Creating an Effective about Us Page

An About Us page is the ideal place to showcase your brand online, but you may find that writing one is tougher than it sounds. While they know the strengths, history and accomplishments of their businesses, many entrepreneurs and executives still struggle to put them into words. Writing an effective About Us page is about starting with these core basics and building a page that both communicates about your brand and engages online visitors.

Writing a compelling page means telling the story of your brand with a variety of media. The more diverse information you can present about your company, the more likely it is that your visitors will identify with what you have to say. Of course, getting visitors to identify with your company and its values should be at the forefront of your mind as you write your company's About Us statement. That means that you should always lead by speaking to your customers.

Speaking to your customers first means talking about their needs, then spelling out how your company meets them. Dedicate space on the page to explain the needs your product or service fulfills. Doing so will make your company seem more customer centered than brand centered. Use strong SEO practices to reach your target audience and speak directly to them. It's engaging, and it will make your About Us page pop.

Diversity is another way you can make your company's About Us page stand out from the crowd. Don't make your page one chunk of rambling text. Instead, break things up by offering videos, photos and info graphics. Let human capital speak for your company by showcasing videos or photos of your employees. Talk about what makes your workplace special and how your company gives back to the community.

In addition to speaking to your clients, let them speak for you. Use recent, positive reviews from real customers to highlight where your business excels. Give pertinent information about the reviewers that let readers know why these folks are qualified to comment on your brand. If you can, find reviews that address different services or products so that you best show what your company does. If you've won awards for excellent customer service, be sure to point that out.

An overarching narrative is another important component of your company's About Us page. Remember that you're trying to tell the story of your company. If there aren't a lot of chronological details to include, focus instead on what inspired you to found your brand. If your company has a longer history, consider using a graphically rich timeline to tell its story. This meets the need for diversity while also contributing to the page's narrative.

Remember that there's no one, perfect About Us page. Make sure that the tone of the page is professional but conversational and keep it interesting. Test out your text by letting it go live on your website. Listen to feedback from employees, colleagues and customers in terms of what you could do to improve your company's About Us page. Being open to changing the page as needed and to treating it as a work in progress instead of a one-time task is essential.

To improve the success of your SEO campaign on the whole and to inspire greater confidence among customers, make sure to post current contact information for your company on its About Us page. If you operate out of your home or another private location, at least list the city where your company is located. Failing to include this information can make potential customers skeptical. Keep your focus on building credibility by offering diverse, engaging and reliable content on your company's About Us page.