Are you considering freelancing as a Web Developer but you don’t know where to start? In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what freelancing is, its benefits, and what you can do to begin working as a freelance Web Developer in 2022.

What Is Freelancing?

Freelancing means that you’re self-employed and not committed to working with any particular employer. As a freelancer, you’re essentially an independent contractor who works with companies on a part-time or short-term basis and earns money per project instead of being paid a salary or hourly wage. 

Why Freelance as a Web Developer?

The popularity of freelancing has increased steadily in the past few years, and for good reason: freelancers enjoy a lot of benefits that employees don’t have access to. Let’s take a look at some of the key advantages of working as a freelance Web Developer.

You Get to Be Your Own Boss

One of the biggest perks of working as a freelance Web Developer is that you no longer have to answer to a boss because you are the boss. Working as a freelancer means there’s no manager telling you to speed up, do better, or work overtime—you’re in full control of your own business. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can work slowly, sloppily, or very little; you still have clients to take care of. But you do have the freedom to make choices with no one's opinion mattering more than your own.

You Have the Freedom to Choose

Along with the autonomy of being your own boss comes the freedom to choose your daily tasks, clients, and projects. When you work for an employer, they get to decide exactly what you’ll be working on every day; all you have to do is log in and look at your dashboard—it’s all laid out for you in advance. While some people might like that kind of predictability, others find it stifling and monotonous.

Employers also have control over which clients and projects you work on. It doesn’t matter if you’re interested in the content of the project or if the client is a pain to work with, you have to do what your boss tells you to do. As a freelancer, you get to choose clients and projects for yourself. Does a potential client seem like a pain in the behind? Tell them it’s not a good fit and move on to the next prospect. Does the proposed project sound dull and uninspiring? Then turn it down. You have the freedom to choose.

You Get Flexible Working Conditions

When you work as a freelance Web Developer, you also have complete control over your working conditions instead of them being determined by the company you work for; you can work wherever you’d like including from home, a café, or a co-working space. You could even take your laptop with you to another country and work while visiting or living abroad if you wanted to.

Having total control over your working conditions also includes your schedule. When you work for a company, they determine what hours you need to be available to work but as a freelancer, you set your own schedule. Are you a night owl who prefers to work in the evening? Or do you work better in two to three-hour increments with a long break in between? As a freelancer, you’re free to work whatever schedule suits you best.

Another perk of freelancing is that you no longer have to adhere to any sort of dress code. If you hate spending time getting ready for work in the morning and trying to figure out what to wear, then you’ll love freelancing; you can wear whatever you like, including your comfiest pajamas.

You Have Access to Endless Opportunities

As a freelance Web Developer, you’ll have access to a wider array of opportunities than you would as an employee. This perk is especially beneficial for those who tend to get bored by working on the same type of project day in and day out. When you’re freelancing, you can change focus easily and take on projects in various industries including education, manufacturing, retail, marketing, government, hospitality, finance, construction, and entertainment.

Having access to so many opportunities also makes it possible for you to earn more money. Instead of your wages being determined by one employer, as a freelancer, you get to decide how much you want to make. All you have to do is screen potential clients based on what kind of rate they offer and turn down those that don’t match your standards. By being selective about the projects you take on, you can increase your income and earn significantly more than you would working as an employee. 

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You Enjoy a Better Work-Life Balance

With the freedom and flexibility of freelancing also comes an improved work-life balance. Because you don’t have to endure a long commute to work and can set your own hours, you have more time to do what you enjoy. For example, you could take your kids to school every morning, go out to lunch with your spouse during the day, and pursue hobbies in the evening. 

This improved work-life balance also includes more flexible vacation time. Instead of putting in a request with your boss asking for time off only to have it denied, freelancers can schedule their own vacations. All you have to do is clear your schedule and alert clients that you’ll be unavailable during that time. 

Skills Required to be a Freelance Web Developer

You’ll need to acquire a broad range of skills in order to succeed as a freelance Web Developer. The required skills can be broken down into three separate categories: general skills, specialty-specific skills, and skills relevant to being self-employed. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

General Skills for Web Developers

In many ways, the skills you’ll need to be a freelance Web Developer depend upon whether you choose to focus your career on front end, back end, or full stack development but some basic skills apply to all potential Web Developers, including:

  • Computer literacy
  • Teamwork
  • Attention to detail
  • Problem-solving

Specialty-Specific Skills

When you look at the different specialties within web development, the skills required do vary a bit. Those interested in working as Front End Web Developers should have (or learn) the following skills: 

  • A solid grasp of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • An understanding of user experience (UX) principles
  • An interest in creating websites that are beautiful and functional
  • The ability to test code, find bugs, resolve issues, and track changes to the code
  • Familiarity with front end tools such as libraries, frameworks, and content management systems (CMS)

Anyone who’s considering a career as a Back End Web Developer should have or acquire these necessary skills:

  • A capacity for writing high-quality code using Python, Java, PHP, and JavaScript
  • The ability to create and manage web applications
  • Knowledge of database, hosting environment, and server management
  • The ability to analyze problems, find solutions, and make corrections to the code
  • An understanding of accessibility and security compliance

As a jack of all trades, Full Stack Web Developers need to acquire skills from both the front and back end. If you’re interested in learning full stack web development, it’s best to start on the front end then add back end skills later. 

Freelancing Skills

You’ll also need a few additional skills because as a freelancer, you must be able to manage your own business. To succeed as a freelance Web Developer, it’s recommended that you have the following skills:

  • Self-discipline
  • Marketing
  • Project planning
  • Basic bookkeeping and invoicing
  • Time management

How to Start Freelancing as a Web Developer

Becoming a freelance Web Developer is relatively easy once you learn the applicable web development skills. Here’s how you start: 

1. Choose Your Niche

The first thing you need to do is decide exactly what your particular area of focus is and the type of companies you want to work for. Having a specialty and targeting specific clients will help set you apart from other freelancers. While you might be tempted to just take any work that comes your way, this would be a mistake; you don’t just want to be a developer—you want to be an expert in a specific, sought-after area of web development. Clients are much more willing to pay high rates for expertise which makes being a generalist harmful to your career (and your bank account!)

When choosing your area of expertise, you could focus on working in a specific industry. For example, you could target clients in either the education, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, logistics, tech, construction, finance, real estate, or telecommunication fields. Clients will be much more willing to hire you if you already have experience working in their industry. You could also choose to specialize in a specific programming language, tool, library, or framework. 

2. Prepare Your Portfolio

A strong portfolio is the best tool you can possibly have as you search for freelance web development clients. Once you’ve chosen your niche, pull together all your best work into a portfolio. Make sure that the portfolio showcases a range of the work you’ve done within that niche. You might also consider highlighting the process you use by presenting each portfolio piece as a case study; that will give potential clients an even better understanding of how your skills can benefit their company.

3. Set Your Standards

Before you start working as a freelancer, you need to make a few key decisions about your business and define expectations regarding pay, hours, clients, and work environment. How much would you like to get paid for your services? Sit down and figure out the amount you’ll need to earn per month and set your project or hourly rates accordingly. Be sure to set your rates in advance instead of just taking whatever is offered to you or else you’ll end up with a monthly shortfall. 

You also need to consider what hours you’d like to work. Since you’re no longer an employee, you don’t have to work 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM every weekday—you get to set your own hours. You should also determine where you’ll be doing most of your work. Popular options for freelancers include either working from a home office or renting a co-working space. 

And while you’re making decisions, don’t forget to define what type of clients you’re willing to work with. For example, you might decide to only work with companies with at least 5 million in annual revenue because they can afford to pay higher rates. Whatever your standards are, make sure you clearly define them in advance to keep your freelance business (and career) on track. 

4. Build Your Network

To make sure you have access to as many potential clients as possible, it’s important for you to build up your network; this should include other Web Developers in addition to people working in the specific niche you’ve decided to target. You can build your network in a variety of ways, both online and in person. For example, you could meet more people in your field by attending local meet-ups and becoming active in online programming communities such as Stack Overflow, Reddit, and Dev.to. 

To make connections with potential clients, you could become a member of a networking group like BNI or H7. You might also consider attending conferences related to your niche to meet prospects. For example, if you’ve decided to focus on building websites for the education sector, you could attend EdTech conferences to meet people who might need your services. How you choose to meet people is up to you, but the key point is to expand your network so you’ll be able to expand your business. 

5. Market Your Services

The next step to starting your career as a freelance Web Developer is to market your business. There are many ways to go about this. Here are a few suggestions:

Optimize Your Website

You already have your portfolio website up and running—that’s a huge part of your marketing plan completed right there. But you can’t just trust that potential clients will magically make their way to your site and want to hire you; you need to use SEO (search engine optimization) principles on your portfolio website so that potential clients will be able to find you when they type in relevant search terms like “freelance web developer.” 

Conduct Outreach by Email

Remember all of those contacts you made in step five? Those will come in handy once you start actively marketing your services. If you were diligent about building your network, you should have a few contacts in your niche. You can send them a quick email letting them know you’re looking for clients and asking if they need any web development work done. 

Reach Out on Social Media

You can also find potential clients through social media, especially on LinkedIn. Make sure your profile is completely filled out and links back to your portfolio website. Try searching for companies and employees in your niche then send them a connect request asking if they have any web development work to contract out.

Ask for Leads and Referrals

Another way to market your business and find clients is to ask for leads and referrals. You can ask practically anyone for leads on potential, including your family, friends, and other Web Developers; who knows, your neighbor’s mom might be starting a new company and need a website built. Whenever you do work with a client, always be sure to ask them to refer you to other potential clients once the project has been completed satisfactorily. 

Pay for Ads

You could also consider paying for ads in order to get your portfolio in front of more people. This can be done either through specific search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo or on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok. Keep in mind that this could end up being your most expensive but least effective tactic; if you choose to use this method, be sure to mix it with other outreach plans. 

6. Continue Developing Your Skills

As you start to get clients and take on more work, don’t let your skills slide. You should always consider ways to upgrade your web development skills so you can remain relevant and attract the best clients. 

Get the Skills You Need to Become a Freelance Web Developer

If you want to become a freelance Web Developer, you’ll first need to acquire all the necessary skills at a reputable training facility. The most efficient route to a career in web development is to enroll in a web development bootcamp. Bootcamps are intensive skills-based programs that are designed to get students ready for a new career in a relatively short amount of time. 

Thanks to their focus on skills acquisition, bootcamps can be completed in just a few short months; that’s considerably less time than it would take to complete a university degree. Bootcamps can be taken either full or part-time. There are even web development bootcamps available live online for those who prefer learning from home instead of commuting to an in-person school. 

If you’re interested in expanding your web development skill set but aren’t ready to commit to a full bootcamp, another option would be to enroll in individual web development classes. Depending upon your location, you might be able to find web development classes in your area, though class offerings may be limited. 

Noble Desktop offers a wide array of web development classes live online and in-person at their New York facility that can help prepare you for your new career as a freelance Web Developer; for an even wider selection of courses, you can use Noble Desktop’s convenient Classes Near Me tool to find relevant courses available in your area and online.