How to Write an About Us Page that wins your audience’s loyalty and trust
Hazel Jarrett
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Did you know that your website’s About Us page has the potential to be one of the most powerful customer-creating pages on your entire site?
One survey found that the first thing 52% of visitors to a website want to see is the About page. Another concluded that the About Us page is the second highest-rated element on a website after clear contact information – this puts it before product or service information!
Why the About Us page matters
A great About Us page fulfils several key functions at the same time.
What makes a great About Us page?
In my opinion, a great About Us page is one that effectively communicates the essence of your website, brand, or organisation to your visitors. It gives people a genuine glimpse into what working with you might be like.
It’s a page that engages, inspires trust and establishes a genuine connection with your audience.
What information should you include on your About Us page?
Before you create or update your website’s About page, these are some of the things you might want to include
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all blueprint for the perfect About Us page. The key is to work out what is a good fit for your business and your audience.
The six points below are suggestions rather than non-negotiables:
1. Your mission and vision
The About Us page is the logical place to clearly state your organisation’s mission and vision, explaining what drives you.
Even if you don’t explicitly publish a mission statement on your About page, my advice is to write a mission statement and use it to inform what you want the About page to say.
I also recommend clearly defining who you serve – your ideal customer – on your About Us page. If you’re bringing the right audience to your site through a combination of SEO, content marketing, social media marketing and other strategies, framing your mission and vision around your ideal customer will reassure your audience that they’re in the right place.
2. Founders/Team Members
If you work alone, you may want to use the About page to tell your personal story and how/why your business came about.
If you’re part of a team or a larger organisation, you might want to introduce the key individuals who are a part of your business, including their roles and expertise.
Think about who your customers might deal with or speak to or the unsung heroes behind the scenes. Your customers will enjoy “meeting” the people behind the brand.
Some businesses have a dedicated “Meet the team” page under the “About” section of their website, which can be another way to approach this and give your team the credit they deserve.
3. Company History
Many businesses use their About Us page to provide a brief overview of how the organisation came into existence and any significant milestones achieved. Just remember to tell your audience where your business is going, as well as where it’s come from!
4. Achievements, awards, and accreditation
Achievements, awards and accreditation are all fantastic for demonstrating your business’s credibility and building trust. Use the About Us page to highlight any notable accomplishments or awards you or your organisation has received.
5. Your positive impact
How does your business make a difference to your customers, community, industry, or the world at large? If applicable, the About page is the ideal place to showcase the positive impact of your organisation.
If you want to go into more depth about your impact, you could create a dedicated page on your site and link to that from your About page. For example, if your business is improving its sustainability, you might link to a dedicated sustainability page, like Nike does in its About section of the website.
6. Social proof
Social proof refers to signs that people use and trust your business. This can include customer testimonials, links to case studies, mentions in the media, previous clients, praise from influencers, and more.
If your brand has received any kind of external recognition, then displaying relevant logos or badges can help to bolster credibility.
Some businesses make customer testimonials a prominent feature of the About page. It puts the customer experience at the heart of the page, builds trust and demonstrates the value of your products or services.
10 About Us page essentials
Above, I’ve covered features that many About Us pages include, but others choose not to highlight.
Below, you’ll find what I believe to be the About page essentials, the non-negotiables that will elevate your content and turn website visitors into customers:
1. Compelling storytelling
We all have a story to tell, and the same is true of your business.
Use storytelling to narrate your journey, challenges, and triumphs. Engage readers with an authentic and relatable narrative that displays your passion, values, and mission. If there was a turning point in your story, a moment when your business evolved, share this with your audience and bring them on the journey with you.
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2. A human-centered approach
I’ve touched on this in various points above, but I really do believe that your About Us page should highlight the people behind the brand. Think about how you can highlight the individuals who make your organisation special.
You want potential customers to think, “I’d like to work with these people” or “I’m happy to buy from these people”.
Remember too, that anyone thinking about applying for a job with you is likely to go to your About Us page as part of their pre-application prep. A human-centered approach will help them to imagine themselves as part of your team.
3. Brand consistency
It’s important that you align the design, tone, and messaging of your About Us page with your overall brand identity.
Bulldog Skincare’s About page takes the bulldog branding and amplifies the idea of its products, like the trusty British bulldog, being “man’s best friend”.
You’ll find more dog-related branding on Bark’s About page. The company’s mission is to make dogs happy and the dog people who love them happy too. This branding carries through the whole website and is used to great effect on the About page with quirky pictures of happy dogs using Bark’s products.
4. Visual appeal
It’s official – our attention spans are shrinking! To keep your audience engaged, try to make your About page a feast for the eyes, using visually engaging elements such as photos, videos, infographics, and graphic elements to break up the text and make the page more inviting.
My advice here is to feature visuals of real people within your business, not stock photos. Ideally, they should all have the same look and feel to reflect your brand identity.
5. Concise and engaging content
In conjunction with the point above, avoid lengthy paragraphs! Instead, focus on delivering concise, engaging content using bullet points, headings, and subheadings to make the page easy to scan.
The Headspace About page uses this approach brilliantly.
As a mental health app, their mission is to help people feel happier and more relaxed, and to cut their sense of overwhelm. The About page embodies this with clear and concise copy, bright graphics, and an easy-to-skim format.
6. Accessible
Make sure the page is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Use alt text for images and ensure good colour contrast to make any text easier to read. This advice applies to all your web pages, of course, but it never hurts to remind ourselves about its importance.
7. Responsive and fast loading
As with the rest of your website, aim to make sure that your About Us page has a responsive design that works across a range of devices and screen sizes, so that everyone gets to enjoy a comparable user experience.
Also, check out how quickly the page loads using Google’s PageSpeed Insights, as people may click away from the page if it’s slow.
8. Transparency and authenticity
Hopefully, it goes without saying that the About Us page should be honest and transparent about your achievements, challenges, and goals.
Avoid using jargon or exaggerated claims. If you say something about your business, be prepared to prove it!
9. Contact information
People expect clear and easy-to-find contact details on an About Us page, even if you have a dedicated Contact page too.
10. A Call-to-Action (CTA)
When people visit a web page or engage with a business in some way, they appreciate guidance about what to do next. This is why having a Call-to-Action on your About Us page is vital.
Encourage visitors to act after reading your About Us page. This could be signing up for a newsletter, exploring products/services, or contacting you.
Your About Us page can evolve with you
It’s fair to say that your website’s About Us page has a lot of heavy lifting to do! As we’ve seen, it can be a place to summarise your company’s history, mission, people, and value. The challenge is, how do you do this in just a few paragraphs?!
Start with your mission statement. Why does your business exist? What is its purpose, intention or overall objective? Who is your ideal customer and how can you make a difference for them?
The answers to these questions should help you to map out what you want on your About Us page.
And remember that your About page content isn’t set in stone. It can and should evolve as your business does, so check it regularly to ensure it feels current. Try out different features and emphasis to see what resonates with your audience.
A great About Us page is not just a list of facts but an opportunity to connect emotionally with your audience and leave an impression. Keep it focused, authentic, and aligned with your brand’s values and goals.
By updating your About Us page to include?those 10 essential elements, you’ll be giving your website a good boost.
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This article was first published on SEO+
I help companies dominate online markets as a marketer with 5 years of SEO, WordPress and SMM expertise, delivering measurable results in digital initiatives.
8 个月Hazel Jarrett The About Us page is often overlooked, but it can truly make or break a customer's perception of your brand. Including elements like your company's story, mission, and team bios can help build trust and credibility with your audience. Don't forget to also showcase your values and what sets you apart from competitors. It's all about creating a connection with your visitors and showing them why they should choose your brand over others.
Translating ". . . complex ideas into stunning visual narratives."
9 个月Saved to read later, Hazel. It looks really useful.