2023 is about to end, and 2024 is knocking on the door, but freelancing is still at the top if you want to gain financial freedom, as we all know what is freelancing, freelancing is not just offering services based on your skill set, someone who is selling something online, someone who is doing affiliate blogging or marketing, or someone who is teaching online these all are different shapes of freelancing, in this article, we are going to talk about different platforms for freelancing, some are newly launched, as a rival to existed market places.
So if you want to offer web development, video editing, graphics designing, SEO, writing, 3D animation or accounting, or whatever skill set you have these platforms are going to be worthy for you. In this article, we will cover how to do freelancing in 2024, and what platforms are available for it in 2024.
The trend of freelancing is picking up at a rapid pace and it’s becoming one of the most powerful trends in the way we work. Looking at the US alone, there are currently 70,4 million freelancers, and by 2028, this number will increase to 90,1 million out of 171 million. That’s a whopping 53% of the total US workforce.
On these platforms rating is everything, you should take it seriously and invest your skills, time, and even money in it, which means if you got the project and you don’t have time or do not have the matching skill set, you should outsource the project to avoid negative feedback
There are 2 types of platforms traditional or nontraditional also called the gig economy
We will talk about both.
It is always recommended to read about the the terms and rules of any platform before joining and follow them 100%, to avoid account suspension or any other issue. I will include links to the rules and terms of every platform.
You can also earn some money by sharing referral links, when someone joins with your links you will get some amount.
Fiverr
I put it at the top of the list because Fiverr has dominated freelancing marketing, it’s a nontraditional freelance marketplace, where you create GIGs according to your skills and do SEO, yes, proper SEO is a must to rank your Gigs Fiverr, as well as GIG images.
After publishing a gig you can only wait for buyers to come to you, sadly Fiverr closed the buyers-request feature a long ago, this was a feature where clients were posting projects and you submitted your proposal, but it’s no more.
Keep in mind that Fiverr charges 20% to freelancers and 5.5% to buyers.
As a new seller on Fiverr, you can create 7 Gigs, this count will be increased as you progress and your level ranks up, there are 4 Seller levels at Fiverr, New seller, Level One, Level Two and Top rated.
- Level One sellers can create 10 Gigs.
- Level Two sellers can create 20 gigs.
- Top-rated sellers can create up to 30 gigs.
You can find more details about levels, how to get them, and what benefits you will get at the given link in the previous paragraph. Here is how to create gigs at Fiverr
If you have done good SEO and created attractive gig images you will definitely get a response.
Here are some tips to earn better at Fiverr
- Select a less competitive niche.
- Do not select a very congested niche, or you have to wait so long for the first order.
- Make a good combination of keywords, write an SEO-optimized description, and include that keyword both in the title and description,
- Dont repeat the keyword many times, fiverr algorithm won’t let you publish that description.
- Create at least 10 FAQs, here you have the freedom to use and repeat keywords, but use them wisely, dont repeat them overwhelmingly. Try to cover clients’ confusion in FAQs, because they play an important role in ranking
- The Gig image should represent what you are offering, but don’t put too many points, 3 or 4 points would be good with a project preview
- Give it a professional look whether it is your GIG image, GIG title, or description
Payment system
Fiverr offers PayPal, Payoneer, and direct bank account deposit or you can use the balance to buy services or courses
Affiliate
Fiverr Offers $100 when your referral earns $1000—also 10% on first order.
Here is the link to read about Fiverr’s terms of services
People Per Hour
It’s a traditional marketplace, where clients post projects and you apply on them by sending a proposal, I put it on the 2nd because it has too much potential for freelancers, its easy to get your first projects at PPH as compared to Fiverr, but sadly PPH member is not free as Fiverr, they will allow you create an account free for first 3 months if you got that project in this period, that’s well and good, but if you couldn’t, you have to pay $45, for another 3 months membership, in this membership, they will give you 160 credits, meas you can apply on 160 projects, each submission will charge one credit. PHH charges 20% to freelancers as Fiverr.
Compared to Fiverr, you can create unlimited offers (similar to gigs at Fiver) at PPH, but it is recommended to create offers wisely based on the workload you can handle at a time, for instance, if you create 100 offers, and you get 100 projects that would be so hard to finish all the work, so do it wisely to avoid negative impact.
If the client selects you, they will deposit an initial amount in PPH escrow.
The good thing about PPH is that here you can get better pricing as compared to Fiverr, which usually represents a 5-dollar marketplace, that’s why it is called Fiverr.
PPH has a different system for sending proposals and submitting work, you may find it difficult to submit the work after the project starts, but every platform has its own nature, and you should learn about it rather than complaining.
PPH payment system
When you have funds in your PeoplePerHour Account, you can either choose to leave them there to buy additional proposal credits or even buy services yourself, or you can withdraw them to your PayPal, Payoneer*, or bank account.
PPH affiliate: PPH doesn’t offer any affiliate earnings, however, if a client joins PPH with your invite link, and hires you, you will pay 0% commission on your project.
You can find more at this link.
Upwork
Upwork is a traditional marketplace like PPH, clients post projects you find the right project according to your skill and apply to it, but to apply to any project you need to buy connects, each submission can charge 4 to 16 connects per project, yeah its too much as compared to PPH where one submission will cost only one credit.
But every platform has its pros and cons, so I consider it as a con of Upwork, but one thing you should keep in mind is that there are a lot of projects posted on Upwork every minute as compared to PPH, for 300 connects Upwork will charge $45.
But compared to Fiverr and PPH Upwork deducts only 10% from freelancers and 5% to buyers.
Now you can create PROJECTS at Upwork, these are very similar to Fiverr Gigs, Upwork uses both traditional and not traditional approaches for freelancers, clients can contact you by visiting your PROJECT, and ranking factors are the same as Fiverr, you have to write attractive and professional Gif description and create an eye-catching Image, that will be displayed on your project like Gig image.
Guru
Guru.com
Guru is also another traditional freelancing platform like Peple per Hour and upwork, it has the same approach as clients post a project and you bid on that project.
After winning the project you will work on it and submit the work when completed.
Guru.com has become a platform where businesses and individuals can find and hire talented professionals for a wide range of projects. The website facilitates the exchange of services in categories such as writing and translation, programming and development, design and multimedia, business and finance, and more.
Guru.com allows freelancers to create profiles showcasing their skills, experience, and previous work, making it easier for employers to evaluate and choose the right candidate for their projects. Likewise, businesses and individuals can post their projects, specifying the scope, budget, and timeline, and receive proposals from freelancers interested in taking on the job.
Kwork
Kwork.com is a non-traditional freelance marketplace that operates similarly to other platforms, connecting freelancers with clients who need various services. However, please note that developments or changes may have occurred since then.
Kwork.com is known for its simplicity and straightforward approach to freelancing. Freelancers, referred to as “Kworkers,” create profiles and offer specific services, referred to as “Kworks,” very similar to Fiverr gigs and Upwork projects, which can be anything from graphic design and writing to programming and digital marketing. Clients, or buyers, can then browse the available Kworks and purchase the services that meet their needs.
One distinctive feature of Kwork.com is the fixed-price model, where each service offered by freelancers has a predetermined price. This means you will determine the price that you want to take, like 8, 12, or 16, after you specify the project price kwork will include his commission which is 20%, the same as Fiverr, and then display that price on your Kworks. This simplifies the process for both clients and freelancers, as they can easily understand the cost of a particular service upfront.
The platform typically includes tools for communication, order management, and secure payment processing. Freelancers can showcase their skills and expertise through their profiles, and clients can leave reviews based on their experiences, contributing to the overall reputation of each freelancer.
Keep in mind that the platform may have evolved or undergone changes since my last update, so it’s a good idea to check the latest information on Kwork.com for the most accurate and current details.
Fliam
Fliam is a newly launched nontraditional freelancer marketplace, the approach is similar to other Gig-based websites, but it’s easy to create gigs on Fliam because they require less information as compared to Fiver and Upwork.
It has a very straightforward and attractive user interface.
Here is how to create gigs at Fliam
Affiliate: Fliam offers a 5% commission on every order when someone joins Fliam with your referral link.
Other freelancing platforms.
There are other freelancing platforms to explore, like Golance.com, leggit.com, and freelancer.com, and you should also explore them.
You should also explore Discord, Reddit, and Quora. You will find opportunities on these discord has a server for freelancers, and Reddit has a section with the name Reddit Hire, here is the link.
If you want to do voiceover you can check voices.com, if you are an expert WordPress developer you can create and sell themes and layouts at Envato Elements Creative Market, and Etsy.
If you are a true developer and know how to write code, then Turing and Toptal are waiting for you.
Conclusion
Freelancing is all about self-learning and exploring, you should never stop learning and following new trends, it’s like solo fighting, in the beginning, it could be frustrating when you don’t have any projects, but I will say don’t quit, keep going and give your 100%, one-day success will knock at your door.