The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022 - 37

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of your business and your
contact information.
More than half of new
clients who contact me
tell me they found my
information through a
Google Search. And no, those
aren't just individual clients
looking for official document
translations. Thanks to this
strategy, I started working
with local law firms,
digital marketing agencies,
and other businesses
that need translation or
localization services.
" But isn't GMB meant
to promote brick-andmortar
businesses?
I don't want to make
my home address
visible online! "
That's a valid concern for
those of us who work from
home. You do need to provide
your physical address to
create a GMB profile, but
as soon as it's verified
you can edit your business
location and delete your
home address. Your business
will then be marked as " no
location; deliveries and home
services only. "
But how does this
affect the distance criteria
mentioned earlier? To make
sure your business listing
appears in the Google Map
search results, you'll need to
list your service areas. Think
about your ideal clients and
where they may be located.
You can enter up to 20
service areas using zip codes
or names of counties, cities,
or states.
While completing your
GMB profile, it's important
to think like a potential
client would and complete
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all the sections of your
profile that will help them
see you're the right person
for the job. This will also
help establish your relevance
in Google Search results.
To help your clients (and
the Google Search algorithm)
see if you're the right fit,
you should complete these
sections of your GMB profile:
Business Hours: Are you
open on weekends? Can
clients reach you after 6:00
pm? If your profile says
you're open on weekdays
and a client is searching
for a French interpreter on
a Sunday, Google may still
include you in search results
but will mark your business
as " Currently closed. " If you
would rather still receive
the client's inquiry, it's a
good idea to list your online
service hours. They may
differ from your preferred
business hours and give a
client a nudge to contact you.
Website: If you have a
website for your translation
or interpreting business,
add the link to your GMB
profile. It helps establish
prominence (important
for search results!) and
helps your website search
engine optimization. If
you don't have a website
yet, add a link to your ATA
directory listing or another
membership association
you would like your clients
to contact you through. The
website link appears right
next to the business listing
in Google Maps results, so
people can go straight to
your website (or your ATA
directory listing).
Services: Make sure to list
all the services you provide.
Again, think as a client and
use the search terms they
would use. It's a good idea
to be specific: list your
language pair, what type of
translation or interpreting
services you offer, in what
settings you interpret, and
what types of documents
or content you translate or
localize. The more specific
your service list is, the more
relevant your listing will be
to your potential client's
search results.
From the Business: This
is another opportunity to
describe your translation
or interpreting services
and how you can help your
ideal clients. Be clear and
specific. What you write
in this section not only
tells clients if you appear
to be trustworthy and a
good fit for them, but it
also provides keywords for
Google Searches.
Phone Number: You can
list your business phone in
this section or, if you're not
comfortable receiving phone
calls from clients, you can
leave it blank. One thing to
keep in mind is that people
who search for professional
services on the go usually
like it if they can simply
click that " Call " button next
to the business listing and
talk to someone right away.
One of the main questions
that potential clients have
is: Can I trust this service
provider? This is why the
Reviews section of your
GMB profile is so important.
It satisfies the prominence
criteria of Google Search,
which tells the search engine
that your business appears
to be legitimate, and it helps
the potential client feel they
can trust you.
When a client thanks you
for a job well done, ask if
they would be willing to
write a brief review for your
GMB profile and send them
a direct link to the review
form. You can get it from
the home page of your GMB
profile. When you receive a
nice review, it helps boost
your ranking in search
results and brings more
clients. Plus, now you have a
testimonial you can also use
on your website!
There are many ways of
attracting new clients, and a
well-maintained GMB profile
has been a great addition to
my marketing toolbox. If you
have a website, a completed
GMB profile also works in
favor of your website search
engine optimization. That's a
win-win in my book!
Veronika Demichelis, CT is the ATA
president-elect. She is an ATA-certified
English>Russian freelance translator based in
Houston, Texas, specializing in localization
and corporate communications. She teaches
localization and audiovisual translation at Houston
Community College. She is chair of ATA's Governance and
Communications Committee and a member of the Finance and
Audit Committee and Professional Development Committee.
veronika@veronikademichelis.com
American Translators Association 37
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The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022

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