The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022 - 36

BUSINESS PRACTICES By Veronika Demichelis
service. Chances are you
started by typing in the
name of that service in your
favorite search engine. For
most people, that's Google. If
you're looking for someone
local, you probably used
Google Maps.
Can Clients Find You? Help
Them With Google My Business
The following was originally published on Next Level: The ATA
Business Practices Blog. This initiative by ATA's Business Practices
Education Committee provides information for both freelancers
and company owners to use in all aspects of their careers, from
improving their privacy protections to planning for retirement.
Visit: www.atanet.org/career-education/next-level.
I
'm willing to bet that
marketing your translation
or interpreting services
to potential clients isn't
something you look forward
to. Most of us usually dread
or postpone this task.
Wouldn't it be nice if clients
came to you instead?
Well, it's possible to get
closer to that goal with a
Google My Business (GMB)
profile. In the following
36 The ATA Chronicle | May/June 2022
I'll be sharing my personal
experience using GMB to
make it easier for clients to
find me online.
People often look for
service providers on the
go or through their mobile
devices. Having a GMB page
makes you more visible to
those searching for the type
of services you provide.
Think about the last time you
searched for a professional
" But I can't compete
with agencies that
invest time and money
on search engine
optimization! They'll
always be at the top of
the search results. "
Well, that's not necessarily
true anymore. Google is
focusing more and more
on bringing the most
relevant search results to
the user. That means pulling
information from Google
Maps, social media sites (e.g.,
LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.),
and other online sources. In
fact, when Google looks up
information for someone
searching for, say, a certified
Russian translator, it takes
into account three criteria:
y Relevance: Does this
business offer the
service that the user is
searching for?
y Distance: Is this business
located in the same area as
the user, or does it provide
services in this area?
y Prominence: Does this
business appear to be
legitimate?
By creating a GMB profile,
you can make sure you tick
all the boxes. Google will put
your business listing at the
top of search results, right
after the listings marked
as ads, in the Google Maps
section. Here, your potential
client will see the name
www.atanet.org
http://www.atanet.org/career-education/next-level http://www.atanet.org
The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022

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