How to Build a Website Like Fiverr [Step-By-Step Guide]
Fiverr has become one of the biggest online platforms in the gig economy, connecting freelancers and clients from all over the world.
Since it was founded in 2010, It has grown rapidly to over 3 million active buyers and sellers. In 2020 alone, the company processed over 9.9 million orders on its platform.
The success of Fiverr demonstrates the rising popularity of online freelance marketplaces. More and more skilled professionals are choosing independent work, while businesses of all sizes are leveraging online talent platforms to access specialized skills on demand.
This creates an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs to build their own gig economy businesses.
In this complete guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know to create a website like Fiverr from the ground up, including:
- An Overview of Fiverr’s business model
- The key components required to build a marketplace site
- Different approaches to developing a Fiverr clone
- Tips to launch and grow your own successful freelance platform
Let’s get started!
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Overview of Fiverr's Business Model
To understand how to build a similar website, we first need to understand how Fiverr works and makes money.
Fiverr is a two-sided online marketplace that connects people offering freelance services (sellers) with people looking to hire freelancers (buyers).
How It Works
The platform works in the following way:
- Freelancers create profiles – Sellers create freelancer profiles on Fiverr showcasing their skills, experience, and portfolio.
- Freelancers offer services – Sellers can create multiple “gig” listings advertising services they are willing to provide for a fee. Each gig listing includes service details, requirements, pricing packages, etc.
- Buyers purchase services – Buyers can search and browse through gig listings and purchase the services they need from suitable freelancers.
- Freelancers deliver work – Once a gig is purchased, the freelancer completes the service as per the delivery timeline and requirements.
- Buyers leave reviews – After the work is completed, buyers can leave reviews and ratings on the freelancer’s profile.
This full cycle allows freelancers to market their services and get hired for paid work. It allows clients to easily discover and purchase services from a global pool of skilled professionals.
How Fiverr Earns Revenue
The core business model for Fiverr is based on commissions from transactions between buyers and sellers. Here are the key ways Fiverr earns revenue:
- Seller commissions – It charges sellers a 20% commission on every completed order. So for a $100 gig, Fiverr would take $20.
- Buyer transaction fees – Fiverr also charges buyers a service fee, which is typically 5% of the order amount. On a $100 order, this fee would be $5.
- Additional revenue streams – Fiverr offers premium subscriptions, ads, and other products to earn added revenue from buyers and sellers.
By facilitating millions of transactions every year, Fiverr is able to generate significant revenue. This commission-based model is common among most online marketplace businesses.
Now that we understand how Fiverr works, let’s look at the key components needed to build a similar freelance services marketplace website.
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Key Components Needed to Build a Site Like Fiverr
While ideas and execution may differ, all online freelance marketplaces require some fundamental components in order to function effectively. These include:
User Profiles
User profiles are essential to establish identity and build trust in online marketplaces. Fiverr needs separate profiles for buyers and sellers with the following basic elements:
Freelancer profiles
- Display name and photo
- Skills, experience, and qualifications
- Biography and overview
- Portfolio of work samples
- Reviews and ratings
Client profiles
- Display name and photo
- Company name and details
- List of gigs purchased
Profiles help freelancers demonstrate credibility. It helps buyers learn about a freelancer’s track record and expertise before hiring them.
Gig Listings
Gig listings are the core element of the marketplace where sellers advertise their services. The gig listing page contains all the relevant details a buyer needs to make a purchase decision.
Key gig listing elements include:
- Title and overview
- Category and tags
- Media gallery with images/videos
- Service description and deliverables
- Requirements and specifications
- Service packages and pricing
- FAQs
Advanced marketplaces may also allow sellers to offer custom packages beyond fixed ones.
Dynamic listings help sellers market their services better and give buyers the information they need before purchasing a gig.
Search and Discovery
Discovery is crucial for any online marketplace to connect buyers with relevant sellers. Fiverr offers powerful search and discovery capabilities in the following ways:
Search
- Keyword search to find gigs based on service titles, descriptions, etc.
- Advanced search filters like category, price range, ratings, etc.
Discovery
- Browsing top services by category
- Personalized recommendations based on search history and purchases
- Ranking algorithm to highlight top sellers
Good search and discovery features allow buyers to easily navigate and find the services they need, leading to higher engagement and conversions.
Payments
Seamlessly handling payments is critical for any online business, but even more so for marketplaces with complex transaction workflows.
Key payment requirements for a Fiverr-like platform include:
- Securely process credit card transactions
- Accept payments from buyers upon gig purchase
- Hold funds securely in escrow until the work is completed
- Release payments to sellers after deducting commissions
- Have payment flows comply with regulations and guidelines
Robust payment infrastructure improves trust and instills confidence in users to spend on the platform.
Communication Tools
Communication tools allow freelancers and clients to have conversations, exchange files and collaborate on deliverables.
Important communication features for a freelancing marketplace include:
- Built-in messaging system
- Options to share files and attachments
- Video conferencing for online meetings
- Tools to collaborate on docs or designs
- Notifications to stay up-to-date
Having strong communication tools prevents users from taking conversations “off-platform” and improves the overall experience.
Reviews and Ratings
Reviews and ratings are a vital part of building trust and reputation in a freelance marketplace. Key capabilities needed:
- Buyers can leave star ratings and text reviews for sellers
- Reviews describe the quality of service, experience, deliverables, etc.
- Sellers can respond publicly to reviews
- Aggregate ratings displayed on freelancer profiles
Quality reviews give potential clients added confidence to purchase from highly rated sellers on the platform.
With these core components in place, you will have the foundation to create a functional freelance marketplace platform similar to Fiverr.
Now let’s explore different approaches to actually building out the website and technology.
How to Create a Micro-Job Website Like Fiverr
When it comes to developing a web platform like Fiverr, you have a few options available:
Custom Development
The most flexible but resource-intensive approach is building a custom site from scratch with your own developers. The steps would be:
- Plan out all website requirements and specifications
- Design responsive frontend templates and UX flows
- Develop customized backend software and databases
- Integrate third-party APIs like payments, communications, etc.
- Write extensive code for features, business logic, and automation
- Rigorously test across devices and use cases
- Deploy site on managed servers
- Monitor for issues, optimize performance
Going the custom build route offers complete control and flexibility to construct the ideal platform. But it requires a significant investment of time and money in an expert technical team.
Unless you have qualified engineers on board already, I would not recommend attempting a 100% custom-built Fiverr clone.
Use Clone Scripts
Another option is using specialized Fiverr clone scripts to jumpstart development. These are packs of pre-made code and templates you can customize further.
The advantages of using clone scripts are:
- Saves time compared to coding completely from scratch
- Provides starter code for core marketplace functions
- Lets you quickly get a functional prototype site
However, clone scripts also have some downsides to consider:
- Limited flexibility to deeply customize the platform
- Unknown reliability and compatibility issues
- Poor documentation and ongoing support
- Security vulnerabilities with unvetted code
Clone scripts can help expedite getting an MVP off the ground, but are risky as the long-term technology foundation. I would exercise caution before building on top of untrusted codebases.
Leverage Specialized Platform Solutions
A third option is to leverage a purpose-built marketplace platform like Zipprr to create your website.
Some benefits of using marketplace solutions are:
- Requires minimal technical skills to set up
- Quickly launch a production-ready site in weeks
- Scales flexibly with business growth
- Robust features designed specifically for marketplaces
- Ongoing maintenance and updates are handled for you
Launching and Growing Your Marketplace
Once you have developed your Fiverr-like website, the next challenge is attracting users and growing the business. Here are some tips:
Start with a Niche Focus
Don’t try to create a freelance marketplace for all possible skills from day one. It’s better to start more niche.
Some examples of niche marketplaces you could begin with:
- Web design and development services
- Copywriting and content creation
- Video animation and motion graphics
- Business consulting services
- Leads and market research services
Starting a niche makes it easier to attract and match buyers and sellers. You can expand into more categories once you gain momentum.
Offer Incentives to Sellers
Attracting skilled sellers is crucial early on. Consider offering promotional incentives to freelancers for joining your marketplace:
- Discount or waive seller commissions for the first 3 months
- Feature high-performing sellers on the homepage
- Give away pro subscriptions or advertising credits
- Highlight “Seller of the Week”
- Organize webinars or community events
Come up with creative tactics to get sellers excited about your marketplace. Make it compelling for them to list their services on your platform.
Focus on Quality Over Quantity
Resist any shortcuts to artificially inflate seller or buyer numbers. Having fake or spammy users ruins marketplace trust and credibility.
Vet sellers carefully and have a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct or spam. Similarly, scrutinize every buyer account to prevent fraud.
It’s better to have fewer high-quality users than lots of questionable participants on your platform.
Leverage SEO and Content Marketing
Producing SEO-optimized content and social media marketing attracts organic traffic to your site. Useful topics to cover include
- Personal Finance Tips for Freelancers
- How to skill up as a freelancer
- Interviews with successful freelancers
- Advice for clients on hiring and working with freelancers
- Trends in the freelance economy
Blogging helps establish your brand as a trusted voice in the freelancing space.
Provide Excellent Customer Support
Running a smooth customer support operation is critical, especially in the early days. Be highly responsive to user complaints and issues.
Make sure to have multiple channels for users to reach your support team – email, live chat, phone, etc. Assign support requests quickly and resolve problems as a top priority.
Delivering an amazing customer experience helps convert one-time users into loyal repeat customers.
By mastering product-market fit, focusing on quality, and crafting robust user experiences, your startup freelancing marketplace can grow from niche to mass market, just like Fiverr.
Conclusion
I hope this guide provided you with a comprehensive overview of how to successfully build a website similar to Fiverr from the ground up.
Here are the key takeaways:
- Fiverr connects freelancers offering services with clients needing to hire them and makes money from commissions
- Core components required are user profiles, gig listings, search, payments, messaging, and reviews
- You can custom develop, use clone scripts, or leverage marketplace platform
- Zipprr provides the most efficient way to create a Fiverr clone with minimal coding
- Start niche, focus on quality, master product-market fit and provide excellent support
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