30 Mar It’s All about You -The importance of the “About Us” page
Taken a look at your “About Us” page recently? Overhauled it? Updated it? No? Oh dear. “About us” pages are surprisingly well visited, yet they are often overlooked by businesses, as a sort of necessary evil. Yet they can be a valuable asset when it comes to engaging customers and should be treated with respect and tender, loving care.
Reassurance Insurance
The “About Us” page of many websites is one of the most static in terms of content. Many contain a few brief lines that could be describing just about any company, in any industry; the one thing they don’t do is stand out from the crowd. Yet it’s this element of internet business that can make or break an operation. Standing out from the crowd is good, and the place to do it can often be that “About Us” section. Perhaps the reason potential clients visit these pages so often is simply this – to find reassurance. They want to be sure that you exist and they want to know what you’re like. Whatever you are selling, customers are rarely just buying “stuff”, they’re buying “into stuff”. You, your staff, your website and any associated lifestyle are part of that “stuff”. So don’t be afraid to show off.
Making an impression
- If your business is a one man/woman outfit, be honest about it. It’s tempting to use “we” or “us” to indicate that you’re running a multi-national corporation from the cupboard under the stairs. But “we” or “us” needs to be backed up with an “About Us” page stuffed full of details of individual staff. While “we” makes you sound big and important, “me” can indicate a very personal level of service indeed.
- Tell some tales – no, don’t lie. Talk about yourself, your company, how it all started and why. People love stories, especially the personal kind. OK so the “News of the World” got into a spot of trouble for getting too up close and personal, but it did have several million readers.
- Create a following. The “About Us” page is a good place to display your Facebook fans and followers, links to Twitter or other Social Media. You can, and probably should, include them elsewhere, but it creates a sense that the “us” is a part of wider community. One that new customers might just want to join.
- If the “we” really is a “we” then get some info about your staff’s loves, hates, passions and hobbies. Let’s face it there’s “always one” in the office and their quirkiness can be a selling point. It’s a bit like the point about stories – people love to hear about other people.
- Words and Pictures. If your industry has a strong visual element, use some pictures on the “About Us” page. Pictures of you and/or staff are the things to include here. You may not have a face that can launch a thousand ships, but it might help to push the boat out as far as your customers are concerned. In some industries a mini-feature film is perfect on this page – for example if you make handcrafted products, let’s see you doing it.
The “About Us” page is a bit like a business blog. It’s an asset, but not one you can really put a price on. The time, effort and expense of building and maintaining a good “About Us” page may show no obvious return. It’s one of those “added value” things that are hard to measure, but one that can be invaluable. If your “About Us” section is languishing in a corner of your website, then it may be time to give it an overhaul, you may well be surprised at the results.
An informative, interesting and even entertaining “About Us” section can be a huge asset to your website. If you haven’t given it an overhaul recently, SEO experts or a copywriting services company can help find just the angle you need to make a fresh impression.
