You have decided to freelance. You have narrowed down which freelancing area is perfect for you and now you just need to find some work. Or perhaps you are already freelancing and want to seek out some more work opportunities. You have come to the right place! Below I will go through all the best freelance websites to find jobs online.
The hardest part about finding freelance work can be how many freelance job sites there are. It is easy to waste a lot of time looking for the best freelance websites. Time which would be far better spent actually doing work. This is why we produced this list – to save you the hard work.
The top freelance sites are usually not just somewhere to search for jobs. They are somewhere to put up a profile and show off your skills. For this reason, if you are new to freelancing I suggest you narrow down this list to just a couple of sites to start with. Do not overwhelm yourself by looking for work and advertising your services everywhere. It is better to try just a couple of platforms and do a good job in marketing yourself. It is also worth keeping in mind that this is a general list of sites which will suit most freelancers. You may be able to find a specialist freelancing site in your area of expertise that works better for you.
When you are comfortable with using one freelancing site, you should definitely try out other freelance jobs sites. Other sites may be more effective for different skill sets and the only way to ensure you getting the best price for your skills is to shop around for clients.
Contents
What are Freelance Jobs?
Freelance jobs are basically when a company or person hires you to do a certain amount of work. Where this differs from regular employment is that you remain self employed and do not become an employee of the company. You may even work for several companies at once.
When you are hired, you will have some type of contract with the company you are doing work for which will detail what you need to do. The online freelance work might consist a number of hours but is more commonly a set amount of work that needs to be produced. For example, you might need to write 2 x 1000 word articles or produce a company logo.
To start with, you will probably need to do lots of small jobs to make money from freelancing. If you do a great job, then hopefully these will turn into bigger contracts. For example, a company might want a full time Virtual Assistant, but they will probably start out by hiring you to do just a few small tasks, so they can see how you perform before hiring you for something bigger. Sometimes freelancers are also called contractors or consultants.
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Best Freelance Websites
Often people are surprised to learn just how many websites there are dedicated to making money online, but for businesses that operate fully online, these types of websites can be essential. These legitimate websites operate similarly to job application sites where you apply for the particular job on offer. The roles offered can be varied as designing a logo for a business to coding for websites.
Do not be discouraged by missed opportunities. Start small and gain some quality reviews so that you give yourself the best opportunity of securing positions in the future. Here is our list of the top sites to find freelance work from home…
Upwork
It is hard to look past Upwork when starting out in the freelance world. There is a massive range of online freelance jobs in here at all ends of the pay scale. Don’t be turned off by all the low paying jobs you might see when you start looking – there are higher paid jobs as well.
Types of Jobs: There are many different categories of jobs on here and most online jobs are represented. However, this site is especially good for designers, programmers, writers, virtual assistants, data entry, transcription, internet research, sales and marketing, accountants and bookkeepers.
Profile: Yes, you need to have a profile and it is very important to have a great one (read our tips here). Fill out the entire profile and take their tests which are relevant to your skill set.
Best For: Everyone – but especially good for people starting out as there is such a massive amount of jobs.
Hot Tip: Part of having a good profile is having a great rating with fabulous feedback. To start with, you may need to apply for lowly paid jobs to help boost your ratings. If you are taking this route, try to find small jobs that won’t take you long. Even better is if you find a job guaranteeing 5 star feedback if you meet their requirements.
Similar sites: After you have tried out Upwork, you can also try the following sites which work in a similar manner:
Fiverr
Another place to work as a freelancer online is Fiverr. This site is great for people with a quick and easy service to provide – such as writing a couple of hundred words, making a short voice over or enlarging a logo. You can basically list any service you are happy to do for $5. This might seem not worthwhile but keep in mind that you only need the most basic service to be $5. You can add lots of add on services and costs and this is where money can be made.
Types of Jobs: Programming, design, writing, translation, music. marketing, music – there are many types of jobs advertised including some very random ones.
Profile: This site works by people advertising their services. You do not apply for jobs. This means that a great profile is essential since this is what people will see when they consider hiring you.
Best For: Anyone who offers a small service. Fiver can also be great for random services – perhaps you can talk in a cartoon voice or are great at using editing software. This can be the perfect forum for you.
Hot Tip: Like with Upwork, great ratings and feedback are very important. Start by offering great value at the beginning to try to encourage people to start using your service. This article is also full of great tips about how to market your profile.
Similar sites: If you don’t want to be stuck with a $5 job, here are some sites that operate like Fiverr but give you more freedom with the pricing:
Craigslist
Another great place of where to find freelance work from home is actually on Craigslist. Although not popular in Australia (yet) like it is in the USA, you will find online freelance work here. The thing to remember is that if you are looking for freelance work from home then there is no reason why you only have to check out the Craigslist for your local area. You should also look at the freelance job boards in other cities in Australia and throughout the world.
Types of Jobs: Everything.
Profile: No personal profile required.
Best For: This site is suitable for everyone. You do not have to worry about ratings on this site so it can be a good place to start out. However, you will still want to be able to show samples of your work and proof of happy customers.
Hot Tip: Search on major city listings in the USA, Canada and Europe as well as in Australia. Look at both “jobs” and “gigs” sections. Answer adverts with a full cover letter, resume and anything else they ask for. Include links or attachments of your work.
Similar sites:
You may already have an account on LinkedIn but are you using it to find freelance jobs from home? LinkedIn can be quite a powerful networking tool if you are using it to its full potential. The idea here is to use LinkedIn for networking and to ensure your network knows you are looking for work as a freelancer online. The key to this is a great profile that not only shows off your experience, capabilities and skills, but lets people know you are available for work and showcases your personality and enthusiasm.
Types of Jobs: Everything.
Profile: An outstanding profile is the key. Consider putting in your headline that are available for freelance work. Make it very clear that you want freelancing jobs online. Show samples of your work. Consider making a video about your services.
Best For: This site is suitable for everyone.
Hot Tip: Connect with as many people as possible on LinkedIn for best results. People who work in the same industry are especially useful but even an old school friend who works in an unrelated area may have connections that work in your industry. You can then ask this friend to introduce you to their connections.
Microworkers
If doing quick and easy jobs appeals to you, then you may want to look into Microworkers. This is a site that specialises in advertising roles for short jobs that generally take less than an hour to complete for a small payment. It’s a great way to get started if you’re not yet willing to commit to larger projects and are just looking to test the waters, plus it’s a quick and easy way to build up your freelancing portfolio.
Types of Jobs: Everything.
Profile: You will need some type of skill that you can advertise. People want to be sure they are hiring someone specialised in a field for quick but accurate results.
Best For: This site is best for people with a certain skill.
Hot Tip: Focus your profile on your skill. Ensure you get in fast for jobs. As they’re quick to complete, they’re often gone as fast as they’re advertised.
The above are some of the best websites to find freelancing jobs online. You may get lucky and the first site you join leads you to great success. However, you are generally better off trying out different sites and sources for work over time so that you can find the site that best suits your skill set, experience and price range.
So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
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Any questions? What sites have helped you find freelance jobs online?
