There’s a huge market for freelancers these days, particularly when it comes to running a website. With so many freelancers available, it can be difficult to figure out where to begin when selecting a freelancer, but these five tips should help ensure you find the right person.
Do Your Research
There are lots of amazing freelancers out there, but like with anything, there are also plenty that just aren’t up to the standards you set for your website. One of your first jobs is to find freelancers with the level of capabilities you need, and this is an important part of the process.
Make sure you’re asking the right questions and are extremely clear with what you need. Ask for samples of people’s work and check those references! This will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Use the Right Software
One of the reasons we use freelancers is because of the convenience, so to get the most out of this experience, we need to make the process as convenient as possible. You want to be able to communicate clearly, share work in real-time, and collaborate as if you were working in the same office.
To do this, you’ve got to leverage the right software and make use of things like Amazon Web Services and Trello (to name a few.) You can easily get an AWS certification to make sure you’re all set up to get the most out of your freelance collaborations.
Understand What You Want
Your website is something that’s very personal to you, so it can be difficult for freelancers to truly understand your wishes unless you create good briefs. The better you can convey what it is that makes your website successful and articulate what you want, the more likely it is you’re going to get great work from your freelancer.
It’s part of a freelancer’s job to understand what you want, but at the same time, they’re not mind readers. Creating clear guidelines and briefs will help you get the best work possible and make the process much smoother.
Be Realistic with Deadlines
For your website to be a success, you need to be consistent, so it’s important to work out deadlines with your freelancers. Good deadline setting is beneficial for both sides and can help ensure you get the highest quality of work possible.
There should be some give and take when deciding on deadlines, and you need to remember that if you’re putting unrealistic expectations on your freelancer, then standards might drop.
You Get What You Pay For
This saying applies to virtually anything, but it’s particularly true for freelancers. If you’re paying rock bottom prices, then the chances are you won’t get the best work.
Your website relies on high-quality content, so it’s always worth going with quality. You should get a feel for what level of work your budget should secure you, but remember, the more you drive the price down, the more the quality of work is likely to suffer.