Create an Employment Marketplace with TaskerDev

TaskerDev is a new WordPress theme from SiteMile. What the developers of this theme hope will separate it from the countless other WordPress themes released every day is its specific set of features. These features give site owners the ability to turn a WordPress installation into a fully functioning job marketplace.

The employment marketplace that can be created with the TaskerDev theme is closer to the likes of PeoplePerHour.com, rather than the more traditional job board websites such as Monster.com. This means that the theme can be used to list tasks or chores that need completing, or list the profiles of those offering a service. Users will then have the chance of being put in contact with someone who can either help them or hire them, depending on their individual needs.

In this review of the TaskerDev theme we will be taking a look at the features of the theme and seeing how easy it is to use in order to build a multi-user job marketplace with WordPress.

TaskerDev Theme Review

TaskerDev Features

In a bid to bring together service providers and job contractors in one easy to use marketplace, the developers of TaskerDev have done a good job of compiling many of the necessary features required to build an online destination of this type.

To give you a good idea of exactly what you can do with this theme, here is a quick overview of the most useful features.

TaskerDev Marketplace Features

Once the theme is installed, visitors to the site can sign up and become members. This allows them to either post tasks or jobs they have that they would like completed, bid on tasks that others have posted, or list their services for hire.

The registration and login process all takes place through front end submission forms which are themed to match the rest of the website. To remove as much friction as possible from the sign up process, users can log in and register instantly using their existing Facebook or Twitter accounts. Registered users then get access to a themed dashboard, displaying their profile and other important information.

As multiple users can bid on the jobs that are posted, the job owner is then able to choose from the list of applicants in order to find the right contractor to complete their project.

However, TaskerDev is a versatile theme and it also allows users to post a specific task they can complete, where other users can then hire them to complete that task in a similar format to how sites like Fiverr work.

To ensure that any contracting marketplace built using the TaskerDev theme from SiteMile is able to become a one stop shop for putting people in touch with each other, all the communication between the parties involved in a deal is conducted inside the website.

The communication and interactive features include an internal private messaging system, a payment collection system, and the ability to send files back and forth between users.

When it comes to payments the theme includes an e-wallet and credit system that manages the financial aspects of each deal, while the escrow features adds an extra layer of reassurance for users of the site. Using the escrow feature, a hirer will deposit the amount to be paid into a secure holding area until the task is complete.

Upon completion of the task the payment is released to the contactor. A number of payment gateways are supported including PayPal, Authorize.net, and bitcoin. The SiteMile team can also carry out customisations to enable a site to support local or non-standard payment gateways.

When it comes administrating your marketplace website, those with the admin role can use the custom dashboard panel to get an overview of what is taking place on their website. This includes viewing and controlling finances on the site as well as controlling and moderating private messages.

To help built trust between task owners and contractors, this freelance marketplace theme makes use of a feedback and rating system. This allows both parties to rate each other, which in turn helps other users decide who to hire and who to work for.  As the star rating of every member is displayed alongside their username, it makes the initial stages of filtering potential candidates very time efficient.

Monetising your website is another important feature that hasn’t been overlooked by the SiteMile team. With TaskerDev you can charge either a flat fee or a percentage on each transaction. There are a few options for how this charge is collected including using PayPal adaptive payments or through a credits system.

Additional monetisation opportunities include charging for access to premium features such as posting a featured listing, making a private bid, and even setting membership fees.

Members are kept in the loop thanks to a system of email notifications that are triggered on a range of events, including receiving a proposal, a private message, or when they have received a payment. Freelancers can also sign up to receive notifications of when new projects are posted in specific categories that match their areas of interest. These email notifications all work together to ensure both parties are kept up to date and that members are drawn back to the site on a regular basis.

Using TaskerDev

As building a freelancer marketplace website is a little more complicated than creating a regular website or blog, it stands to reason that getting to grips with TaskerDev is also a little more complicated.

However, if you want access to all the necessary features, you have to be prepared to put in some work to ensure they are setup correctly to meet your needs.

Once the theme is live on your website, a new top level menu item is added to the dashboard. From there you can access the many settings pages that give you granular control over how your website functions.

Settings Menu

It’s highly recommended that you study these options before setting your site live; especially considering you will hopefully be providing a service that will see users completing financial transactions with each other.

Through the settings you can fine tune how your site works. Each option in the settings includes a tooltip which provides more information to help you make the right decision for your website.

Payment Gateways

The TaskerDev settings also give you some more traditional options that allow you to configure how your site looks, as opposed to how it functions as a task marketplace.

Appearance Settings

These settings allow you to change the homepage layout, add a custom logo, and modify a few colour options.

The tasks and services that are listed on your site are stored as custom post types. While these entries can be submitted by users via the front end, they can all be monitored, edited, and managed via the back end by the admin users.

Task List

Through the front end of the website, users can view the projects that have been posted or browse the contractors who are offering their services. The listings can be organised by category or location to help make it easier for users to find what they are looking for.

View Task

As all communications take place through the site, between members, there is no need for parties working together to leave your website and conduct their business elsewhere. This helps ensure your site becomes increasingly busy, and generates you a growing amount of revenue.

Pricing

The TaskerDev freelance task marketplace theme is available directly from the SiteMile website and is available on five pricing plans, including:

  • Starter: $79 for use on one website
  • Developer: $159 for use on unlimited websites
  • Membership: $199 for all SiteMile themes.

To view the full details of all the plans, please visit the TaskerDev pricing page.

Conclusion

Creating a theme that allows anyone to build their very own job marketplace website is an ambitious task.

However, looking at the feature set of TaskerDev, it appears that SiteMile have included features for every eventuality that could occur when creating and managing a website of this type.

The front end of the website is attractively designed and looks professional enough to entice visitors to sign up and become members. The features and settings on the back end also give you plenty of control over how your site functions and how it is used by your community.

The good selection of monetisation options also help make this an appealing option, giving you a number of ways of generating revenue from your website.

Whether you’ve decided you are going to build a freelance marketplace website and are looking for a solution, or you are seeking a way to generate an income from an online project, the newly released TaskerDev theme is definitely worth a closer look due to its detailed set of features and professional appearance.

Find out more about the TaskerDev marketplace theme now

I've been using WordPress for a few years now and am currently writing for a range of blogs covering web design, marketing, software reviews and freelancing. For more information or to get in touch, head over to my freelance writing site.
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