Understanding the importance of the About Us page

Every website we develop is an unique experience though many of the same issues pop up during development.  One of the most popular is that business owners do not understand the importance of the About Us page on their website.  When we broach the subject, they shrug their shoulders and say, “What we would even put on the page?”

About Us pages see lots of action

We have been in the web development industry for many years and so we have hard proof that says otherwise.  We have clients from a wide range of industries with website visitors from vastly different backgrounds and all their About Us pages are one of the most visited pages of their website.

In addition, many studies are done to analyze website visitors (enough to make your head spin) and results show About Us pages are very popular.  To be clear, they are not always entitled “About Us” and sometimes go by different names (How we do business, Our Company, etc.) but while the name is different, the topic of the page is the same.

Differentiate yourself from the pack

This should not surprise anyone.  It’s common sense.  Once potential clients see what your services and/or products are, they want to know who they are dealing with and why they should choose you.  Many services and products businesses offer are really pretty much the same BUT what’s different is the customer service and how they deliver the service/product.

For example, many heating and cooling companies install the same brand of equipment BUT what’s different is HOW you install the equipment, if you guarantee your work and service after the sale.  No matter what industry you are in, it’s extremely important for potential customers to know your experience and the number of years you’ve been working in the industry.

Explain why they should  do business with you

For example, there’s many companies that do a good job but if you had a choice between a company that shows up on time, stands behind their work and has friendly technicians OR a company that shows up late, never answers the phone and doesn’t seem to care if you’re happy with the end result-who would you choose?

One of the functions of the About Us page is to sell your business to potential customers and convince buyers why they should choose you.  This is where you can present the owner and/or key employees as authorities in their industries.  When you have many years of experience in a field, this gives you an edge over others who may not have the experience you have.

Start building a bond with website visitors

Any business owner should be able to come up with a list of reasons why they should be picked over their competitors and these items should be listed on your website.  I’m sure your competitors have their reasons on their website (or they would if they were smart).

Remember, the majority of people visiting your website know nothing about your company so they are relying on YOU to tell them everything they need to know in order to make a decision.  If you don’t give them all the information, then that’s your fault.

This is where you (the business) starts building a bond with potential customers and they will begin to trust your company, even though they have not met you  in person or talked with you on the phone.  The more people learn about your company, the more comfortable they feel and the more likely they will contact you.

What goes on an About Us page?

There’s many things that qualify as great content for an About Us page so here’s a list of things to put on yours.

• Company history
• Owner(s) photo and background
• Key employees and their role at the company
• How you do business
• Customer service policies
• Guarantees and/or warranties of your work
• What makes you different from others in the field
• Your experience and how it has shaped the way you do business
• Mission statement

Do not under estimate the importance of the About Us page.  Invest  time and energy to differentiate yourself from the pack and you’ll be rewarded with higher sales.