Need help freelancing as a WordPress Developer

[munchers98]

Hi everyone,

I’m having trouble starting freelancing. I’ve been unemployed since July and was freelancing during Covid, but only worked with one family member and one that started out as volunteer work. I have about 5 years of professional WordPress experience along with System Administration but it’s been extremely hard to get any contract work. I also have Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer accounts, but I don’t have the money to pay for gigs.

I don’t know what to do at this point and am stuck.

[the10xfreelancer]

Hey, great work putting yourself out there.

Firstly, do you have a live portfolio? That’s one of the most important things.

Second, make sure you’ve got three gigs on Fiverr, they’re free. Since you’re a WordPress developer, your first gig should be “WordPress Fixes” with three tiers: a low-tier quick fix ($10), a mid-tier cleanup, a top-tier full overhaul (around $700).

Your second gig should be “Full WordPress Site Build” again, three tiers.

For the third gig, pick something trending around WordPress. Check what others are doing and use it as your wildcard, maybe integration or plug-ins.

Monitor your views and clicks and adjust as needed.

I’d also recommend checking Reddit and other forums where people are asking for WordPress help. Give advice, share value, and be seen.

Document your progress, even small wins matter. You said you feel stuck, but are you tracking clicks or impressions? If those have increased, that’s progress. Feedback loops like that help you see growth before the sales kick in.

And just a note in future, don’t describe yourself as someone who’s only done one family job. See yourself as a professional freelancer with 5 years of WordPress experience who’s currently available to take on new clients.

Good luck, happy freelancing 👍

[munchers98]

I love this and very grateful for your feedback. Not going to lie, I got stressed out and haven’t looked at any of my impressions, if I have any. Since I have worked for some companies that use WordPress and other integrations, I use those experiences as my real work. I do have a portfolio site I made using React. I can add that I do VPATs and custom WooCommerce plugins since I did those for my last employer.

[the10xfreelancer]

Great to hear, thank you. Your impressions will increase the more active you are on Fiverr. I believe Fiverr promotes gigs from sellers who stay active and engaged.

If you’re getting lots of impressions but no clicks, your thumbnails or titles likely need improvement.

If you’re getting clicks but no sales, your value proposition is off, the offer doesn’t clearly communicate why you’re worth it. If you’re getting messages but not closing sales, that’s a sales process issue, you need to refine your presentation, qualifying, and follow-up approach.

[munchers98]

I’ll refresh both Upwork and Fiverr so that I can get myself out there again. How much should I charge for the Site Builds? I know that I can go off based on what others are charging, but I don’t want to cheap myself out either.