Greater than 2 minutes
Translators on LinkedIn: how to use keywords.
Translation agencies use LinkedIn to check on potential translators, but more important they also look for new translators on this social network.
You can easily increase your presence on LinkedIn, appearing in relevant positions in search results when potential clients look for candidates like you using search engines like Google.
Do you want to know how? Follow these two SEO tips.
Tip One: keywords for your job title
Use descriptive titles for the services you offer, so there is no question about what you do.
Have a look at the following job title:
English to Spanish Translator: Marketing Translation | Transcreation | Localisation
This linguist uses the technique of separating keywords with the | symbol, and she chooses those keywords that potential clients will be using to look for candidates like her.
Have a look at another job title
MA DPSI Freelance Spanish translator and creative writer
In theory, this is a great job description for a translator. However, a few questions come to my mind when I come across it:
- Is he a translator or an interpreter?
- What is his language combination?
- What is his area of specialism?
It is necessary that potential clients quickly understand what you are offering. Unless your job title reflects that you are the candidate they are looking for, you may not be considered.
Tip two: Optimize your job descriptions
Website users often only read the first half of the first sentence of a paragraph and so it is crucial that your information is accurate. Use short paragraphs and give readers a reason to continue reading.
Have a look to the following job description:
I am a DPSI Freelance Spanish translator with years of experience working in legal settings.
The same questions arise again
- Is he a translator or an interpreter?
- What is his language combination?
In additions, and assuming that this linguist is an interpreter, do you think a potential client from Spain will look for a DPSI Interpreter or a Sworn Interpreter?
This is why you must make sure that you identify your target clients and you speak the same language as them. This means that you must predict the keywords potential customers use.
The time spent researching the customer profile and the language of the customer pays off when you get the job!
Do you think you can improve your LinkedIn profile?
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line!
Anastasia Giagopoulou 
Mark Hemming 
Maeva Cifuentes 
Dear David, thanks for sharing! Keep on posting new cool articles on #TheOpenMic.
In addition to properly selected keywords, there are many other useful things that can improve your LinkedIn profile. You can find a link to free eBooks below the infographics here: link to blog.hubspot.com
Thanks for sharing that infographics, Simon! Super handy!
Hello Simon. Thank you for your comments. Yes, there are over a 100 factors to rank high on search results. I am just giving two tips, worth 2 minutes of time. Best, David
Awesome tips, David! And thanks for republishing your blog posts here I think you have a super awesome knowledge about SEO and a lot of translators in our community would benefit from your tips and ideas. I just made this post our #PostOfTheDay on our social media accounts. Thanks again for sharing.
I’m still a newbie when it comes to LinkedIn. I still need to understand how to leverage its power, because they say it’s one of the best networks for lead generation. My problem right now is that my work experience is ridiculously outdated. I haven’t added anything in almost 4 years. Plus I need to ask people to recommend me on LinkedIn more actively.
Here’s my profile, by the way: link to linkedin.com
Any suggestions how to improve it? 🙂
Thank you for your positive feedback!
Regarding your profile on LinkedIn, your Summary section is too broad: translator, blogger, social media fan, founder of theopenmic…. I believe that if you try to sit in two or three chairs you may fall. I suggest targeting this section to your potential clients, rather than to “everyone”.
You can also complete your current job with more information…
I think the key is to think like your client and describe what they are looking for.
Well done for your endorsements! They enhance your credibility.
Thank you so much, David. I agree that I’m trying to sit on several chairs. That’s a great analogy. I’ll try to write a more targeted summary, focused on a single client persona. I have some great ideas for enhancements but don’t have much time to act upon them with my current workload and managing The Open Mic and my personal website/blog.
But I’ll get there! I promise! 🙂
Thanks again for sharing your posts and warm welcome to The Open Mic. I’m really excited to have you here and looking forward to reading more of your tips!
High-five from Toronto!
David, thank you for your post! Short and useful 😉 I really need to revise a few things on my LinkedIn page now.
Thank you Natalia! I hope it helps you.
Upon reading the article, I realized that my job title on my Linkedin profile does not include my language pair, so I corrected it right away. I would definitely love to learn more about SEO tips!
Thanks for the article!
I am glad that you found it interesting! I will share some more tips soon…