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The Secrets to Making More Money Freelancing

August 19, 2015 By Gail Gardner 77 Comments

Freelancing is a dream for many people, but making a full time living at it isn’t as simple as most hope it will be. The biggest challenge for most freelancers is creating the processes they will need to be successful.

The Secrets to Making More Money Freelancing580

No matter how talented you are at your chosen work, if you miss deadlines, fail to communicate with clients, and don’t get invoices sent out and collected on time, you won’t be able to make a decent living at it.

Table of Contents

    • How Much Do Freelancers Make?
  • Skills ALL Freelancers Need
    • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    • Track Your Work
    • Manage Your Time
    • Create Accurate Invoices
    • Integrate with PayPal and Track Payments
  • Making More Money Freelancing
      • Gail Gardner
      • Latest posts by Gail Gardner (see all)

How Much Do Freelancers Make?

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. Whenever we talk about money, keep in mind that amounts are relative.  What one person thinks is getting rich doesn’t even get another person interested much less excited. What matters is how much you need or want to earn.

Rates vary greatly for the same type of work. Let’s take freelance writers for example. In Due.com’s new Ultimate Guide to Freelancing we find these statistics:

Writers on average get $58 – $82 per blog post written.

Writing – Bloggers, copy editors, and content managers can make $25 to $30 an hour.

I personally don’t know any writers who charge less than $100 per blog post and the going rate in my circles is $150-$300 with $150 being most common.

Most clients prefer to pay by the post or page because they want the risk of it taking longer than expected to be on the writer rather than the client.

But that doesn’t mean that we all started at $100 or $150 per post. When I started freelancing years ago, $75 was the going rate in those same circles.

Today, there are many writers who get $150, while others are paid $300+ and some can only find work at $50. The difference is complexity, experience, knowledge more than grammar and spelling.

While it is beneficial for freelancers to be able to edit their own work, if you have sufficient ideas to share you can pay a proofreader or editor or find a site that will edit your work for you.

The same is true of every other type of freelancing. The best way to determine what  you could be charging is to have someone successful in your field who is not trying to hire you evaluate your work.

Regardless of what price level you are operating at today, you can always work up to making more money. To do that, you need to make sure you have certain skills.

Skills ALL Freelancers Need

Getting organized BEFORE you have clients is a lot easier than trying to create a method for tracking work once you’re busy. The most successful freelancers I know have processes to keep track of everything from clients to projects, to-do lists, and getting paid.

Most of them cobbled their processes together from email programs, spreadsheets, RememberTheMilk and Trello, but Murray Newlands and John Rampton are offering a system that pulls it all together in one place.  Best of all, there is a free version for those just getting started so you can use it for free until you need to upgrade.

  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

The most important skill you need is the ability to communicate with clients and a way to manage your relationships. Missing emails, not returning calls, and not following up consistently will greatly reduce your income and make it much harder to become successful.

At a minimum, you need some kind of CRM system to keep track of the clients you’re communicating with and billing.

While you could use gmail or an email management program, a better system is to use a solution like Due.com that allows you to track customer information, time management, invoicing and know what invoices are still outstanding – all in one place.

Why enter all that information in multiple places if you can do it all in one? The entry level version is free indefinitely so you can keep expenses down, and then upgrade to one of their affordable plans ($10, $25, or $100) as you need more capacity.

  • Track Your Work

Unless you only handle one project at a time, it is essential that you have a project management tool.  Many people use spreadsheets, or to-do lists, but a project management database is a better solution.

Due.com Project Management dashboard

Due.com has separate sections for keeping track of clients, projects, timelines, tasks, invoices, and you can even add staff if you get busy enough to need to delegate some of your work.

  • Manage Your Time

Even if you charge by the project and not by the hour, it can be useful to track how much time you’re spending on each client or even each task to make sure you aren’t undercharging.

Time tracking is a feature in the upgraded versions of Due.com. Use it to find out which tasks are eating up your day so you can alter your schedule, increase your rates for certain tasks, or decide to cut back on them.

  • Create Accurate Invoices

Just check on a project and click the “create invoice” icon, and your invoice is filled out and ready to send. Icons along the write allow you to quickly edit, send, or mark invoices paid.

You can also set up recurring invoices. This is perfect for regular clients who pay by the month. Freelancers who do social media management, SEO, or manage blogs could set the invoices up once and have billing go out monthly without any additional work.

  • Integrate with PayPal and Track Payments

All of the non-free versions integrate with PayPal. They will automatically be marked paid as the payments come in, freeing up your time to do other things.

Just check your Due.com dashboard and it will tell you what invoices are paid, which are overdue, and which are pending.

Not following up on overdue invoices is a major issue for many freelancers. Using a program that clearly shows how many overdue invoices you have makes it easier to keep cash flowing in on time.

Due.com will also send reminders automatically and can be configured to send them on a schedule you prefer. Why send them manually if you can let them run on autopilot?

Making More Money Freelancing

Here is a summary of what you need to do to make more money freelancing:

  • Communicate with and keep track of clients
  • Log your projects when they come in
  • Create tasks and make sure you complete them
  • Measure how much time you spend on tasks so you’re not underpaid
  • Invoice promptly and send reminders to make sure you get paid

There was nothing as efficient to use when I got started, but now there is. While you could set this all up manually or in separate programs, why not just use Due.com and have it all in one place?

Once you have your processes set up you can focus on how to get more freelancing work.

The Secrets to Making More Money Freelancing

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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap
Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist who mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Pinterest profileMy Tumblr blogMy YouTube channel

Latest posts by Gail Gardner (see all)

  • Free Mentoring: How to Use the Inexpensive CRM Bigin to Increase Income - December 9, 2020
  • How to Create a Blog to Promote Your Services - December 9, 2020
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Filed Under: Freelancing, Outsourcing, Work From Home Tagged With: customer management, freelancing, invoicing, project management

Comments

  1. Syed Brothers says

    April 20, 2020 at 6:02 am

    This is a great guide for beginner as well as intermediate users .I had problems myself as a beginner but now i am doing quite well.

    Reply
  2. Alex Marsh says

    February 17, 2020 at 3:00 am

    Working as a freelance proofreader is a great idea. These tips are very helpful. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply
  3. Shanaya says

    May 8, 2019 at 12:09 am

    Thanks for this amazing article.. I need some freelancer projects Can anyone have?

    Reply
  4. ananya bedi says

    May 6, 2019 at 3:25 am

    I’m very thanks to you for giving us such a important stuffs which help us to gain ideas for freelancing or online business . I’ll be here very soon for going to have look on your next article.

    Reply
  5. Shanaya says

    May 4, 2019 at 3:09 am

    Very impressive article for freelancers…Can anyone give me freenlancer project?

    Reply
  6. sravan says

    February 14, 2018 at 9:41 am

    What a beautiful information. I love this guide of making money through free lancing..i just loved this guide and now I am putting it in to application
    This article is worth reading..thank you for such a beautiful article…you would be thrilled to read this too!

    Reply
  7. Agastya Mathur says

    February 6, 2016 at 10:30 am

    Hi… very impressive article … will help lots of peoples who are looking for Freelancing Work… & surely they will learn The Secrets to Making More Money through Freelancing… goood Job.. Keep updating us with your interesting info.. !!

    Reply
  8. Anup says

    January 31, 2016 at 8:56 am

    I been using Fiverr past 3 years and sell my “Directory Submission” Gigs
    I get steady buiness and making good money via it.
    You can also use SEO Clerk as they are also similar to Fiverr

    Reply
  9. Rosy says

    November 26, 2015 at 10:37 am

    i am working as a freelancer but did’t much idea how to get project through online. could you give some tips for me?

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      November 26, 2015 at 7:32 pm

      Hi Rosy,

      The key is to choose work that you are very good at delivering. For example, most writers need to be native English speakers in the country of the target audience for the content. We almost never use writers from India, because English as written by people from India is substantially different from English as written by Americans, or people from the UK, Australia or New Zealand. (The same is true – we don’t use UK writers for US content because they use words Americans don’t know.)

      For people whose English won’t allow them to be hired as writers, I recommend focusing on other skills. You might manage social media accounts, but not actually write the posts – just schedule them, and grow the following. Or those with advanced capabilities could learn to provide analytics analysis or conversion testing. MarketMotive is a good source for learning those skills.

      Bloggers often hire each other and teach the skills they need so that is another method.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Bloggers Hiring Bloggers: Kinds of Work You Outsource or Get Hired to DoMy Profile

      Reply
      • rosy says

        April 5, 2016 at 8:31 am

        HI,

        i am working on tips which you mention in your post and get some project. thanks for share this idea

        Regards
        Rosy
        rosy would love you to read ..Emerald (Panna Stone) – Facts, Properties & BenefitsMy Profile

        Reply
  10. Sarkari says

    November 24, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    Hello Gail, i am really amazed to analyze the income of a writer you’ve mentioned, if it could happen then why people (writers) are scratching on platforms like fiver…there people used to give a good decent 300-500 page SEO optimized article in only 5$. I am not being sarcastic…but i just want to ask that can a writer earn that much amount ? you know any such platform ? if yes then kindly discuss and share it with all our audience…it will be helpful for everyone.
    Thanks
    Sarkari would love you to read ..BSNL Recruitment – Telecom Officer Job Openings November 2015My Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      November 24, 2015 at 2:55 pm

      Hello Sarkari,

      The writers I know have never used Fiverr. Only one I used to work with ever tried getting clients there. It is very difficult to convince someone you were willing to write for at the $5 level even with upgrades that you are worth more. It is possible you could charge $5 for x words and then charge much more for longer posts with media – basically adding on far more than the original task. But none of us ever went that route.

      The going rate for the best quality content is $200 for 650-700 words. Top ghost writers can make more than twice that. I have clients who keep asking if I will write for less, and I just tell them to give the work to their cheaper writers if they don’t want to pay what I charge. They keep coming back.

      Understand, though, that it is writers who can write perfect AMERICAN English who command the most money. English as written by people in other countries where English is a common language do not write it exactly the same as native Americans do.

      If a person has experience and unique insights to share, they can obtain these rates IF they find someone to edit their content into American English. That does not have to be expensive as proof-readers are quite inexpensive.

      There are writing platforms that pay better, but not as much as we make directly. WriterAccess is the one mentioned to me most often, but there are others. On that site, you hire writers based on their star rating – the higher the rating, the higher the cost per word.

      Pricing ranges from 2 cents per word to 10 cents to $2 per word. 5 Star writers make at least $56.70 per 700 words which is only about 30% of what our writers typically make. But remember that we are talking about writers who are also editors and proofreaders themselves producing content that does not require editing.

      The best length for optimum SEO value is 1500 words; Neil Patel says 2250-2500 words. The minimum word count we use is 650-700 with much of our content going 800-1200 words. So I don’t know why anyone would still be requesting 300 word pages.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Bloggers Hiring Bloggers: Kinds of Work You Outsource or Get Hired to DoMy Profile

      Reply
      • Sarkari says

        November 25, 2015 at 3:23 am

        Thanks for your detailed response gail, yes i do agree with you…but as you’ve said “The going rate for the best quality content is $200 for 650-700 words”…200$ ? Don’t you think its alot..is it necessary to spend such high amount on a single article content ? I mean on this amount a person can get more than 10 healthy (SEO optimized) article from iwriter, pro article writing & many other good content providing sites by elite writers.
        I know content is a primary weapon of a niche…but spending this much is not required from my point of view.
        Sarkari would love you to read ..BSNL Recruitment – Telecom Officer Job Openings November 2015My Profile

        Reply
        • Gail Gardner says

          November 25, 2015 at 4:06 am

          Hello Sarkari,

          It depends on the goal. Ideally, you want to publish content that benefits the reader. It needs to provide visibility for the topic and companies mentioned. And it needs to be so good that people comment on it, share it, save it and link to it from other content.

          I would have to see your $20 content, but I would be shocked if it were worth reading. What is the point of publishing a post that no one will read, link to, share, or comment on? I know that many would say “SEO value”, but how much SEO value does a post with no incoming links and a PA (page authority) of 1 really have?

          Look at this post in the Moz toolbar: http://www.allbusiness.com/curated-content-100744-1.html It has 1,608 incoming links and is PA 64. Do you see how that would be vastly mroe valuable than no incoming links and a PA1?

          I am not saying that is always possible. It takes time to attract links and not all posts go viral like that one did. But that is our goal and why the content costs so much more. Many now believe the optimum length for content for SEO purposes is 1500 words. (Twice the price.) Neil Patel would say 2250-2500 words. (3-4x as expensive.)

          Eventually content will change. If Google continues to force major sites to nofollow all links, the goal must change to be totally about visibility or the ability to get someone to actually go visit the sites we write about instead of hoping for that and the links being valuable. That is already true on some sites.
          Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Generate and Close Social Leads On TwitterMy Profile

          Reply
          • Sarkari says

            November 25, 2015 at 7:41 am

            Ok gail, almost satisfied with your details & will check that post that you’ve linked of moz toolbar. And thank you gail for such informative details.
            It was great with the discussion.
            Sarkari would love you to read ..RITES Recruitment – various Engineering Job Openings Recruitment 2015My Profile

  11. Anjali says

    October 5, 2015 at 11:31 am

    @Gail Gardener

    Hi

    Thanks for sharing this important things and also giving your knowledge which is very important and well think. I hope that as soon as possible you will be publish your new article so that we can huge-knowledge.

    Regards
    Anjali

    Reply
  12. Dan Ewah says

    September 18, 2015 at 7:12 pm

    Hi Gail,

    What an awesome post as usual.

    When I’m hired to write for clients, I personally don’t take Money from clients until they have approved of my work, this puts me in a right frame of mind to give the client the best, knowing he could reject the work if it’s less than stellar.

    This strategy has worked for me.

    And one particular client was so impressed he paid me $250 to write a blog post, which is a big increment from the $100 he paid a month ago.

    If we are good, we can command a rate favorable to us.

    Thanks again for another awesome post.

    Cheers

    Dan
    Dan Ewah would love you to read ..16 Tips to Improve WordPress Performance – INFOGRAPHICMy Profile

    Reply
  13. rubina says

    September 10, 2015 at 6:43 am

    Freelancing work is not that easy task and also we cant trust all the people and give the work.

    Reply
    • Dan Ewah says

      September 18, 2015 at 7:06 pm

      Hi Rubina,

      Actually, nothing worthwhile is easy, if it’s easy then everybody would be doing it.

      If you want to hire a freelancer, you can ask for samples of his previous work and you can make him work before you pay, that way you are more comfortable if you don’t trust his expertise initially.

      I hope this comment was helpful.

      Cheers

      Dan

      Reply
  14. Hamid says

    September 6, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    TO make more money on freelance you need to be good at your field, respects deadlines, provide a good job, your prices should be competitive…etc. The most important of all, being able to develop a relation of confidence with your clients.

    Reply
  15. Alice Evans says

    September 4, 2015 at 2:00 am

    Hi Gail,

    Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing your secrets. Freelancing is a great opportunity to increase your earnings.

    Alice
    Alice Evans would love you to read ..Natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudatiumMy Profile

    Reply
  16. Briana says

    September 3, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    Fantastic resources for Freelancing. I’ll be sure to bookmark this and share it . I’m actually in the process of revamping my regular process and this would be really helpful. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  17. Hussain says

    September 3, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Yes Gail, I am appreciating for your all points for freelancing projects. In freelancing, very important factor is communication with the client and complete those requirements with their deadlines. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience Gail.

    Reply
  18. Muzakkir says

    September 3, 2015 at 5:33 am

    really its a good idea for making more money.
    Thanks for such a useful article. BUT how can i advertise about my freelancing???

    Reply
  19. Raj Mitra says

    September 3, 2015 at 7:51 am

    Thanks for the tips Gail. I find it tough to find work from sites like freelancer and odesk, where its so hard to bid for projects. Can you suggest some easy places wher we can find work like content writing?

    Reply
  20. Bilal says

    September 2, 2015 at 9:24 am

    You are working great. I really appreciate your work because it’s very helpful for those people who don’t know how to make money with freelancer. Thanks for sharing this kind of information.
    Bilal would love you to read ..What are DoFollow NoFollow Backlinks for beginners:My Profile

    Reply
  21. ian sonsiff says

    September 1, 2015 at 3:13 pm

    The Freelancing tips you have given here have made me look a bit more at the way i write blog posts and i never new of Due.com so will check them out.

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 5:56 pm

      Hi Ian,

      Due.com is fairly new and their Freelancing Guide is brand new. Definitely make the time to check it out at https://due.com/freelancer
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Blogger Outreach: EARNED Versus Paid Media ~ Should Bloggers Work For Free?My Profile

      Reply
  22. praveen says

    August 31, 2015 at 4:32 am

    Thank you for sharing such an useful information. From this time on wards i have to work on Freelancer projects. These Freelancing tips regarding “Making More Money on Freelancing” is really helpful to me to get more money.
    praveen would love you to read ..How to Spot a liar – Tips to Know Your GF / BF is a liar or Not.My Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 5:58 pm

      Hi Praveen,

      Start by making sure it is obvious what you want to be hired to do. That way your friends, family, collaborators and coworkers will send you opportunities as they come across them.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Get Recommended: Recommendations ARE WHAT WORKS to Grow Your Small Business or BlogMy Profile

      Reply
  23. Gail Gardner says

    August 30, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    Hi Sanjana,

    You are correct that freelancing requires greater aptitude for communicating on a different level. Wise freelancers make it clear that unlike most employees, they work WITH their clients not FOR their clients. They also get paid for results rather than for working a particular number of hours.

    Many companies would be better off if they expected results rather than x amount of time from their employees, too.
    Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Blogger Outreach: EARNED Versus Paid Media ~ Should Bloggers Work For Free?My Profile

    Reply
  24. Nhick says

    August 30, 2015 at 10:40 am

    Planning to try this kind of money making opportunity, all I need is time and some extra effort to begin with..

    Thanks,
    Nhick
    Nhick would love you to read ..The Deeper Cleaning Airtight Vacuum – A vacuum cleaner that sucks dust and allergens effectively even on tightest spacesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 5:48 pm

      Hi Nhick,

      The easiest way to get started is to do some freelance work for existing or past clients or work with people you already know. Build a group of collaborators who pass work to each other. That is what we do.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Blogger Outreach: EARNED Versus Paid Media ~ Should Bloggers Work For Free?My Profile

      Reply
  25. Shae says

    August 27, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    As a freelancer, this is especially helpful to me. Lately work has been a bit slow and hopefully with your advice I will be able to get back into the swing of things. Thank you!
    Shae would love you to read ..We find the best detox water bottle for your budgetMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 6:01 pm

      Hi Shae,

      Join some freelancing communities or groups. We often share new sites to find work and places to throw our names into the hat. Make sure people you know realize you’re interested in more work by sharing that information on your social bios and your site.

      Many established bloggers and freelancers are getting more work than they can complete themselves. We refer clients to each other, or close deals on major projects and then subcontract to each other. The more freelancers you get to know, the more opportunities will come your way.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Bloggers Hiring Bloggers: Kinds of Work You Outsource or Get Hired to DoMy Profile

      Reply
  26. Edwin says

    August 27, 2015 at 7:28 am

    Hi,

    Freelancers – I got maximum experience on freelancers are they are good on writing and there skills. They are good at writing and changing themselves on writing all type of business related articles. Delivery is the major concern. The freelancers need more timespace to deliver quality content. That is the only concern where all freelancers will need – Yes! that is why they are called as freelancers.

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 6:03 pm

      Hi Edwin,

      It is up to use to set the expectations of clients. The best freelancers make it clear – but tactfully – when customers have unrealistic expectations. Tell them up front how long your turnaround is so they aren’t continually interfering with your ability to get your work done bothering you about when you will deliver.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Grow Your Small BusinessMy Profile

      Reply
  27. BRIC says

    August 26, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Yes, in freelancing frequent communication with your client is very essential and most important thing as you described is “Don’t miss the deadline”. To be successful freelancers you must keep track of everything. Thanks for sharing Gail.

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 6:08 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to comment, BRIC. We can’t always make deadlines, but when we can’t we need to let the customer know.

      I sincerely believe that having processes to keep track of everything is the key to being successful as a freelancer. I wish there had been something like Due.com back when we all started.

      We had to cobble a bunch of different things together, and just as we finally got it all how we like it, Due.com comes along and gives us a platform to keep track of everything in one place.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Getting Your Personal Finances in Order Builds Your Business CreditMy Profile

      Reply
  28. Priyanka says

    August 26, 2015 at 7:58 am

    @Gail Gardener
    Oh that’s valuable information for me…
    But
    Is Freelancer going to provide work for me?
    Regards
    Priyanka

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 26, 2015 at 12:30 pm

      Hi Priyanka,

      As a freelancer it is up to us to find the work. Start by having a site or page that explains exactly what kind of work you are seeking. Make it as compelling as possible.

      Create a LinkedIn profile that shows the type of work you do and your background. Link that to your site or page. Many will search on LinkedIn to get that information and find talent.

      Make sure people you know understand what kind of work you want so they can send it your way. It is slow getting started, but once you have some experience people who have worked with you will be more comfortable recommending you.

      There are many sites where work is posted. Some are better than others. Frequent them and apply for work that interests you that you feel you can do well.

      Read the post I’ve put in CommentLuv in this reply for more details on how to make yourself easy to recommend.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Get Recommended: Recommendations ARE WHAT WORKS to Grow Your Small Business or BlogMy Profile

      Reply
  29. Mohit farswan says

    August 25, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    Hey Gail,
    This is an awesome article. I think being a good freelancer has many responsibilities towards his customers and that is what called Customer Relationship Management (CRM) which you have describe in the best way you could.
    Thank you
    Mohit Farswan
    Mohit farswan would love you to read ..5 Cool Apps For Android Phones – Lollipop versionMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 6:04 pm

      Hi Mohit,

      Be sure to check out the Due.com Freelancer Guide I mentioned. They have compiled a ton of great information worth saving. See https://due.com/freelancer
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Beware of Token Stealing Man-in-the-Cloud Hackers (MITC)My Profile

      Reply
  30. Mamun says

    August 25, 2015 at 8:29 am

    Thanks for the post you have published. Its really informative. We should follow it. I hope these can help us to build up my freelancing career.

    Thanks again,
    Howlader Technology

    Reply
  31. vikas says

    August 25, 2015 at 6:29 am

    Awesome content…Let me ask two thingsHow to know about the most profitable keywords of your own blog…?

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 25, 2015 at 7:11 pm

      Hi Vikas,

      Have you considered taking one of the SEO courses that are available? Or if you are interested in affiliate marketing you might take a course specific to identifying profitable niches.

      Google has made it far more difficult to determine what keywords are sending traffic to which pages; however, you should be able to tell using analytics which pages are getting the most traffic and/or which pages are converting to sales. Then look at the page and make educated guesses about what keyword phrases it ranks for and search on Google to see where that page appears.

      Alternatively, you could make a list of keywords you believe your site should rank for and run searches when NOT logged in and using Google unpersonalized to try to find out what pages rank for what searches.

      Remember that Google may ASSUME that the person searching is the last person logged in, so ideally you would log in as someone unrelated who has never searched for those phrases before. They do their best to make it really difficult.

      Also do some reading online of posts like http://www.copyblogger.com/make-money-keyword-research/ and search for others with how-to info on using analytics.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Optimize Social Media ROIMy Profile

      Reply
      • vikas says

        August 26, 2015 at 4:25 am

        Hi Gail Gardner,
        thanks to given time to me, you advice is too precious for me, now i am looking forward.

        Reply
  32. waqas says

    August 24, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    I think satisfying your customer is most important part n freelancing.If you have good communication skills you can earn alot from freelancing.

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 6:06 pm

      Hi Waqas,

      Yes, the people who communicate clearest make more money. This is a skill many freelancers and also clients need to work on.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..WANTED: Bloggers Interested in Collaborating to Increase Their IncomesMy Profile

      Reply
  33. Maria Thomas says

    August 24, 2015 at 6:32 am

    Hello Gail,

    This Post is really helpful for me, So far i haven’t tried using these skills in my freelancing life, I’m gonna use it from Today. Thanks Again,

    Regards,
    Maria
    Maria Thomas would love you to read ..Relax PlanningMy Profile

    Reply
  34. kevin mitchell says

    August 21, 2015 at 3:15 pm

    WOW.What a great post.So much information that i had to read it a few times.

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 1, 2015 at 6:09 pm

      Hi Kevin,

      Make sure you read https://due.com/freelancer too.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Blogger Outreach: EARNED Versus Paid Media ~ Should Bloggers Work For Free?My Profile

      Reply
  35. Rambin Jackson says

    August 20, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    I am freelance Graphic Designer.
    My freelancing is not as static as I expecting need some tips and guides from you guys.
    Hope to get something useful
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 2:51 pm

      Hi Rambin,

      Do you mean that you don’t have work as consistently as you had hoped?
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How Small Businesses Can Use Influencer Marketing On InstagramMy Profile

      Reply
  36. Pete says

    August 20, 2015 at 4:02 am

    Freelancers have to make enough to feed themselves and pay for utilities and other necessities in life. Of course, rates vary, but generally pricing will be dictated by market conditions. If clients want lousy quality, then tell them to hire a low-paid freelancer who is working on an unsecure computer. They will get the picture. If they want quality, then offer them a fair rate. Of course. there will be some outliers who have clients who unknowing pay 2-3 times the going rate. There are other considerations too. How many of those so-called inexpensive freelancers have satisfied clients and how many testimonials can they provide?

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 9:14 am

      Hi Pete,

      Many actually hire poor quality writers on purpose because they think any content will do. It is hard enough to get people to read great content so bad content really doesn’t have a chance.

      The greatest error I see people making is thinking that content alone has SEO value. Unless it is strong enough to attract incoming links and social shares, content has little to no SEO value.

      While I do know some writers who are able to secure higher than average rates, it is because they consistently produce exceptional content. Writers who can increase conversion rates are worth every penny due to increased sales.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Is Creating Invoices Painful? How to Make it EasyMy Profile

      Reply
  37. chicha says

    August 20, 2015 at 3:10 am

    thanks for this guide ! i am a freelancer and it’s very difficult for me. I search the best way for earn customers fast. Thanks

    Reply
  38. Alaina Frederick says

    August 19, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    Great article! I use Worksnaps.com to track my time. It also takes screenshots so there is no questioning the time worked 🙂
    Alaina Frederick would love you to read ..How to Add an Image to Your Blog PostMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 12:19 am

      Hi Alaina,

      Is that for time tracking and invoicing? Does it have a CRM in it or integrate with Freshbooks and QuickBook?
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Optimize Social Media ROIMy Profile

      Reply
      • Alaina Frederick says

        August 20, 2015 at 12:29 am

        It integrates with Freshbooks, Asana, Salesforce, Basecamp. It can have teams and all the that. I just like it because I was on Elance with a client but they have changed in horrible ways so we moved to using the time tracking + Paypal invoices. I like the time tracking as it takes screen shots so if there is ever any question not only on my hours but for those I’m delegating to… people are a bit more honest 🙂
        Alaina Frederick would love you to read ..How To Add a New Blog Post #VideoMy Profile

        Reply
        • Gail Gardner says

          September 1, 2015 at 6:10 pm

          Hi Alaina,

          Thanks for sharing all those details. I didn’t think about being able to send clients screen shots from the time tracking. Very interesting.
          Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Blogger Outreach: EARNED Versus Paid Media ~ Should Bloggers Work For Free?My Profile

          Reply
  39. Eren Mckay says

    August 20, 2015 at 3:41 am

    Hi Gail,
    I find that when we lower our rates it ends up not being worth our time and energy. It’s better to stand firm on a rate that is fair for the client but also for us. If we don’t do this, we end up resenting the work and what’s the use in that? It would be better off getting a j-o-b.
    I really liked the fact that you talked about getting organized. I find that doing the most important tasks first thing frees up our mind for the rest of the day to be less difficult tasks and therefore less stressful.
    Blessings,
    Eren

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 9:17 am

      Hi Eren,

      I just had that conversation with a client recently. If they insist on discounts, they end up making themselves a low priority. When freelancers get really busy as demand goes up, that means their work won’t get done. They will be unhappy and so will their collaborators.

      Have you heard the story about the $10,000 advice? What you suggest is what the advice was: prioritize what is most important and complete the important task before going to the next and so on. Most people have a tendency to put off those tasks and do the “easy” ones first which leads to neglecting the very tasks that would make them more successful.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Optimize Social Media ROIMy Profile

      Reply
  40. Ann Smarty says

    August 19, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    When I started, I was working for free. Now I charge depending on how busy I am… My golden rule has always been “Your services cost exactly as much as people are ready to pay!” Thanks for sharing the guide, Gail!
    Ann Smarty would love you to read ..You’ll Never Be Stuck Again: The Ultimate Source of Content Inspiration #MyBlogUMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 12:23 am

      Hi Ann,

      I totally agree that what a skill is worth is all relative. If a client is not willing to pay you enough to keep a roof over your head and also eat, you need better clients. While there will always be people who are cheap, through collaborating we can share the better clients willing to pay a reasonable amount for what we do.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Optimize Social Media ROIMy Profile

      Reply
  41. farahkhan says

    August 19, 2015 at 11:23 am

    I agree with you. share useful information. your strategies are really mind blowing, done work hard to publish it.
    farahkhan would love you to read ..Tere Hoke Rehengay Video Song : Raja NatwarlalMy Profile

    Reply
  42. Jesson says

    August 19, 2015 at 9:41 am

    Thanks Gardner for useful tips looking forward to see you more.
    This post is amazing and the way you described is awesome, Thank You Again
    Jesson would love you to read ..adVideo Player Responsive Player for WordPressMy Profile

    Reply
  43. Roxana says

    August 19, 2015 at 9:15 am

    As a former freelancer and a freelance advocate, I can’t begin to express just how important it is to have a built-in option like Due has, Gail.

    I mean, you need Paypal invoicing, tracking, time tracking systems, time management, client management. These eat up your time when you start getting more clients, and you might end up spending more time managing all the things behind the actual work.

    The CRM works amazing, I’m loving it!
    Roxana would love you to read ..Breaking the Ice on SERPlifiedMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 12:37 am

      Hi Roxana,

      Thanks for taking the time to comment. Wouldn’t it have been great to have had this years ago? I hear they are working on getting a discount from PayPal to reduce the percentage users pay. That would be great. I’m sure they’ll let us know when that happens.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..WANTED: Bloggers Interested in Collaborating to Increase Their IncomesMy Profile

      Reply
  44. KmsKhalidMahmud says

    August 19, 2015 at 8:47 am

    thanks for sharing this important things and also giving your knowledge which is very important and well think. I hope that as soon as possible you will be publish your new article so that we can huge-knowledge.

    Reply
  45. Supriya mrai says

    August 19, 2015 at 8:38 am

    Really informative article. A freelancer must follow these rules. Thanks for sharing.Project management and client satisfaction are the 2 success logic for a freelancer. You have provided the tips in full descriptive manner.
    Supriya mrai would love you to read ..Foundation laid for RedRocks Tonalite at Derebail, MangaloreMy Profile

    Reply
  46. Apk says

    August 19, 2015 at 6:35 am

    Can i Start a Living via Freelancing if i have just one Skill … it can be easy for Tech Geeks But for A field guy its near impossible to live like that
    Apk would love you to read ..myLumia Updates 2.0.0.0 XAP Windows PhoneMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 12:29 am

      Hi,

      It helps to have a really low overhead when you start out so you don’t have to make as much as a full time income. Or do it on the side while still working elsewhere. Many “field guys” have turned that one skill into a thriving business. It takes time, connections, and decent people skills.

      In rural places, some small businesses would definitely go under if they had any competition because they just don’t understand how to treat their customers right. The more a person respects their clients and does quality work, the more referrals they will get. Referrals are the most valuable way to grow a business.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Get Recommended: Recommendations ARE WHAT WORKS to Grow Your Small Business or BlogMy Profile

      Reply
  47. Deborah Anderson says

    August 19, 2015 at 4:26 am

    Great article, Gail. I personally like how you referenced your experience with what writers are paid. As a professional writer, you network with others and are an expert in understanding the going rate. I know, when I first started, that was the main question that I had and I didn’t know what that rate was. You generally wouldn’t want to ask the client. I had a friend hire me and said he was giving me the better rate at $25 per post and the posts would take me 5 hours because it was an industry that I didn’t know. Doing the math showed that that was not a workable rate.
    Deborah Anderson would love you to read ..Canva Tutorials: Images, Social Selling Ads and Headers; How-to Stand Out on TwitterMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      August 20, 2015 at 12:32 am

      Thanks Deb. I did go out of my way to discuss rates with our other collaborators and start suggesting we have a consistent rate. There is no reason for us to be competing with each other when we can be referring clients to each other.

      Pay should be based on experience and quality and what clients can afford – not on taking whatever you can get because you don’t realize you’re undercharging. Far too many people will take advantage of new freelancers. We can all learn valuable skills from each other.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Bloggers Hiring Bloggers: Kinds of Work You Outsource or Get Hired to DoMy Profile

      Reply
  48. Purush Uttam says

    August 19, 2015 at 9:18 am

    Mind blowing article on Making More Money Freelancing. I think that freelancing is only a dream that above 60 ℅ of people want. Thanks a lot for giving such Knowledge. Thank You very Much GAIL GARDNER. Looking for more informative and knowledge article.
    Purush Uttam would love you to read ..Omni Swipe The Fast And Easy Booster for Android (1 MB)My Profile

    Reply

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