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Fiverr, UpWork? What is your go-to freelance site

UpWork never works out for me. I end up getting spammed by droves of unqualified bots.

Fiverr works...occasionally. Unfortunately, the deliveries I get are typically nothing more than slightly repurposed, unoriginal pieces.

Are there any other freelance sites you've had luck with?


I'm trying to find a freelancer to optimize my website to SEO and start implementing our content marketing strategy. It's quite the job and I'm on a fairly tight budget so finding a qualified candidate at a reasonable price is rough.

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    Unfortunately, like most things, you get what you pay for. Upwork is great if you are ready to pay and put in the time to find a good one, which might mean losing money a few times on less than stellar freelancers before you get to a great one.

    Fiverr or even reddit.com/r/slavelabour/(if you have an active reddit account) is good. If you know exactly what you want and specify the task in detail, you can get some pretty decent results.

    Fiverr also can be expensive compared to find a person directly. Their service fees adds up.

    But it sounds like you want content. You can try some of the content writing services out there. But again, the quality varies based on the quality of writing.

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      Thanks for the reply!

      I have yet to have any success on Upwork. Do you know how the top-rated freelancers choose which gigs they want to work on? I've always met their hourly rate and provided them with should-be interesting projects, but it's always the spammers that reach back out.

      I'm going to have to check out that sub.

      And yes, that is absolutely true. the Fiverr fees are out of control...and then they want you to tip so they can take a cut of the tip. I get the regular fees, but the fees on a tip....

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        I used to go to Upwork when I was on a tight budget. So I knew it would mean that I had to spend more time managing them, and I had to lower my expectations. I have not used Upwork for writers. I used it for devs and designers. So YMMV

        I used to sieve through the proposals I got, pick the best 4-5 and have them do a small paid project(Usually a 1-2 hour task). I used to allocate $40-$50 per person to test them out. I used to give them something related to the work at hand and see how they did. And select the best from the lot. Giving that person the bigger project. And I had to do that once, and if they turned out decent during the project, I had them on my list to call on again if I needed help.

        Another alternative is to try getting writers for your landing pages(if you need it) from /r/copywriting. There are new writers there that are always looking for jobs. So you might get a budget-friendly freelancer, and they can get a start. But again, remember they will be fresh.

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          This advice is GOLD. Genius idea to run a little trial. Thank you!

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            This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

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    If you're looking for content writers on Fiverr, then you really have to dig around. I was able to find two writers by messing around 30 asking for samples. Then I narrowed it down to 5 and gave each one a small assignment. From there, I was able to narrow it down to 2.

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      It's sounding like these small assignments is the way to go. What kind of writing do you have them doing?

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        I always pick their smallest gig which is 500 words. I pick a topic that an outsider could learn about pretty quickly. I have found that preparing a content brief helps. I also include a few research links in the content brief so they can pull info from there.

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    Hey @theactiveconsumer I know these big freelance platforms sucks for both the freelancers as well as the clients.

    Being myself a freelancer & a startup founder both, I know the problem closely & that’s why I started building Glyph (www.glyphleads.com)

    Do check it out!🙌🏻

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    There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best freelancing platform for SEO depends on the client's and freelancer's specific needs. However, some general considerations that can help guide the decision include the following:

    The size and scope of the project: Fiverr is generally better suited for smaller projects, while Upwork is better for larger projects. If you want to know more about which one is the best platform for SEO, Fiverr or upwork, then check this guide https://greenhatfiles.com/fiverr-vs-upwork/

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    Hi Scott Fletcher!
    Freelancer here.
    I am using Upwork as a freelancer and helped over 19 clients from different parts of the world, especially Canada and the US.
    I have found that when a freelancer produces amazing results clients don't think much about their money.
    so I would suggest you use Upwork as it is a professional platform and people work as professionals.
    NOTE: I am a python/Django website developer and if you needed any help related to website development, please let me know and I will be happy to help you out.

  6. 1

    Recently I started using this platform https://easystaff.io/. This will save a lot of time for you both as their own made agreement will replace all freelance ones. And what is really cool - tax Invoices are automatically generated and submitted to your personal page.

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    Freelancer here.

    I reccomend r/forhire. A lot of talented people with reasonable prices.

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      Checking it out now, thanks!

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    Have you tried looking through SEO developer Facebook groups? I needed to find a Vue.js developer a few years ago. I had to slog through scores of unqualified applicants but found a handful of really great developers eventually. It's more tedious than using platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, but honestly, the quality of your options isn't that much different and more importantly, it's free! You can also try LinkedIn, but they limit search results for free users.

    Keep in mind that it's very, very important that you be very specific about what your requirements are, both from the project end and the knowledge and experience of the contractor you want to hire. Also, insist on seeing their portfolio or previous work.

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      I haven't done much of that. You're spot on with having to be specific. The problem is that my knowledge on this subject is just from things I've read, nothing really hands-on. I keep seeing articles about new SEO approaches, so I tell my applicants I need these new approaches implemented and for them to figure out how to do it and that's pretty much where the conversation ends. They don't want to spend the time trying to figure out what I want, and I can't give them specific instructions. So it's been tough. I totally understand where they're coming from.

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    I've used Fiverr quite a bit. I have had mixed experiences and ratings don't tell you the whole story. There is a mutually assured destruction model for reviews. If you have lousy experience and put a negative review, the freelancer can retaliate against you by doing the same. This makes me wonder if people are being honest about their reviews.

    Upwork talent is really expensive - after the quote, the service provider gave me I decided to learn Full Stack Development and build my own solution. And parcel out some parts to a Fiverr developer.

    Either way, you need to do some careful vetting.

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      Yeah, the review system on Fiverr is a joke. I've ordered quite a bit from there as well and if the work I received was 5-star, like the reviews insist, I must have WAY too high of standards. I must be looking for that mythical 10-star review freelancer.

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    I've tried a bunch of contractors on both sites. The only success I had was with a higher priced US based person for a niche field. Copywriting requires a solid skill set and solid English. The developers from overseas were an atrocious experience. If you find anyone good, please let me know via DM.

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      I will for sure. If we find enough good ones we're all set to start our own agency ;) , find clients and contract their work out to pre-vetted Fiverr workers (at a massive upcharge).

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