Why choose Upwork for Freelancing?
Upwork may be the one for you, here's why
If you have read my previous article then you may know about the many platforms available for freelancing. If not, then here’s the link to my previous blog post check it out (or you can just google “ freelancing websites “).
Out of all those platforms, you won’t be able to work on each and every one of them when you are starting out. When you just beginning your journey as a freelancer you need to first learn to dominate or get a better reputation on anyone of the platforms. And here’s why….
Why do you need to focus on one platform?
When you are buying something from Amazon or Flipkart or any e-commerce store, what do you look for in the product page that makes you click the buy button? If you are like me the answer would be Product Reviews
Product Reviews make you trust the product to buy if they are positive and if they are negative or non-existent then chances of your buying that product decreases
Every business runs on trust so when you focus on one platform and build your reputation on it then it becomes easier to acquire the trust of clients on other platforms
When you conquer one platform, you will have reviews of your work and try to get every 5-star rating you can get so when you move to other platforms you can easily earn the trust of the clients by showing them your profile on the other platform.
Every platform has its own pros & cons, Upwork is no different. I have used it extensively and I believe that it is not the perfect freelancing platform to work on but when you compare it with the competitors, it somehow comes out on the top.
Why Upwork for freelancing?
Choose the right projects - Upwork has a great project search & filter system so you can find the projects suitable to you and apply for those projects.
No Upfront cost when hired - There are some platforms that charge you when you get hired. In Upwork even if you get hired and the client changes his mind he can end the contract and neither you nor the client pays anything to anyone.
Desktop client to track hourly progress - The Upwork desktop client is a great app to track your time working with. It randomly takes screenshots of your current desktop ( or all desktops, you can set it up either way ) and makes a workbook that your client can see to keep track of what you are working on.
Work only with Professionals - In Upwork, you will notice that the people that post jobs are professionals or freelancers as well. I have experience with many platforms but I believe that you will find most professionals to work with on Upwork.
Scaling methods available - If someday you do want to scale your freelancing business then you can create Agencies or hire someone right away from one account only. Not all freelancing platforms have that kind of option.
Badges == Reputation - Upwork has a Badge system & JSS system to indicate your reputation to clients on Upwork. Earn better Badges -> Earn more projects -> Earn more money. Simple right? — Find out more on badges here.
Specialized Profiles - You can set up 2 specialized profiles on Upwork for 2 of your best skills and choose which skill to apply when you are writing a job proposal.
The thing that makes Upwork the best is finding the right clients to work with. You will always find clients who are working for a company, freelancer, running an agency, startups looking for help, etc.
I have had a bad experience with one client on another platform. He wanted some work done for 15$. I decided to apply and got hired. Once hired client shared details and when I got admin credentials and checked out the structure, I saw that it was a lot more work than agreed upon. For 15$, I had to do work that would definitely take a week due to the website structure and database schemas. I mentioned this to the client and he wasn’t a technical person so did not understand what I said and directly canceled the project.
The platform wasn’t Upwork so I had to pay 200rs upfront without getting paid anything for the project. I know one bad experience shouldn’t make me biased towards a platform but there were 2 important differences between Upwork and other platforms that made me switch to it
No cost to client or freelancer when hired
People know some technical stuff on Upwork
Conclusion
When you are a freelancer your time is money so choose a platform wisely where you give hours & days & months of your life. I would suggest Upwork. It works for me and it may work for you too.
Let me know if you have any questions regarding Upwork in the comment section below.
Disclaimer - I am sharing the things I learned through my own freelancing journey in this blog/blog post. I am not in any way responsible for your actions/decisions.
Thank you for reading. See you in the next one.