Review of the Writing Site Guru

Freelance writers earn a large part of their income from clients that need writers to produce written content. Writers spend an enormous amount of their time connecting with clients through online job boards and job writing sites. Online job writing sites across the web have advantages and disadvantages that should be reviewed to make certain a freelancer will get the resources they need to make more money online.

Guru is highly competitive in the writing job site industry. There are a number of benefits that writers see with Guru. Though there are also some disadvantages which can make this site on the list of resources to bypass for writing gig services for a number of authors. This article outlines both rewards and shortcomings seen with Guru.com so writers make an informed decision about their writing career.

Guru advantages

Payment for connection services

Payment for connecting clients with freelancers is customary for sites like Guru. Freelancer.com and Elance, similar industry favorites, also require payment for linking clients and freelancers. The fee charged by the company is not excessive when compared with others in the marketplace.

Being competitive with connection fees makes Guru have an advantage over some other sites like Odesk.

Variety in jobs

Guru offers more than simply writing jobs. This web industry leader is a haven for a multitude of different freelancers searching for online jobs. Not only are writing gigs in their employment listings, but there are also opportunities for employment for web developers, web designers and various other online jobs that permit workers to earn a lot of money working online.

Freelance writing is an asset within itself. Though, various freelance writers are also freelance editors or freelance web designers in addition to other abilities. This means multiple talents will get income for an assortment of jobs from the same online site which is definitely a benefit.

Website navigating

Guru’s website is easy to navigate and move around. It’s simple to enroll for membership, check earnings and look for jobs and other detailed services the site furnishes members.

Members create a profile for client review that emphasizes expertise and achievements as well as other marketing efforts to create an attractive summary of what a worker offers. This makes certain a client and freelancer both link up in a manner beneficial for both parties. The right worker for the right job builds a great fit.

Easy and simple navigation around a site is always a benefit. In addition, Guru has announced enhancements to their current site that freelancers and clients will find positive.

Payment for freelancer jobs

Payment for freelancer jobs will be done one of two ways. One method is a monthly membership fee. A flat fee is paid every month whether a freelance takes no jobs or ten. The other method is a percentage of each job taken.

The percentage payment ranges from between 5% and 10% depending on the task. Numerous writers elect a percentage form of payment founded on the amount of jobs taken each month. A flat fee paid every month may not be financially beneficial based on the amount of jobs taken and the pay received for each job.

Having more than one type of payment for freelancer jobs gives some flexibility to writing gigs not seen with comparable writing job sites.

Escrow account

Clients put money for freelancer jobs in an escrow account. Monies are held until jobs are completed and then released. This means that freelance writers are assured of payment since fees are paid up front to the writing site and the writing site pays employees.

Some online job writing sites elect to have clients pay writers directly. For a writer that has worked on a project and not received payment, the escrow offered by Guru is a safety net that cannot be ignored as an advantage.

Online invoicing

An online invoicing system is wonderful for a lot of employment. Jobs can be reimbursed for one flat fee or an hourly fee for services. Online invoicing ensures valid tracking of services delivered by freelancers and secures valid payment is received after jobs are completed. This is a win/win situation for both contributors.

Guru disadvantages

Project fees for jobs

Project fees for jobs are advantageous as well as a shortcoming for the site. Fees of up to 10% are steep for most freelance writing gigs. A monthly flat membership fee may not be worth the cost when compared with the money made from writing gigs.

Although percentage fees of 5% are competitive with comparable sites, the maximum of 10% is much more than some sites like Elance or Odesk. The 10% percentage fee for jobs is a disadvantage of Guru.com.

Bidding for jobs

Jobs are awarded through a bidding process. Freelancers bid to compete against each other to gain a job. The bidding practice usually means the lowest bid will win and get a freelance writing gig. However, the bids are not visible to everyone participating which makes it difficult to determine where a freelancer’s bid lies in the bidding procedure before a job is won.

International competition for jobs can make the income received extremely low for a number of writing jobs. Higher bids will generally not win freelancer writing gigs.

Unequal treatment for monthly paying members

Members are complaining that members paying the monthly fee are receiving preferential treatment when it comes to winning freelancer jobs. Freelancers electing to pay a percentage instead of the monthly flat fee protest they are secondary consideration when it comes to attaining jobs through Guru’s bidding practice.

There is verification or written confirmation that the site is practicing this method.

Description of jobs

Job descriptions are receiving negative reviews and comments. A lot of members indicate the descriptions and outlines for writing gigs are extremely vague. The unclear explanations for job details provided make it difficult to bid and after successfully winning a bid valuable time is lost verifying info with clients to make certain a job is done correctly to the client’s satisfaction.

A number of workers feel this process should be changed so bidding is more transparent for the jobs posted and time is saved afterwards asking questions and attempting to get more info.

In conclusion

Guru.com has a number of advantages that freelance workers searching for writing gigs can find useful compared with other comparable sites. Even with the number of disadvantages Guru is still in the top level of writing site platforms to help freelance writers make more money online.