After the home page the most important and most visited page on a small business website is the About Us page. Sadly the About Us page is an opportunity to convert visitors into customers that is often lost because it tends to be neglected and left in a sorry state.
When our SEO experts audit websites for our clients we often recommend that the existing About Us page be recrafted; indeed, we’ve come across many small business and ecommerce websites which don’t feature such a page at all!
The problems we’ve identified with under-performing and under-utilised About Us pages usually boil down to the fact that they give too little information, and the information that is offered is badly written and composed, not compelling and not useful.
WHY THE ABOUT US PAGE MATTERS
The first step towards making sure your About Us page is doing its job is to understand just what its value is. Obviously it is a page to inform potential customers about who you are, what you do and a bit about the background of your company. Just as important as the content, though, is the way it is presented and the tone taken. It’s where site visitors are being introduced to your brand/business for the first time, and is your chance to establish a relationship with them.
If your About Us page is successful it will ensure a positive connection with potential new customers, engendering a sense of trust and respect between you and that person.
If the About Us page doesn’t come up to scratch there is the danger of losing that new lead, and losing out on having a tentative window-shopper convert to a customer.
HOW TO GET IT RIGHT
Here at Dentons Digital we have professional copywriters who have mastered the art of putting together an About Us page that works, not only adding value to your website as a marketing tool but also having a positive impact on the site’s SEO.
We’ve picked our copywriters’ brains for some hints and tips to help those who are intent on composing their own “About Us” page:
- Focus on the customer, not yourself. It’s all about what you and/or your business can do for the customer, rather than blowing your own trumpet. You can mention your milestones and achievements but put them in the context of how this makes you all the better qualified to deliver what your customer wants. Set out the goals you want to attain for the sake of your customers, rather than yourself.
- Tell your story as exactly that – a narrative rather than a dull resume. Keep it concise and informal, leaving out technical jargon or business lingo if possible. Avoid long, detailed history and just pick out the highlights. Speak to your customers as you would if you were telling them your story face to face. First person works best, or first-person plural. If you write copy in the third person it comes across as impersonal and insincere.
- Play up your uniqueness, ethos and brand culture, and try to express the heart and soul behind your business, so that readers can get a sense of your values.
- Craft the copy so that it is targeted to your specific demographic audience of customers. Imagine your prospective customers reading it as you write it. What do they want and need from you? What will excite them about your product/service?
- Use customer testimonials (they must be kept up to date). You want to gain trust by demonstrating that others already trust you. You could also link to any press coverage about your business or articles in trade publications. Any social proof, such as awards and authentic statistics, are powerful motivators for potential customers.
- Introduce your team, with short biographies to give them a human touch.
- Images and graphics are good – but not stock images! Show good quality pictures of your products, the office, your van, your team, yourself and even the office cat. It may be worth having professional pictures taken.
- Don’t forget to include very obvious calls to action – you don’t want to have charmed your visitors with your story and then fail to give them options of finding out more about your business. Invite them to contact you for a quote, read your blog, follow you on social media or sign up for your email newsletter.
If your website doesn’t have an About Us page, or you think the page could do with a re-vamp, it’s worth getting busy with it! Be creative and have fun crafting what is essentially a showcase for your business. If you would like some help with your About Us page give us a call – we’d love to tell your story.
