For many companies and small business owners, outsourcing has become standard. After all, when you have a limited budget and a limited need for certain skills, it only makes sense to hire someone from the outside to do the job for you. But what are the benefits of going to Elance as opposed to looking online to find someone to match your needs?

How is Elance different

If you have never used Elance before, you may be wondering how it is different from any of other websites that promise the same thing. The fact that Elance has built up a reputation in the last few years means that it receives more traffic from both buyers and providers. This also means that the level of provider you can find on Elance has improved as well. Many of the service providers are highly skilled and very professional. 

The facts 

However, you may just want some information that you can use. What sets Elance apart from the many different options available?

• Because they hold payments in an escrow account. This increases confidence in a payment system. Why risk payment problems down the road when you have a third party take care of payment for you?
• They have an efficient system to accurately bill providers up to the minute. Do not pay for time that someone did not spend working on your project.
• Posting a regular job is free. Why spend money when you are not entirely sure if you are going to find a provider that matches your needs?
• It opens up possibilities to providers around the globe. Do you need someone to translate something in Russian? Why not have native Russian speakers translate the work for you? 
• See the work that your provider has done on Elance before. Have other people that hired them before been happy or were there problems? 

What sort of providers can I look for?

The emphasis for the type of providers you can find on Elance is quite technical. These are not the people you are going to hire to walk your dog for a few dollars (there are other sites for that) these are professionals that have extensive experience with creating a WordPress design, have completed the train Signal VMware vSphere 5 training, and know how to create mobile applications. However, there are also some providers on Elance that you may have never suspected would be available on a site that deals with technical expertise.

1. Legal

Not what you may have expected when you think about freelancing right? You can find great legal advice on Elance without needing to pay the expensive fees that you otherwise would for a lawyer. It does not matter if you need something as simple as a cease and desist letter, want to file a patent, or need further legal advice, there are many skilled providers available on Elance that are able to meet your legal needs. 

2. Graphic design

I remember that I tried using Photoshop at one point. I tried a number of different tutorials and was quite impressed with what I was able to do on my own. That is when I made the mistake of heading to Elance and browsing through some of the portfolios of the providers there. Needless to say, it was right then and there that I decided that writing was definitely what I was more skilled in. 

3. Technical 

Personally, I have tried search engine and social media marketing, I have worked with WordPress design, and have even tried to learn more about networking (I feel it is important to know a bit about how the Internet works if you are going to rely on it), but the type of technical expertise available on Elance is simply amazing. Because many of the coding languages are universal as well, you are able to work with people from around the world. 

As you can see, you can benefit from outsourcing your project many different ways. Whether you outsource to free up time, or because you are in need of a particular skill, it just another way that the Internet is allowing us to stay competitive.

About the author

Jason Monroe made the switch to freelancing writing online in 2003 and has not looked back since. Jason believes that knowing how to market yourself and others online is one of the most important aspects of working freelance. He also dabbles in search engine and social media marketing. Jason knows what it takes to succeed online through personal experience and education.One example of him bettering himself through education is that he watches Cisco CCNA training videos to ensure he stays up with the latest developments.