Do you know that 52% of website visitors check out the About Us page before deciding to convert? The story of a company and its values play an important role in attracting customers. But how can you tell a resounding story that accurately reflects your brand as well as convinces people to become your loyal customers? This article will discuss some tips to write an effective About Us page plus some striking examples for inspiration.
What Is An About Us Page Anyway?
An About Us page is where you share the story of your brand (how you got to ‘now’), and clearly explain why you provide services the way you do To put it in simple words, The About Us Page answers the following questions about your business:
- Who are you?
- Why did you start this business?
- What can you do for customers?
About Us page goes by many other names such as:
- Your Mission
- Your Story
- About (Brand)
Benefits Of About Us Page
1. Branding
Your About Us page humanizes your brand and summarizes your history, values, and mission. It’s not a place to cram lots of statistics, equipment lists, sales, and coupons.
According to a Hubspot survey, 31% of people believe that the About Us page is the second most important page on your website. The same survey reveals that the About Us page is considered more important than social media icons, blogs, and even the Contact Us page.
Your potential customers want to know more about your brand and business. 88% of consumers say that authenticity is the key factor when they decide to buy. To that end, the About Us page can set a standard to establish the authenticity of your brand.
2. Sharing Values
People want to buy from businesses that share their core values. When you meet someone for the first time, you probably talk to some degree about your likes and dislikes to find common ground on which to build a foundation for some type of relationship. The more commonalities, the better chances are that you’ll form a meaningful relationship.
Similarly, when a potential customer lands on your website, they want to find out your story, beliefs, and values. If those align the chances of conversion increase. A whopping 84% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a brand whose values match their own.
3. Improves SEO
An About Us page can help in improving the ranking of your website. Google Algorithm tends to rank websites that have some proof of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness higher (EAT). Besides providing proof of expertise to search engine bots, the About Us page can provide proof of passion, dedication, and personal experience in a way no other page on your site can.
It is a place where you can highlight your background, knowledge, qualification, or relevant professional and personal experience. You can also use it to support your off-page SEO efforts like Social Media, blogs, podcasting, authorships, etc.
7 Tips To Write A Great About Us Page
1. Convert Your Mission
You should tell your readers what you do and which problems you solve for your customers. Your mission statement should mention what it accomplishes for your customers. Express your mission statement in layman’s terms instead of overloading it with difficult vocabulary.
A well-written mission statement will attract customers who share your values and goals:
Ex: North Star collaborates with established businesses to help them attract better clients (and more of them) with amazing website design, and on-page SEO content development that customers and search engines love.
2. Your Brand Story
Each business has a unique story to tell. This story describes what you do for your clients and why you do it. While a big company can have a great success story to tell, even startups can talk about their small wins. Reveal how you have evolved. Share the unique challenges that you have faced and how you overcame them. We’ve leveraged our story into a 6-part blog feature and optimized it for SEO. You can read more on The North Star Journey here.
3. Your Services
Although you have separate service pages on your website, you can also mention your offerings here briefly. This way you can tie them in with brand values. You can highlight your offer related to those specific services (perhaps they contrast other industry trends) and showcase some of your successes or unique testimonials.
Describe your ideal customers here, who benefit best from your specific services. Explain precisely the kind of people you serve so that your website visitors know if your services align with their needs (or where they’re at in their current professional or personal journey). Focus on keeping your content customer-focused (don’t just brag about yourself).
4. Visuals
Add striking videos and images to complement your text. Make sure these visuals are relevant and load fast. The number of images or videos depends on the industry that you belong to. For example, the About Us for a business coach could have a gallery of videos from his speaking events. On the other hand, the About Us page of a mortgage company should not be loaded up with video walk-throughs of homes for sale.
5. Your Team
You can also include photos of your staff if they’re customer-facing and you expect longevity of their employment with you. Opt for professional photos on a neutral background. Make sure that the backgrounds in the photos do not clash with the colors on your site and that the setting is easily reproducible (for future retakes and new staff). You can also use online editing software like Canva to create standardized filters. We work with a pediatric group that regularly has new hires so it’s important that uniformity be easy to maintain.
6. Tell The Visitors What To Do Next
The About Us page should end with clear calls to action. You can place a CTA button that might send them to one of the following:
- Contact Us page
- Service Page
- Social media pages
- Blog
Pitfalls To Avoid
Some of the common mistakes businesses make on their about us page:
1. The About Us Page Doesn’t Exist
Skipping the About Us page altogether because someone feels it’s cliche or doesn’t feel it’s worth writing. After all, if you have a service page, why would you need an About Us page? Please refer back to everything above.
2. Your Name Or Credentials Are Missing
Imagine meeting a professional for the first time (like a Doctor or Contractor) and they withhold information like their licenses, accreditations, insurance, location, or even their business name. Are you going to trust them? In the same way, if a website visitor lands on your About Us page and fails to find important information like this, you’re unlikely to convert them to a customer.
3. Visuals Are Missing
Your potential customers want to see you and know about you. If your web page is missing images of you and your team, your fleet vehicles, or even yourself, you miss an important opportunity to win the trust of your audience. Another common mistake is to use stock photos. Your audience can tell the difference. Use your own images whenever possible to reflect your team, your level of service, and your core values as an industry professional.
4. Web Copy Is Boring Or Too Long
It is easy to get carried away when you have to talk about yourself. But remember, even while you are talking about yourself, make it relevant to your target audience. Remember to be brief and concise and explain how you can help solve the problems for a potential client. How does your professional and life experience set you apart from the competition? What might a customer be surprised to know about your methodology?
About Us Page Examples For Inspiration
At NSDS, we routinely design and write content for “About Us” pages for our clients. The following are some of the striking examples of About Us pages from our client’s websites. Have a look at these pages for inspiration.
1. Kidsense Therapy
KidSense Therapy has a simple but very effective About Us page. You will find it at the top of the menu under the “About KidSense” section. The subheading of the page lists all their services. The text underneath tells about their owners and their values.
Their unique selling proposition “children experience an environment conducive to play” is also tied in. Their facility is also described briefly. They have also added the photos of their team members grouped according to their services.
2. The Floating Dahlia
The About Us Page of Floating Dahlia reflects the true personality of the business i.e. natural, earthy, and elegant. The page has a unique feel, thanks to the background and the image of Rachel in the natural surroundings.
This page is a perfect example of how the brand voice should carry over into every piece of your content.
The page has a “What Clients Have To Say” section that highlights their customers’ reviews. To add more social proof, a Google Reviews section has also been added.
The page also features Rachel’s floral designs to add more reliability. The images are of high quality with a variety of settings and backgrounds.
The choice of fonts also complements the theme. The flowery subheadings are perfect to describe her offerings.
3. Green Apple Spray Foam
Green Apple Spray Foam is an insulation company based in Connecticut.
What makes their About Us page stand out? The short answer is “simplicity and honesty.” The title highlights their service area i.e. Connecticut. The text underneath describes their mission and values i.e. “reducing energy costs with a sustainable approach.”
Their last paragraph focuses on their unique selling proposition “Our reputation and customer satisfaction are at the center of our core values”
The green background aligns with the brand colors and the message. The visuals complement the theme. They also humanize the brand by showing the man behind the business himself.
4. EC Tree Service
The About Us page of EC Tree Service stands out in many ways. The title of the page highlights their unique selling proposition, “35+ years of experience makes the difference.”
The page has some striking visuals too. The electric tree-cutting machine stands against a finely cut piece of log to show the craftsmanship and skill of their team. EC Tree service vehicle in the background parked in a Connecticut woodland gives a hint of their everyday life at work.
Note the humble references to their connection with Connecticut and their years of experience as a small business focused on maintaining quality. This shows that honesty and humility can have a great impact on your potential customers.
Key Takeaway
What is the common thing among all the examples given above:
- They add expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EAT) to the website.
- They add clear information about the brand and the business.
- They describe the reason your business exists and the people you serve.
- They describe the people behind the business.
Don’t use stock photos or run-of-the-mill content on the About Us page.
Write it strategically to connect with and convert your customers.
Are you looking forward to adding a great About Us page to your website? Book a free consultation today for an estimate.
