Don't be an About Us afterthought
Take a look at a handful of About Us pages out there and you might start to think most have been created as an afterthought.
“Who even reads the About Us page, anyway?” is the question these afterthoughts are built upon, assembled in the shadows of beefed-up product pages, shiny checkout buttons and swanky contact forms.
But here’s the catch that ultimately brings about the downfall of the afterthought About Us page:
About Us pages consistently feature as one of the top three pages that people visit most when browsing a website and considering whether to convert.
When a potential customer lands on your website and likes what they see (thanks, bold Web design), they’ll be enticed to find out more about your company. Why? Because before they part with their precious cash they want proof that you're legitimate, that you can really help meet their need and that your values align with their own. They want to see all of this, and quickly, before they even consider taking a single step further down your sales funnel.
What you need is some compelling, informative and persuasive content to win them over. Cue the About Us page.
The Myth of the About Us Page
Before we go any further, it's important to remember that the About Us page doesn't exactly do what it says on the tin.
While it might seem like an obvious place to tell your website visitor all about your staff, what they love to do on weekends and the name of your office dog, you should be looking to add a bit more value than that.
These visitors are taking their first step into your funnel. They’re trying to gauge whether your brand aligns with their values and if you can offer them a solution to their problem.
You might think your About Us page is about you and your company. But your potential customers aren't really that interested. They want to know what you can do for them. How can you make them happier, richer, or more productive? Which problems can you take away? Which challenges can you help them overcome?
What Makes a Great About Us Page?
- Get the point across. Share your mission with your potential customers. Brands that have a clear mission that people can identify with are so much more powerful online. Here’s a clue: if you think your mission is to sell more products, you’re wrong.
- Quickly direct you to useful content or people. It’s so frustrating visiting websites where you have to dig around for what feels like obvious information. Make it easy for people and they’ll enjoy spending time and interacting with you. The more time they spend, the more likely they’ll be to convert.
- Give authenticity statements and credibility enhancers. It’s all very well saying you want to make people richer, happier or more productive, but why should they believe you? Give them the reason behind your mission, use an anecdote if it makes sense. Most of all, make it believable.
- Contain an email sign-up form. You’ve done all the hard work, now you need to capitalise on it. Give them an easy way to get to know your brand better and an easy way for you to stay in touch with them. Your email sign-up list should be an integral part of your funnel and conversion process.
Hopefully, that list isn’t too daunting. In reality, it’s fairly simple and the really good news is you can do it too. In fact, to prove it to you, we’ve dug around the world wide web to find some of our favourite examples which should inspire you to create a truly outstanding About Us page.
Examples:
1. MailChimp
Notice how MailChimp don’t even call it “About Us”, it’s “Our Story”. This makes it far easier to relate to as a potential customer. People love stories and they’ve included their founder’s story here to give their mission some authenticity.
2. Twitter
Twitter’s page very quickly tells you what you stand to gain from joining. It doesn’t call itself a “social media platform with a character limit of…” because that’s boring. Instead, Twitter is “what people are talking about right now.”
3. Moz
Moz get their mission across almost instantly. By the third sentence, in fact. That’s impressive. In three sentences they have explained their raison d’etre and why you should care.
4. Copyblogger
Copyblogger bring authenticity to their About Us page by explaining that the service they offer is how they got here in the first place. They also include a fantastic quote on the header image. Now you know they can back up what they say.
5. Evernote
Not only does Evernote’s About Us page look beautiful, it ticks all the boxes as well. By the first two paragraphs, you understand their purpose and what you, the user, can stand to gain: “helping them to live more organized lives.”
While your competitors leave their About Us page a late Friday afternoon fudge-together, the industry winners are crafting theirs with care. Forget the office dog’s favourite treat, it’s time to take this a bit more seriously.
Want some help crafting the most effective and beautiful About Us page that your competitors could only dream of? Get in touch today.