Ask any freelancer what their biggest challenge is, and chances are they'll say: 'Finding New Clients'.
We have a blog post on our site titled '4 Ways To Find New Clients'. In that post, we went through 4 ways to find new freelance clients, but never mentioned freelance job sites.
So in this blog, I wanted to go through 3 freelance job sites that have been proven to help people find new clients. Below, I've listed 3 different sites, with brief pros and cons for each. Hopefully this can help you in your quest to grow your freelance business!
Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace in the world. This means you have a larger pool of potential clients you may choose to work with. This is great when you're first starting out because you get the chance to figure out what type of clients you'd like to work with in the future, when you're ready to niche down. Unfortunately, this also means there is a lot of competition for freelance jobs, which inevitably brings down the prices for these jobs as well.
Another thing to consider with Upwork, is that the platform can take up to 20% of your project earnings as commission. So while Upwork can be a great place to learn more about who you'd like to work with as a freelancer, it may not be the best option if you already have an established client base.
Fiverr is unique, in that it is a platform that is built around posting the services you offer as a freelancer, as opposed to applying for jobs yourself. Potential buyers can search for your services and contact you regarding your 'gig' if you fit their needs.
Fiverr started out as a 'race to the bottom' platform, meaning buyers would go on Fiverr to find services being offered at a big discount. This is great if you are starting out, and need to build a portfolio and client base. This client base will hopefully grow, and refer you to higher paying clients in the future. But if you are looking to earn significant income, or if you are looking to build a long-term business model on one platform, Fiverr may not be the best option for your freelance business.
Just like Upwork, Fiverr also has a fee of 20% for every payment that your client sends you.
SolidGigs uses a very different model, compared to the previous two freelance sites. For a monthly fee of $20, you select a criteria of freelance jobs, and they will send you a personalized list of potential gigs. This list, curated by their team, is supposed to be the top 1-2% of freelance gigs available. They scour dozens of freelance sites and find the best gigs for you.
The $20 monthly fee is for the convenience of having these opportunities sent to you. This saves you a lot of time and energy. Also, compared to the previous two job sites, SolidGigs has very high quality jobs. So if you are in a position where you are looking to find higher paying, and higher quality projects, this platform might be perfect for you.
The best freelance job site for you depends on where you are in your career, and where you want to get to. There’s no rule that says you can only use one or two at a time either. If you feel like using more than one at once is best for your business, give it a try!
