits your situation best.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A clear breakdown of all four Google Slides income methods and how each one pays you
The specific Udemy and Skillshare strategy for packaging Google Slides knowledge into a course that sells
A simple YouTube keyword research method that finds low-competition Google Slides topics you can start filming today
The Etsy template playbook, including price ranges that are already selling and how to get templates made cheaply on Fiverr
The blog and SEO numbers behind Google Slides search traffic, including low-competition keywords with over 150,000 monthly searches
A side-by-side comparison of all four methods so you can pick the one that matches your skills and available time
A free tool at finder.platformproof.com that tells you which of these income paths is the best fit for you specifically

Method 1: Sell an Online Course About Google Slides on Udemy or Skillshare

The first method is selling a course that teaches other people how to use Google Slides. This might sound simple, but there is real demand for it. When I searched Google Slides on Udemy, I found courses already up and selling. One of them was a “Complete Google Slides Master Class” that runs just four hours and contains 70 lectures. Four hours. That is not a massive undertaking to create.

Here is the strategic move I recommend: a lot of course creators bundle Google Slides into a broader Google Workspace course that covers Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Slides all together. That makes sense on the surface, but it actually reduces how much money you can make from each piece. If you pull Google Slides out and sell it as its own standalone master class, you can charge for it separately. Then create a lighter teaser course that covers the full Google Workspace at a lower price point, and use that to funnel students into each individual master class.

Udemy is not your only option here either. Skillshare pays on a completely different model. Instead of a one-time course purchase, Skillshare pays based on minutes watched by premium members. Depending on your audience and how your content performs, Skillshare could actually pay you better than Udemy for the same material. The good news is that you can post on both platforms simultaneously without any conflict, as long as you meet each platform’s content requirements. That means you create the course once and collect from two sources.

What should the course cover? Start with the features people actually search for. I will go into keyword research in more detail in the YouTube section below, but the same logic applies here. Find the questions people are asking about Google Slides, build lessons around those specific topics, and you will have a course that matches what buyers are already looking for.

Method 2: Start a YouTube Channel Around Google Slides Tutorials

The second method is building a YouTube channel that teaches people how to do specific things inside Google Slides. This works because people constantly search for step-by-step help with software tools, and Google Slides is no exception.

The keyword research strategy I use is simple. Go to YouTube, type in “Google Slides,” then hit the spacebar and go through every letter of the alphabet. What you get is a list of real search queries that real people are typing in right now. I did this in the video and found queries like “google slides qr code,” “google slides q&a,” “google slides quiz theme,” and “google slides word art curve.” Every single one of those is a potential video topic.

Let me give you the real numbers from one of those searches. I looked up “google slides word art curve” and found a channel with just 795 subscribers that had gotten 12,000 views from a video on that topic alone. Another channel with 5,000 subscribers had 13,000 views on a similar Google Slides topic. These are tiny channels. They are not competing with anyone major. They are just answering a specific question people have, and YouTube is sending them thousands of viewers as a result.

For topics with more search volume, I found videos getting hundreds of thousands of views. Topics like “google slides record audio” had short videos, most of them under ten minutes, pulling in massive traffic. Two-minute videos. Five-minute videos. You do not need to produce long, complicated content to win with this strategy.

My recommendation is to create three videos per week and base every video decision on keyword research rather than guessing. Go through the alphabet, find something that interests you or that you already know how to do, and make the video. Repeat that process consistently and you start stacking views over time.

The income from this channel can come from multiple directions at once. You can earn from the YouTube Partner Program once you hit the monetization thresholds. You can include affiliate links in your video descriptions. You can promote your Udemy or Skillshare course in every video. And once you build an audience, you can sell done-for-you Google Slides templates to your viewers directly. That is four income sources from one piece of content.

Method 3: Sell Google Slides Templates on Etsy

The third method is selling Google Slides templates as digital downloads on Etsy. Etsy is a marketplace most people associate with handmade physical goods, but digital products do very well there too. When I searched for Google Slides on Etsy, I found people selling presentation templates at prices ranging from $3 to $28.

The way this works is straightforward. You create a Google Slides template, upload it as a digital product on Etsy, and when someone buys it, they get a link that lets them download it directly into their own Google workspace. You do not have to ship anything, pack anything, or be available when the sale happens. It runs on its own around the clock.

To find out what kinds of templates are worth creating, use the same search-bar research method. Go to Etsy, type in “google slides,” and look at the autocomplete suggestions. You will see what buyers are already searching for. “Google slides theme” and “google slides budget” were two examples that came up when I searched. Those are specific needs. A buyer searching for a budget tracker template in Google Slides knows exactly what they want. You make the template, they find it, done.

If you do not know how to design a polished template yourself, you do not need to learn. Hire someone on Fiverr. I found that Fiverr sellers will create Google Slides templates for $10 to $15. If you sell that same template at $28 and get ten sales, you have made $280 from a $15 investment, and it continues selling indefinitely. You could also test running paid traffic through Facebook ads to drive buyers directly to your Etsy listing, though I think Etsy’s built-in search traffic is a stronger and more cost-effective starting point.

Etsy also gives you the advantage of an existing marketplace with built-in buyers. You are not starting from zero traffic the way you would with a standalone website. People come to Etsy to buy digital products. Your job is to put the right product in front of them when they search.

Not sure which of these four methods is the right fit for you?

Answer a few quick questions at finder.platformproof.com and get a personalized recommendation based on your skills, schedule, and goals.

Method 4: Start a Blog or Website Covering Google Slides Topics

The fourth method is starting a blog or website that targets Google Slides search traffic. The numbers here are larger than most people expect. When I ran the keyword research, “google slides” as a broad topic pulls in 2.7 million monthly searches and has 113,000 related keywords. That is a massive pool of content opportunities.

Now, a lot of those keywords are going to be highly competitive. But here is the move: filter down to keywords with a difficulty score of 10 or lower. When I did that, I still found 152,000 monthly searches across 2,000 lower-competition keywords. That is a huge amount of low-hanging search traffic that bigger sites have not fully covered yet.

One specific example I found was “convert pdf to google slides.” That query gets 700 searches per month from people in the United States alone, and 1,100 searches per month globally. The difficulty on something like that is going to be manageable, which means a new blog post on that topic could rank and bring in a steady stream of visitors with relatively little competition to deal with.

How do you make money from that traffic? Multiple ways, and you can stack all of them on the same site. Start with Google AdSense to earn from display ads placed automatically on your pages. As your traffic grows, you can graduate to more premium ad networks that pay higher rates. Add affiliate marketing by including links to tools and products that are relevant to what your readers are trying to do. Google Workspace has its own affiliate program listed on Commission Junction (CJ.com), so you can earn commissions by referring people to Google’s own products. If you also sell templates, you can link from your blog posts directly to your Etsy shop or your own storefront. And if you create Udemy or Skillshare courses, every blog post becomes a promotion channel for those courses too.

The blog method takes longer to build than Etsy because SEO takes time. But once your posts rank, they send you traffic and generate income without requiring ongoing effort for every individual visitor. That is what makes it genuinely passive over the long term.

How to Choose the Right Method (Honest Side-by-Side Comparison)

Here is an honest look at all four methods so you can decide where to start based on your actual situation.

Udemy or Skillshare Course: Best if you are comfortable being on camera or recording your screen and narrating. Requires an upfront time investment to film and edit the course, but once it is live it can sell indefinitely. You can post on both platforms and earn from both simultaneously. Skillshare pays per minute watched, so a shorter course that keeps viewers engaged can outperform a longer course with high dropout rates.

YouTube Channel: Best if you enjoy creating video content consistently and you are willing to invest three videos per week over a sustained period. Income builds slowly at first, but stacks multiple revenue streams: ad revenue, affiliate commissions, course promotions, and direct product sales. The keyword research approach removes the guesswork from what to make.

Etsy Templates: Best if you want the fastest path to a passive product sale. Low startup cost if you use Fiverr to create templates. The main job is finding the right product to make and pricing it appropriately. No camera, no writing, no SEO. Just create or commission a template, list it, and let Etsy’s search engine bring buyers to you.

Blog or Website: Best if you prefer writing over video, and if you are thinking about the long game. Takes longer to see results, but becomes one of the most durable income sources once articles start ranking. Works well stacked with the other three methods, since your blog can promote your Etsy shop, your YouTube channel, and your courses all at once.

These four methods are also not mutually exclusive. You could start an Etsy shop this week, launch a YouTube channel alongside it, and use your YouTube videos to promote your Etsy listings. As you build content, launch a blog that covers the same topics in text form and pulls in search traffic from people who prefer reading to watching. Eventually, package your knowledge into a Udemy course and let students find you on multiple platforms.

A Simple Starting Plan

If you are starting from scratch and want a clear sequence, here is how I would approach it:

Week 1: Do keyword research using the alphabet method on YouTube and the search bar method on Etsy. Write down 20 topics that already have proven search demand.
Week 2: Create or commission your first Etsy template on one of those topics. List it with a clear title matching the search phrase you found. Set your price in the $10 to $25 range to match what is already selling.
Week 3: Record your first three YouTube videos covering Google Slides how-to topics from your research list. Keep them short, focused, and searchable. Link to your Etsy shop in every description.
Week 4: Start your first blog post on a low-difficulty keyword from your research. Aim for 1,000 words minimum, answer the question fully, and link to your YouTube video and Etsy listing within the post.
Month 2-3: Continue posting three YouTube videos per week, add new Etsy templates based on what your keyword research shows buyers want, and write two to three blog posts per week. Start outlining a course once you have created 15 to 20 videos and know which topics your audience responds to most.

Find Your X

The question is not whether Google Slides can make you money. These four methods all work. The question is which one fits your schedule, your skills, and what you are actually willing to do consistently. If you are not sure where to start, go to finder.platformproof.com. Answer a few questions about your situation and you will get a clear, personalized recommendation on which income path is the right starting point for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need design skills to sell Google Slides templates on Etsy?

No. As covered in the video, you can hire a Fiverr freelancer to create templates for $10 to $15. You handle the research, find what buyers are searching for, and let a hired designer handle the visual production. Your edge is knowing what to make, not making it yourself.

Can I post the same course on both Udemy and Skillshare?

Yes, according to the video, you can post on both platforms simultaneously as long as you meet each platform’s individual content requirements. Skillshare and Udemy have different payment structures, so selling the same material on both gives you two income streams from the same work.

How do I find low-competition keywords for a Google Slides blog?

Filter your keyword research tool to show only keywords with a difficulty score of 10 or lower. In the video, applying that filter to the broader “google slides” topic still returned 152,000 monthly searches across 2,000 keywords. Start with the most specific, question-based phrases you find there, since those tend to have lower competition and clearer buyer intent.

How quickly can I expect to make money from a YouTube channel about Google Slides?

YouTube ad revenue requires reaching the Partner Program threshold (1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time), which takes time. But you can start earning from affiliate links and Etsy template sales in your video descriptions from your very first upload. The channels I found in my research, including one with just 795 subscribers, were already pulling thousands of views. Building to that level is achievable within a few months of consistent posting.

What price should I charge for a Google Slides template on Etsy?

Based on what was already selling when I searched Etsy during the video, the range was $3 to $28. I would start in the $10 to $20 range for most templates and test whether a higher price affects your conversion rate. Buyers on Etsy expect professional-looking results, so the quality of the template matters more than being the cheapest option.

What is the Google Workspace affiliate program and where do I sign up?

Google Workspace has an affiliate program available through Commission Junction, also called CJ.com. When you include affiliate links to Google Workspace products on your blog or in your content and someone signs up through your link, you earn a commission. This is one of the monetization layers the video recommends stacking on a Google Slides blog.

Is a blog or a YouTube channel a better starting point for beginners?

It depends on whether you are more comfortable writing or talking on camera. Blogs take longer to rank in search engines, but they require no camera and no video editing. YouTube can surface your content faster through its recommendation system, but it requires video production. If you are completely unsure, start with Etsy templates since it requires neither writing nor video and can generate sales without building an audience first.

Can I run all four methods at the same time?

Yes, and the methods reinforce each other. Your YouTube videos can promote your Etsy templates. Your blog posts can drive readers to your YouTube channel. Your course can be promoted across all three. The video explicitly mentions stacking commissions and income sources from the same audience. Starting with one and adding the others over time is more sustainable than trying to launch everything simultaneously from day one.

Sources

Udemy course listings for Google Slides, including the Complete Google Slides Master Class (4 hours, 70 lectures), referenced in the video
Skillshare platform for course hosting and per-minute-watched payment model
YouTube keyword research for “google slides word art curve” showing channels with 795 and 5,000 subscribers earning 12,000 and 13,000 views respectively
Etsy search results for Google Slides templates priced from $3 to $28
Fiverr freelancer market for Google Slides template creation at $10-$15
Keyword research data: 2.7 million monthly searches for “google slides,” 113,000 related keywords; filtered to difficulty 10 or less: 152,000 monthly searches, 2,000 keywords
“Convert pdf to google slides” keyword: 700 monthly searches locally, 1,100 globally
Google Workspace affiliate program via Commission Junction (CJ.com)