First tip: steer clear of freelancing sites, you're better than that :) Seriously, I tried them a bit, but the vast majority of jobs there buy on price, and that's a competition someone with decent rates will never win.
When I started freelancing I got my first gig through the HN Monthly 'Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer?' thread, highly recommend posting in there on the 1st of each month.
I get steady work through the agency for whom I used to be a full time employee (only now I get paid double, AND get to cherry pick my work. never burn bridges)
I also cold called all the local agencies I could find offering my services, and that's got me a fair bit of work.
I've now got 5 big clients that give me enough steady work to live on, so I'm no longer actively seeking new clients. However I still get people emailing me having found me through google searches and HN. With google searches it's mostly people searching for local devs, eg: 'Freelance PHP developer Hampshire', so try optimising your website for those kinds of keywords.
And of course, personal recommendations is always the best way to find work. Good luck with freelancing, there's nothing like having the freedom to work when and where you like. This summer I took 8 weeks off to motorcycling around Europe, couldn't have done that so easily if I was an employee :)
When I started freelancing I got my first gig through the HN Monthly 'Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer?' thread, highly recommend posting in there on the 1st of each month.
I get steady work through the agency for whom I used to be a full time employee (only now I get paid double, AND get to cherry pick my work. never burn bridges)
I also cold called all the local agencies I could find offering my services, and that's got me a fair bit of work.
I've now got 5 big clients that give me enough steady work to live on, so I'm no longer actively seeking new clients. However I still get people emailing me having found me through google searches and HN. With google searches it's mostly people searching for local devs, eg: 'Freelance PHP developer Hampshire', so try optimising your website for those kinds of keywords.
And of course, personal recommendations is always the best way to find work. Good luck with freelancing, there's nothing like having the freedom to work when and where you like. This summer I took 8 weeks off to motorcycling around Europe, couldn't have done that so easily if I was an employee :)