I am a graduate student in the Middlebury Institute of International Studies
at Monterey in the Translation and Localization Management program, and this
spring semester I took Website Localization classes. Just to give you an idea
of what my studies are about, localization refers to the process of adapting content
related to an idea, service, or product to the language and culture of a
specific market or region. During the course, we were exposed to a wide
variety of technologies and tools, such as the fundamental web technologies of
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as dynamic WordPress websites localized with
Polylang and WPML, Drupal websites, translating with SEO in mind, and advanced
topics such as Node.js and PHP. We have touched upon the fundamental tools of
dynamic website creation, website localization workflows, and Web Content
Management Systems (CMS). My final work was exploring headless CMS technology
(read the article here) and creating and localizing a static website using
Contentful, Gatsby, and Netlify.
Yet, today I am going to write about Google Sites from a point of view of a small business owner and student.
What is Google Sites?
Google Sites is a structured wiki- and web-page creation tool included as
part of the free, web-based Google Docs Editors suite. The service also
includes Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, and other
Google apps, as well as various additional features.
Google Sites works within your Google Workspace and it's free for everyone.
If you are already using Google Workspace, you will very quickly become
familiar with Google Sites as well. In fact, after a few hours of trying, you
will be able to put together a decent website or portfolio. And this is already
something to start praising about the application.
But let's rewind a bit.
Before Google Sites
Before Google Sites, I was using Wix for all my websites, including my
blogs, my online shop, and other business functions. It started in 2015 when I
became a freelancer and realized that for my professional image, I would need a
website to start advertising my services. I knew that I was not going to hire a
web developer as I just needed a starter page, something to show a legitimate
professional online presence. When I found Wix, I was easily caught. At that
time, Wix did not have their ADI services, and I put together my first website
with their drag and drop tool, and honestly, it did not look too impressive.
But I made it, I was proud of it, and it was a big thing that I made my own
website with no knowledge about programming and coding at all. When they
introduced their ADI technology, I simply switched to a professional template,
filled in the required information, and voilá, I had a somewhat
professional-looking website. A few years later, I opened my other business, an
online store, and when I was weighing my options between Shopify and Wix, I
decided upon Wix Stores, partly, because I already used Wix and it was so easy
and enjoyable to pull together a website that looked astonishing.
Only when I took the Website Localization classes at the university did I
realize that although Wix is an easy solution, for those who know anything
about website building, Wix is not really a serious solution. Again, please
don't misunderstand me. I don't dislike Wix. But it took me several years to
understand that the reason I didn't visit, didn't develop, and didn't improve
my Wix sites, and thus my web presence, was that I did not enjoy using Wix. In
fact, it became more and more a burden. You ask why? What did Wix change? Not
much. But Wix started to offer various features, a forum, a member log-in, and
other stuff that I simply did not even have the patience to look at.
For someone who uses other applications for project management and task
management, I did not want Wix to take over and replace all my favorite to-do
or note-taking applications. Instead, I wanted Wix to integrate with all these
programs. But Wix just became bigger and started to offer an endless number of
features, while at the same time there were other things on my website that
stayed the same and did not change or improve because I did not know what to do
with them. How to personalize the fonts? How to include a more personal touch
into those very professional-looking site templates without having to switch to
a drag and drop tool? It felt like I was hooked in, and I started to feel that
all I wanted was to escape.
Besides, all these wonderful sites started to cost me more money. A little
upgrade here and there, and you start wondering why your next invoice is going
to be over $500? Of course, they always offer some good deals to hook you in,
but unfortunately, as soon as the year ends, you need to start paying the full
price, otherwise you will lose the nice features you just upgraded for.
The Switch
So, when I realized that weeks and months had passed without even logging in
to check on my sites, I knew I need to change. I felt overwhelmed by Wix. You
know, it was like a relationship when everything is just fine and you cannot
really say what's wrong but you spend more time somewhere else, and one day you
just realize that your partner created an impressive looking web (literally,
ha-ha!), but your individuality suffers.
In the Website Localization class, we started to use WordPress: recreating
and building sites on WordPress and localizing, translating them. I knew about
WordPress before, and had actually started to use it before Wix, but it did not
go anywhere. Whether I was too inexperienced or WordPress was just an upgraded
blogging tool, somehow we did not create a lasting bond. So, now five years
later, I thought: I am going to switch and finally my WordPress time will
arrive. But yet again it did not happen.
In the meantime, I built up or recreated a simple blogging static website using a headless CMS, called Contentful. I still don't know much about coding, but I enjoyed the basics of changing style, format, and functions on my new ePortfolio site that looked nothing like others'. Unfortunately, my coding skills put a limit on this project. I realized that no matter how much I want it, I cannot create a website without serious programming. Otherwise, that would be my first choice: a totally personalized website that reflects my personality and skills. But I am not a programmer, I am a project manager, a business owner, a localizer, and a translator.
And that's when I found Google Sites.
The Google Sites Blast
The best thing about Google Sites, compared to any CMSs or website building
tools, is that you can easily personalize it using the already familiar Google
elements or apps. For sure, there is a limit to what you can do, but I found
that this limit is generous enough to play around with the features and place
them the way you want to place them. After I created four sites with the tool,
I can say that I am really happy about how my websites look. I want to visit
them every day. I have a new idea, I want to figure out how can I make that
happen, and with Google Sites, you just need to use a little logic and magic
happens. Like embedding a contact form or a booking from the CRM tool that I
own for my business. Or integrating my YouTube videos. Or adding a Google Form
for customer satisfaction. Or to add an online store using Ecwid with it. And
honestly, that's how I measure success. Wix's many features just put me off
rather than inviting me to be more creative. I felt like my creative wings were
cut off, and that's not really me. I like easy solutions but I like the
personal style as well.
So, as of now, I am still in love with my Google Sites. I started to write
more blogs and articles and started to study site analytics, and that's simply
because it's so nice that my websites reflect the person I am, and I enjoy
showcasing them.
And I wouldn’t be a real localizer if my next article wasn’t "How to localize a Google Sites webpage".
Check out these sites that were built by Google Sites, and if you like any of them and you want to have a similar one for your business, your portfolio, or anything to showcase that will be yours forever for free, just drop me a line.
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