Networking Guide for Online Freelancers

June 20, 2011 · 0 comments

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The online world has many nooks and crannies, niches that are just waiting to be discovered by freelancers. Online freelancing can be a great way increase your income. Freelance jobs can provide a steady income, whether you choose to work full or part time.

Beginning freelancers may find it difficult, at first, to find work that pays well enough to make the work load worthwhile. The world of online freelancing is competitive, and a global market means that freelancers often find themselves under-bid by workers in other markets who are able to accept less pay for their efforts.

Getting Creative with Finding Freelancing Jobs

If joining sites like Freelancer.com isn’t for you, then don’t sweat it. There are many freelancing job providers that don’t put work up on websites like these for the same reason that you don’t want to find work there: the quality!

Finding the best freelancing jobs will more than likely never include the word “freelance” in your initial Google search. These types of searches are overloaded with people that are trying the same jobs that you are. If you want to make a successful living as a freelance worker, you’ll need to get creative.

There are all sorts of Google searches you can do to find webmasters that are looking to pay writers for one time posts, part time blogging opportunities, and even full time opportunities. The best part about this is that there are over 100 million blogs out there and you can choose from over thousands of different niches – allowing you to write about what you love and make money doing so!

Here are some of the best types of Google searches for finding these types of opportunities:

  • Keyword (topic you would like to write about) + intitle:”write for us”
  • Keyword + intitle:”Contribute”
  • Keyword + intitle:”Become a Contributor”
  • Keyword + intitle:”Contribute to our site”
  • Keyword + intitle:”Become an Author”

Here are a few other search queries that are not niche targeted:

  • “writers’ markets”
  • “writers’ guidelines”

Using these phrases in the search to find rates as well:

  • “per word”
  • “per article”
  • “$1.00 per word”
  • “cents per word”

Forum Networking

Of course, not all freelancing jobs on the Internet have to do with writing. There are many freelancing opportunities in fields like graphic design, computer programming, web development, and many off-line freelancing opportunities as well. If you have a particular skill and are looking for freelancing opportunities then getting involved in online forums is one of the best places to get started. This type of networking takes time, however if you put the time in to build some relationships, you will find that they can pay off tremendously.

Many forums geared towards Internet marketing, web development, or programming also have a jobs board section, where people are constantly looking for more workers to add to their force. These are some of the best places to get jobs, and you will find that these jobs can be pretty profitable – especially if you have built up any sort of reputation. It’s a good idea to keep an updated copy of your resume on file to offer to potential clients. Remember, freelance contracting is a job, like any other. While the process of getting hired is often less formal than going through the interview process at a major corporation, you’re still entering into a professional agreement with a client, and you’ll need to act accordingly if you want to be accepted as a serious freelancer.

Conclusion:

Following these tips will help you find the more lucrative freelancing opportunities. Stay away from flooded markets where the money is bad and the work is hard. Many times those jobs are outsourced to countries like India or the Philippines, where it is virtually impossible to compete. By setting yourself up as a professional provider of quality work, you’ll land the best jobs and find success as a freelance contractor.

This article was written by Alina Cambridge whom by day, works for www.inetzeal.com. This is a website dedicated to providing a white label SEO service, for which you can receive an SEO quote at anytime, and for many different Internet marketing services.

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