16 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Freelancing on Upwork as a Web Developer

1. Don't lower your prices to get jobs! Do the opposite, periodically increase them. There are clients who look for top talent and they understand that experts charge higher prices. If a client tells you that other people proposed lower prices you can wish him luck with them. I had many cases where I had to fix code from lower-skilled developers

2. Select clients wisely. Once someone becomes a client he will be able to leave you a review which will be seen by future potential clients. So a client will influence your future potential clients. The feedback also impacts your Job Success Score and Top Rated/Top Rated Plus status

3. Apply for good jobs. I apply to jobs from clients with payment verified that clearly describe their needs. Before starting a contract you want to interview the client as well and see if he is a good fit and if you can deliver a great job

4. Define clear terms before starting a contract and set expectations straight. The last thing you want is to start a contract and find out later that the client actually wanted something else than you thought

5. Specialize in a main field. Our brain has limits and you can only specialize in a certain amount of things. You want to be an expert in your field of choice. I also saw that one ranks better in search results if you are in a field and don't cover lots of things

6. Set reasonable deadlines. If you estimate that something will take you 7 days, you should set the deadline at about 9-10 days because of unknown factors. There are always unexpected things happening in the real world. If you manage to do it actually in 7 days rather than the estimated 10, the client will like it but in case something unknown appears and adds 1-3 days it will be in your delivered estimate. You should also not work in stressful conditions caused by the deadline

7. Aim for larger contracts and long-term relationships. Getting new clients is one of the most challenging parts of being a freelancer. If you land one or more longer-term jobs you will not need to apply for new jobs as often and pay for connects. Also creating a good relationship with a client will help you get new jobs from that client when he needs you in the future

8. Try different proposal letters and see which performs better. If you don't get a good amount of responses to your proposals it is probably time to try a different style of proposal. Recently I had this issue and after I tried a shorter version of my proposal the responses increased dramatically

9. Work directly with business owners or top people from a company and not with intermediaries. Intermediaries get a project and then hire people to do the work at lower prices so they can make a profit. If you work with key people from a business they will pay you the full amount

10. Learn from successful freelancers. Success leaves clues and it is way easier to learn from successful people rather than taking you years to gain experience on your own. You can also join some communities and be in touch with successful freelancers. It will make your life easier and you will earn more

11. Build a presence outside of the platform. You never know what will happen with a platform and what changes it will go through. You don't want to "put all your eggs in one basket"

12. Improve your skills periodically. You want to be the best or among the best people in your field. It is not a secret that higher-skilled people earn more. In the field of software, things are moving fast and you want to be up-to-date in your field

13. Optimize your time so you can focus on your business. I learned this from Sam Ovens. You want to spend time on the activities that produce the best outcome

14. Review your work and have relaxation time. Periodic reviews are a great way to see in what direction you are moving and learn from mistakes. You also don't want to burn out instead you want an optimal schedule and enjoy your time because you will not get it back

15. Put money aside for periods with a low amount of work. There will be periods when you won't get as much work as you want and having money put aside will keep you safe and not make you accept bad jobs just so you get some money in

16. Study some key things about sales and business. It is very helpful to know the basics of sales and business because you are like a business and will need to sell your services