Building a website is an exciting process… At least, we like to think so.
Hours upon hours are spent researching design ideas. The homepage of your website is (almost always) the most visited page of your site so that has to be perfect.
You carefully choose the best photos to showcase the products and services you sell. After all, that is what your customers will buy from you.
Each call-to-action is carefully crafted to maximize conversions.
The copy you create tugs on the emotions of your buyer persona speaking perfectly to how you will solve all of their problems.
You’ve thought of everything and executed with the precision of a master chef delivering a signature dish that is delicious right down to the very last bite.
As you wrap up all these essential elements of your website, you realize there are some final pages that you need to address before you launch your masterpiece. Usually, this is when you finally get around to your About Us page. You know, that page that every website has that is usually some boring rendition of a company history or a copy/paste of the mission statement.
Just for fun, take a quick break from reading this article and venture over to your Google Analytics account and look at the pages that get the most visits on your website. No, seriously, go take a look.
As mentioned before, your homepage is probably the most visited page on your website. That’s a given. What most people find shocking is how many visits they get to the About Us page. You know, that page that was an afterthought in the process of creating your website.
According to HubSpot, the 4 most important pages on your website are the homepage, about us, blog, and contact us.
It’s time to give your About Us page the attention it deserves because it’s getting the attention of your site visitors.
Websites are a one-way conversation between you and your site visitor. Since your website is often times the initial interaction you have with a potential customer, it makes the first impression pretty darn important.
Assuming your website does its initial job of grabbing interest and addressing the pain points, the site visitor is going to take a deeper dive into your site.
They want to get to know more about who they are considering to do business with.
The About Us page is the logical place for them to learn more.
This is the page on your website where customers can learn more about your company story, what you believe in, the types of customers you work with, the composition of your team, and so much more. All of these elements are becoming more and more important to set your business apart from the numerous alternatives they can access in a couple of clicks.
People want to do business with people they like and brands they understand.
The About Us page is where your site visitors go to get to know YOU and YOUR COMPANY.
The vast majority of About Us pages are a wall of text dumbed down to the most vanilla story ever written. There’s no personality. It connects with no one. It’s usually underwhelming.
If this is you, don’t beat yourself up. Writing about yourself is one of the most difficult things to do. This is because most people are humble and do not feel comfortable talking about themselves.
Here are some of the limiting beliefs that make creating an awesome About Us page so difficult:
Sure, no one really likes a bragger. There’s a clear difference between bragging and being proud of your company. Talk about the specific things that set your company apart from everyone else they might consider doing business with. Focus on the value you provide each and every one of the customers who do business with you. The things that make you unique are exactly what they’re searching for.
When you try to speak to everyone you connect with no one. This is where knowing exactly which types of customers you want to do business with is paramount. Not everyone who can buy your product or service should be your customer. Detail the types of customers that benefit most from working with your company. Going this route will resonate with those you want to become your customers and deter those you won’t miss.
Chances are there’s someone out there that does know more than you do. That’s okay. Don’t let that hold you back from showcasing what you do know. The site visitor reading through your About Us page wants to know what YOU know. Ignore the impostor syndrome and trust in your abilities.
Yes it is. Think back to the reason you started your business in the first place. Something happened that made you take the leap and open your doors. The story about why you started your company is interesting to someone who never heard it before.
There are few products and services so unique that they can sell themselves, unless you’re selling Girl Scout cookies. Your potential customers have more options than ever before right at their fingertips. They already expect your product or service to do what it is supposed to do. Your company and the people behind it are the difference makers they seek.
Know that you are not alone. All of these thoughts are very common. This is the very reason so many About Us pages suck.
Now is your chance to change this.
Let’s start out by saying that your About Us page does not need to be a 5,000 word behemoth outlining every morsel of your existence. In fact, simplicity works best.
The goal should be to provide an easy way for your site visitor to really understand you and your business.
Here are some different ideas you can consider to include in your About Us page. Pick a couple of the following or tackle all of them.
The About Us page is one place on your website where you get to (and need to) talk about you. Sure, you can include the fact that you’re a dog lover and enjoy binge watching The History Channel but the core of this section should be information your ideal customers will find value in. You are trying to build a relationship with your site visitor. Tell them things about you they will care about.
Everyone loves a good origin story. Share your experiences prior to starting the business and the specific reasons that lead to the formation of your company. Did your hobby turn into your dream job? Was there a problem you couldn’t find a solution for so you created one? Did you grow tired of working long hours for an organization that did not care about their customers the way you do? Be exciting and let the passion you have for your craft shine through.
Don’t feel limited to sharing details about the company or the founders personally. Share both stories. A short bio crafted to the personality of the founder(s) with a photo is a great way to show the individual(s) behind the brand. This can be expanded beyond the founders to include some or all of the team.
The products and services you provide customers will be covered in detailed on other pages of your website so there’s no need to get into specifics about those here on your About Us page. This is a fantastic place to share what we traditionally reference as Mission and Vision Statements.
Unless your goal is to have your website read like a mutual fund prospectus, do not simply copy and paste the Mission and Vision Statement you created 15 years ago as part of your original business plan. This is not a suggestion to change them but to simply rework them into a website friendly format your site visitors will find engaging.
People want to do business with people they align with. This is becoming more important as you venture to the younger end of the consumer age range. People want to know what you care about.
Talk about the causes you and your organization support.
Outline your core values and how they are applied to each an every customer interaction.
Share the passion you have for solving the problems your customers face. This is an opportunity for you to show them that they, the customers, are what matters to you.
People want to understand how you do business with your customers and why they should choose you.
Use this section to provide details about how you work with your customers and any unique elements to your solution that they will not find anywhere else.
The product or service you provide might be very similar to other options, but your process might be the thing that is most appealing to a customer. Perhaps your process leads to a higher quality end product. Maybe the steps you take or the equipment you use saves hours from the traditional way leading to a cost-savings for the customer.
While you might be using testimonials on other sections of your site, having a couple here is a nice touch to round out this overall story about you and your company.
A little third-party support to validate all of your claims will go a long way.
Have you been featured in the news, interviewed by an industry professional, or sat in as a guest on a podcast? These external media sources that have highlighted you and your company add a lot of trust to someone trying to get to know you. Be sure to include links they can follow to consume the content in its entirety.
Now, you have all the wording (or at least instructions) for each of the sections you will include in your new About Us page. The next step is making all of these words look inviting to your site visitor. You are not going to put all of this effort into creating a story about you and your company only to hastily drop the text into giant blocks of typed boredom.
Here are a couple of simple tips that can drastically help you out in this department.
Here are a couple of simple steps you can follow to get started:
Drop a comment below and let us know of any additional elements that could be included on an About Us page. As always, if you need help with creating an awesome About Us page or anything else marketing related, we’d love to hear from you.
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By Ken Franzen
President / Co-Founder of Neon Goldfish
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