I’ve always been skeptical about Upwork’s badges and their impact on freelancer businesses. Does the Upwork Expert-Vetted badge help? Or is this an Upwork Expert-Vetted badge scam altogether?
Personally, I rejected the idea from the start when I got invited for the vetting interview. My main reasons for rejecting the interview, in summary, were:
- Leave badgers alone, they are fine animals who don’t deserve this mockery (heheh)! 🙂
- Clients don’t get it; in fact, they have no idea which badge is the best one
- It just sounds so bad… you’re being vetted like a dog, is it?
- Staying Top Rated is the best choice, as it is the only badge name that sounds like an achievement
- Only Upwork users see the badges, which means trying to advertise your achievements elsewhere only creates confusion
Last but not least, is the fact that in June 2024, apparently to quickly fix their revenue deficit in Q2, Upwork was selling the badge, their most prestigious badge, for 300 Connects!
This post saved each freelancer 300 Connects = $45!
Actually, it was even worse. The disclaimer particularly mentioned that getting the badge was not guaranteed, you only bought yourself a chance to excel in the vetting interview. Regardless of the outcome, Upwork kept the money. Fortunately, not all saw my post about it, so they went home after the interview without any new badges.
Huoh… 😐
But now, the real bombshell, which I thought was well worth expanding my original LinkedIn post to a full article: THE EXPERT-VETTED BADGE ISN’T EVEN SHOWN TO CLIENTS!
I’m not joking. Not one bit, unfortunately.
Keep reading, I provide plenty of evidence to convince you using my client account!
My experiment using an Upwork client account
I just spent 15 minutes going through the profiles of top web development experts, which is supposed to be one of the primary categories where the Expert-Vetted badge actually exists. Armed with my client account, I searched diligently across 20 pages of talent listings — that’s 200 profiles! And just guess how many Expert-Vetted freelancers or agencies I found?
ZERO. NADA. ZILCH. KOSONG.
The first thing that stood out as something fishy was this: I realized that even the Talent Search filter doesn’t have Expert-Vetted as a search option.
No Expert-Vetted badges here.
Really, the badge filter options for clients only include:
- Top Rated Plus
- Top Rated
- Rising Talent
No Expert-Vetted filter. Not even a mention.
Well, OK, then…
To double-check, I searched specifically for web development experts by adding the phrase “Expert-Vetted” in the Upwork search bar. Then I hit enter to execute the search, hoping to see profiles where the name of the badge, “Expert-Vetted,” appeared.
I got a big bunch of search results…
I opened only profiles that explicitly mentioned the badge in their profile title, like “Expert-Vetted Web Developer” or claimed to be in the “Top 1% of Upwork Freelancers.”
Can you guess what I found?
Every single one of them either had a Top Rated badge or a Top Rated Plus badge.
Not one, and I repeat, not a single one, had an actual visible Expert-Vetted badge displayed on their profile.
No Expert-Vetted badges here either.
Let that sink in. Seriously.
This guy too thinks he’s Expert-Vetted, but his profile is Top Rated Plus when seen by clients.
These are profiles of people who go around the interwebs bragging about their elite status, but the only badge clients see is the same one available to any other freelancers: Top Rated Plus.
Could it be that some of these freelancers used to have the Expert-Vetted badge and were downgraded recently? Sure. But ALL of them? Highly unlikely. The people I found had verified six-figure earnings and hourly rates ranging from $80 to $200. You don’t get downgraded overnight from that level without a serious problem. Right?
This leads me to one inevitable conclusion: Upwork is likely showing freelancers who are Expert-Vetted as Top Rated Plus to clients.
That means:
- No unique visual differentiation between Top Rated Plus and Expert-Vetted
- No searchable filter, so clients can’t even search for the “Top 1% freelancers”
- No clear marketing edge of any kind
Just pure confusion, actually!
And if that’s the case, why in the world would you advertise yourself as Expert-Vetted in your profile title or description? It looks misleading and borderline scammy if the badge isn’t reflected on your public profile. It’s dangerous to call yourself Expert-Vetted!
Were you chasing this badge?
Well, congrats. 🙂 Now you know it might have zero impact. Worst case: negative impact! You can save yourself the effort, confusion, and misplaced self-promotion by not aiming for the Expert-Vetted badge.
Maybe you already got it? It’s probably time to reframe your profile branding strategy. Clients aren’t going to pay more or trust you faster because of a badge they literally can’t even see!
And here’s the kicker… The fact that Upwork was selling this badge, or technically, just a chance to get it, in June 2024, makes this absolutely look like Upwork is a scam that feeds off of poor freelancers.
This game is getting ugly!
I can’t make this up now, can I? The badge was marketed as an exclusive opportunity for high-earning freelancers to get recognized. But the reality? It was a glorified Connects grab for Upwork… just to meet revenue targets. I warned people then. Many listened and saved themselves some money. Others… not so lucky.
So here we are.
A year later, with freelancers walking around flaunting a badge that does not even exist to the people who actually matter: the clients.
What should you do instead to avoid the Upwork Expert-Vetted badge scam?
If you’re serious about winning clients on Upwork, focus on things that actually make a difference:
- Niche positioning that matches what clients are searching for
- Clear and impactful profile titles and intros
- Case studies and project examples in your portfolio
- Social proof from previous reviews
- And yes, keep that Top Rated or Top Rated Plus badge if you have it. Those badges ARE visible. 😉
But this so-called Expert-Vetted status? It’s invisible fluff. It’s a badge without a purpose, a title without a crown.
Upwork, if you’re reading this (lol, you’re not… their social media team blacklisted me years ago when my friends started calling me ‘Upwork Terrorizer’):
You might want to be a little more transparent with freelancers. Or maybe, just maybe, don’t invent prestige badges unless you plan to show them to the people who make hiring decisions?
Thank you in advance.
And hey, Upwork, you didn’t think CocoLord was gonna bust your secret? Of course I did. Righting freelancing wrongs since day one. But I know I’m screaming in the wind here. Uhhuh. :-S
Does the Upwork Expert-Vetted badge help? No, Upwork is a scam, actually…
Do NOT chase the Expert-Vetted badge!
It gives no marketing benefits. It confuses clients. It creates credibility problems. And in the end, it’s not even visible on your public profile when using a client account.
Save your time, your energy (and your 300 Connects if they choose to run the badge sales scam again in the future).
Admiral Akbar nails it… 😀
No badge needed. Use Upwork to build your clientele just like I did, keep the clients, play by the rules, and take them off the platform when the TOS allows it. Repeat a few years and you’ve got yourself a beautiful network of international clients, referrals, and good, honest, law-abiding Upwork-free business!
The exact steps needed to achieve the above and a realistic expectation of what it takes are described step by step in my 288-page e-book. Worth having a look.
(And BTW, no need to pay commissions or buy Connects!)
And if this article helped you in any way, feel free to connect on LinkedIn and let me know. It would be so nice!
