We’ve all been there. While you’re swamped with day-to-day operations and trying to keep ahead of work during the crazy busy season, your company’s trying to update its website with your latest, greatest projects—but clients’ work takes priority, your forté isn’t web design, and you’d rather not spend your weekend figuring out how to code. We get it. Now, more than ever, companies are very aware of how their businesses look online, and are more invested in spending time to make sure they can be found easily and leave a good impression. In addition to joining a marketplace like LandscapeHub to increase visibility, you may find time in hiring a freelancer or two to take on a couple of projects to update your website or social channels. Luckily, there’s an easy solution to find tech support to keep your business functioning and your online presence fresh and relevant.

Meet Upwork.com

Sure, there are thousands of freelancers looking for gigs, but how much time will you spend posting on multiple employment sites, vetting each candidate, and ensuring they’ll do good work? Upwork.com provides a one-stop shopping solution to find professionals that meet your company’s needs. You’ll find hundreds of contract and freelance employees with techie brains and talents to execute your plans efficiently—so you can focus on your core business.

Or maybe you’re a technical whiz but need customer service or administrative back-up during crunch times, like if you’ve just launched a container subscription service. Freelancers in many categories, including customer service, accounting, design, web and mobile development, and administration, provide services through Upwork.

How Does It Work?

Join Upwork—it’s free. (You can also enroll in Upwork Business, a paid package that provides increased support in finding talent for you.) Upwork makes its money by charging contractors a percentage of the total amount they bill clients. 

Post a Job. 

• Write a description of the services you need. Be as specific as possible so that you’ll find the right candidate. 
• Describe the project.
• Outline the goals and deliverables expected.
• List the skills and experience needed.
• Set a deadline for completion, if it’s a one-time project, or establish a timeline for ongoing work. 
• Decide the price of the project or hourly rate that fits your budget. 
• Post the job on Upwork.

Review Candidates. 

Proposals begin arriving for your review within 24 hours of the job posting. Upwork analyzes your needs and highlights the best candidates, based on the skills that match your needs. You’ll see a short list of top candidates, allowing you to compare their bids, prior work, and performance reviews. Or, you can search candidates’ profiles, checking client feedback, job success scores, and skill tests results. Once you’ve narrowed the choices, schedule interviews with the top candidates so you can better explain the project and hear the candidates’ feedback for how they’d approach the work. Hire the best candidate for your tech needs.

Breathe Easy.

Unlike posting a freelance job on Craigslist or Indeed.com, Upwork verifies the identity of freelancers and agencies that enroll in the site, so you can be confident in the contractors you hire. You’ll also see job success scores, skill tests results, and client feedback, so you can be sure to find quality help. 

Collaborate Efficiently.

Once you’ve found the perfect contractor, use Upwork to chat and message, share and review files, and track project milestones. Working with your contractor, it’s easy to give feedback and discuss details, making sure you’re both on the same page for the project.

Simplify Payments.

Whether your project involves a set fee or hourly payment, all invoicing streams through Upwork. You only pay for work that you authorize. For fixed-price jobs, a licensed escrow service releases funds to the contractor as mutually agreed upon milestones are met. No matter where your freelancer resides, Upwork handles global payments in more than 170 countries. (They do charge a 3 percent processing fee for payments.)

Review Your Contractor.

Once the freelancer completes your project, rate the work and leave a review. (The contractor also rates you!) 

Keep track of those 5-star freelancers for the next time you need a hand, and hopefully you’ll quickly find your perfect match for future projects.  

After all, you’ve got a business to run!