Every freelance WordPress developer struggles with finding good-quality clients. I’m no exception. I’ve tried various approaches and the fairly best is being a member of Codeable - a premium WordPress outsourcing platform.
Since I became a member, I’ve worked with hundreds of great clients, with an average rating of 4.96/5, and my overall income is counted in six figures. Let me show you, how Codeable changed my life.
This review is written for developers. Hiring instead? Read my Codeable review for clients.
Freelancing before Codeable
Before I started using Codeable, most of my clients came as leads from the WordPress products I was selling.
Problem with leads from WordPress products
The problem with that was that the quality of clients very uneven. It would often happen that a client who seemed great at first would turn out to be a nightmare.
My products were priced cheaply ($25/product) and the clients were often cheap. When I say cheap, I mean they would try to get me to do things for free or for a very low price.
I remember one client in particular who was a real nightmare. He wanted me to add features to his WordPress theme that were way beyond the scope of what I had originally agreed to do. When I refused, he got angry and we both lost a lot of energy in sorting things out.
Problem with other freelance platforms
I’ve also tried Upwork and other freelance platforms. The quality of clients was still uneven, but at least the platform did a better job at pre-screening them.
The main problem is, that you’re constantly under pressure to lower your price in order to compete with other freelancers. This race to the bottom is not sustainable and it’s not good for your business.
Onboarding on Codeable
When I heard about Codeable, I decided to give it a try. It was quite a funny story. I’ve stumbled upon their website, where they were stating “We are accepting only the top 2% of WordPress freelancers”.
I’ve of course opened the live chat, where Guilio Daprela answered. And I was like “I heard that Codeable is looking for the best of the best WordPress developers. So here I am! Let me in”. Incredibly arrogant move!
Vetting process
I got invited to the vetting process (thanks Guilio!). Codeable is very thorough when it comes to screening its applicants. They want to make sure that only the best WordPress developers are accepted on the platform.
The vetting process consists of 4 parts:
1) A written test - you need to answer questions about advanced WordPress topics such as action and filter hooks, WP_Query, etc.
2) A live test - you need to do a small project for a client in order to show your skills
3) A Skype interview - this is more of a formality, but it’s still important
4) A trial period - once you’re accepted, you’ll be put on a 2-week trial, where you’ll be working on real projects with real clients
I remember doing the interview on day 5 of my water fast (no food!). Even though I was shaky, I made it through!
Onboarding process
I got a 1:1 call with the CEO Per Esbensen - which is one of the 2 Codeable founders. I was like “wow, Per is a total business mastermind”. After that, I was ready to roll.
Freelancing on Codeable
I’m onboarded and amazed. Every day I can see a stream of top-quality WordPress projects. They are literally waiting for me! The platform is overcrowded with projects. Not with developers, like Upwork.
You can always get work
This is the first difference between Codeable and other platforms. They are carefully watching the project-to-developers ratio. And they make sure, that you can always land some WordPress or WooCommerce development work. This is also why often the gates to Codeable are closed for new WordPress developers
No race to the bottom
The second difference is that there’s no race to the bottom on Codeable. You set your own price and clients are ready to pay it. Of course, clients might try to negotiate, but that’s what business is all about. If you’re able to stand your ground and explain why your price is fair, then you’ll most probably get the job.
For reference, the recommended hourly rate on Codeable is $80 to $120.
The workroom is not overcrowded
The third difference is that the workroom for each project is not overcrowded. On Codeable you don’t have 10-20 other developers engaging and bidding with you. You get 5 people per project. Means you and the other 4 WordPress developers.
This allows for much more efficient collaboration between you and the client. He is not overwhelmed talking to a group of people. He knows all of you by name. This is the key to a long-term business relationship.
The clients are willing to move forward
The fourth difference is that clients are actually willing to move forward and get things done. They understand the value of working with top WordPress developers. They know that they need to pay a higher price, but they also know that they will get the results they want.
This is possible because Codeable is very active with partnership deals. They collaborate with companies like Automattic, WooCommerce, and others.
Codeable provides stellar support
To you and to the client. As a WordPress freelancer, you can always rely on the Codeable team to help you with anything you need. They are available 24/7 via live chat and they are always happy to help.
The client also gets top-notch support too. Codeable guys available on the live chat are not usually ex-freelancers from the Codeable platform. So they know their craft.
My experience with the support was always super pleasant.
What Codeable experts charge (and what they keep)
Codeable publishes a recommended rate band of $80 to $120 per hour, with $80 as the practical minimum. The fee structure has two sides. The client pays a 17.5% service fee on top of the estimate. The expert pays a 10% fee out of the estimate; that side is not in the public docs, it is what I have paid since 2017. So on a $100 per hour estimate, the client pays $117.50 and the expert receives $90.
What you actually earn on the platform depends less on the rate and more on three things: utilization (how much of your week is billable), unpaid sales time (consultations, estimating, and scoping are your investment), and retainers (monthly maintenance clients smooth out the income curve). The rate band is public; the rest is business skill. For the client-side view of the same numbers, see my Codeable pricing breakdown.
Codeable jobs: how the application works
People search for Codeable jobs or Codeable careers, but Codeable does not employ its experts. Being an expert means running your own practice inside a vetted marketplace. The way in is the vetting process described above: a written test on advanced WordPress topics, a live coding test, an interview, and a 2-week trial with real clients. Codeable states it accepts around the top 2% of applicants, and the gates sometimes close entirely when the project-to-developer ratio would not support new experts. If they are open, apply as a developer and be ready to show senior WordPress work, not just years on the clock.
The Codeable environment wants you to succeed
Originally I wanted to write freelancing there “is like eating a piece of cake”. But you need to do your own heavy lifting. Mainly being a good communicator, delivering on time, and having great WordPress know-how.
Let’s just say that the atmosphere at Codeable is very supportive. You can feel that everyone wants you to succeed. They want you to get more and more clients. They want you to do great work.
This is not what I’ve seen on other platforms. It’s all about “me, me, me”. There’s no community feel to it.
If you’re a WordPress freelancer, Codeable is the perfect platform. If I can recommend, don’t wait and apply as a developer on Codeable as soon as possible.
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