Nowadays, more and more people are taking an interest in freelancing. It’s not surprising – the idea of being your own boss, in complete control of your schedule, is extremely appealing! However, starting a freelancing career effectively means starting a business. It can be a slow process to find work and clients in the beginning. Fortunately, there are several websites out there to help. But what is the best freelancing website for beginners?
In this article, we’ll go through the differences between freelance marketplaces and job boards, before discussing the best freelancing website for beginners. If you’re thinking about freelancing and don’t know where to start, this is the post for you!
Marketplaces vs Job Boards
Freelance Marketplaces
Freelance marketplaces are websites where clients can hire freelancers for their projects and freelancers can find or create their own offers. The marketplace facilitates the entire transaction through its website. Potential clients and freelancers find each other and then communicate to decide if they’re a good fit. They then agree on prices and deadlines, and the website handles the rest of the transaction.
The website also facilitates payments, providing some security to freelancers and buyers alike. If a buyer doesn’t pay the agreed fee, the freelancer can turn to customer support for help. And if a buyer doesn’t get the work they paid for, they can simply cancel their order and request their money back.
Most freelance marketplaces are free to join and browse. The only costs involved are usually project fees, which the marketplaces take from the price the buyer pays for the project. Fees differ from site to site. The most popular freelancing marketplaces for beginners are Fiverr, Upwork and Freelancer.com.
Job Boards
There are also various online job boards that focus exclusively on freelance work. Clients post offers of work, usually outlining who they are, what they’re looking for in a freelancer, project details, and fees. As a freelancer, you can search for jobs by keyword, location, and experience level. Once you’ve found a project you’re interested in, you email the client directly or fill out a form explaining why you’re the right person for the job.
For freelancers, it’s completely free to browse and apply for work via job boards. Most of the time, you don’t even need to set up an account. Clients, on the other hand, usually pay a fee to the website to post their job listing.
There are several job boards online, but the most popular ones for freelancers are ProBlogger, MediaBistro, and BloggingPro. But, as a beginner freelancer, how do you know which website is best for you?
Which Freelancing Website Is Best for Beginners?
The best freelancing website for beginners is Fiverr. Fiverr is a huge online marketplace specifically created for freelancers. On Fiverr, you can offer your skill or service and you are almost certain to find someone interested in paying for it.
There are many benefits to using Fiverr to find work and build experience early on in your freelancing career. Let’s take a look at some of them in more detail.
Fiverr Is Free
Whether you’re interested in buying or selling on Fiverr, setting up an account is completely free. It’s also very easy to set up an account. Once you’ve done so, all you need to do is create gigs (if you’re a freelancer) or browse for people who fit the work you’re offering (if you’re a buyer).
It’s Intuitive
There’s nothing complicated when it comes to using Fiverr. If you’re a freelance writer, you just need to explain what your niche is and how much you charge for your writing. If you don’t know how much to charge, look at how much other people in your niche on Fiverr are charging and adapt your fees according to your level of expertise.
After that, you just wait for your first client to contact you with the details of the job they might want to offer you. Simple!
Fiverr Charges Fair Fees
Most freelance marketplaces charge a fee for each gig completed and Fiverr is no exception. Fiverr takes a 20% fee from your order price. This means that if you charge £100 for a job, you’ll receive £80 after Fiverr takes its fee.
As far as freelance marketplace fees go, this is fairly standard. Even when compared to other freelance websites that don’t take a direct cut in this way, the various fees, such as Upwork’s Connects system, usually average out to about the same when you take everything into account. Fiverr is also transparent about its fees. So, you can be fully aware of them before signing up or accepting any work.
It’s a Large Market With Many Buyers
On Fiverr’s homepage, you’re greeted with a huge number of gigs from freelancers from different niches. This can be overwhelming if you’re just starting out, but there’s no need to worry!
If you have a convincing gig and charge reasonable prices, you will attract clients. You just have to be patient! One satisfied client can lead to a great review, which leads to the next client, and so on. You’ll be on a roll before you know it!
You Can Offer Any Skill
Are you still not sure what your niche is? You don’t have to decide just yet. On Fiverr, you can find over 500 categories of different skills to offer. Plus, once you create your account, you can offer up to seven active gigs. So, if you feel confident in several areas, this is a good chance to find out which of them is the most profitable.
Use Freelance Websites to Kickstart Your Career
Freelancing websites are a great starting point for beginners. You can find work easily while building up a portfolio, reputation, network, and confidence in your skills. If you’re deciding which platform to start on, Fiverr is always a great choice. It’s intuitive, free to use, and you can sell almost any skill or service you can think of. If there’s something you can do, there’s someone out there willing to pay for it!