Is there anyone out there without a website? Well, you’d better get one then! If you do have one, make sure it has all the necessary pages to make it work!
Home
Home page is very much a leaflet, brochure or even an online business card. Its main goal is to grab attention and encourage people to visit other pages, but also to encapsulate the essence of your services. Make sure your home page is not missing:
- Name and surname
- Language pair
- Translation services you offer
- How do you accept files and deliver them
- Persuasive content
My website fails here: the only indication of my services is this small button at the top, name and surname is somewhere further down on the right, not a mention about accepting and delivering files. Persuasive content? Not for clients. It’s partly because I want to write for translators. But that’s not an excuse. I can get better on that one!
Services
Either one page with all of them listed, or separate pages for translation, interpreting, proofreading. From what I was told by website designers, customers can’t struggle to find your “products”, the same as you wouldn’t struggle to find anything in a shop. Apparently, the same applies to price tags. I don’t know why so many translators never list their prices online. Why? From the consumer’s or buyer’s point of view, that’s wrong. If I go to a shopping centre (Westfield, if I really have to), and I see a display with no price tags, I don’t go in. It’s a simple idea that they are just hiding something. And customers don’t like being cheated.
Why choose you?
A persuasive and punchy list of ideas why you are the best person on Earth to translate this text. Some people don’t find it necessary. I do. Why? Because I like being persuaded. Clearly, my own website fails here. Already queued in my calendar.
About
“When reading your About page, people want to make a connection with the person behind the pixels”. Well, for that very reason no-one should start with listing down all courses, diplomas and every single word translated. It works in a CV, or further down the page. But clearly there is something more about you than just that. Thank gods my website doesn’t even have an About page!
FAQ
Not applicable for solo translators? Wrong. Helping potential customers find their way and providing answers to any of their questions is a great courtesy they will appreciate. Having said that, I shall start making my own FAQ page!
Testimonials
Self explanatory, and we all know how important it is to have them. What about twitter testimonials? LinkedIn recommendations? WWA from ProZ? Even simple screenshots will work!
Contact
This shortcut really is essential as a page. Nice and clear summary of all possible ways of contacting a translator saves a lot of time. Maybe you can please your customers offering skype? Livechat? Don’t be like me: a lame contact page with an obscure contact form. Yuk! No wonder why no-one ever writes to me!
Marta Stelmaszak
Thanks for reading this article! I hope you found it useful. If you have anything to say or add, don't hesitate to leave your comment below. Don't forget to sign up for a newsletter to make sure you won't miss a thing.
Follow Me:
No Comments