As we pointed out in our last AZ blog post, one of the most important pages on your website is your company/business about us page. Yet it is a page that many businesses either leave out or put together very poorly. Big mistake!
But think about it — suppose someone has been to your site and likes what they see in terms of your specific products or services. As they inch — ever closer — to making that purchase, they will often want to find out a bit more about you and your company — especially if they are going to have to spend significant amounts of money.
They want to know….
- Just who are you folks?
- How did you get this company started? Why did you start it in the first place?
- How has your business changed over the years?
- Who are the leaders and staff of your business? What are their backgrounds?
- Are you really qualified to do what you are doing?
- Can you really help the way you say that you can? Do you have any proof to offer to back up your claims?
For the sake of your business success, it is critical that you get your company about us page right!
Here is What You Need To Do To Put Together A Killer About Us Page
Data-gathering: Before you write up anything, take some time and get all the records/documents you will need to refer to. About us pages can be written quickly and easily if you don’t have to waste time or get distracted by having to stop to find some records with the information you need…
What kinds of information will you need?
Information about your company founding/startup
Your company vision/mission statement
Stats on the size of your staff
NAP (name-address-phone number) information for all of your locations (if you have more than one)
Testimonials, certificates, licensing information, professional recognitions, awards
Bio and facts for key leadership/management teams
Organization chart (for larger entities)
What will you focus on? What makes you different? What sets you apart from the herd? What are your company strengths and core values? What is your company mission/purpose/vision? In marketing terminology, what is your “brand” all about? When you craft your about us page, make sure that these elements stand out!
Cut the sales B.S. The company about us page is not your “features and benefits” page. Leave the selling of your specific products and services for other pages. The company about us page is all about giving crucial company facts, helping your customers understand what you are all about, and raising their trust and confidence level in you.
Optimize: As you craft your final about us webpage content, remember that this page — like all others in your site — will be spidered and the content will be analyzed and indexed by the search engines. So make sure that you follow good web practices so that people doing search engine queries will be able to find your content. Important keywords that you are trying to target can be included, as well as related terms. But make sure that you don’t overdo this — do it with a very light touch.
Keep a Balance: You want the proper length (too long and folks stop reading, too short and people won’t get the information they are looking for) and the proper focus (raise trust and confidence but don’t do a hard-sell). The about us page does not need to be overly-long, but it should have sufficient length to effectively communicate what it needs to.
Update it Regularly: Don’t assume that an about us page will never need changing – it will. In fact, the more your company changes, the more often you will need to change your about us page. A good rule-of-thumb is to check your about us page at the beginning of each year (perhaps during winter holiday slow periods) and then at mid-year (during late-summer vacation time) and make necessary updates. If your management/leadership/department heads change, you’ll need to change your about us page, no matter when that happens. The same will be true if you open (or close) a business location.
In a world of “fake news,” make sure that you are not looking like you are a “fake business.” Your website about us page is key to communicating professionalism and trust to your site visitors. Don’t neglect it!
