In a previous post, I discussed some of the common mistakes translators make with their professional websites (and yes, the sharper-eyed among you will notice that I only came up with 13, not 17 mistakes as the headline promised. I’m a translator, a “words” sort of person. I don’t do numbers 
).
But I don’t want to just criticise, point fingers and pick holes, so here are some DOs (as opposed to DON’Ts):
A successful website needs two things. Each ingredient is inert when solitary. Combined, they make for an explosive mixture.
The ingredients are:
1. Targeted traffic (visitors looking for what you have to offer), and
2. An ability to convert those visitors into clients.
To go into each in detail would require hundreds of pages of information. So here are some quick-fix ideas based on what I think makes up a website that “works”.
1. Clear organisation, direction and sequence.
Websites that “work” are very, very easy for the user. They provide clear direction and sequencing and take visitors by the hand and gently but artfully lead to the result you want: a sale.
2. Clear writing and design.
Clean, elegant design with jargon-free, plain but compelling language that naturally incorporates keywords and phrases with strong headlines and content that provides some sort of value for the reader.
3. Call to Action on every page
I was watching one of those reality talent shows on television the other night. I was struck by how many times the presenter asked viewer to call in and vote and the numbers were displayed on screen. At every opportunity, viewers were asked to take action. The programme makers know better than to assume people be bothered to hunt for the information. A clear instruction can be a very powerful thing and simple “calls to action” like “call me now” or “click here to get a no-obligation quote within 6 business hours” seem obvious but are often overlooked and are still very effective.
4. Give something (useful) away.
No doubt you’ve seen it on many websites: successful online marketers combine their “call to action” with a valuable “goodie” such as a report, white paper, ebook etc in exchange for your email address. If you think that such tactics can’t be used successfully by translators, here are some ideas for your own brainstorming on what you can give visitors that is valuable to them and will establish you as an authority:
- a white paper on ways to save on translation costs (hint: hiring a freelancer direct instead of through an agency is one)
- a report on the linguistic challenges in your field of specialisation (different legal systems, for example) and how they can be overcome
- an ebook helping translation buyers distinguish between poor quality and high quality translation
- a paper on how to leverage free translation tools with minimum damage to the company brand (hint: you could also use this vehicle to demonstrate cases in which machine translation could be disastrous for your client).
By offering something clients actually get some value from, you don’t need to brag about your expertise: your “report” will do that for you. You will also stand out immediately from all the other freelancers who use their website simply to drone on about themselves. By exchanging the report for their email address, you also have their permission to contact them again in the future rather than letting that website visitor and potential client leave your site – and your business – forever.
5. Get other people to tell your client how great you are
Get detailed testimonials from past clients and sprinkle them throughout your website: not just on a “testimonials” or “references” page, but one on each page. If you can get a photograph of the happy client to go along with the testimonial, even better.
If you haven't already, subscribe to our email updates. Just enter your name and email here.