6 Tips For A Better "About Us" Page

When someone clicks on your about us page they usually have one question in mind: "Who are these guys?" Your potential customers want to get a sense of the people behind your website. And they're looking for signs of trust and credibility.

An about us page gives you a legitimate opportunity to talk about yourself. So don't blow it by filling the page with hype, boring mission statements or meaningless marketing fluff.

Instead, you should use this page to start building a relationship with the reader. At the same time you can reinforce why you're a better choice than your competitors.

Why your about us page matters

The about us page has an important role in providing visitors comfort and trust in your company and your ability to meet their needs. It exists to:

• Put a human face on your company
• Demonstrate to visitors you're credible and trustworthy
• Show your company's passion, personality and values

This page is particularly important if you're selling products over the web. People need reassurance that you're a reputable business before they'll enter their credit card details.

Here are six tips for what to include - and what not to include - on your about us page:

1. Company history

A brief company history reassures visitors that you have a solid track record as a reputable and experienced organisation.

Here are three easy ways to structure your company history:

• Write a story about how the company got started
• Focus on the background of the founder, and what led them to launch the business, or
• Present company milestones in a simple chronological time line.

If your company is a start-up, the best tactic is to focus on the previous experience of the principals.

2. Profiles of key personnel

Visitors like to get a feel for the people behind the website. So introduce the movers and shakers on your staff with a brief profile. Include a photo if you can. If the profiles are too long to put all one-page, you can provide links to single-page profiles for each person.

Rather than reciting a dull resume, focus each profile on how that staff member helps satisfy customers' needs. A meaningful quote from the staff member can also help create a connection.

3. Your credentials

Your about us page should include your credentials, accomplishments and recognition. You can break them out into lists and/or sprinkle them throughout the page text.

You can include details of:

• Your qualifications
• Membership of peak industry organisations
• Awards you've received
• Media recognition

4. Links to more company information

Provide links to other pages or sections of your site that include useful information on your company, such as your contacts page, customer service, company news, media releases, testimonials, investor relations and job vacancies.

5. What not to include

Here are a few things it's best to leave off your about us page:

• A generic and/or meaningless description of what you do e.g. "We provide cutting edge solutions for today's busy professionals".
• Your mission or vision and statement - save these for your internal communications.
• Hype, sales pitches and self-congratulatory fluff
• Legal and regulatory information (if you must include this, put it on a separate page).

6. What do you call this page?

Usability guidelines recommend calling this page "About", "About Us", or "About <Company Name >". Using non-standard labels such as "Company Information", "Our Firm" or "Who We Are" only confuses visitors. You should also include a link to your about us page in your global site navigation.

Bonus tip: Show your green credentials

Nowadays many consumers prefer to buy from green companies. The about us page is a good place to outline your policies regarding key green issues in your industry.