Poll: How much have you invested in making your own website? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How much have you invested in making your own website?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Jan Truper 
Germany
Local time: 17:18
Member (2016)
English to German
My website (including a hidden, password-protected function that allows me to safely send and receive large files) was done by a very good friend, whom I invited to an exquisite, high-end five-course dinner in return.
The artwork was done by another good friend, whom I paid with a very nice bottle of Tequila.
[Edited at 2018-08-05 09:20 GMT]
| | | | Angus Stewart
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:18
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
| The question is unclear | Aug 5, 2018 |
I found the question to be unclear and wasn't sure what expenses it was referring to. If it meant money paid for a domain name, graphic designer or a website developer then the answer is zero, because I have a relatively simple website that I designed myself using a template.
My only expense in relation to it is hosting and I can't even remember offhand what I pay for it, because i purchased a multi-year package at a substantial discount several years ago, but it is pocket money in ... See more I found the question to be unclear and wasn't sure what expenses it was referring to. If it meant money paid for a domain name, graphic designer or a website developer then the answer is zero, because I have a relatively simple website that I designed myself using a template.
My only expense in relation to it is hosting and I can't even remember offhand what I pay for it, because i purchased a multi-year package at a substantial discount several years ago, but it is pocket money in any event.
Of course I can't tell whether paying extra for all the bells and jangles would be worth it, as I haven't gone down the route. However, my website has served its purpose by generating a number of leads over the years and as I currently have more than sufficient job offers coming in on a regular basis (so far even August which is usually dead has been busy), it is not a topic that I feel motivated to look into in more detail. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Between 500 and 1,000 EUR | Aug 5, 2018 |
I can’t remember exactly as I have my own website since 1998 but it should have been in the 500-1,000 EUR range including designing, developing, building and domain name registration as well as translation into EN, FR, ES, IT and DE. Website hosting costs me 30 EUR each year.
| | |
|
|
|
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| for publicity | Aug 5, 2018 |
Although some freelancers use websites to (1) promote one's services, (2) attracting more prospects and (3) getting more interested clients, now I work with direct clients and require no extra publicity.
While some prefer to diversify such attracting sources, I found that diversifying the income sources works better.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 12:18
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I never had a website, and every time I ask colleagues if it's worth it to have one, the vast majority say "no". Checking around, even here in the polls, one can easily notice that a website is not finantially advantageous for a translator, as it does not lead to jobs or clients. It may be a great networking technique, but not for $$ purposes.
| | | | | It takes time | Aug 6, 2018 |
Mario Freitas wrote:
I never had a website, and every time I ask colleagues if it's worth it to have one, the vast majority say "no". Checking around, even here in the polls, one can easily notice that a website is not finantially advantageous for a translator, as it does not lead to jobs or clients. It may be a great networking technique, but not for $$ purposes.
As a sworn translator in Brazil, an service ruled by a law dated 1943 AD and unamended to date, I had to explain a lot of things to people who needed such sworn translations. So I put together a bunch of Q&As, got help from several colleagues, and that was the acorn of my web site.
Later, as I do video translation and subtitling, mostly corporate video - i.e. clients who don't have a clue on video work, it's far from their core business - I had another pack of Q&As to publish.
AMOF they are not FAQs, because these "questions" are not asked. They are answers that I have to give them over and over again. When I have these answers on my site, I merely give them the exact URL, no need to type them over and over again on e-mails.
A couple of colleagues developed brilliant blogs on translations. I had a few articles published everywhere, decided to pack them together on my web site. A blog entails some commitment to publish new stuff periodically. I didn't want any such commitment, so my articles just remain there, undated. Now and then I review, update, and at times delete, as adequate.
Over time, it attracted interest, and Google snoops on who's going where online. Therefore, without any paid SEO, but merely by having interesting content, I had a snowball effect, and rose in rankings. However I'd say it took about 7 or 8 years for my web site to attract a worthy number of prospects almost every day.
| | | |
I have made it myself. It's quite simple: no CMS, database or php. It's a basic free web template that I edited a lot, my handwritten HTML + CSS and I found a free javascript for sliding pictures/text that I somehow adjusted to my design.
| | |
|
|
|
Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 12:18
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Yes, sir, but different types of site | Aug 6, 2018 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Over time, it attracted interest, and Google snoops on who's going where online. Therefore, without any paid SEO, but merely by having interesting content, I had a snowball effect, and rose in rankings. However I'd say it took about 7 or 8 years for my web site to attract a worthy number of prospects almost every day.
José Henrique, your webpage, as well as Danilo's, are exceptions, because you dedicate a long time to publish things of general interest to the entire translators' community. My comment regards the regular website, developed by a regular translator, among thousands of others alike. Those are finantially useless. We can't compare them to a site of the level and quality of yours.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: How much have you invested in making your own website? | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
