There is no lack of freelancing websites that connect freelancers with clients. In fact, there are too many of them.
Since many of these freelancing sites have their own unique onboarding process, it might be confusing if you have just started your freelancing journey. To add to it, their functionality is also different. While some let you browse freelance projects and get in touch with clients, some only allow you to bid on the projects you like and let clients get in touch with you.
As a freelancer, it can be overwhelming to wade through them all. That’s why we have created a guide on how to best use the top 5 freelancing websites in India.
Also Read: A Quick Guide to Becoming a Successful Freelancer
A simple guide to use the top 5 freelancing websites
The sign up process for all freelancing websites is pretty standard. You simply need to provide your basic details such as educational background, skills, years of experience, certification courses, etc.
Write your bio in a professional manner and be honest with all the information you put there. Platforms like Upwork also encourage freelancers to upload a video introducing themselves to connect with clients.
You might also need to provide your phone number and email address – this is how freelancing websites verify freelancers. A verified freelancer will have a better chance to be considered for the job than an unverified account.
1. Fiverr
Fiverr is a global freelance platform that connects businesses with freelancers. As a freelancer, you can accept work from anywhere in the world and get paid in your own currency.
From large corporations to small businesses and individuals, a large number of companies use Fiverr to post freelance jobs and projects.
How to get started on Fiverr:
- Set up your gig: Fiverr requires you to set up your gig after you sign up. This essentially means that you let clients know what kind of work you can do. Setting up the work page entails giving a title to the freelance work you are offering, the category it falls in, your language proficiency, etc.
You also need to set up your pricing strategy, which will include the scope of work, hourly rate, number of free revisions, charges for extra work if required, etc.
In some cases, Fiverr might ask you to add past proof of work as well. - Start receiving queries: Once you have your account ready and have posted the freelance work you want to do, it’s time to wait for clients to approach you. Companies will be able to see your profile and the freelance work you are currently offering. You can add as many freelance gigs that you want, depending on the skill sets you have.
- Get paid: If you have been approached by clients and have finished the work to their satisfaction, you will receive payment from Fiverr directly in your bank account. There is no need for you to send an invoice to clients as Fiverr has an inbuilt payment system. Note that Fiverr charges 20% commission and transfers the rest of the money to your account.
2. Upwork
It is one of the most well known freelancing websites to find projects. Right from creating a website, poster designing, to freelance writing and photography, Upwork has an array of freelance projects from clients all over the world.
Companies such as Airbnb, Microsoft, GoDaddy, etc have posted freelance projects on Upwork. Irrespective of the skill you have, Upwork will have the right freelance projects for you.
How to get started on Upwork:
- Finding projects: Upwork allows freelancers to find jobs in a couple of ways.
You can pitch your service to clients based on your skill set. To pitch a project, you will need to write a proposal, which will include your experience, the work that you will do, price, time frame, and other work-related details.
Upwork also allows freelancers to browse projects from varied sectors and bid their price for the ones they like.
- Payment: If you are bidding for a freelance project posted by clients, it’s better to quote a lower price than other bidders. This strategy makes more sense for freelancers who are just starting up. It’s easier to get projects in the beginning if you put your bid lower than others.
Upwork charges a commission between 5% to 20% on your earnings. As your earnings on Upwork increases, the platform reduces the commission.
3. Freelancer.com
Till date, Freelancer.com claims to have over 21 million freelance job postings on the platform. It is one of the biggest freelancing websites that covers almost every type of freelancing jobs ranging from logo designing, ghost writing for Bollywood scripts, voice artist, social media community manager, etc.
One of the best features of Freelancer.com is the way it has streamlined the search feature. You can look for projects based on payment, deadline date, fixed price projects, skills, etc.
How to get started on Freelancer.com:
- Browse projects: Once you have set up your account, you are ready to look for different freelance projects. Just like a Twitter or Facebook feed, Freelancer.com will show different projects on your homepage. You can filter your search based on your requirements.
In case you didn’t find anything that interests you, Freelancer.com lets you set alerts for specific kinds of jobs that you are looking for. You will get a notification as soon as a client posts a project that you are interested in.
- Write proposals: Every listed project will have a fee range. To apply for the project that you like, you need to bid on that project based on the given price range.
In addition to bidding, you need to write a proposal that tells the client why you are the right person for this job. The proposal should include your experience, number of days or hours you will take to complete the project, and other details. Your proposal for each project should be unique to the brief client has posted.
If you are starting your freelancing career, read a few proposals posted by others and pick the best practices. Be honest in your proposal and feel free to ask questions if there is any ambiguity in the brief.
It’s also advised that you make the lowest bid in order to get the project. Once you are armed with a decent number of projects under your belt and have received positive reviews from clients, you can start increasing your bids.
- Contests: One unique feature of Freelancer.com is free-to-enter contests that clients post. Just like you browse projects, you can look for different contests and choose to enter as many as you like.
Every contest will have details of the project, submission deadline, a fixed amount to be awarded to the winner, and details related to how to upload your work. Read these descriptions carefully and upload your best work.
- Payment: Freelancer.com releases payment once clients are satisfied with the work. You will receive 90% of the fee in your account, and the rest 10% goes to the platform as a commission.
4. Guru
Guru is one of the few global freelancing websites that has a presence in India. This 24-year-old platform has over 3 million users. It keeps a check on fake profiles by verifying freelancers and companies before onboarding them.
How to get started on Guru:
- Find projects: Guru provides long term and short term projects. If you are looking for a recurring payment method, you can choose to apply for long term projects. Short term projects generally pay a one time fixed fee.Guru lists varied jobs from sectors such as programming, designing, business & finance, legal, writing, etc. However, to apply for job postings you need to go for the paid membership. Certain clients agree to receive quotes from freelancers who have already earned $1,000 or more and have completed the verification process.
- Write proposals: Once you find the right project that pays well, you can go ahead and start applying. You will need to write the scope of work, which will include explaining your work style, your understanding of the job at hand, specific deliverables, and a deadline.
- Payment: Guru has something called SafePay, a shared account between the platform and the client. While sending the proposal you can ask the client to have a minimum balance in their SafePay account. This ensures that you get paid once the project is completed. Guru charges a 9% commission on your earnings.
5. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour screens every profile seriously. Once you sign up on the platform its moderation team screens your application and only once it’s satisfied that you are legit, it onboards you. Although, you can browse projects before verifying your account.
How to get started on PeoplePerHour:
- Find projects: While you might find various projects that interest you, People Per Hour allows freelancers to apply for only 15 projects a month. If you wish to apply for more, you need to buy additional credit.
- Create your offer: Another way of landing a project on PeoplePerHour is by setting up your own page with customised service offerings. Based on the kind of work you want to do, offer tailored services to clients with your pricing and other details. PeoplePerHour will show your customised offer to clients that are looking for that kind of service.
- Collect payment: After finishing the project to the client’s satisfaction, you need to create an invoice on PeoplePerHour. The platform automatically fills in the invoice based on your agreement with the client. You simply need to approve the invoice and send it to the client. PeoplePerHour charges a 20% commission to freelancers. The commission reduces as you start earning more.
Conclusion
While these five freelancing websites will hopefully kickstart your freelancing career, you can also reach out to people within your network to find relevant freelance jobs. As a freelancer your career depends a lot on how well you utilise your professional and personal network to get gigs.
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