Whether you’re a freelance web designer, developer, or even a writer, you’ll likely spend most of your time working on remote projects. As a freelancer, it’s important to find clients who are going to be great to work with and are going to pay you on time.
No matter what niche you’re in, there are most likely at least a few places online where your target market hangs out. If you want to reach new clients, here are some awesome places you can advertise your freelance services.
1. Upwork
If you’re trying to get freelance web design work, you should check out the site Upwork. It’s a freelancer marketplace where businesses post jobs and freelancers bid on them. You can set your own rate, and if you win the job, you’re paid after the client confirms your work. Even if you don’t win the job, it’s a great way to get your name out there.
Upwork is a website where people go to find freelance workers and remote employees. You can make money from Upwork by looking for clients who need a web designer and then hiring yourself out as the web designer,
2. Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are great places to promote your website design services. That’s because they’re all social media platforms, which means people are on them to connect with others or just see what’s going on in their friends’ lives. When you advertise on social media sites, you’ll be able to reach a wide variety of people in a short amount of time.
3. Fiverr
If you’re new to freelancing, Fiverr can be a great platform to get your feet wet and start making some money online.
What is Fiverr?
Fiverr is an online marketplace where people can sell their services (known as ‘gigs’) starting at $5. It was founded in 2010 by Shai Wininger and Micha Kaufman with the intention of providing a place for people to make extra money by selling the skills they already have. At that time, the minimum amount one could charge was $5, hence the name Fiverr. Users could buy gigs for $5 and then sellers would use those gigs to provide services such as graphic design or web development.
Here are some benefits of using Fiverr:
- It’s easy & fast: You can set up your account in minutes and you don’t need any experience or special expertise; all you need is a skill that other people will find useful, such as graphic design or writing.
- You have complete control over what you offer: You decide how much time it takes and where it takes place.
- It’s low risk: If things don’t work out on Fiverr, there is no commitment so you can simply move on to another platform without losing any money or wasting time trying something else first.
4. People Per Hour
If you’re a freelancer, you’ll know that getting work is not always easy. You need to advertise your services well and make sure you stand out from the crowd.
PeoplePerHour is a platform for creating ads for your freelance skills and services. With this website, you create an ad where freelancers can bid on projects.
You can also search through jobs posted by clients who are looking for someone with your skills to get their job done. Clients post projects and freelancers put in bids to do the work. It’s similar to other bidding platforms like Upwork but simpler in its execution.
Once you have your account set up, you’ll be able to choose if you want to be paid by the hour or by the project, which is a nice touch as most people prefer one form of payment over another. Choosing how much each bid costs (or how much time it will take) before starting the project takes away the guesswork of pricing when bidding and keeps everyone happy!
5. Craigslist
Craigslist is a great place to advertise your services, as long as you don’t mind the process of manually posting and replying to ads. Craigslist is free to use, and because it has been around for almost 20 years, it has a good reputation among users.
On the flip side, Craigslist can be difficult to navigate if you’re not familiar with how it works. To post an ad on Craigslist, you will first need to create an account. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to post your ad in the relevant geographic category. Next, Craigslist will ask you to verify your email address by sending an email with a verification code.
Once you’ve entered the verification code into the site, then your ad will actually begin appearing on the site (and Craigslist will send out an email notification that your ad has been posted).
There are a few downsides to advertising through Craigslist:
- You have no way of knowing how many people are actually viewing your ad (or even if they’re finding it at all
- It’s not free because although posting is free, upgrading your ads isn’t;
- You will have to manually post and reply to requests for more information about your services through email or phone.
6. Krop
Krop is a U.S.-based job board that features the most interesting jobs in the fields of design, digital and interactive marketing, and technology. Here you can find full-time positions, but also freelance gigs too! The site is very selective about who they let post on their boards, so expect to have to apply for admission before you can start posting your services.
The site itself isn’t just a job board. It also has some useful articles for freelancers that are worth checking out.
7. Linkedin Profinder
LinkedIn is a platform designed to connect businesses with service providers like yourself. It’s a win-win because businesses get exactly what they need, quickly, and freelancers get access to new business opportunities.
All you have to do is post 5 free proposals per month and answer questions from potential clients in order to make your business visible on the platform. And don’t worry—if this sounds like too much work, there’s a paid option that will get you featured as a ‘Pro’ on ProFinder and generate a bunch of leads without having to do extra work yourself.
8. Guru
Guru is a freelance marketplace for business, digital marketing, design & creative, and writing & translation services, similar to other freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.
If you’re looking for a freelance gig that’s outside of the web design industry (for example graphic design or programming), Guru could be a good platform to use because it has more opportunities than other platforms. However, one major downside is that it only accepts US freelancers.
9. Behance
- You can advertise your freelance web design services on Behance, which is the world’s leading online platform to showcase & discover creative work.
- You can show your portfolio to potential clients and use their comments feature to get feedback from other designers in the community.
- You can also join groups and follow companies and people you admire, so you’ll be able to see new jobs as they’re posted. In addition, there are many job opportunities for freelancers here as well! If a client likes your work, he or she might contact you directly through Behance or even send a referral to another company that knows about what kind of service provider they found on this site.
10. Smashing Magazine Job Board
You can also advertise your freelance web design services on the Smashing Magazine Job Board, and only for a small fee.
The job board was created as a service to help freelancers find better remote jobs, whereas individuals and companies can post their open job positions. The cost of posting an ad is $199, which includes the following benefits:
- Your ad will be featured on the homepage above all other ads (you can submit it immediately).
- Your ad stays at the top position for 30 days, after which it will be automatically unpublished. If you’d like to use this option, send them an email.
- You’ll have access to all candidate profiles who applied for your job (please respect their privacy though).
11. Authentic Jobs
A great place to start looking for work is Authentic Jobs. This site was created by Cameron Moll in 2005 and has become the go-to online job board for creatives. The site has a lot of good information on it, including a blog with tips on getting hired, portfolios, pricing, and more. As a bonus, the site is free to browse.
If you’re a freelancer looking for work, you can search for jobs in your area of expertise and within a reasonable distance from your location. Job hunters can browse the latest listings or perform more advanced searches.
Job seekers can pay $49 per month to subscribe to the service, which provides access to additional features such as daily email notifications of new jobs and the ability to save your favorite searches.
12. Your Own Website
When it comes to listing your skills and selling yourself as a professional web developer, there is no better place than your personal portfolio website. It’s not only the most important piece of advertising but also the best place for potential clients to go to if they want to learn more about you.
The quality of your website can also speak volumes about what type of service you offer. If you’re just starting off and haven’t had much time for a portfolio site, then consider using a service such as Squarespace or Wix. These are inexpensive web design platforms that allow you to create a simple website within minutes.
13. Project4hire
Project4Hire is a great place to get your feet wet as a freelance web designer. The jobs posted on Project4Hire are for small-scale projects ranging from about $50 to $250 in cost and are ideal for beginner freelancers who want to hone and test their skills or for more seasoned professionals looking to make some quick cash on the side.
Projects posted on Project4Hire typically involve designing a website layout, creating a logo, or designing business cards, so you’ll have an opportunity to expand your design portfolio.
Since all jobs on Project4Hire are paid by the hour and there is no fee attached to either posting or applying for jobs, it’s completely risk-free. You can set up an account as soon as today and start browsing open projects that you can bid on right away.
14. The Creative Group
The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in connecting interactive, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations talent with the best companies on a project, contract-to-hire, and full-time basis. More information, including online job-hunting services, candidate portfolios, and TCG’s award-winning career magazine can be found at creativegroup.com.
- What is The Creative Group?
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations professionals. The company has offices in major markets across the United States and Canada.
- When will I start getting work?
Your success with The Creative Group depends on your ability to sell yourself to prospective employers. If you have the technical skills necessary but have no experience, you may find that it takes longer to get the kind of job you desire.
- Make sure your resume reflects your skills and experience
- Who will pay me?
You are an employee of The Creative Group during each assignment. As such, The Creative Group pays
15. Start Advertising Your Freelance Web Design Services Now
Freelancing is a great way to earn money from home. You can work at your own pace, set your own hours, and create the best schedule for you! To get started as a freelancer, you will just need to get yourself out thereby building up your social media accounts and submitting samples of your web design services to prospective clients.
If you don’t have many followers on social media, don’t worry – as long as you have some content (a website) that showcases your work then this should be enough. If not, it may take longer than expected which could lead people to lose interest before they even see anything from you or hire someone else instead because they’ve found someone who can do the job faster!
Now all that’s left is deciding where and how often should we advertise our services?
16. Dribbble
Dribbble is a community of designers who share screenshots of their work and get feedback from other users. It’s also a place where you can advertise your services by sharing project details or portfolio pieces and get noticed by potential clients.
17. Toptal
Toptal is a freelance site for finding web designers, product managers, and other types of freelancers. It uses a screening process to ensure that only the highest-quality candidates are made available to clients, and it has a large pool of business clients looking to work with freelancers.
Toptal offers a variety of ways to get you started with your freelance web design career, including the ability to create a profile and portfolio, as well as receive advice from Toptal’s full-time coaching staff. You will also be connected with a mentor upon joining who can help you with any questions you might have about getting started as a freelancer. Once your profile is complete and approved, you will have access to various job posts that match your skill set, which are regularly posted on Toptal’s website.
Toptal screens each potential freelancer through a rigorous multi-stage vetting process that includes an initial application, live interviews, problem-solving exercises, extensive skill testing, and professional background and reference checks.
Your acceptance into the network is dependent upon whether or not you pass through each stage of our screening process. Once accepted into the network, you will be added to the database of professionals and will have access to various job posts that match your skillset.
Toptal can be a great place to find high-paying jobs, but there’s one big drawback: since Toptal screens out less experienced freelancers, you need to have years of experience in your field before you’re allowed to apply.
18. Freelancer.Com
Freelancer.com is a website that connects freelancers with potential clients. As a freelancer, you can use the website to advertise your skills and services for free. You need to create a profile on Freelancer.com to get started, but once you have an account, you can bid on jobs or create a job posting of your own.
You can also use Freelancer.com as an employer if you’re looking for someone with specific skills or expertise in web design. There are millions of freelancers using the website, which means there’s plenty of talent from which to choose if you decide to hire someone through Freelancer
Final Thought
In summary, we’ve gone over several places where you can advertise your web design services. Some may require a payment, but many don’t, which gives you a world of opportunities to take advantage of.
What this article has not done, although others have attempted it, is show you how much you should charge for your services. Accepting the fact that everyone is different in this regard, there are two pieces of advice that I would give.
First, be honest with yourself about the value you believe your services provide. If other designers within your niche are charging $350 per month for their service, they charge $350 per month for your own service. There’s nothing wrong with having an hourly rate if that’s what works best for your business model.
but for most small businesses I would advocate focusing on a fixed monthly fee to better control overhead costs. Next, research what other designers within your niche are charging and decide on an amount based on that market analysis.
Ultimately you’ll come to find the right price based on what YOU value your services at. If you do choose to go with a fixed rate or monthly fee then use a website like Billings to collect payments and track time and expenses so that invoicing becomes easier and more accurate as
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can I Find Freelance Web Design Jobs?
There are many different websites where you can find these kinds of opportunities, including Upwork (formerly oDesk), Elance, PeoplePerHour, and Guru. But if you’re looking for something more specialized or niche, try Freelancer or TaskRabbit (both of which offer other services besides web design)..
Where Can I Advertise My Freelance Web Design Services?
This is a good question, but one that’s very difficult to answer. The best answer I can give you is ‘everywhere!’ But seriously, there are loads of places to advertise your services, and it’s important that you utilize as many as possible — and continue to find new ones.
Where you advertise depends on who you want to attract. If your goal is large corporations, for example, then advertising in the Yellow Pages may be a good idea (though with the Internet these days, this may not be so true anymore). If you want small businesses, then local papers are a good bet. Or if you have something specific to offer, maybe a specialized blog or forum would be best.
How Do I Write An Effective Freelance Web Design Ad?
When you’re writing your freelance web design ad, be sure to include these elements:
- Name of the service you are providing
- Description of what is included in that service
- Examples of relevant work
- How much does the service cost (if applicable)
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!