Why Freelancing on Upwork is Getting Harder (And How to Survive)

Let's first start with the hard parts and then move to the solutions

1. Price of Connects. Over the past year, the cost of applying for jobs on Upwork has skyrocketed. Connects, which freelancers use to submit proposals, have quadrupled in price. A year ago, the maximum number of connects required for a job was 6. Now, it's as high as 23 for some listings. This means that in a single month, you could easily spend $500-$1000 on connects, without landing a single job. That's a serious financial risk for many freelancers, especially those who are just starting out.

2. Search Result Visibility. Even after you’ve built a strong profile with great reviews, getting visibility in Upwork's search results is still a challenge. This is because Upwork uses a "rotation" system that randomly features different profiles, regardless of quality. Instead of prioritizing the best candidates for the job, this rotation system showcases a variety of freelancers, which can push even highly qualified profiles down the list. So, even if your work history perfectly matches the search query, there's no guarantee that you'll be in the top 3 profiles a client sees on the first page of results.

3. Jobs posted that don't end up hiring anyone. The client might have posted on multiple freelancing platforms and also thought of posting on Upwork. At the moment even if the client doesn't hire someone the connects that people used to apply are not being returned. There are also some spam and scam jobs and it might be hard to identify them so one doesn't waste his connects. And even if the job is closed by Upwork you only receive back the connects used for boosting but not the regular ones needed for the basic submission

4. Low Proposal View Rates. On average, only 17% of the proposals I send are actually viewed by clients. To put that into perspective, if you submit 100 proposals in a month, only about 17 of them will be seen. There’s some mystery surrounding how Upwork decides which proposals get priority. If your proposal ends up in the "Show More" section, where a client has to click an extra button to see additional submissions, your chances of being viewed drop significantly. You might assume that higher costs to apply for jobs would reduce competition, but I haven’t seen that. Most jobs still receive between 20-50 proposals, and some even get 50+ when the client has spent over $100k.

5. Unrealistic Budgets and Deadlines. Another major issue is clients who don't have realistic expectations. This is especially true for new business owners who post jobs with very tight budgets and short deadlines, hoping to get high-quality work from freelancers in low-cost regions. It can be a challenge to find clients who understand the real value of your work.

6. What can you do about it?

7. Target High-Quality Jobs. Focus on job posts that seem to offer long-term opportunities and are from clients with a strong hiring history.

8. Optimize Your Profile. Work on SEO for your Upwork profile so clients can find you directly, instead of you always chasing jobs.

9. Build a Project Catalog. Create a solid project catalog showcasing your best work. This can help clients understand the scope of what you offer and make it easier for them to hire you.

10. Diversify Your Presence. Don’t rely solely on Upwork. Have a website, explore other freelancing platforms, and build a presence outside of Upwork. Platforms are businesses that need to make a profit, and their decisions might not always align with your interests. By diversifying, you reduce the risk of being too dependent on one source of income.