Looking to ditch your 9 to 5 and become a freelancer? If so, you’re not going to want to miss this curated list of the best freelance websites for beginners.
What is a Freelancer?
What does it mean to be a freelancer, and how do you know if it is the correct career choice for you?
Well, the answer is fairly simple.
Freelancers are independent workers who choose to work for themselves instead of working as an employee for another company.
If you are someone who dreams of working for yourself and is interested in building a passion based business of your own, becoming a freelancer might be something you will want to consider for the near future.
ℹ️ According to a report written by the good folks over at Upwork, freelancers earned a whopping $1 trillion from freelancing in 2019. That’s right. $1 trillion dollars.
In other words, making a living as a freelancer isn’t just achievable, it can also be quite lucrative depending on the types of products and services you choose to offer.
How to Become a Freelancer
Create a Business Plan: If you are new to the world of freelancing and you’re interested in diving in, it is recommended that you create a business plan and be laser focused when it comes to the types of products or services that you’re planning on offering to your clients.
If you’re interested in becoming a freelancer and you’re wanting to create a plan for your new business, you should consider asking yourself the following questions:
- What are you good at?
- What are three things that you know a lot about?
- What types of skills do you have that you might be able to integrate into your business?
- Are you passionate about a specific topic or set of topics? If so, you might want to consider a business based around your passions.
Services & Offerings: Deciding what you want to offer to your clients will help when narrowing down which of the best freelance websites listed below will fit your needs.
Monthly Income Goals: It is important to make sure that you have a general idea of how much you need to earn on a monthly basis in order to survive, especially during the first six months or so.
With your monthly income goals in mind, searching for potential clients will be much easier as you’ll be able to weed out all of the clients that don’t meet your requirements and focus on the ones that look more promising, financially speaking.
Now, it’s time to start hunting for prospective clients.
Types of Freelance Jobs
Below, you’ll find a short list of freelance jobs that might be helpful to get your wheels spinning:
- Content Writer (includes creating content for blogs, copywriting for businesses, becoming a ghostwriter and more)
- Translator
- Social Media Management
- Proofreading / Editing
- Video Editing / Production
- Digital Marketing / Internet Marketing / Affiliate Marketing
- Online Customer Service Representative
- Transcriber (Transcription Services)
- Virtual Assistant
- Teacher (Foreign Languages, Math Tutor, etc)
- Graphic Designer
- Web Designer
- IT / Tech Support Specialist
- Software Developer / Coder
Best Freelance Websites for Beginners
Below, you’ll find a curated list of the best freelance sites for beginners — if I missed one that you think would be a great addition to this list, please leave a comment below.
UpWork
Upwork is one of the best freelance websites for beginners. It allows freelancers to market themselves to a variety of clients who are looking to hire people to take care of a wide range of freelance jobs and services. This is hands down one of the most popular freelance sites on the web.
Fiverr
Fiverr is similar to Upwork, yet has a much less professional feel to it. Fiverr began as a site where people could go to find freelancers who would complete tasks for $5. These days, you’ll find a wide range of tasks and services on offer for eager freelancers and they’re charging a lot more reasonable rates.
LinkedIn may seem like it’s simply for corporate nine-to-fivers, but it is actually a great place to find freelance job opportunities. Update your LinkedIn profile to show that you are a skilled freelancer who is interested in taking on new clients and start by networking with others within your niche.
Freelancer
Freelancer.com is a great way for beginners to start marketing their services to prospective clients. The goal of this website is to have employers and freelancers all on one platform so that you can search for freelance opportunities quickly and efficiently.
TaskRabbit
Upwork is one of the best freelance websites for beginners. It allows freelancers to market themselves to a variety of clients who are looking to hire people to take care of a wide range of freelance jobs and services. This is hands down one of the most popular freelance sites on the web.
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a website that is full of remote work opportunities. Please note that some jobs listed on FlexJobs are freelance positions while others are more work from home positions. This is a great site for beginners looking to dip their toes into the world of freelancing.
Remote Woman
Similar to FlexJobs, Remote Woman is a community website dedicated to helping women find remote jobs. Again, some jobs are freelance based while others are not so it’s important to make sure to read the full details of each position.
Tutor
If you are interested in taking the leap into online tutoring, Tutor.com is for you. Sign up and go through the website tutorials and begin tutoring students all over the world. This is a great site for freelancers who are interested in teaching online.
Mediabistro
Mediabistro is a great website for beginners when it comes to those who are looking for freelance writing opportunities.
99Design
99Design is very well known for it’s talented community of graphic designers. If you are a designer looking for freelance graphic design work, 99Design is definitely a site worth checking out.
Writer Access
Writer Access works like an online forum for writers to find content creation work. If you are looking to get involved in freelance writing, Writer Access is one of the best freelance websites to join and find good paying gigs.
PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour matches clients with freelancers depending on their specific skill set. While many freelancers have found success on this platform, it should be known that this site does charge fees. You can learn more about those fees here.
ProBlogger
ProBlogger is one of the more well known freelance websites for those who are looking for paid writing gigs. Whether you are interested in content creation, ghostwriting, or copywriting, ProBlogger is a great place to start searching for work as a freelance writer.
Craigslist
While Cragslist is often associated with work from home scams, there are definitely some gems to be found on there. Freelancers who are looking to pick up a gig here and there will be pleasantly surprised to see that there are still legitimate companies looking for people to complete tasks and other projects at reasonable rates. Just be very careful when choosing who to work with and always do your best to vet the person or the company before completing a job.
Behance
Behance is a freelance website for graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and more. They have a section for job listings for anyone interested in art and design, and are definitely worth checking out.
Indeed
You have probably heard of Indeed before, as the website hosts thousands of new job opportunities on a daily basis. This site is filled with both freelance and contract based job positions. It’s recommended to use the keyword “freelance” when searching the site for opportunities and be sure to set the location to “Remote” to narrow your search.
Monster
Monster.com is one of the most popular freelance job sites on the planet and using their advanced search options can help freelancers narrow down exactly what kind of job they are looking for. Monster.com posts new freelance, contract, and remote gigs on a daily basis.
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is essentially a website that links job seekers with both freelance and contract job opportunities. While it’s not one of the most popular freelance sites on the web, it can be a great resource for those looking to pick up extra side work from time to time.
GlassDoor
GlassDoor is great for freelancers who are just starting out, because it allows you to vet the companies you are applying for. You have access to company reviews, and can often see how they have treated their freelancers in the past.
VipKid
VipKid is an online tutoring website where tutors teach English to Chinese children. After passing the initial tests, you can start tutoring on your schedule. This site has become increasingly popular over the course of the last year or so and there are many positive reviews on the web that vouch for this company. If you’re interested in teaching English on a freelance basis to children of all ages, this could be a great opportunity for you.
Gun.io
Gun.io connects freelance software developers to potential clients looking for qualified developers. If you have some prior experience with coding and software development, this might be a great place to start your search for your next freelance coding gig.
Did you know that there are thousands upon thousands of Facebook groups that are dedicated to freelancers and freelance work? Start by doing a simple search using the terms freelance jobs or freelance work and request to join the groups that have the most members. You’ll find that many of the freelancing groups will be focused on a specific niche, area and more. Whatever you do, do not skip over Facebook when looking for new freelance job opportunities.
Twitter can be a great resource for finding freelance jobs if you know how to use it correctly. Editors and companies will tweet out when they are looking for freelancers. Similarly to Facebook, you can search Twitter for keywords pertaining to your interests and find opportunities that way.
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