Making FreelanceSwitch Profitable
You may be surprised to know that since we started this FreelanceSwitch project back in April, we’ve yet to have a profitable month, though we have come very close a little while back! This is largely due to the fact that we don’t really keep things simple. Surveys, podcasts, lots of writers, site redesigns and so on are all great ways to have a hefty budget.
Now don’t stress, as the site isn’t going anywhere, this is actually just my way of saying that over the next two months we’re going to be changing some things on the site to get it into the black. Here’s what we’re doing:
New Advertising System
As of Dec 1st, we’re ditching the plethora of ads in the sidebar and changing our advertising to a single-ad format (blatantly inspired by the Deck) and opting for a less is more strategy. You can read more about it on Miiingle.com and if you are an advertiser, there are 4 of the 6 slots still available.
Adsense Out, Affiliates In
I must admit I’ve always disliked Adsense, so it’s with some pleasure that I’ve stripped it out of the sites and replaced our Adsense blocks with some hand picked affiliate programs which are a little more relevant and more likely to actually be worth the pixels they take up!
New Subscription Job Board
Our own Mathias has completed the new job board and it should be going up this week. The board has some new cosmetic features, but the main one is that from now on you will have to pay a small monthly subscription fee in order to access the contact details for each job. Posting jobs will remain free, but being able to apply will require the subscription. Currently we are getting a good 150 or so jobs at any one time with lots of freelancers applying. This system will mean there are less freelancers applying to each job so those who sign up will have a greater chance of getting the job and know that they are supporting the site in the process. We’ll also cut out the recruitment agencies and companies that have been “applying”.
Books, books, books
Now that I’ve finished the Hired Gun book (which Cyan is laboriously editing), I’m about to begin a new book on Wordpress. Additionally we are commissioning a book interviewing famous freelancers and a couple of others. We hope that these will be a great way to supplement your core FSw reading, and thanks to Lulu’s service may even end up in bookstores!
Opening up for Donations
Finally I’m going to add some donation buttons to the site in case anyone feels like getting rid of some spare change. Mostly this will be for the podcasts as we are ditching advertising on those (due to lack of take up). So far they seem to be uber popular, but are pretty expensive to put together. So yes, erm, feel free to donate!
So anyhow, lots of plans, we’ll see how they go down, I think it should all finally tip the site over into the happy, black zone of accounts. But rest assured, regardless of whether the site turns a profit, we’ll keep it running as long as there are people reading!
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I don’t know about a monthly subscription to the job board. i’m more willing to shell out a one time fee, perhaps in 3 month , 6 month and yearly incriments as opposed to something monthly. Buy it once and then reevaluate how many jobs come through from it and if it’s worth to buy again in 3 months. Maybe that’s just me.
Great stuff. I take it you weren’t making much on Adsense anyway. The ‘deck’ type of ads definitely do the pixels justice.
Keep it up…..
you can do it.
you provide a service we value. Don’t be afraid to call out to the community if you need help hitting your goals.
=)
Sounds like a great bunch of plans!
The funny thing about the WordPress book is that I’m working on something similar. At first, seeing it on your list made a chill crawl up my back, but I’m sure there’s room for two or more of WordPress books on the web.
Good luck with making FreelanceSwitch profitable, Collis! I’m sure you can do it.
Is charging to view jobs the right way to go about it? Shouldn’t those posting jobs be the ones to pay?
Other than that, the changes sound like a good step forward.
The Advertise link is returning a 404 error.
Agree with Shane completely — and I look forward to the Wordpress book too! I would love an “advanced” Wordpress reference!
Keep up the great work, guys, and I will continue to observe with both wonder and mild jealousy
I think it’s great. Don’t give away the farm! Very smart business decisions and you guys continue to serve as examples to us all.
Jessica
I am so glad to read that you are going to keep Freelance Switch going. I just found this site a couple of days ago and it is now my favorite blog/site. I even made mention of it in my blog, so maybe I can get some more people over here. Hopefully, you can get those profits coming in soon – you really do deserve it. Thanks for a great freelance site!
Glad to hear there are words on wordpress coming soon. While the codex are functional, there is a LOT of stuff missing. In addition to the basic overviews, examples and explanations, a couple of items that I’d like to see covered which aren’t well documented at this stage:
-The Loop / Multiple Loops – I just spent an hour quashing a bug that was directly as a result of the difference between start_wp(), the_post() and a proper way to do a non-main-loop in the sidebar.
-The best configuration(s) of index.php, home.php, or using a separate page template that go along with the admin settings in Options > Reading > Front Page.
-”Must Have” plugins and how to integrate them to various areas: Post Templates by Category, Akismet, wp-cache, etc.
-Different solutions for the WYSIWYG editor. It is the page that you will spend 90% of your blogging time in front of, and yet I cannot find one that has enough of the basic WYSIWYG features I require w/o it overhauling any code I might put in when I hit save. I found – http://www.iamkarthik.com/12-wordpress-editors.html – and am trying some of those. Perhaps good fodder to start from.
-Custom Field integration examples: There’s a lot of potential in this area if it’s well designed blog.
-Appendix A: Complete function documentation / reference material. The equivelent of this: http://myfaces.apache.org/tomahawk/tlddoc/index.html for wordpress functions.
-Appendix B: Great sites that continue to update with Wordpress related themes / plugins.
If you want a guest proofreader / 3rd party comments on the book, drop me a line and I’d be more than happy to help.
Happy to hear everyone benefits including all the fab people behind freelance switch!!!
Thanks for all the great help you have to offer.
Long-time reader, first time poster.
Putting a tax on the freelancers, instead of the businesses that have job openings, seems a bit reversed for a site about helping freelancers. There are plenty of other job boards though, and almost all of them free for the applicant.
Just my two cents.
As long as this helps the site keep going I am happy
Wish you all the best!
I totally agree with Joff.
Other than that, great site.
Keep up the good work.
Indeed profit is essential. I am with you. Even if we do not get the job we have to pay the fee to see the detail, you mean. Hmm..! It would be a nice if you can have options for subscription. i mean flexibility. Thanks Collis.
As many are pointing out – have a fee for POSTING a job, not for APPLYING. Since you don’t want to get caught in the middle of why someone paid you, then didn’t get the job.
Hi Collis,
I am not sure about paying a fee to be allowed into the job board. Many excellent designers and programmers might not join to the board. I would do something similar to RentACoder, you charge the client and the freelancer a “success fee”.
Just an idea: Have you thought of having your content translated to other languages? You will be surprised of how many non-English speaker designers and programmers are out there.
I know it would be a hard task to do, but it will increase dramatically your traffic and your potential income.
I’m a Spanish speaker. I found many articles for my sister who is a graphic designer, but has very little knowledge of English. She doesn’t bother to read them unless I translate them to her.
Keep on with the good work! You inspire me and many others!
I agree – there should be a fee for posting a job, not a fee for applying for a job. Kind of odd that you decided to go the opposite route.
I’ll agree with everyone else and say that it makes little sense to charge the applicants instead of the posters. There are plenty of other boards out there that are free to apply to and I think this change would effectively kill the FS job board and send everyone elsewhere.
please try to keep it free for us, readers… or then try to get it looow fees then please.
Speaking of “must-haves” Jamie, a subscription to this site’s feed is definitely a must-have in anyone’s reader.
As an avid A.D.D. surfer, I find I can occupy more than enough quality time starting here and ending up elsewhere.
Seriously, as a frustrated ‘director of creative services’ laying groundwork again for a jump into freelanceyllvania, I find nearly everything read here to have great worth and countenance.
As to the ‘charge’ to apply for work– hmm, that’s an interesting take that, as mentioned, goes against the grain of traditional models. It will be interesting to see how other comments here color your decision, as well as what price-point you assign to make it work as you’ve planned.
Again, Keep up the great work.
[...runs off to look for spare change...]
regards from miamisburg, ohio
Michael
I agree with everyone about the job postings. People looking for work will less likely have the money to spend looking for a job as opposed to a company looking to pay someone to work for them hehe!
aj
collision-theory.com
I am a huge fan of freelance switch so if seeing a few more ads is going to keep the site up and as excellent as usual the i’m all for it!
I do agree on the job postings, rather unfair to make the applicant pay to apply, i suppose i think of recruitment agencies in this case, as an applicant you don’t pay to submit your resume but the employer pays to submit their job advert. It is a great resource for freelancers looking for work so i do hope it stays free!
Thanks for all the feedback guys!
Yeah the job board is a bit of an experiment I must admit. I spent a few months after we launched trying to figure out what the best way to approach the job board was. I think this is it, but I suppose I may be wrong. Either ways we’ll trial it for 3-4 months and find out
I hope it pans out the way I think it will!
This is definitely a more sustainable online business model , and leaves you a little less at the mercy of Google.
Like the blog, keep it up!
Wow this is great knowing that you didnt use adsense in your site coz u dislike it…very impressive article nice good job.