In today’s world, online freelance job opportunities abound, and getting starting with freelancing online can often be easier than searching for freelance clients offline. Here is a list of ten online freelance job opportunities for freelance professionals in a variety of fields, including a brief description of each type of freelance work.
1. Freelance Writing for the Web – Freelance writing for the Web works much like freelance writing in print publications, like magazines, newspapers, and business documents. Every website needs content, and if they don’t employ a Web writer in-house, they will often contract writing jobs to freelance writers. The key to successful freelance writing for the Web is to learn basic techniques for writing for the Web, such as making work scannable using bold subheadings and lists. One benefit of freelance writing for the Web over print is that you often don’t have to mail hard copy submissions or wait long periods of time to have your articles / queries reviewed
2. Internet Marketing / SEO Consulting – Internet marketing freelancers are in demand with the constantly growing number of websites competing for both visitors’ attention and search engine rankings. Internet marketing is a broad field with many freelance opportunities, from submitting clients’ websites to Web directories, to writing articles and submitting them to article directories, to requesting link exchanges, to search engine optimization improving keyword density and writing better meta tags.
3. Data Entry – Another type of freelance work in demand through many website owners is basic data entry work. As long as you can type entries reasonably fast and accurately, and you have the appropriate software for the project, freelance data entry jobs online can be a good option. These jobs are often harder to come by though, as there are many illegitimate freelance data entry jobs posted online regularly.
4. Freelance Editing Jobs Online – Just as freelance writers are in demand online, many websites also need editors to ensure their quality. While there may be fewer online freelance editing jobs posted, they’re also not terribly difficult to find if you’re willing to scout clients on your own, and send unsolicited proposals in a tasteful manner when you find sites that need obvious editing work.
5. Freelance Web Design – As long as there are websites being created, freelance Web designers will be in demand. While freelance Web design is a pretty saturated market, there will always be room for great designers who are able to keep up with the latest technologies in Web design, and there are plenty of undersaturated niche audiences to target.
6. Freelance Web Programming – In addition to needing basic Web design services, website owners will also always have a need for quality programmers who can code their newly designed sites, and create custom tools to set them apart from their competition.
7. Online Translation Services – Many websites would benefit by being able to reach a broader international audience, and basic automated online translation services are rarely very accurate. You can scout clients on your own (those who may be in English, but who would benefit from a second site in another language, or international sites who may like it translated into English to reach a broader audience), or you can often find translation jobs posted to various freelance job search sites.
8. Freelance Online Research – Offering freelance services online for research or factchecking can be a lucrative freelance business if you know what kinds of clients to target. For example, online research jobs could range from genealogy (family history research) to factchecking for online magazines or news sites to market research for businesses.
9. Freelance Typing – Even if what you do as a freelance typist doesn’t make it into online publication, it’s a freelance job that can often be run entirely online. People regularly need manuscripts and smaller documents typed for them. If you’re a quick and accurate typist, it could be a good bet, where clients mail you their documents, you type them, and then you simply email them the files instantly for them to print on their own (no shipping involved on your end).
10. Virtual Assistant – A virtual assistant is a growing freelance job niche online, and is a combination of freelance typist, data entry work, writing, research, and editing. Basically, a virtual assistant picks up all of the smaller administrative-style tasks that an online business owner or webmaster doesn’t want to, or doesn’t have time to, do themselves.
Reference:
- “How to Avoid Freelance Job Scams” found on BizAmmo: Freelance Jobs: freelancejobs.bizammo.com.
