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More and more companies are turning to usability testing specialists to increase the user-experience and conversion rates of their own websites and e-commerce businesses. This growing practice is in turn creating thousands of work from home opportunities for internet-savvy students and other young people, both in the UK and abroad.

Companies like UserTesting.com can help firms fine-tune their businesses’ websites by getting real people to test drive them remotely. In some cases, they have increased conversion rates for some of their clients by over 20 per cent . And we are talking BIG clients here; UserTesting.com has worked with huge businesses and famous brands like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Dell and TripAdvisor.

It can be very expensive and time consuming for companies to test out their own websites in-house, so firms are increasingly turning to specialists who can outsource this sort of work on a big scale and thereby reduce the costs involved. For a fraction of the price of hiring someone to test their websites, companies can outsource tests and ‘look over the shoulder’ of real time users all over the world or view videos of users reactions as they move through the buying chain of an e-commerce site.

Evan Williams, co-founder of the micro-blogging social network Twitter, thinks that companies would be mad not to use such services to enhance their business.

“UserTesting.com makes it so darn easy, fast, and cheap to get end-user feedback on your site, you no longer have an excuse not to. Use it, and your site will get better,” testified Mr Williams.

UserTesting.com now outsources website testing, online game trials and app tests to over one million people 24/7 and will pay good money for the right candidates.

What Users Do is a leading UK name in the usability testing arena, having been in the business since 2008. They offer companies tests from as little as £30 and can deliver feedback within two business days. What Users Do have assisted leading high street names in the United Kingdom such as Schuh, Currys, Comet and B&Q - and they are always on the lookout for reliable testers to join their panel.

Other companies like Userlytics, UserFeel and TryMyUI also have strong client lists and farm out user testing to thousands of people who want to work from home.

Students and other young people with a laptop, access to broadband internet and some spare time on their hands can make decent money on a flexible basis doing jobs like this. Most companies will pay anything upwards of £6 (or US dollar equivalent) per test - and a test can be as short as 15 minutes in many cases.

Students are pretty much ideal candidates for user testing roles because, like other young people, they use websites, apps, forums and other online facilities on a highly regular basis.

And, let’s be honest, it is a pretty awesome way to earn a bit of spare cash considering it’s relatively easy graft and you can work from home.

Students interested in testing out websites to make some money can find out more about how the whole thing works in our detailed article about User Testing Jobs - or they can sign up directly with companies that accept user testers in the UK, such as UserTesting.com and What Users Do.