Deciding to create a website for your professional freelance translation business is one of the best ways to maximize your business success. This session will show you how you how to create your own website at no or low cost, without having to know html or hire a web designer. The session presents what content you should include and how to make it more visible online. Specific examples of website content for linguists will be discussed, plus some dos and don’ts in website creation and maintenance.

1. Tess Whitty
http://www.swedishtranslationservices.com
Pictures from freedigitalphotos.net
www.swedishtranslationservices.com
© Tess Whitty
Creating and optimizing a
website for your freelance
translation business
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Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
Free or low cost website hosting and templates
Steps to create your own business website
Website content
Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
Marketing your website
Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
Conclusions
www.swedishtranslationservices.com
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© Tess Whitty
Outline
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3. © Tess Whitty
www.swedishtranslationservices.com
Why have a website?
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4. Online presence
Cost advantage
Found through search engines
Always available
World markets
Great complement to other
online presence
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© Tess Whitty
Benefits of having a website
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5. You can update anytime, anywhere
Use for market research
Improved credibility
Added value for customers
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© Tess Whitty
Indirect benefits of having website
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6. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
1. Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
2. Free or low cost website hosting and templates
3. Steps to create your own business website
4. Website content
5. Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
6. Marketing your website
7. Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
8. Conclusions
© Tess Whitty
Outline
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7. 2. WordPress
http://www.wordpress.com
3. Blogger.Com
http://www.blogger.com
4. Google Sites
http://sites.google.com
www.swedishtranslationservices.com
1. Webs.Com
http://www.webs.com
© Tess Whitty
Free or low cost website hosting
and templates
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8. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
1. Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
2. Free or low cost website hosting and templates
3. Steps to create your own business website
4. Website content
5. Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
6. Marketing your website
7. Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
8. Conclusions
© Tess Whitty
Outline
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9. Plan your website
Register a domain name
Choose a web host
Choose a website template
Customize your template
Proofread and test
Publish your website
Search Engine Optimization
Market your website
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© Tess Whitty
Steps to create your own website
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10. Outline
1. Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
2. Free or low cost website hosting and templates
3. Steps to create your own business website
4. Website content
5. Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
6. Marketing your website
7. Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
8. Conclusions
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11. Suggestions for content
Home
About page
Services
Contact information
Samples and/or references
Links
Page with certifications, published articles,
events/training you have attended
• Multilingual
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12. Page headers
Text links
Picture descriptions
Write for people, not search engines
Write for your target group
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© Tess Whitty
Noteworthy about the text
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13. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
1. Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
2. Free or low cost website hosting and templates
3. Steps to create your own business website
4. Website content
5. Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
6. Marketing your website
7. Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
8. Conclusions
© Tess Whitty
Outline
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14. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
• Short and concise text
• Place the most important pages into the root (main)
folder
• Make your site useful and professional
• Place a search-bar on each page
• If you wish to make the site even more “sticky” – add a
forum and/or a blog
• Make it easy for people to contact you
© Tess Whitty
Website do’s
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15. Crazy formats and colors
Writing predictable or boring content
Beware of copied content
Never updating your website
Only about you, not how you can help
Grammar mistakes
Hard to read
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© Tess Whitty
Website don’ts – design
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16. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
Long time to load
Confusing functionality
Broken links and missing images
Requiring visitors to download and install plug-ins to
view your site
• Telling people that they need a specific browser to view
your site
• Lots of pop-ups, animations and flash
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© Tess Whitty
Website don’ts –
technical
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17. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
1. Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
2. Free or low cost website hosting and templates
3. Steps to create your own business website
4. Website content
5. Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
6. Marketing your website
7. Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
8. Conclusions
© Tess Whitty
Outline
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18. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
• Email signature
• In signature for all news group, discussion group or
forum postings
• Online profiles and directories
• Search Engine Optimization
© Tess Whitty
Marketing your website – online
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19. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
• Include URL in all marketing communication:
• Business cards
• Resumes
• Brochures
• Christmas cards
© Tess Whitty
Marketing your website – offline
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20. Custom domain name
Keywords (www.adwords.google.com)
Descriptions
Submit your site to Google, Bing and Yahoo
Link exchange
Professional SEO services (optional)
www.swedishtranslationservices.com
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© Tess Whitty
Search Engine Optimization –
SEO
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21. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
1. Why do we need a website for our freelance
translation/interpretation business?
2. Free or low cost website hosting and templates
3. Steps to create your own business website
4. Website content
5. Do’s and don’ts for a translation service website
6. Marketing your website
7. Integrating your website into the rest of your online
presence and marketing
8. Conclusions
© Tess Whitty
Outline
21

22. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
• Applications for linking to your social media from your
website
• Third party services to link content - publish once on all
social media
(e.g. HootSuite, TweetDeck or SocialOomph )
© Tess Whitty
Integrating your website – social
media
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23. www.swedishtranslationservices.com
• Having your own webpage is an important marketing tool
for your freelance translation/interpretation business
• Does not have to be difficult or expensive
• Market your website
• Start small, then add on tools and features
© Tess Whitty
Conclusions
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24. • ProZ webinar: Social SEO
(Search Engine
Optimization) basics for
translators by Anne
Diamantidis
• Entrepreneur.com –
Make your Website
Famous, by Al
Lautenslager
• ProZ webinar: Creating
a Marketing Plan for
Freelance Translators,
by Tess Whitty
www.swedishtranslationservices.com
• How to create a
website for free –
wordpress
• Creating a website –
Fast and easy
© Tess Whitty
References and further reading
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Pictures from freedigitanlpictures.net