Upwork Review – Simply A Touch Of Class

Upwork is a great site that has helped many to earn thousands and even millions of dollars. In fact, it is the biggest and most-loved freelancing website in the world.

Like most freelancers, I was once afraid of Upwork. I simply signed up back then when it was still Elance but didn’t use it for months. I later gave it a shot, a really good shot, to see how it works.

Results? It’s now my most preferred freelancing site.

Here are my honest thoughts on Upwork.

Advantages of Upwork

1. It pays very well if you prove your expertise. For example, writers can get clients who pay $50 to over $100 per 500 words, which is unheard of in many freelancing websites.
2. It is hard to get scammed if you follow the site’s guidelines.
3. Most clients are reasonable and courteous — unlike some of those harsh, unreasonable ones in Freelancer and Guru.
4. You are guaranteed payment as long as you take either hourly payments or ask for escrow (milestone) in fixed price projects.
5. The Upwork Help Center shows you exactly what you need to do to get started and increase your earnings.
6. You can easily form great, long-term relationships with the outstanding clients you get there, especially if you’re good at targeting.

Disadvantages of Upwork

1. It is hard (but not impossible) to get hired when you’re new. Some people send proposals for weeks before getting their first job. However, if you work smart or are well trained ,you can do it faster. Join my Upwork Mastery Course I show you the ropes.
2. Some people find it hard to complete their profiles, especially without proper guidance. There is a lot to do for it to be complete; such as the completing the overview, setting up specialized profiles, adding portfolio items, and filling in background information.

Some Few Things You Need to Know About Upwork

Here are the absolute basics that you must know when you join Upwork.

Proposals

Sending a proposal in Upwork means applying for a job.

Upwork Desktop App

Upwork guarantees your payments for hourly jobs. If you take jobs that pay per hour, you can use the Upwork Desktop App and you will get automatically paid on certain dates as long as the client approves the work you did.

Even if you prefer fixed-price contracts like me, you can still use this app to communicate instantly with clients. Download and install it.

Connects

This is like some sort of Upwork currency for sending proposals. You get 20 free Connects when you sign up as a free user. Once they’re depleted, you’ll need to buy more Connects.

Sending proposals will cost you two to six connects. 

Note that if Upwork staff or clients invite you to a job interview, you won’t use any Connects.

Learn all about using Connects here.

Escrow

This describes cash that a client pays to the site, then it is held for a particular project. Once the freelancer finishes their work, the client can release the escrow.

When you are hired for a fixed price job, ask your client to fund an escrow. The good thing is that the site asks them automatically to do this as well.

There is a lot of great stuff on this site that you just have to see for yourself. Otherwise, on this Upwork review, I have highlighted what I believe you need to know to understand the site.

Check out the short video below on how to build your Upwork freelancer profile.

Final Thoughts

I love the professionalism and thoroughness of the site but the best thing of all for me is the fact that there are clients who pay very well.

It becomes easier to work there once you get the hang of it.

Check out what you need to do to make good cash on Upwork.

And if you need help, join The Upwork Mastery Course. Here, I’ll teach you how to create an optimized profile, send powerful proposals, and get valuable clients who pay well and give fantastic 5-star reviews.