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Another website - please, could you review it?
Thread poster: Natalia Ulla
María Carda
María Carda  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
+ ...
You can see how it looks on different devices... Apr 20, 2015

Natalia Ulla wrote:

I only have a laptop, so can not check other layouts on it, or how it looks on iPads and such, but I am sure there is an option on the builder to change the sideways scrolling.

Thanks so much, this is very helpful!



Hi, Natalia. Take a look at these websites. They will show how your website looks on different devices.

http://ami.responsiveonly.com/
http://ami.responsivedesign.is/
http://www.responsinator.com/

[Edited at 2015-04-20 11:35 GMT]


 
Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Great advice José... Apr 20, 2015

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

By chance, we have taken exactly opposite directions.

While your site sends visitors to your Proz profile (where prospects may find thousands of other options), my Proz profile (assuming prospects found me there) sends visitors to specific pages on my web site, depending on what they want from me.

There should be pros and cons in each of these approaches, perhaps worth comparing.

I know a few colleagues who spent a lot in SEO. Some hired those "optimizators" that bombard you with spam every other day. Others paid Google directly, and discovered that stopping this payment causes traffic to stop immediately.

I chose to gradually cram my web site with what I was led to consider "useful info" for translation prospects. Most of it was based on actual customer questions I had to answer over and over again.

I never spent a cent in any kind of paid SEO, expecting the content to work for me. It took a few years and, if I were farming out part of my demand, it would not be enough. However the most valuable content there, viz.:
- sworn translation in Brazil
- video translation for dubbing and subtitling in Brazil
- PDF files translation with DTP using Infix
... got quite high rankings on Google.

IMHO your degree/specialization in cinema could yield some positive results. You would be amazed how little clients - translation agencies included - know about film/video translation or localization. I have a hard time, every time, to guide them into realizing what they actually need or want.



Thanks for your advice,

I actually linked to my site on my Proz profile. However, just to the home page, as my site is still too simple to do otherwise. Regarding SEO, I did it all by myself, and tried to keep it non-spamy. I used Webmasters Tools from Google and followed their directions. The site builder is online-based and also has a pretty decent SEO wizard. But, as you say, I will enrich the content (in the end is the actual content that matters!) by means of starting my own blog and adding to the site as I get more experience. Hopefully then I can expand the site to the point where I can link from the Proz profile to specific pages on the site.

I a excited to land some jobs for my Cinema specialty. Specially technical stuff. Your input was very helpful and I really thank you for your time!


 
Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
¡Perfecto María! Apr 20, 2015

María Carda wrote:

Natalia Ulla wrote:

I only have a laptop, so can not check other layouts on it, or how it looks on iPads and such, but I am sure there is an option on the builder to change the sideways scrolling.

Thanks so much, this is very helpful!



Hi, Natalia. Take a look at these websites. They will show how your website looks on different devices.

http://ami.responsiveonly.com/
http://ami.responsivedesign.is/
http://www.responsinator.com/

[Edited at 2015-04-20 11:35 GMT]


Thanks you so much María!

This is super useful. Muchas gracias.


 
Silvia Di Profio
Silvia Di Profio  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:56
Member (2015)
English to Italian
first (and second) glance Apr 20, 2015

Hi Natalia
just a flash (and semi-serious) comment: I can't hide the first thing I noticed opening the page it's the hairy forearms! You look so pretty, background is somewhat disorienting. No doubts your forearms would look definitely better!
That said, I find your website really nice (no SEO or other IT tips from me, sorry)!


[Edited a
... See more
Hi Natalia
just a flash (and semi-serious) comment: I can't hide the first thing I noticed opening the page it's the hairy forearms! You look so pretty, background is somewhat disorienting. No doubts your forearms would look definitely better!
That said, I find your website really nice (no SEO or other IT tips from me, sorry)!


[Edited at 2015-04-20 14:17 GMT]
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Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
I don't have hairy forearms! Apr 20, 2015

Silvia Di Profio wrote:

Hi Natalia
just a flash (and semi-serious) comment: I can't hide the first thing I noticed opening the page it's the hairy forearms! You looks so pretty, background is somewhat disorienting. No doubts your forearms would look definitely better!
That said, I find your website really nice (no SEO or other IT tips from me, sorry)!


Jaja, Silvia,

It's funny that you mention it. I had a LOOOONG discussion with my boyfriend about it the day I started making the site. He told me off about the hairy forearms (it's obviously a stock photo). I am Spanish but come on! He said it was misleading, but I wasn't sure. I actually cropped it so that the arms wouldn't show as much. I can't believe you noticed that! I will definitely change it soon. So much to do...!

It's really difficult to find a good image for a translation site! I wanted to put a lovely (amazing) image of a sparrow in a completely white background, but it doesn't go with the translation theme and it wouldn't fit the text properly. I might just ditch the whole concept and just choose a single colour background.

Thanks for the comment, when I read the first line I was like "Oh no! she's going to say something terrible!"

Jaja


 
Silvia Di Profio
Silvia Di Profio  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:56
Member (2015)
English to Italian
Sure you have not! Apr 20, 2015

Natalia Ulla wrote:

Thanks for the comment, when I read the first line I was like "Oh no! she's going to say something terrible!"




I could not; I'm tinkering with my website, too, and I have so much to learn (but your boyfriend was right )


 
Paulinho Fonseca
Paulinho Fonseca  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 11:56
Member (2011)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
SEO Apr 20, 2015

Rachel Waddington wrote:

Natalia Ulla wrote:
Re: Keywords. I did some research and it looks like hiding keywords can actually work against your SEO. Apparently, according to the tutorials and Google itself, hiding keywords is considered like you are trying to "cheat" the system and google can spot you have hidden them and ban you (or make it worse for your site on Google search). It's something webmasters were doing a lot years ago and now it seems it's frowned upon by the webmasters community and several search engines (Google, bing, etc...).

I got the idea of including visible keywords at the end of the pages (they are in all the pages, at the bottom) actually from Proz (the way they show visibly in our profiles here).

I know it looks sort of funny but I rather be upfront about it than be penalised for it.

I can always make them a tad smaller, if it looks too busy?

Side note: You mention "hidden in the code", actually a lot of these keywords are also in the meta tags, titles, alt text and other features included within the actual code. But since I am using an HTML5 site editor (wix), it did not let me add as many. That's why I decided to include all of them at the bottom of the pages.


I must admit I don't know a great deal about SEO, but my limited understanding is that lists of keywords like that have become less useful now anyway. They don't look especially obvious, it's just I don't recall seeing that on a website before (other than ProZ profiles).



My knowledge on SEO is also not that extensive, but one thing I have learned is that you can use the key words on your descriptive content and 'I am not quite sure they should be displayed on front/top of page'. The head is quite good: 'English to Spanish translations specializing in Cinema, Photography, Scuba diving and Environmental content'

You have done a great job with graphics/illustrations and site size or content is clean and not too long, but objective. I still have some doubts about the 'wix' display thing. In most trainings I had, coaches told me to avoid it. It's just a comment about a previous feedback received. I have a friend in Brazil which made her site on Wix and she is having a positive professional outcome regarding jobs.


Best of luck!!!


 
Alex Lago
Alex Lago  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
+ ...
Like the page but... Apr 20, 2015

I like the website and think it looks good, however the fact that you can constantly see that the site was created with WIX and there are two banners telling me to set up my own website with WIX does not convey "professionalism" to me and would put me off using your services, but this is just me and I'm sure there are loads of people who won't mind.

 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:56
Italian to English
Keywords Apr 20, 2015

I know how difficult it is to create a website, and I think you're doing a pretty good job!

However I have a bit of a gripe with your keywords. "Cinema, photography, scuba diving, environment." They sound like someone who couldn't decide what specialist subjects to list, and so decided to list their hobbies instead. It's only when we get to the "About me" page that we discover your qualifications... that you're a PADI divemaster and underwater videographer. THAT's what clients want
... See more
I know how difficult it is to create a website, and I think you're doing a pretty good job!

However I have a bit of a gripe with your keywords. "Cinema, photography, scuba diving, environment." They sound like someone who couldn't decide what specialist subjects to list, and so decided to list their hobbies instead. It's only when we get to the "About me" page that we discover your qualifications... that you're a PADI divemaster and underwater videographer. THAT's what clients want to see, and it's what makes you stand out. If you could put this on your home page rather than on the second, it would make the world of difference, and minimise the risk of clients passing you by because you don't stand out.

Best of luck!!
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Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 15:56
English to Polish
+ ...
Some thoughts Apr 20, 2015

Cultural differences may be involved, but I would be very reluctant to use phrases such as 'hire me' and 'tailored to your needs', as those can attract a bit of a spoiled brat of a client — people who like being catered to and having things 'tailored' for them.

I would also do some testimonial management — you're an experienced professional with expert positioning in your niche. Hence, a glowing testimonial in which a CEO professes himself to be elated with the fact that you (*g
... See more
Cultural differences may be involved, but I would be very reluctant to use phrases such as 'hire me' and 'tailored to your needs', as those can attract a bit of a spoiled brat of a client — people who like being catered to and having things 'tailored' for them.

I would also do some testimonial management — you're an experienced professional with expert positioning in your niche. Hence, a glowing testimonial in which a CEO professes himself to be elated with the fact that you (*gasp!*) found a typo in the original doesn't do much to raise your profile, it can even be detrimental. The same goes for jobs titled 'rewrite 115 paragraphs (...) — put in Excel' (which emphasizes the bulk quantity and menial aspects of the work). A lawyer, doctor or architect probably wouldn't show it for fear of rep damage. I suggest you don't either.

It's difficult for me to comment on your About Me, as it doesn't follow the standard way of writing such pages. On the other hand, it definitely looks good visually, and probably the text also does its job. Perhaps because of its freshness that I mentioned already.

Still need to get rid of some of the last remnants of what sounds like first job application style — something almost all translators suffer from. With degrees and credentials, eight years into your professional life, you don't want to sound like an enthusiastic junior any more. Translators may find this difficult to manage because of a lack of clear career progression, which makes them stop at an early stage. But you need to take into account that you have more seniority now than you did six or seven years ago.

Good luck!
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Alistair Gainey
Alistair Gainey  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:56
Russian to English
Photos Apr 20, 2015

It's really difficult to find a good image for a translation site! I wanted to put a lovely (amazing) image of a sparrow in a completely white background, but it doesn't go with the translation theme and it wouldn't fit the text properly. I might just ditch the whole concept and just choose a single colour background.


Don't you have any nice diving photos you could use? And hairy forearms or not, those hands look a little odd with another hand apparently sprouting out of them.


 
Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Very good advice about showcasing my specialties Apr 21, 2015

Fiona Peterson wrote:

I know how difficult it is to create a website, and I think you're doing a pretty good job!

However I have a bit of a gripe with your keywords. "Cinema, photography, scuba diving, environment." They sound like someone who couldn't decide what specialist subjects to list, and so decided to list their hobbies instead. It's only when we get to the "About me" page that we discover your qualifications... that you're a PADI divemaster and underwater videographer. THAT's what clients want to see, and it's what makes you stand out. If you could put this on your home page rather than on the second, it would make the world of difference, and minimise the risk of clients passing you by because you don't stand out.

Best of luck!!


This is actually very good advice. Every time I look at the heading on the site I think "Gosh, I look like I am all over the place!" I am going to display my education on the home page in a succinct way.

Excellent, Fiona!

Thanks


 
Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
I really like your website Apr 21, 2015

Silvia Di Profio wrote:

Natalia Ulla wrote:

Thanks for the comment, when I read the first line I was like "Oh no! she's going to say something terrible!"




I could not; I'm tinkering with my website, too, and I have so much to learn (but your boyfriend was right )


I actually looked at your website yesterday, Silvia (mainly, to confirm you had no hairy arms in it, jaja), I really like it. I love the design, the colour scheme and the content a lot. Today I am getting rid of the hairy arms (on my website, that is!)


 
Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Testimonial management Apr 21, 2015

Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz wrote:

I would also do some testimonial management — you're an experienced professional with expert positioning in your niche. Hence, a glowing testimonial in which a CEO professes himself to be elated with the fact that you (*gasp!*) found a typo in the original doesn't do much to raise your profile, it can even be detrimental. The same goes for jobs titled 'rewrite 115 paragraphs (...) — put in Excel' (which emphasizes the bulk quantity and menial aspects of the work). A lawyer, doctor or architect probably wouldn't show it for fear of rep damage. I suggest you don't either.


Yes, I see what you mean. I will remove the entries that do not look good in this sense. The employer that mentioned the typo was actually one of the most professionals I worked with, however I see how it looks now that you point it out. I will make the pertinent changes. Thanks also for your comments about sounding like a junior translator. I guess I am still getting used to thinking "hey, I am a proper translator with years of experience!". I think the freelancing platform I used over the past 7 years really made me feel unworthy, as they promoted (still do, and increasingly so) cheap work (the "working for peanuts mentality"). Yesterday I saw there a job post for "Senior Translator and proofreader to overlook other translators work", it paid less than $10/hour. I mean, it ridiculous! Distancing myself from such platforms is my ultimate goal. This is why I joined Proz, and even though I haven't landed solid work yet, boy was it worth paying for the membership! I feel I have learnt more about translating, the business of translating and other aspects, in the last month than I have in the previous 7 years!

All best Lukasz!


 
Natalia Ulla
Natalia Ulla  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:56
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Free web hosting Apr 21, 2015

Alex Lago wrote:

I like the website and think it looks good, however the fact that you can constantly see that the site was created with WIX and there are two banners telling me to set up my own website with WIX does not convey "professionalism" to me and would put me off using your services, but this is just me and I'm sure there are loads of people who won't mind.


Alex,


Unfortunately, at the moment I can only afford to use a free website service. I absolutely hate the Wix ads though, and I am already planning to move the site elsewhere. The little control I have over the website's code also bothers me. I know HTML (self-taught), so I would like to be able to control all aspects of the design as well as hidden content (code). I take note of your comment. It's something I have been thinking about ever since I made the site.

Muchas gracias por tu ayuda, Alex.


 
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