Freelancing has recently gained a huge boost in popularity because of all the benefits freelancers can enjoy. From seasoned professional web developers to new developers still learning, everyone can start a career as a freelance web developer if they are motivated to succeed and have the right skills. Learn how to gain your independence as a freelancer and grow your business. The most difficult part is starting when you do not know the industry. But we can help. Once you’ve read this article, you will know how to start as a freelance web developer and can start your freelance career successfully.
What is a freelance web developer?
A freelance web developer is an independent self-employed professional. They can work for multiple clients and work on different projects. They design, build, and maintain websites and mobile applications for their clients. Instead of working on a single project for a single client like a full-time worker would, they work for many clients on different projects.
What are the skills needed to become a freelance web developer?
There are a few skills all freelance web developers need to succeed. These are talents you can learn and acquire through training.
Technical skills
As a web developer, you need proficient knowledge of web development languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, and so on. Understand frameworks like React, Angular, or Laravel) is essential. Lastly understanding databases (MySQL, MongoDB) and version control systems (Git) is critical.
Design skills
You need a basic understanding of the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). Knowing how to use design tools like Figma and Adobe XD is also helpful. While this concerns front-end developers more, having these skills can help you be a full-stack developer making you one of the most in-demand experts.
Time management
Freelancers have multiple clients to manage and deadlines to meet. You need to have great time management skills to ensure you meet your deadlines and respond to all your clients’s needs effectively.
Problem-solving
You’ll encounter a plethora of problems and issues. You need to have great problem-solving skills and know how to find creative solutions to fix a variety of barriers.
What are the pros of being a freelance web developer?
Flexibility
Freelancers have a lot of flexibility in the jobs or projects they choose to take on and who they want to work with. They can also decide their workload and how many clients they want to help. If you want a career with more flexibility to have a better work-life balance or earn more money, freelancing will give you the most flexibility.
Freedom and variety
As mentioned, freelancers choose who they work with and when. So, you’re free to say no to projects that don’t interest you. You’ll also have the opportunity to work on various projects instead of always working on the same things as you would if you were a full-time worker under contract for a single employer.
Get paid more
Your income will depend on your skills and the services you offer. But, as a freelancer, you can earn much more money than a full-time worker would. That’s because you can have multiple clients and work on different projects. To boost your earnings, gain experience and skills to charge more. Then, you’ll just need to choose the right projects.
Take your independence back
By choosing to be a freelancer, you can gain independence by becoming your own boss. You’ll still have certain obligations, but you’ll be making all the decisions and have all the control.
Your success will depend on you and no one else. It’s hard to make an impact when you work in a large company. As a freelancer, you’re responsible for your success.
What are the cons of being a freelance web developer?
Even though there are many pros to being a freelance web developer, there are also a few cons to consider.
Work insecurity
As mentioned above, you’ll be your boss. That’s great, but there are some responsibilities you are in charge of. The main one is finding work and clients. It’s especially complicated at the beginning when you start. Put yourself out there and reach out to as many people as possible with a strong pitch to convince them they need your help.
No benefits and costs
As a freelancer, you are independent so you won’t get benefits. No health insurance, retirement, or paid time off are considerable cons. However, you’ll also have the chance to work from wherever you want whenever you want.
You will need to manage your taxes and business expenses. Managing taxes takes time and is stressful if you’re not good with paperwork. But it shouldn’t be a problem as you will get the hang of it.
Client management and acquisition
Freelancers manage their clients and expectations on their own which can be stressful. Especially, if you’re new to it. But you’ll learn to manage it and improve in the long run.
You also need to continuously find new clients to guarantee you’ll be able to earn an income. Prospection is critical to your freelance success. Reach out to people using different ways and keep testing strategies. Even when you have projects to work on, you should prospect to ensure you can find work in the future.
How to start as a freelance web developer?
It’s overwhelming to get started when you don’t know when there’s so much to do and you feel that you’re not going about it the right way. But don’t worry, we’re here to help.
Develop your skills and portfolio
Your skills and portfolio are at the core of your success. The more skills and talent you have, the more likely you will find clients to get orders. You’ll also be able to charge higher prices if you have more skills because these skills are often in high demand. Develop your skills and build a portfolio highlighting them to convince clients you are worth the investment.
Conduct market research and build your business plan
You need to know the market like an expert to be able to offer coherent offers. Conduct thorough research and find what skills are in demand. Try to find where you figure in the market. How to place yourself to get many orders.
Decide how you will work with clients. Will you work with them directly, use a freelance marketplace, or another method? We suggest using a freelance marketplace platform. Especially at the start as you learn the ins and outs of the business. We’ll detail why you should use a freelance platform and why we think you should choose ComeUp later in the article.
Build your services and pricing
Once you have enough market knowledge, you’re ready to create your first service. Write a clear description of what you’re offering. Take plenty of time to do this correctly. Explain what problems you will solve, how, and what your service entails. Deliverables, revisions, and other details need to be clear. Imagine what questions potential customers may have and answer them before they have time to ask.
Decide on a price you want to charge for services. They should not be too low so they don’t appear low-cost. But they should not be too expensive either if you don’t have the necessary skills. Consider your talent and how valuable your skills are. More importantly, don’t lower your rates to find clients. It seems like a good strategy, but it’s not a dependable plan in the long term, as you’re degrading your worth and the worth of your peers.
Increase your online presence
After you create your first service and choose a price, you can start marketing yourself. Take time and do it well because you need to show you’re a real person and a dependable one too.
Build a strong brand and use attractive branding visuals. You’ll show you have a sense of taste and it’s a great way to make a positive first impression.
Prospect and find your first sales
Most freelancers can recall their first freelance project. It’s the hardest one to get. Be proactive and try different strategies to find your first client. Use all the tools at your disposal to discover new clients. Use word-of-mouth and talk to people around you. There are also social media platforms, like LinkedIn, to contact hiring people. Reaching out to companies can also yield positive results. The most essential part is to have an attractive and convincing pitch.
Don’t just contact someone and tell them you want to work with them. Explain how you can help them with their problem and get better results.
Grow your business
Once you have your first sale, move on to the next one. Keep prospecting and contact potential clients. If you enjoyed working with your previous client and performed well, ask them to refer you to other employers. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful forms of marketing. People trust the words of close ones more.
As you develop your freelance career, continue searching for opportunities and clients. You’ll know you have achieved success when clients reach out to you because they need your help.
Why is ComeUp the perfect place to start as a freelance web developer?
Earlier in this article, we mentioned freelance marketplaces and ComeUp. They are the perfect place for freelancers to start and grow their careers. With millions of visitors, customers go directly to these platforms to find freelancers to help them with their projects. Learn how to leverage these freelance platforms and you will achieve lots of success.
Why use a freelance platform?
There are many reasons why a freelance platform can help you develop your freelance career.
Reach more potential clients
With millions of visitors, freelance platforms have a lot of traffic and users. They have invested a lot in SEO and have a strong domain authority you can leverage to reach more people. Highlight your services and get more orders.
Most freelance marketplaces have an algorithm to highlight top sellers. If you learn how to leverage the algorithm, you’ll get lots of orders. Unlock your first sales by finding clients and bringing them to the platform. Once you complete a few orders, your services will rank higher and have more visibility and orders organically.
A safe and secure payment system
This is one of the principal advantages of freelance platforms. Finding clients online is great, but you always risk having payment issues and disagreements about the work you deliver. A freelance platform works as a safe third party to protect you and the buyer.
Payments are safe and secure. Every time a client orders a service, they pay for it in advance. The money is placed into an escrow account and the seller is paid as soon as the order is delivered and approved by the client. This guarantees you get paid as long as you do the work in your service.
Gain trust and credibility
Having your services available on a freelance marketplace gives clients more trust as they know you have been verified by the platform and adhere to its rules. People will also be able to see you worked with others in the past as the number of orders you’ve received is displayed on each service.
People will also be able to see reviews your previous clients left. Do a great job and delight each client as these reviews impact your sales. ComeUp conducted a survey and found that more than 28% of clients believe reviews are the most important argument in choosing a freelancer. So, it’s crucial to gather lots of positive reviews.
Grow your sales significantly
The formula for success is super simple. To get more orders on ComeUp, you need to leverage the algorithm. Prospect and find clients to bring to your service on the platform. Then, complete your service and deliver great results.
Once you complete a few orders, you’ll have a bump in the algorithm. Your service will rank higher and more people will see it. You’ll also have a few reviews. These reviews will help convince people you’re the right freelancer to complete their project.
Follow this formula to achieve success as a freelance web developer on ComeUp.
Why ComeUp?
Now that you know freelance platforms are the best option to start as a freelance web developer, you might be wondering why ComeUp is the best option when there are so many platforms available.
A $1-only commission option
On ComeUp, you can leverage a $1-only commission option to maximize your earnings. Traditional platforms often charge between 10 and 25% commissions to freelancers. But by subscribing to a ComeUp Plus plan you can pay only $1 commission per order. It’s the best way to grow your earnings. Especially, with large orders that cost hundreds of dollars.
A responsive customer service
ComeUp’s customer service is always available to help. You can easily reach a human representative at all times and they will answer within an hour or two on average (during working hours). ComeUp is rated 4.1 stars on Trustpilot (as of October 10th, 2024), and that’s in large part due to its helpful customer service team.
How to start as a freelance web developer on ComeUp?
Now that you know how to start as a freelance web developer, you can take a deep breath and start working on growing your freelancing career. Take it one step at a time, and don’t take any shortcuts. The more you apply yourself and invest time into it, the better results you will get.
Leverage the algorithm and reach out to potential clients to get orders. Once you complete a few orders, your services will be highlighted by the algorithm and you can get orders directly without having to do any prospection.
We have many resources available to ensure your success, including tutorial videos with many suggestions and tips to help you complete your seller profile, build your first service, and get many orders. Our Discord channel is also a great resource to talk with sellers and get their feedback about your services and profile.
Get your first sales and grow your freelance web developer career.
You have all the weapons to start your freelance web developer career. Start selling services on ComeUp and grow your income. If you need any help, use our convenient FAQs or reach our customer service team. Complete your seller account and start selling web development services today on ComeUp.
