3 Ways Translators Can Improve Their Website Copy and Appeal to Their Ideal Clients
We translators may be word people, but writing our own web copy doesn't always come that easily.
Our web copy, just like our web design, should evolve as we evolve. It should evolve as our ideal clients evolve.
I talk to so many colleagues who say that the main reason they've put off working on their website is because writing the copy for their business feels so hard.
I get it.
Knowing how to write copy with your ideal client in mind is not the easiest thing to do.
You need a plan. You need to know what your ideal clients want to know. And you need to know how to deliver what they want to know succinctly and in a way that brings them to the natural conclusion that you are the right translator for them.
Here are 3 ways you can can improve your freelance translation website copy and appeal to your ideal clients.
1. Keep it brief.
As word people who are used to reading a lot of content every day, it's hard to know when to stop writing when it comes to our web copy.
We think we need to tell those who land on our website everything about how we came to be translators so they'll trust us.
We think we need to write copy that reflects exactly what’s on our resumes.
We think we need to give our entire biography so that clients will see what experts we are.
Trust me . . . having too much copy on your website means that clients will have to sift through it all to find what they need.
Is that something you would want to do when you land on a website?
Of course not. And your clients don't want to search for what they need either!
By writing too much content, you run the risk of losing potential clients.
Instead, write. less.
Keep the copy on your site to a minimum. You do not have to tell clients everything about you as soon as they land on your website.
A couple of my students in the T&I Website Blueprint Course told me, “But I want to be honest and let them know why I’m qualified.”
Well, of course!
But you can still be honest and show your qualifications without writing a novel on your homepage.
As the saying goes, "Don't show all your cards."
Save some of the information about your background and knowledge on a given topic for the conversations you’ll have with a potential client.
After all, if you tell them everything in writing, what's left to talk about?
The real business happens offline.
So, use your homepage's white space to guide the reader's eyes to know where to look next.
It is less overwhelming to read copy in small amounts on a screen than it is to have to sift through a lot of copy to find what you need.
And aesthetically, it’s just more pleasing to the reader’s eye. 😉
2. Write to your ideal clients and focus less on writing about yourself.
I see most translators (and other freelancers, for that matter) using their prime web real estate to talk about themselves more than they talk to their ideal clients.
Quickly scan your website copy to get an idea if you have also made this common mistake.
How much are you writing about yourself (using the pronoun “I”) versus talking directly to your clients (using the pronoun “you”)?
Does your copy read more like an autobiography than a friendly conversation?
If so, it’s time to update that content!
When your clients land on your website, they want to know how you're going to help them reach their goals, overcome their challenges and relieve their pain points.
Take these homepage examples from some of my T&I Website Blueprint Course students.
Ana Sofia Correiais a medical and life sciences translator. She speaks directly to her ideal clients on her homepage, and she tells them what she can do to help them without making the copy all about her.
In addition, Ana Sofia keeps her copy succinct and focuses on being the solution for her clients.
This is ALL your clients want to know when they land on your website: How can you help them? Give them the answer and do it succinctly!
Beth Gardner created a beautiful website for her copywriting clients and used her homepage to let her clients know exactly what she will help them do.
Not only does she give them an idea of the experience they'll have when they select her as their copywriter, but Beth appeals to their goal of standing out among their competitors.
Talk to your clients by using what you already know about them.
Even better? Use terms and phrases your ideal clients would use, too!
3. Use complementary font sizes, colors and contrast.
It may seem like a small thing to choose a font for your website, but when you consider these little (but important!) details, you can better understand why some websites are easier to read than others.
If clients have a hard time reading your site content because the font is too small or the weight of the font is too light, they may very well click away to a site that is easier to read.
In fact, by using fonts that complement one another, you guide your reader's eye to show them where to navigate next on the page.
Natalia Bertelli has done an excellent job of using complementary font sizes, colors and contrast. Not only does she vary the size of the font so that the reader's eye lands first on the large copy in the center of a beautiful image of an Italian city, but she also leads the reader's eye down the page—or copy—by using white space (also called negative space) well.
You can also see that Natalia has updated her homepage copy since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Italy. She shares “Courts are open!” and she even offers to send a courier to pick up her clients’ documents so that they can remain safe at home during a time when many are concerned about being in close contact with others.
The font color Natalia uses for “MY SERVICES” complements the tones in the banner image above.
Take the time to consider your fonts, font colors and even the contrast of your font colors against the background images and color of your site.
When you make it easy for site visitors to consume your content, you increase the chances of them sticking around on your website longer!
Plan to periodically update your translation website copy to reflect and appeal to your ideal clients
Your marketing techniques are meant to change over time and with your ideal clients. As they evolve, so should your web copy.
Your website requires periodic updates. Nothing you write is set in stone for the rest of time. So, make a plan once or twice a year to review your website copy and make any necessary adjustments.
Your copy should relate to ideal clients and what they need in this moment.
Talk to your clients through your website copy and always aim to portray the value you bring to the business relationship.
What can you adjust in your web copy to further appeal to your ideal clients?
