Why Your ‘About Us' Page Is More Important Than You Think
By Kayleigh Alexandra, MicroStartups
Just about every modern business needs a solid website. Anyone you care to ask will tell you that much, yet there’s often fairly little thought put into the specifics: which pages are needed, how content should be positioned, what kind of aesthetic should be selected, etc. The only part that gets consistent effort is the homepage (for good reason, yes — first impressions matter).
And there are certain things that get included out of a sense of obligation, if at all, with the prime example being the ‘About Us’ page. It’s seen as a box to be ticked, with the assumption made that the most it will ever get is a cursory glance. But it matters more than most people think.
In this piece, I’m going to make a case for your ‘About Us’ page being a significant part of your website: something you should put time and thought into developing. Let’s get to it.
You Can Get As Creative As You Want
There are countless unwritten rules governing website design, and you break them at your peril. Your homepage needs to work for all relevant visitors, regardless of their familiarity with your brand or level of interest, and consequently must be somewhat formulaic. If your brand is inherently creative (some kind of marketing agency, perhaps), then this can be frustrating: you want to show what makes you different, but you simply can’t take too many structural risks.
But you don’t need to worry about that when building your ‘About Us’ page. It’s functionally extraneous, meaning you could remove it entirely and your website would still have everything necessary for someone to discover your business and get in touch. That gives you total freedom to get creative with everything from the copy and fonts to the layout and visuals.
Brand Identity Has Become Mission-Critical
As much as consumers want optimal deals — the best products at the lowest prices with the most valuable service — they also want to buy from brands they consider worthy of their business. This is a time of corporate responsibility, with huge brands absolutely desperate to be seen as ethically laudable: supporting sustainable operation, paying well, being committed to helping their local communities, etc. You need to show the quality of your brand.
Can you do that through your homepage? Well, not ideally, because it needs to focus on catering to visitor intent. Little snippets of detail throughout your website and your social media pages can help, but your ‘About Us’ page is your opportunity for an in-depth explanation of what your company cares about (and how it ties into your business model). If you want to compete in the era of social media judgment, you can’t do without it.
A Good Story Invites Sympathy And Support
Your main goal with your ‘About Us’ page should be to tell the story of your business: why you started it, how you’ve overcome challenges, and what your long-term objectives are. This is because narratives are powerful, whether in fiction or in business. By establishing yourself as the protagonist of your story, you can inspire the reader to empathize with you (and empathy is hugely valuable given how hard it is to get people to trust you).
Talking about the issues you’ve faced and how you’ve managed to deal with them will communicate your experience and expertise without needing to get too on-the-nose about such things. And if you can convince the reader through your tale that your business is not just ethical but also fundamentally likeable, you can truly set yourself apart from your main competitors.
For these key reasons, your ‘About Us’ page isn’t something to be taken lightly, rushed through, and left to underperform with no regard for the consequences — yet it so often is, revealing just how many companies fundamentally misunderstand the significance of brand identity in the modern-day business world.
If you’re truly ambitious and want to take your company as far as it can go, don’t overlook this key piece of the puzzle. Unleash your creativity, tell a rich and compelling story, and advance a brand that people will want to support. The resulting uptick in interest will assuredly vindicate the strategy.
About The Author
Kayleigh Alexandra is a content writer at Writerzone and for MicroStartups.org, a site dedicated to supporting startups and small businesses of all shapes and sizes. She’s curious to see what skills will be required for the workplace of tomorrow. Visit the blog for entrepreneurial tips and follow along on Twitter @getmicrostarted.
About MicroStartups
A team of writers and marketers, MicroStartups was founded to inspire the entrepreneurial and business community to give back. We believe in business growth through giving and supporting the local community.