the directory™ Sworn Translation Agency

What is the directory™?

the directory™ is a human reviewed directory for all translation companies websites, where entries are added and maintained by human editors. Our editors follow specific guidelines and policies to determine which entries to include, offering a more accurate and potentially higher-quality selection of information.

Purpose

We want to highlight signals of trust we find in the translation company websites we review, in turn helping these sites show they are reputable businesses that visitors can trust.

Background

Search engines tend to over-rely on inbound links as the major signal of trust, often to the frustration of the reputable company whose website doesn't naturally gain links, even if they're a company that's been operating for 50 years or more, and have a service or product that has gained them an excellent reptuation offline, and have served and continue to serve many happy clients. Even if you're a brand new company, you may have jumped through a lot of hoops to establish yourself - been accredited/certificated by various organizations, invested in a bricks and mortar presence, employed people and have gained a great offline reputation in a short space of time. And yet, a search engine algorithm is oblivious to all of these signals of trust simply because they can't be measured automatically / algorithmically. It takes a manual review of a website to really get a closer look at the ACTUAL company itself - its history, past work, testimonials, accreditations and certifications earned, whether it's regulated by a government body, to understand its offline operations and also its future plans. These are all great signals of trust and they should be reported on when they're found. That's exactly what we do.

Benefit

Quite simply, listing on the directory™ will be the smartest, most value-for-money, biggest-bang-for-your-buck promotional decision you can make for your website on the entire internet. We have scoured the internet (and continue to do so), but nothing comes close to the amount of service we provide for the cost of the service. That's quite a claim, and any claim is meaningless without evidence, so here you have it: .

• Boost in Organic Traffic

  A listing guarantees a massive boost to your site's traffic, thanks to high-profile links to your website from our home page and the top of your category, driving organic traffic to your site.

• Trust Signals

  We will spider web.archive.org to get a full history of your website, another signal of trust. Our review notes offer a quick synopsis of the signs of trust we found on your website.

Requirements

The kinds of translation company's website we list for (and the kinds of things you should be adding to your site) include:

• Case studies / portfolio - a chance to show off your excellent work
• Client list - show which companies already trust you
• Testimonials - get honest feedback from your customers to add to create an authentic insight into your products / services
• Full company contact address - an obvious one, but you'll be surprised how many websites don't list a physical address
• Accreditations - if your company has been accredited, let your visitors know
• Associations - list any associations you've joined, or partnering businesses
• Certifications / qualifications - this should also be obvious, but list any relevant certifications / qualifications

Delivery information - something every shopper looks for when buying tangible items - make this information super-easy to find

Returns policy - same again for shoppers - make it easy to find

Details of your high street premises - if you also run a high street shop, let everyone know - take a video walk-through of it, pictures, description etc

Terms and conditions - every business should have these in an easy-to-find place, and for the trust factor, they should be written in plain English - very few people speak legalese

Office in various countries - perhaps not a boast that many companies can make, but if you do have offices in other countries, show then in detail - show how established you are

Details of complaints procedure - many companies don't like to even mention the potential that a problem might even occur(!), but having a complaints procedure means you take complaints seriously

Detailed 'Meet the Team' info found - show us who you are - photos, descriptions etc

Strong online social presence - if you're popular on one or more social networks, show it!

Regularly updated blog/news - don't make your site look stale. A regularly updated blog/news section shows you're active and over time, is a sign of your longevity

Details of your company mentioned in popular press publications / media outlets - any press mentions, let everybody know

Company established in...let people know when your company was established. Even if it was "only" a couple of years ago, let them know.

Add videos - introduce yourself

Over X years' experience - just because your company might only be six months old, it doesn't mean you can't let people know about your overall experience if it's relevant to the site.

Company is regulated by X regulatory body - if you're regulated, say so.

Show off your other, more established sites - if you've launched a new site but have had successes with other more established sites, say so - people like to know you have a reliable track record.

The last point is more personal, but it's quite straight forward: be honest. That might include admitting to some mistakes you've made and how you've learnt from them. It's daring to speak in a candid voice. Remember you're not speaking in front of an audience, you're speaking to one individual at a time. You don't have to tell your life story, but admitting to mistakes (and what you learnt from them) isn't a sign of weakness or failure. It's refreshingly honest and helps win people over.