Is Proz Membership Worth It In 2023?
One simple reason for using Proz.com is to find clients for our services. Is professional membership enlarging the possibilities of doing so? It certainly is for my business. Below is a brief description of the paid version features which have helped my profile do the following:
- Gain more visibility
- Attract valuable collaborations
- See substantial return on investment in the membership
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I describe my personal experience for those who might find it helpful. Consider other points of view and do your best judgement before making purchase decisions.
Related: How to optimize your Proz profile. Part 1
Table of contents:
1. Member only jobs
2. Priority position among job applicants
3. Translation directory position
4. Your page SEO ranking
5. Professionalism
6. Full access to Blue Board
7. Additional
Member only jobs
It’s not possible to quote instantly for some jobs unless you are a paying member of the platform. You can still apply for the majority of the projects after a certain period passes. However, chances that the outsourcer already hired somebody else by that time are pretty high. This feature allows submitting your application right after any posting was made. It enhances the likelihood of winning more jobs.
If this is the most important feature for you, but you are uncertain whether investing into membership would pay off, you can try the following:
track all member-only job you are qualified for during a month or so;
make a note of an approximate profit these projects could bring were you to win them;
check the total of these approximates and see if it would be worthwhile for you.
2. Priority position among applicants
Let's say you submit a quote for a job which is open to all (paying and non-paying) users. On a list of applicants, the job poster will see paying users first. Free version users will appear after. The job poster will likely find someone they’re looking for among the first freelancers on the list and not look any further. Thus, this feature can be handy for winning more gigs as well.
3. Translator directory position
Another advantage of paying users is their name’s position in the translator directory. When an outsourcer searches for a freelancer, first they will see pages that include only Proz members. Free version users will be shown later. So, the subscription increases chances of being discovered by a potential client and getting more work.
I became a professional Proz member after becoming a full-time freelancer. Before that, I was using a free version of the platform for about three years, when translation was my side hustle. During that time, no client ever contacted me directly. The only way to get gigs for me then was to apply for job postings and reach out to potential clients myself (♪Hello, cold emails, my old friends♪).
After becoming a professional member, outsourcers started reaching out to me themselves. In the first year, five of my now long-term clients found me through the Proz directory. The offers keep coming in all the time now. There is an obvious correlation between getting member ranking and receiving all those proposals.
Related: Lessons in Essentialism for Freelance Business
4. Your page SEO ranking
Paying members’ profiles receive “full benefit of Proz.com's high rank in Google and other search engines” (source). Membership helps your profile rank higher in search engines results. This means that the membership boosts the possibility of potential clients finding you.
I have noticed that my Proz page ranks among the top 5 search results for my main keywords in major search engines. On the list of my profile visitors, I regularly see those who arrived to my page from search engines.
5. Professionalism
This is more of an abstract feature which we cannot measure or comprehend as all other points. It relates to an impression your profile creates on visitors. It works for your online image and personal brand. Membership means that a translator takes their work seriously by willing to invest into their professional activity. This makes them stand out among the rest and boosts a sense of professionalism.
6. Full access to Blue Board
Blue Board is a Proz.com space where translators can leave reviews for clients they have worked with. It is one of the key background checks on potential clients I usually do. Last week, a company contacted me. The latest comment on their Blue Board said that freelancer’s invoices were one year overdue! So I saved myself from unnecessary headache by politely rejecting their offer.
Users of the free platform version can see ratings of each company on a scale from 1 to 5 stars. Professional members can also see comments translators left about clients.
I wouldn’t recommend anyone to work with clients who have a poor rating, but sometimes less-than-perfect rating can be deceiving. For example, a translator leaves an average score for the outsourcer, but from their comment it’s obvious that the fault was not of the outsourcer, but rather due to misunderstanding or some error in the process. That is why having full access to Blue Board can also be handy.
7. Additional
Here are some other features which are somewhat minor, but can still be quite valuable:
• Tracking visitors to your profile. You can see the country where they’re located and where they came from (specific search engines or websites, translator directory etc.).
• Verification of your native language. There will be a small “N” next to your native language under your name. Clients often seek for native speakers of target language since they usually can provide translation of higher quality compared to non-native speakers.
• Periodic discounts on software, translation tools.
• Access to Proz.com Mobile app to manage your gigs on the go.
• Exclusive access to content and networking opportunities at Proz.com virtual conferences.
I am certain that the combination of the features described here helped propel my business. Hopefully, this gave you some clarity on the subject. If you have more questions, do not hesitate to drop a line in the comments!
