What's the most effective search engine submission service available? Thread poster: LukaszPL
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Hello everyone,
Getting established usually means starting and running a web site. Does anyone have any valuable experience in using search engine submission services? If yes, can you pls share it?
| | | | Magda Dziadosz 
Poland
Local time: 11:31
Member (2004)
English to Polish
+ ...
| selfpromotion.com | Jan 18, 2006 |
Hi,
Try selfpromotion.com - it offers a very good tutorials on what to do and what not to do regarding SE as well as automatic submission services. It is a free service - you can donate, however, a small amount and get access to some extra tools.
You will find out that it is better to submit manually to many search engines and directories, but this site will give you plenty of useful advice.
HTH,
Magda
| | | | | Yes, but does that hold for translation services, too? | Jan 18, 2006 |
LukaszPL wrote:
Getting established usually means starting and running a web site.
Yes, but does that work for the translation business specifically, too? I doubt it.
Last time I looked, what was most often used together with "translation" as a search word was "free". This goes for English and German. "leo" and "online" were common search words, too.
I deduced that most potential clients don't use search engines to look for professional translators. Those who do use search engines look for free online services, such as babelfish, or free dictionary sites, such as dict.leo.org. You can't make money targetting a group that only wants freebies.
Agencies won't go out of their way at all to look for you. They certainly won't fire up the Internet just to view your website.
There are lots of translators already that are actively contacting them, so there's not much point in looking for you. If they do need you, they're bound to use translator sites such as PROZ rather than google.
There are direct clients that need translators, but those won't look for you on the Internet, as seen above - so they won't find your site.
If my deduction is correct, which I firmly believe, then creating a web site should not be the highest priority when entering the translation business.
Your first priority should be to contact the agencies - actively - so you should prepare a profile and compile a list of numbers to phone.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but, you know, life's life.
P.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 11:31
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Combined approach | Jan 18, 2006 |
LukaszPL wrote:
Getting established usually means starting and running a web site. Does anyone have any valuable experience in using search engine submission services?
1. Read the entire web site http://www.apromotionguide.com/. Follow the advice given.
2. If you don't want to follow the advice (or you don't want to read it), do this:
2.1 Submit your site to dmoz.org manually.
2.2 Use http://www.add-me.com/ to add your site to about 10 search engines.
2.3 Go to Yahoo or ODP and find the categories with listings of search engines.
2.4 Manually submit your site to all relevant ones found in those lists.
3. Wait for the traffic...
Of course, all of this is useless unless your site is optimised for search engines in the first place. So, read the web site whose link I gave at the beginning of this post.
Optionally: 4. Join as many free translators' forums and jobs sites (such as Proz), fill in your profile as best you can, and don't forget to mention your web site address.
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Pilar T. Bayle (X)
Local time: 11:31
English to Spanish
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| You are right, BUT... | Jan 18, 2006 |
If my deduction is correct, which I firmly believe, then creating a web site should not be the highest priority when entering the translation business.
You are totally right. Internet does not have to be a high priority for a new or established translator. Nevertheless, it should be used too. Why do people include ads in the yellow pages if most people prefer to pick up the phone and call an information service? It may be a chance of being spotted out by someone. Same thing with the Internet. You may be spotted. So it is not a priority, it's just another window where to show your wares in case someone happens by.
P.
www.pbayle.com/blogs
[Edited at 2006-01-18 18:17]
| | | | | I beg to differ.... | Jan 18, 2006 |
Peter Bouillon wrote:
There are direct clients that need translators, but those won't look for you on the Internet, as seen above - so they won't find your site.
P.
Direct clients *do* look on the Web when looking for new suppliers, whether it is the person in charge of the project/document to be translated or the central purchasing departments of larger companies looking to add new suppliers or replace existing ones. In fact, increasingly, it is the first place they look.
Most of the new direct clients I found last year came to me through Web searches.
Regards,
Sara
| | | | LukaszPL
Poland
Local time: 11:31
TOPIC STARTER | ok, so what else would you suggest? | Jan 18, 2006 |
yellow pages, the Internet, 'spamming' agencies... any other suggestions to a half-baked freelancer? also, slightly deriving from the topic, would you consider Russian - English a promising language combo?
| | | | Magda Dziadosz
Poland
Local time: 11:31
Member (2004)
English to Polish
+ ...
| Does it hold for translator? And how different translators are from any other businesses? | Jan 18, 2006 |
Peter Bouillon wrote:
Yes, but does that work for the translation business specifically, too? I doubt it.
Why doubt it? All surveys show that Internet is increasingly being used to search for service providers, why translators should be any different? I'm maintaining my website for about 3 or 4 years and I observe steady increase of interest in it.
Last time I looked, what was most often used together with "translation" as a search word was "free". This goes for English and German. "leo" and "online" were common search words,too.
That is true, certainly "free" will be most frequently searched . However, if you're not aiming at those who search for "free translation", that is your page is not optimised (sorry, for this ugly SEO lingo ) for this keyword, they won't even look at your site. However, even if only a dozen of people a day visit my site after typing "English Polish translator" and only 1 of them actually contact me - it's more then plenty!
I deduced that most potential clients don't use search engines to look for professional translators. Those who do use search engines look for free online services, such as babelfish, or free dictionary sites, such as dict.leo.org. You can't make money targetting a group that only wants freebies.
You might be underestimating this part of the market. At least my website statistics proves the contrary to what you say. And, of course, you should not target those who look for freebies, but those who look for service providers.
Agencies won't go out of their way at all to look for you. They certainly won't fire up the Internet just to view your website.
There are lots of translators already that are actively contacting them, so there's not much point in looking for you. If they do need you, they're bound to use translator sites such as PROZ rather than google.
That is probably true for agencies. However - I had agencies contacting me through my website. Perhaps they didn't find me via google search, but certainly they do check the websites where they can find useful info about the translator. Again, I wouldn't underestimate the importance of a website.
There are direct clients that need translators, but those won't look for you on the Internet, as seen above - so they won't find your site.
Here, I disagree completely: the number of inquires I receive via my website is more then I can actually do.
If my deduction is correct, which I firmly believe, then creating a web site should not be the highest priority when entering the translation business.
Your first priority should be to contact the agencies - actively - so you should prepare a profile and compile a list of numbers to phone.
That depends on the adopted policy - do you want to work primarily for agencies or for direct clients. Such decision affects the marketing strategy.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but, you know, life's life.
P.
Not sure what is the bad news, here
Best,
Magda
[Edited at 2006-01-18 18:08]
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| Depending on the business, there's a point for ads in the Yellow Pages | Jan 18, 2006 |
Pilar T. Bayle wrote:
Why do people include ads in the yellow pages if most people prefer to pick up the phone and call an information service?
There might be valid a point for ads in the Yellow Pages. This depends on your specific business. I only know the German situation.
Suppose, for example, that you are a sworn translator and that a lot of your work consists in translating visa, diplomas and other official documents and certifying the translation. In that case, customers will want to come to you in person so as to present their original papers; this is why they will look for you locally.
In Germany, at least, a common way of looking for local services is using the Yellow Pages. So you have to advertise there.
P.
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 12:31
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
| Search enginges seem to be outdated | Jan 19, 2006 |
because everybody uses Google in the first place.
What you want when you have a web site, is that Google (and other major search engines) find you. For that purpose you should put a link to your web site on a site, which is already known to Google. The next time the robot searches for new links it will find your site and voilà!
As a member of Proz.com the easiest thing is putting the link to your web site into your profile. After a few days the search engines will catch you and lis... See more because everybody uses Google in the first place.
What you want when you have a web site, is that Google (and other major search engines) find you. For that purpose you should put a link to your web site on a site, which is already known to Google. The next time the robot searches for new links it will find your site and voilà!
As a member of Proz.com the easiest thing is putting the link to your web site into your profile. After a few days the search engines will catch you and list your entries according the their rules.
It depends on the content of your site how high you get listet when potential customers search for a service. So if you'd like to attract Chinese customers some content should be in Chinese with the right phrases.
Direct customers do search for translators with Google.
Regards
Heinrich Pesch ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 11:31
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Some more comments | Jan 19, 2006 |
Heinrich Pesch wrote:
Search enginges seem to be outdated because everybody uses Google in the first place. What you want when you have a web site, is that Google (and other major search engines) find you.
Erm, that really, really does not make any sense. Google is a search engine. Unless you're referring to the Google Directory, which is a downstream user of the Open Directory's data.
As a member of Proz.com the easiest thing is putting the link to your web site into your profile. After a few days the search engines will catch you and list your entries according the their rules.
The "you don't need to submit your site because eventually they'll find you anyway" rule is one that I have heard many times in the past. The fact is that most search engines invite submissions, and if they invite them, then they must have a reason. So... submit, submit, submit, I say.
Magda Dziadosz wrote:
Try selfpromotion.com ... you can donate, however, a small amount and get access to some extra tools.
The tutorials at selfpromotion.com isn't really all that good (just a rehashing of commonly known facts), but if their automatic submitter is as good as they say it is (and it's free, by the way), then it's definitely worth a look.
Peter Bouillon wrote:
Your first priority should be to contact the agencies - actively - so you should prepare a profile and compile a list of numbers to phone.
You contact the agency, mention your web site address, and wait. The agent remembers your e-mail because it was a brilliant e-mail, and at some stage when he's not at his office computer suddenly needs a translator, and remembers you. He goes to Google and does a search for you, but he can't find you in the top 100 hits because... you're not there. Hmmmmm.
Pilar T. Bayle wrote:
Nevertheless, it should be used too. Why do people include ads in the yellow pages if most people prefer to pick up the phone and call an information service?
These "information services" must be a new thing (or a cultural thing). We don't have them in ZA... can you tell us more about them? How does one get listed in such a service? Isn't such a service basically a call-centre linked to the electronic yellow pages anyway?
Magda Dziadosz wrote:
However - I had agencies contacting me through my website.
Me too.
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 12:31
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
I've been an editor of the Open Directory for years, but noticed, that it's not working efficiently. Submissions may lay there for months befor they are processed.
Practical experience shows that a link to a new site in a site prior known to Google will be found wihtin days by Google (and other major search engines) and listet.
But how high your site rises in the ranking list depends on the number of links that lead to it, among other, mostly secret factors.
I would not advise... See more I've been an editor of the Open Directory for years, but noticed, that it's not working efficiently. Submissions may lay there for months befor they are processed.
Practical experience shows that a link to a new site in a site prior known to Google will be found wihtin days by Google (and other major search engines) and listet.
But how high your site rises in the ranking list depends on the number of links that lead to it, among other, mostly secret factors.
I would not advise anybody to submit a site to the Open Directory and sit and wait. There are faster ways.
Try to get your site listed and linked as much as possible on distinguished sites like Proz, translator associations, local business associations etc.
Regards
Heinrich ▲ Collapse
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