Skyword vs. Upwork

It's a great platform for freelance writers to use because everything - the brief, deadline, notes, edits along the way etc, are all in one handy location; which is easy to access. It's great to get picked up by one client, following the recommendation of another too. It's almost like a networking site in this respect too, where companies get matched or paired with the right writers.

Incentivized

I would recommend Upwork to a colleague as a solution to workplace issues. Our company has utilized Upwork to vet out potential competitors as well as partners in a lengthy data analysis project, as well as given our engineering team extra hands when implementing new products, projects, and features. This has allowed our company to stay on track with projects without in-house manpower.

Incentivized

• SEO
• Editorial Calendars
• Analytics

Incentivized

• Allows us to filter freelancers by location. This is especially important when working across time zones.
• Upwork is one of the only freelancing websites that actually provides a filter for US based contractors; and they rigorously verify this.
• Huge candidate pool. You're almost guaranteed to find a few individuals who specialize in whatever you're looking for.
• Allows both fixed bid and hourly. Each one is useful for different kinds of projects.

Incentivized

• It would be useful to see historical versions of copy that you have uploaded rather than the latest, edited version.
• In some programmes the rules are a bit too prescriptive ie set word counts with not too much variance. Similarly, sometimes you have to almost 'shoe horn' key words into the copy in order to hit the number required. This can make the text sound repetitive and less creative journalistically.
• Not quite sure what the readability scores bring to the party?

Incentivized

• In my opinion the worst customer service. It is impossible to contact them via phone, and they are not transparent about their decisions.
• I feel they don't have the freelance community's best interest in mind. Their focus is on the companies that pay. Freelancers are disposable.
• They charge ridiculous fees to the freelancers that are the ones that need the money the most because they are the ones starting their businesses. It is like if your employer charges you for coming to work.

Incentivized

I have earned a lot on Upwork and I would always recommend it to my fellow peers and people who have skills and are looking independently and remotely from the comfort of their home. Once you get successful in developing a good profile on Upwork revenue target are more easier to achieve.

Incentivized

Very responsive to our requests. Always make themselves available. We also have a standing weekly status with their team, which keeps us on the same page.

Incentivized

Support has been great. Rarely have I ever had an issue that has required support but when I have they have been great. I did have to interact with support to confirm my identity and the process was easy and quick and support was helpful to know what I needed to do to accomplish that task.

Incentivized

SkyWord distinguishes itself by its efficiency and the capabilities it has with web design and management. It also has a strong variety of content production capabilities like video, social media, etc. Our procurement team has found SkyWord to be fair when it comes to prices, and this showed when we evaluated them against competitors.

Incentivized

Upwork is better suited for finding contractors that you can have ongoing relationships. Compared to Fiverr, it's a much easier process to find qualified designers rather than one-time contractors to design simple things for you. The interface is easier to use as well and the billing management makes it so much cleaner and easier to know how much we're spending and how contractors are logging work hours.

Incentivized

• Significant month-over-month organic traffic growth
• Elevated click-through rates from email marketing
• Increases in site visits from social

Incentivized

• We have gotten close to 50% of all of our clients through the platform.
• Upwork backs the work done through the platform, so no matter what the client or person you are working with does, you get paid for the work that you do. You aren't left hanging after doing hours of work for a client and then never getting paid for it.
• Made it easy to communicate with clients from different parts of the world and set up partnerships and agreements in an easier fashion. I would highly recommend it to anyone with a unique skill set.

Incentivized