How Fiverr Can Make Or Break You

As knowledge about Fiverr’s services become more widespread across the internet, more and more people are entrusting Fiverr sellers with their tasks, content creation and even branding. Though the cheap marketplace of random services may indeed save you thousands that you would otherwise spend on a professional, you may be at risk of, not only giving up quality for that price but, harming your business. After all, you get what you pay for.

Let’s review what we know about Fiverr.

Fiverr is a user-generated marketplace where anyone can sell a product or service for precisely $5. Though additional options or speedier delivery may cost a bit more, the base price of everything is always $5. No more and no less. Whether you need help debugging some code, writing your CV or even someone to spend a couple of hours teaching you how to play Starcraft, there’s something there for everyone. And all for just $5. That’s just over £3! As you can imagine, with such a wonderful place on the internet it’s not long until it becomes corrupted by those who just want to make some quick and easy cash at others’ expense.

It’s common on Fiverr to see “professionals” offering such services as backlinks, social follows, blog articles and onsite SEO. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses who don’t know the difference between quality SEO and outdated techniques that will get you penalised fall victim to these gigs and ultimately get exactly what they paid for. Fiverr is swarming with lazy scammers who know nothing of the buyer’s business, who simply input the website URL along with a few chosen keywords into an automated program that spins a couple of keyword rich sentences and, within hours, submits them to tens of thousands of blogs and directories. These promises of “SEO blasts” can seem like a quick and cheap solution to inexperienced website owners who have no idea what they’re getting themselves into, often having to spend even more money on getting a professional in to clean up their link profile. And this is exactly why it’s so dangerous. A quick search for the query “SEO” brings up some rather questionable services:

I want it to be clear that I am in no way condemning Fiverr. I think it is a fantastic website with some extremely valuable uses. There are sellers on there from all around the world and from all walks of life, and it gives some people an incredible opportunity to sell their talents and wizardry for $5 a pop. And for some, that’s a decent amount of money to be made for what they do. There are some people who are genuinely up for spending a couple of hours helping you with something just to make $5. Fiverr provides that important connection between people who have something to give and people who want that particular something. Unfortunately, it’s hard to distinguish between those who are genuine and those who are not. In some cases, you can’t even trust their positive feedback.

Fiverr is a great resource for startups with limited funds to invest into the project. It’s like having a gap in your business and paying someone $5 to fill it. Promotional videos, images or written content can be exactly what you need to kick start your launch campaign. Maybe all you want is for someone to tweet your link to their thousands of followers. Or maybe there’s something in particular that you’re looking for that you can’t find; Fiverr allows you to post up gig requests on the requests forum. And, as stated in Fiverr’s terms of service, when the work is delivered, the buyer is granted all intellectual property rights.

To make the most of Fiverr (and avoid a potential wreckage), only purchase gigs that are immediately measurable. Custom gigs, like a graphic design or a product testimonial video, are popular because buyers are expecting a specific result and can see its worth upon receipt of the finished product. These are things that can be proven are unique to you, tailored specifically to your brief, and no one else out there is going to be getting the exact same product. If you’re unhappy with the result, most sellers will even revise it until you are satisfied. Maintain a good communication with the seller throughout the gig. Make sure the seller is in complete understanding of what it is you want and ask them to keep you updated with the progress. Before you even purchase a gig, it’s important to consider the seller’s history; look through their portfolio, read through all of their feedback. It might only be a fiver, but you do want it to be a fiver well spent.