For Freelancers: The Ultimate Guide To WordPress

If you’re interested in creating your own freelance marketplace website, you may be wondering where to start.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some tips for launching a successful freelance marketplace website.

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. Features include a plugin architecture and a template system. It is most associated with blogging but supports other types of web content including more traditional mailing lists and forums, media galleries, and online stores.

Used by more than 60 million websites, including 33.6% of the top 10 million websites as of April 2019, WordPress is the most popular website management system in use.

A content management system (CMS) is a software application or set of related programs that are used to create and manage digital content. CMSes are typically used for enterprise content management (ECM) and web content management (WCM).

Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet or an intranet. Web development can range from developing the simplest static single page of plain text to the most complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social network services.

WordPress Freelance Projects Tips & Tricks

Takeaways
Building a successful career as a WordPress freelancer requires a combination of technical skills, business acumen, and marketing savvy.
To become a successful WordPress freelancer, it’s important to build a strong portfolio, network with other professionals, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and updates.
Finding clients as a WordPress freelancer requires persistence, creativity, and a solid marketing strategy.
Setting your rates as a WordPress freelancer can be challenging, but it’s important to research industry rates, consider your overhead costs, and value your time and expertise.
Managing your time and workload as a WordPress freelancer is crucial for success, and can be achieved through tools like project management software and time-tracking apps.

How To Use WordPress

WordPress is the most widely used content management system (CMS) in the world. Technically speaking, it’s a blogging platform but over the years, WordPress has evolved to become much more than that. Today it’s the branch of choice for about 43% of the web, and powers everything from small personal blogs to some of the largest websites on Earth (including Facebook Newsroom).

So how does WordPress work? In a nutshell: WordPress makes it quick and easy to build just about any type of website you can think of. To do this, it provides an intuitive interface that lets you arrange your site’s design and features however you’d like.

It also gives you access to thousands of free themes and plugins that let you further customize your site with a few clicks. Out-of-the-box, WordPress comes with enough features to make simple sites like blogs or landing pages but if you want more functionality, such as eCommerce or membership capabilities, there’s probably already a plugin available for download.

The best part? You don’t need any technical experience at all to use WordPress successfully! If you know how to use Microsoft Word (or any other word processing software), then learning how to use WordPress will be no problem at all.

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Popular WordPress Plugins And Their Benefits

WordPress offers a wide variety of plugins that help it perform different functions. Some of the most popular ones are listed below, along with their benefits:

Yoast SEO

This plugin is a favorite among many WordPress users because it helps your site rank better in search results. It adds features to your WordPress website such as an XML sitemap and code that makes your content easier for search engines to read. There are free and paid versions of this plugin, but you can probably get away with just using the free one.

Wpforms

This plugin lets you easily add forms to your website without needing to write any HTML or CSS code yourself. You can use it to create contact forms, request forms, surveys, and more! I personally use this one on my site because I’m too lazy to figure out how to do all those things myself otherwise Luckily, there’s a free version (though you may want to consider upgrading if you want more advanced features).

Sucuri Security

This plugin monitors your website for security issues like malware or if someone attempts to attack it (e.g., through SQL injection). Aside from being an overall good idea for anyone who owns a website whether it’s running on WordPress or not this is also required by some companies that host websites since they don’t want their customers’ sites getting hacked while they’re using their services (and rightfully so!). This is another one that has both a free and paid version available.

Pricing your web design services can be a challenge, but it’s a crucial aspect of running a successful freelancing business. To learn more about the factors that affect pricing and how to price your services effectively, check out our guide on the shocking truth about pricing your web design services.

Shopping Cart & E-Commerce Plugins

If your freelance business includes selling products or services, you’ll want users to be able to purchase their desired items on your site. The two most popular e-commerce options for WordPress are WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD). Both are free plugins that allow you to sell physical and digital products. You can also offer coupons, multiple payment gateways, shipping options, inventory management, and more in both cases.

WooCommerce is the more robust of the two options, as it includes a shopping cart and checkout system right out of the box whereas EDD requires a few additional plugins to accomplish this. This means that WooCommerce will work well for any type of online store you have in mind including physical stores requiring shipping information from customers.

EDD’s niche is its focus on digital goods with themes for software companies, game studios, and books even though it does support physical products too.

If your freelance business involves selling physical items like clothing or books then WooCommerce is probably best suited to meet your needs whereas EDD would be better suited if you’re offering something like video tutorials or stock photography.

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Woocommerce Vs Shopify, Who Wins The Battle?

If you’re a freelancer and want to harness the power of WordPress, WooCommerce is your best bet. WooCommerce is free and it integrates seamlessly with WordPress. Shopify is another popular e-commerce platform but because it’s a hosted solution, you will have to pay the fees each month for hosting your site. In addition, Shopify isn’t directly integrated with WordPress like WooCommerce is. You can still use Shopify if you want to but you would need to install a plugin on your WordPress website which connects both platforms together.

What I like about WooCommerce is that it feels like an open-source platform similar to WordPress which I feel most comfortable using because my freelance business is built on top of the WordPress platform.

As a freelance web designer, coming up with fresh and creative design ideas can be a challenge. But inspiration can come from many sources, including other designers and popular websites. Check out our list of top 20 web design ideas that will inspire you and help you create engaging designs for your clients.

An Intro To E-Commerce Blogging With Blog2print

If you’re a freelancer who has made the switch to a WordPress site and is looking for ways to monetize your content, we want to tell you about Blog2Print. It’s an easy-to-use plugin that allows anyone with a WordPress blog to sell their articles like books, both on Amazon and through the blog itself.

Once the plugin is installed (it’s free), all you have to do is set up your book publishing preferences, and then select which articles you wish to include in your book (you can even choose what order they appear).

Then, Blog2Print takes care of everything else—they print and ship your books directly to your customers. They also provide marketing support by sharing information about you and your books across their social channels. Their website also includes helpful tips for bloggers who want to build up their audience before turning their articles into books.

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Final Thought

Freelance marketplace websites make a lot of sense for developers, designers and other creatives who are looking to make money on the side. Of course, there is still a lot of room for improvement, but if you do your homework and build a truly great platform, you too can share in the success of these sites.

All you need to do is put in the hard work at the beginning, and reap the rewards later on.

FAQs

What skills do I need to become a WordPress freelancer?

To become a successful WordPress freelancer, you’ll need to have a solid understanding of WordPress, web design, and web development. Other important skills include project management, communication, and marketing.

How do I find clients as a WordPress freelancer?

There are many ways to find clients as a WordPress freelancer, including networking, referrals, job boards, and social media. You can also build a portfolio website to showcase your work and attract potential clients.

How much should I charge as a WordPress freelancer?

The amount you can charge as a WordPress freelancer will depend on your experience, skills, and the scope of the project. It’s important to research industry rates and consider factors like your overhead costs and desired income when setting your rates.

How can I stay up-to-date with WordPress trends and updates?

To stay up-to-date with WordPress trends and updates, you can subscribe to WordPress blogs and newsletters, join online communities and forums, attend WordPress events, and follow influential WordPress experts on social media.

How do I manage my time and workload as a WordPress freelancer?

To manage your time and workload as a WordPress freelancer, you can use tools like project management software, time-tracking apps, and scheduling tools. It’s also important to set boundaries and prioritize your tasks to avoid burnout and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

How Do I Keep My Freelancers Busy?

The best way to ensure that your freelancers are always occupied is to have enough jobs on your site. To do this, you have to attract clients willing to publish new projects on a regular basis. Here are some tips to help you:

– Provide an attractive platform with an easy user interface and a simple but effective design.

– Make it easy for customers to create a new project.

– Provide excellent support for your clients.

– Work with payment processors that are well known and reliable, such as PayPal or Google Wallet, and make sure payments from customers go smoothly.

– If you need to implement any changes, always notify users in advance so they know what to expect and when these changes are coming.

How Does A Freelance Marketplace Website Work?

The main idea behind a freelance marketplace is that you can post jobs that your company needs to be completed and allow freelancers to bid on them. If a company has projects which need to be done right away but not enough staff to handle them, they can easily post it on a freelance marketplace website.

It is that simple! This gives the company the ability to have extra personnel while not having the burden of hiring extra employees.

How To Get Started?

The best way to get started is by using one of the most popular tools WordPress plugin, which has a free version and a paid version. The free version has all the features you need to build your marketplace website, while the paid version offers additional features like SSL certification, recurring billing, and more.

Do I Need To Know How To Code?

No! You don’t need any coding skills or experience because the platform is designed so that anyone can launch their own freelance marketplace website with just a few clicks. The platform does all the heavy lifting for you.

What Is The Best Way To Launch A Freelance Marketplace?

My advice is to use a landing page to sell the idea of your freelance marketplace before launching it. You can offer potential customers an incentive for signing up to your mailing list (for example, 10% off service) and introduce them to your new business idea every month or so until you launch.

How Do I Get People To My Site?

The best way is through organic traffic (search engines). I recommend using social media to drive traffic, but don’t overdo it – be sure you’re using social media effectively and appropriately. For example, if you’re selling shoes on your site, don’t post pictures of yourself wearing them (unless you have permission from the manufacturer). Also, don’t over-post – be sure that your content is relevant and engaging.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.