[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/uncategorized\/how-zac-became-upworks-top-freelancer-100-success-rate\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/uncategorized\/how-zac-became-upworks-top-freelancer-100-success-rate\/","headline":"How Zac Became Upwork’s Top Freelancer (100% Success Rate)","name":"How Zac Became Upwork’s Top Freelancer (100% Success Rate)","description":"With hundreds of total jobs completed and a 100% job success rate, Zac McDonald is one of the top-rated WordPress developers on Upwork, the leading ... Leer m\u00e1s<\/a>","datePublished":"2025-01-10","dateModified":"2025-01-10","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/author\/mitzamitza-es\/#Person","name":"adrimadise\u00f1o","url":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/author\/mitzamitza-es\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f04015a3698191a873267b006e8e8789ce30b6ee841a5518a6033860d50fe16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f04015a3698191a873267b006e8e8789ce30b6ee841a5518a6033860d50fe16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"adrimadise\u00f1o.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/cropped-logo_adrima.png","url":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/cropped-logo_adrima.png","width":450,"height":90}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/interview-with-zac-og.png","url":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/interview-with-zac-og.png","height":1080,"width":1920},"url":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/uncategorized\/how-zac-became-upworks-top-freelancer-100-success-rate\/","about":["Uncategorized"],"wordCount":1914,"articleBody":"With hundreds of total jobs completed and a 100% job success rate, Zac McDonald is one of the top-rated WordPress developers on Upwork, the leading job board for freelancers.He began working on passion projects and simple jobs with a quick turnaround. But today, he is a highly skilled expert in WordPress security, maintenance, and development. Zac McDonald strives hard to establish a great Upwork portfolio and now lives the digital nomad life by offering WordPress services as a freelancer.In this interview, Zac McDonald tells us about his WordPress journey. He also shares valuable advice for aspiring WordPress developers and freelancers who want to establish an authoritative portfolio on Upwork. Communication and honesty with your clients is just the number one thing. If you know how to solve their problem\u2026 and then you solve it, that\u2019s all anybody wants.Zac McDonald \u2013 Freelance WordPress DevloperKeep reading to get expert tips and recommendations from one of the most successful freelance WordPress developers in the business!This is our new series, #MyWordPressStory, which brings you insights from leaders who use WordPress to make positive changes in the world. If you\u2019d like to be featured in our interview series \u2013 whether you\u2019re a plugin developer, founder, or SEO expert \u2013 feel free to reach out and let us know through our contact form.Video Interview with Zac McDonaldIf you\u2019d like to check out the complete video interview with Zac McDonald, then you can watch it below:Or click on the quick links below to see what we cover in the interview:Meet Zac McDonald, Top-Rated WordPress Freelancer on UpworkZac McDonald has been working with WordPress for nearly 19 years, which is pretty close to the beginning of the platform\u2019s history. So, he knows a thing or two about evolving with software.He is an expert WordPress developer specializing in Elementor Pro, LearnDash, and more.In addition to building WordPress websites from scratch, Zac provides security, maintenance, and troubleshooting services. He even has regular clients on retainer.He\u2019s also one of the most successful and top-rated WordPress freelancers on Upwork. In fact, he has a 100% job success rate and has completed over 150 jobs.But you may be wondering \u2013 how did he get to where he is today? That\u2019s why James Agar from the adrimadise\u00f1o team reached out to him to learn more about his WordPress journey, and he was kind enough to tell us about it.A WordPress Journey: From Unpaid Passion Projects to Earning $150 Per HourLike many curious and self-taught WordPress enthusiasts, Zac started using the WordPress CMS while experimenting with new tools and projects.After creating a few of his own WordPress websites for fun, he found another opportunity close to home. His wife worked at a salon with a terrible website, so he offered to redo it. He built a one-page website with Elementor, and they loved it.\u201cI didn\u2019t even ask for money. I just did it for fun to build the website and to see if I could do it and if people would like what I built,\u201d he said.Zac then used these unpaid projects to prove his experience as a professional WordPress developer.I springboarded that to have a portfolio, to start approaching other clients and saying, \u2018I can do this for you at this price level.\u2019 And it went from there.Zac McDonaldAs we mentioned, Zac mainly finds projects on Upwork, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular job boards for WordPress developers.He got his start by taking small jobs that he could complete quickly and effectively. That way, he was able to get more client reviews fast, further building his credibility and reputation.This worked well for Zac since he really enjoys problem-solving a wide variety of issues.\u201cI like working through problems, so I kind of enjoy when somebody brings me a problem, and I have to learn something and figure out why they have the issue they have,\u201d he said.Zac also started off charging very little in order to get his foot in the door. \u201cI think my first job I took for $15 an hour. And one job, I built this guy a real quick 4-page full website for like electronic business that he had for like $50, $100. Super cheap, but I got it done in less than a day, and I got my review. He loved what he got.\u201dZac repeated this process, slowly raising his prices as he gained more experience and got more positive client reviews.Today, he charges $150 per hour for new clients. That means his earnings have increased by 10x since he completed his first job! This is pretty impressive, in our opinion. Plus, it\u2019s a testament to the effectiveness of the \u201cslow and steady\u201d approach.Advice for Aspiring Freelance Developers: Zac on Transparency, Communication, and Learning New SkillsIf you\u2019ve ever used Upwork, you probably know that getting jobs can be pretty competitive. So, we also asked Zac what advice he would give to any aspiring freelance WordPress developers who are looking to stand out.He emphasized the importance of transparency, communication, and learning new skills. But he also talked about how important it is to finish a few solid projects to build your reputation.If you\u2019re starting out, it\u2019s all about getting just those first few projects, where you have a portfolio, and you can prove: \u2018I\u2019ve done this and been successful at it,\u2019 and then move on from there.Zac McDonaldAccording to Zac, transparency means never telling a client that you can deliver on something if you\u2019re not sure you can. You should be comfortable letting clients know your current skills and when you\u2019re open to learning something new.\u201cSomebody might say, \u2018Hey, Zac, I want this widget on my site.\u2019 And I\u2019ll say, \u2018I\u2019ve never worked with a recipe widget before. Let me get back to you tomorrow.’\u201dWe think this philosophy of honesty and openness to learning new skills has been key to Zac\u2019s success. He also pointed out that taking this approach pushes him to expand his skillset, giving him a competitive edge in the future.\u201cThe next time somebody comes at me with a recipe widget, I know exactly what to do, whether or not I took on that original job.\u201dIn addition, Zac talked extensively about the importance of communication and delivering projects in a timely manner. He recommended providing clients with conservative turnaround times.For example, if you think the project will take you 2 weeks, then it\u2019s best to tell the client that it will take you a month. That way, it gives you a buffer in case you run into any roadblocks. Plus, the client will be thrilled if you turn the project in early.Additionally, Zac touched on the importance of holding on to good clients and encouraging client loyalty by maintaining his prices. \u201cI generally don\u2019t raise rates on ongoing clients,\u201d he said.Lastly, Zac talked about how learning new skills and technology is essential for succeeding as a WordPress developer. We\u2019ll dive more into his technical recommendations in the next section.Technical Tips for WordPress Developers: Always Keep LearningIf you want to succeed as a freelance WordPress developer on a platform like Upwork, you\u2019ll need all the soft skills Zac discussed in the previous section. But what do you need in terms of technical expertise?Zac had some useful advice in this department as well. He said, \u201cObviously, the more coding languages you know, the better.\u201dHowever, he made it clear that being a whiz at every single WordPress programming language isn\u2019t necessarily a must.\u201cI\u2019m really not a master coder or anything like that. I know a little bit of Java, a little bit of PHP. I\u2019m pretty good with CSS, HTML, of course.\u201d\u201cIn the end, there\u2019s somebody that\u2019s smarter than you that wrote a plugin that does exactly what you want to do already, 9 times out of 10. And maybe you have to pay $10 or $20 or $50, but it\u2019s almost always worth the exchange for time.\u201dZac McDonaldThat said, Zac cited CSS as the most important language to learn.\u201cI find CSS is really the number one thing I\u2019m using with WordPress\u2026 because a lot of things are kind of in a rigid, predetermined theme or page builder where there\u2019s only so many options. And you can pretty much change anything on the front end of a site using CSS.\u201dIf you\u2019re just getting started, you may want to check out our free WordPress video courses or the following beginner\u2019s guides:Zac has even referenced adrimadise\u00f1o himself, saying, \u201cI\u2019ve definitely used it as a resource.\u201d\u201cI like how when you find a page on there, it usually gives you method 1, method 2, method 3. So if I don\u2019t want to use a plugin, it might give me some code to punch in there to accomplish my task,\u201d he said.Apart from the more traditional coding skills, Zac also talked a lot about the importance of continuing to grow your complementary skills and knowledge.In addition to CSS, he talked about the importance of AI and how using it to offer original images and text can also help.Lots of clients want developers to provide an all-in-one service, so being able to give them website copy and photos can help you stand out as a freelancer. Of course, if you choose to do this, Zac recommends letting clients know beforehand that you rely on AI to create this bonus content.Lastly, he suggests that knowing how to use a photo-editing tool can also make you more appealing to potential clients.Now, let\u2019s hear some final thoughts from Zac.Final Thoughts & Where to Find Zac\u2019s WorkAt the start of our conversation, when we asked Zac why he chose to work with WordPress, he said, \u201cI really enjoy it. I just enjoy the technical problem-solving that I get to do dealing with WordPress.\u201dCloser to the end of our chat, he reiterated this same idea, along with the importance of a healthy curiosity and an appetite for learning. That\u2019s the main thing\u2026 learn, and learn by doing, and learn by doing something you enjoy.Zac McDonaldWhen we talked to Zac, it became clear that he genuinely loves his job, which is probably great news if you\u2019re an aspiring WordPress developer!During our talk, he also highlighted the professional freedom he enjoys as a freelancer.\u201cI was never real great at a boss and a nine-to-five job. Where freelancing is great. I\u2019m in my sweatpants in my basement, and I\u2019m at work.\u201dAs a fully remote team, we enjoy some of these benefits, too. So, we wholeheartedly agree with Zac on this point. If you\u2019re interested in collaborating with Zac, or you just want to see what a successful WordPress portfolio looks like, you can find his work and contact information on his professional website or his Upwork profile.Bonus: Expert Guides for Aspiring WordPress DevelopersWant to become a successful, well-paid freelance WordPress developer like Zac? Here are some additional resources to help you get started:If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube Channel\u00a0for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on\u00a0Twitter\u00a0and Facebook. "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Uncategorized","item":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/uncategorized\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Zac Became Upwork’s Top Freelancer (100% Success Rate)","item":"https:\/\/xn--adrimadiseo-beb.com\/uncategorized\/how-zac-became-upworks-top-freelancer-100-success-rate\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]