Why is it Difficult to Find The First Client?

There are millions of freelancers already offering the same services that you offer, but that doesn't mean that you can't join them. The following guide will help increase the chances of finding your first client.

Pick A Niche

In order to maximize your chances of finding your first client, you need to stand out among other freelancers. Instead of offering a general purpose service, you need to specify what you're good at doing.

eg. Let's imagine yourself as a Software Developer...

  • ✅ Good: "I will migrate legacy web applications to scalable serverless functions."
  • ❌ Bad: "I will build full-stack applications."

SEO

Picking an uncommon niche can improve SEO, which increases the chances of your services appearing first when a client searches for a service. If you look at the previous examples, we can learn the following:

  • ✅ Good: legacy, scalable, and serverless are keywords that are less common, helping you appear first if a client searches for such terms.
  • ❌ Bad: full-stack is too common, if a client searches for such term, you probably wouldn't appear until after 10 pages which realistically, the client will never come across your service.

Stay Alert

Another way to increase your chances of finding your first client, is by being active.

If you're joined in a particular community (eg. Reddit or Discord), you should always connect with others. This increases your visibility, therefore increasing the chances of a client to come by you.

If you're posting on freelancing platforms (eg. Upwork, etc...), you should update your posts frequently. This tricks the platform's algorithm to push your posts up there (this can differ from a platform to another).

As you experiment, you learn what works and what doesn't, try learning how the algorithm works and utilize it for your own good.

Accessibility

Finally, your social profiles should be accessible, so what do I mean by accessible?

  • Use Backlinks: reference your services and posts links' in blogs, profile bios, and social media posts. Backlinks make it easier for the client to learn more about you.

  • Contact Methods: keep a method of contact that's available for most clients (eg. Email, or a common Social Media app) in your blogs, profile bios, and social media posts. This makes it easier for the client to contact you.