Introduction
We’ve all heard the stories of people who
make money online by freelancing—doing small tasks for clients that can be
completed over the internet. What you may not know, however, is how to actually
become one of these online freelancers and get paid well to do what you already
know how to do or enjoy doing on the side. That’s what this guide on how to
make money online by selling your skills as a freelancer will help you with! You’ll
learn everything from building your portfolio and finding clients to completing
your work successfully and getting paid—and even starting your own freelance
business!
Treat it Like a Real Job
No matter how you feel about selling out,
sometimes it’s necessary—and that goes double if you want to make money online.
When it comes to freelancing and web-based gigs, you’ll need to be professional
for clients and customers to take you seriously. You might not like
taking on other people’s tasks, but that’s just something you need to deal with
if you want people giving their hard-earned cash over your services. One way of
making sure that your tone is taken seriously is by treating your freelance
work like a real job—even when it isn’t one.
Focus on SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization,
and it’s an important way for websites to rank well on Google and other search
engines. SEO can be somewhat complex, but all you really need to do is find
keywords that are relevant to your site, optimize your content so it includes
those keywords, and get links from high-quality websites. The more you optimize
your content and link-building efforts, the higher you’ll rank in Google. Even
if you don’t end up making a lot of money through SEO work, improving your
ranking on Google might be valuable in itself—more people will see what you
write if they search for specific terms related to your topic!
Showcase Everything You Do
If you’re looking for work, whether it’s on
Fiverr or elsewhere, don’t just post a one ad that shows off your skills.
Instead, make a complete portfolio of everything you have to offer. Potential
employers are likely going to look at your freelancing profile and ask
themselves: What does she/he know? What does He/she have experience in? What kind
of results can I expect from him/her? By making an entire showcase dedicated
solely to what you have on offer, you can ensure potential clients see
everything they need to answer those questions quickly and easily.
Become an Authority in One Area
According to e-Marketer, 35% of online
consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In fact, 8
out of 10 people rely on internet product reviews when making purchases. If you
want to make money online by selling your skills as a freelancer, it’s
important that you become an authority in one area first. Then you can write
detailed, professional reviews and build your credibility on review sites like
Yelp or Amazon. Once your freelance business is established and trusted in your
niche, you’ll have no problem making money selling services for other
companies.
Learn new skills to sell
If you want to make money online by selling
your skills, you’ll need two things: 1) something valuable and unique that you
can sell 2) a customer who’s willing to buy it. The trick is finding that
overlap of what you are good at (enough so that people will pay for it) and
what other people want or need. Don’t worry about finding your dream job, just
think about whether there is anything out there for which you would be willing
to work for free on nights and weekends (even if only in your spare time). If
so, consider offering it as an online service.
Offer Premium Services
The easiest way to start selling online is
to provide premium services. If you have skills or experience in something
specific, offer your services in exchange for money. For example, if you’re
great at writing, do Copy write or ghostwriting. If you’re great at art, create
custom paintings and sell them online. If you’re great at marketing, sell your
skills through e-books. Or if there’s some other skill that can be brought
directly from offline life into an online context, use it! This will get
customers coming back since they know what they’ll be getting every time and it
takes away any negative uncertainty about how things work or how long it will
take them to get something done.
Build strong communication with
clients for future orders
When you’re beginning your freelancing
career, it can be hard to figure out where your business is going and how to
find new customers. To increase your chances of getting repeat orders and
referrals, focus on communicating with your clients. As long as you fulfill
their needs, they will usually be happy to continue working with you. And don’t
forget that it helps to ask for feedback: A satisfied client will almost always
offer constructive criticism on how you can improve services. Allowing clients
some input into future projects also lets them know that their wishes are
important—and it encourages referrals! If someone’s received good service from
you in the past, he or she is much more likely to pass your name along when
recommending professionals for a job.
Conclusion
To successfully earn money online
as a freelancer, you need to be willing and able to market yourself for people to hire you. You also have to have skills that someone would want
and make sure you offer them at an affordable price. While marketing can be an
intimidating task, no one will know about your skillset unless you tell them.
Once they are aware of what you can do, don’t be afraid to negotiate on your
price if needed. Remember it’s okay if things don’t go right or according to
what was expected of you at first—freelancing is something that takes time and
practice before becoming great at it!
