Creating an online presence capable of attracting paying customers or visitors interested in our content is an involved process. Not only is a lot of work required, but the skillset for managing a website, ranking it in search engines and dealing with user interactions entails wearing a lot of different hats. There are two ways of tackling this issue.

Outsourcing tasks can save you time and having to learn specific skills

Learning The Skills vs. Outsourcing

The first solution for filling our digital skill gaps is to buckle down and acquire all the necessary expertise. Countless hours can be spent learning everything about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), running online ads, interpreting analytics, managing our social media reputation, improving sales funnels and the list goes on and on.

For those whose career it is to know all the nuances of how an online presence is built and maintained, it makes sense to gain the know-how. On the other hand, if we are trying to build a business while also having to micromanage every aspect of our internet marketing, we often need a more efficient option.

Bring on team members to carry the load

Outsourcing offers this solution. Compartmentalizing the tasks required for our website to work and passing the tasks off to knowledgeable experts may be the most cost-effective, time-saving solution.

What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing?

The benefits of outsourcing are centred around the convenience we enjoy. The purpose of running a website is to showcase content and build a business. Leveraging the expertise of a freelancer that already has the knowledge will save us the many hours necessary to learn the skill ourselves and the time involved in upkeep.

Another benefit of outsourcing is that most platforms that bring employers and freelancers together have mechanisms for controlling the quality of the work performed. There are ways of making sure the person paying for the work is not scammed or offered incomplete deliverables. On the other hand, the freelancer also enjoys the feeling of knowing they will be paid for their hard work. Ratings, reviews and price tiers help you to choose the worker that best fits your needs.

Use an online platform for outsourcing so you can choose from all the options

What Are the Challenges of Outsourcing Online?

Although, as mentioned, both parties are safeguarded from egregious misconduct, there are still some factors that make outsourcing tricky.

It’s essential to be aware of the challenges of outsourcing

Ensure You’re Backed Up And Secure

A key one thing to do is ensure you backup your website before giving access to any third parties. You don’t want to lose your site to a blunder from an overseas stranger. Especially when they can disappear at a moments notice. Make sure you control the master access to your website and hosting at all times, so it can’t be taken from you.

Online Options Are Cheaper

Outsourcing to overseas assets reduces the cost of completing certain tasks. Employing a coder in India, for example, is often a popular option. It can present the same quality of work for a small percentage of what a coder would charge in Sydney.

We always ensure that the worker is paid well for the location that they are located in. A simple trick is using a cost of living comparison site. This enables you to ensure the wage you have offered them is appropriate for the cost of living where they are. The link shows a comparison of the cost of living between Sydney, Australia and Kolkata, India.

Ensuring your outsourced workers are paid well in regards to the cost of living in the location they’re in is an ethical essential

Language Barrier

Although most people offering their services online tend to have a decent command of the English language, this is not always the case. We can sometimes find a task becomes derailed from a lack of mutual understanding of the task at hand and the expectations surrounding it.

Workers share their profiles detailing the depth of command of the English language they have. Technical terminology though is often what is often lost in translation. It’s a massive asset to have a command of the terminology involved with the task at hand. A good example is being able to effectively communicate the changes you would like to code, design or layout so it’s good to dabble in each field at the minimum.

The language barrier with complex tasks can create new problems

Learning Curve

We may need to hire several different freelancers to complete different tasks within the same project. This means that either they will be called upon to work together or complete work that will have to integrate with the rest of the project.

If you don’t have the time to manage outsourced staff, perhaps you can hire someone that is local to you that is technically trained in this field of expertise. This way they can work closely with you then manage and delegate tasks.

If you don’t have the knowledge to integrate digital skillsets, it’s best to employ someone that can

Using Upwork

Upwork is one of the leading websites for finding people to outsource a wide range of tasks so that you can spend more time on the aspects of your business that matter most. Upwork is easy and the talent available on the website is rated based on their previous performance. This way, there is a much better chance of hiring a reliable worker.

Recently, Upwork has made some changes to how freelancers bid on tasks, making it harder for low-quality service providers to spam proposals in all directions. On Upwork, you can find web designers, graphic artists, video creators, translators and programmers.

Upwork is our favourite for developing ongoing relationships with outsourced workers. We give them maximum time allowances per week to complete the tasks that we delegate to them.

We’ve found Fiverr is cheaper but lower quality than Upwork in our experience

Using Fiverr

Fiverr is another popular place to outsource your website’s digital needs. Using Fiverr is simple and the range of digital services offered on the site has grown exponentially in recent years. Although Fiverr began as a place to outsource small tasks for 5 dollars, the site offers access to digital service providers for bigger jobs and higher budgets.

With a little research and due diligence, we can find solutions to fill all our digital skill gaps.