If you’re just starting your freelancing career, it can be challenging to find work. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of the best freelance websites for beginners to help you get started.
These websites are a perfect way to attract more clients to your services and get referrals to further grow your business.
I started my own freelance business in May and have been freelancing for 8 months now, both as a graphic designer and a social media manager.
It’s truly a joy, and I can’t imagine my life any other way. Fortunately, my business got off to a smooth start because I used many of these freelance websites for beginners when I was just starting out.
1. What is Freelance Work?
Freelancing is an excellent choice for those who want to be their own boss, set their own job titles, and work across various industries while sharing their unique talents.
Most freelancers work from home, which allows them to live anywhere they want as long as they get their work done. Some are truly home-based freelancers, which is another possibility.
Sometimes, finding freelance work can be challenging, so even those with years of experience in freelancing look for clients on websites designed for freelance beginners to gain potential clients.
To become a freelancer, you need to have solid time management skills, people or customer service skills, and a strong motivation to succeed.
Freelancers are their own bosses and often own their own small businesses – there’s no one to cover for them if they decide to slack off.
Freelancing is fantastic if you have the right personality and a strong work ethic. It can be very rewarding as you can help many other business owners achieve success with your services.
2. Remote Work vs. Freelance Work
Remote work and freelance work are two different types of work arrangements.
In remote work, you’re typically an employee of a company. You report to a supervisor or boss and have colleagues to collaborate with. Remote work often pays less than freelance work, although this isn’t always the case.
On the other hand, freelancers are self-employed and are usually experts in their field. This allows them to charge more for their projects compared to someone who has a salaried job. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to set your own hourly rate or a fixed rate for projects. Imagine being able to determine your own pay — that’s one of the perks of being a freelancer!
3. 15 of the best freelance websites for beginners
- FlexJobs: This site mainly offers remote jobs, but also has some freelance positions. It provides 30,000 different jobs across various industries. There is a small fee to access the positions, which helps prevent spam applications and removes ads from the site.
- SolidGigs: This is one of the best sites for beginners looking for hand-picked jobs. The platform finds jobs that best suit your services and lets you know about them so you can apply. To join, simply enter your email.
- 99Designs: If you’re a design freelancer, this platform is a must. It allows clients to find your profile and hire you, or host a competition to see how each person would approach a project before hiring.
- Upwork: Known as one of the best freelance websites for beginners, Upwork has a multitude of jobs available no matter your skillset. Freelancers use tokens called “connects” to apply to different positions and try their chances at getting hired by a client. Remember, when using these sites, make sure the position is marked as “freelancer” and not “employee”. Also, be sure to check if the job is full-time or freelance, as these sites offer a variety of both.
- Fiverr: This platform allows freelancers to join and create their own custom packages (usually starting at $5) to attract clients. The site works like a search engine, where clients can find someone offering exactly what they want within their budget.
- Facebook Groups: These are often overlooked as a great place to find freelance gigs for beginners. If you know the type of client you’d like to work with, you can easily find jobs on the platform. For example, if you want to work with travel bloggers, search for Facebook Groups created for them.
- PeoplePerHour: This is another great freelancing site for beginners. Despite its name, the site has postings for both fixed price and hourly jobs. There are around 5,000 different jobs posted at any time, including positions for virtual assistants, translators, graphic designers, and more.
- Dribble: This is an excellent spot for freelancers looking to offer creative services. Many jobs on this site are for web designers, graphic designers, and branding strategists. Companies of all sizes post what kind of services they’re looking for on this site.
- Behance: Many people don’t know this, but Behance, Adobe’s portfolio website, actually has its own job board that is perfect for beginner freelancers. The jobs are often posted by individuals or small business owners who need help with small, one-off projects.
- Freelancer: This is a great website for those starting their freelancing career. At any given moment, there are 19,000+ different job postings on Freelancer, so there are lots of clients in need of help with services just like yours. With Freelancer, users can apply to jobs with a “bid”, and then clients can choose whoever they feel is the best fit for their project.
- TopTal: This is an exclusive freelance job board that only accepts around 3% of applicants. However, if you have strong skills, you can be admitted. TopTal posts freelance positions with companies like Airbnb, Zendesk, and Shopify.
- Media Bistro: This site offers full-time and part-time positions, but also has a section dedicated to freelancers. Users can create a freelance profile and apply to any freelance jobs on the site.
- Angel List: This is a hidden gem of a website that only allows job postings from startups. It’s easy to join, and you can look for both in-person and remote freelancing jobs.
- LinkedIn: Many people post about freelance positions they need to be filled on LinkedIn. These are often on the LinkedIn job board, but you can also do a quick search using the search bar on the platform to find and connect with people who want your services.
- Guru: This site has almost 2 million different job postings for freelancers, mainly in programming, translation, and the arts. It’s simple to join and is great for newbie freelancers because of the wide variety of job postings.
4. What to Look For in a Freelance Website
When exploring freelance websites, there are a few key points to consider. Firstly, most of these sites, which serve as job boards for potential clients, take a commission from the freelancer’s earnings.
For example, Upwork, one of the most popular platforms, takes a 20% cut from a freelancer’s pay for the first $500 they earn with each client. The more the freelancer works with a client, the lower this percentage becomes. However, this is an important factor to remember as you may need to set your rates slightly higher to earn the same amount you would off the platform.
Additionally, some sites have individuals who handpick jobs, or they have developed their own software to identify jobs that aren’t receiving many applications.
These distinctive features often make the platform more appealing.
Most freelance websites require you to go through a vetting process before you can apply for jobs or join the platform. For instance, Upwork requires you to apply to the website before you can start applying to client postings.
Don’t be disheartened if you’re not immediately approved. This is because these platforms aim to avoid an oversupply of freelancers offering the same services, ensuring a fair chance for all freelancers on the platform.
Lastly, some websites may require a membership fee. This is a matter of weighing the risk against the reward. You’ll need to decide if the potential access to a larger and often higher-quality client base is worth the small fee.
5. 8 Tips For Being Successful When Searching Freelance Websites
Of course, there are some tips for success when looking for freelance websites for beginners. Keep these in mind when applying for positions where clients need help.
- Remember, you’re not an employee. As a freelancer, you’re your own boss, collaborating with another business owner to help them succeed. Dismiss the idea of an employee/boss relationship!
- Pay attention to red flags. If a job seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Value yourself. I made the mistake of underselling myself in some of my first interviews with business owners who wanted to use my services just because I wanted to make a sale and start an income stream. However, the amount of time you put in is totally worth it.
- Let your personality shine. This can be part of your sales pitch strategy when trying to make clients want to use your services.
- Have a clear idea of the type of business owner you want to work with. This can really save you from awkward conversations if you end up working with someone who you had a funny feeling about from the start.
- Don’t say yes to everyone. Your ideal client will eventually show up, you don’t have to agree to every job.
- Create a portfolio. If the type of service you offer can best be showcased in a portfolio, make sure you have one that you can easily share with potential clients. They like to see your actual work as it can prove that you are an expert in your field. Better yet, create your own freelance website to showcase what you offer.
- This is a more general tip, but try to spend at least 1 hour each day sending proposals and advertising your services to clients interested in your work.
6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a freelancer?
Unfortunately, freelancing isn’t always easy, but it does have its benefits.
Advantages:
- You are your own boss. No more having someone else constantly telling you what needs to be done!
- If you have a freelance remote job (like most freelancers do), then you can work from anywhere. Yes, that even means from your favorite beach.
- Freelancers can often earn more than they would in a traditional desk job.
- Successful freelancers have the opportunity to grow and expand their team. Imagine that – having your own business with people who share your vision and want to help your business grow.
Disadvantages:
- Poor time management can completely ruin your business and cost you clients.
- If you get sick one day, you might not be able to find someone else to cover your work if you have a deadline.
- There can be weeks where absolutely no work is coming in.
Now you know the best freelance websites for beginners.
The key to success as a freelancing beginner is to keep putting yourself out there. Be sure to regularly visit these freelance sites and check in with them at least once every few days to see if there’s a client that is looking for services like yours.
I hope you found this list useful. If you did, please leave a comment below and share this article with your social media contacts. Happy freelancing!
