8 tips for a successful "About" page

 Most business websites have a specific page that can have different names: "About", "Who are we?", "Know us"... Whatever its name, this page aims to reveal a little more about the company, its members, its activity...

But how to write it well? What are the essentials? We give you all our advice to succeed in writing your step "About" and make it a real asset for your site, both in terms of customers and your SEO.

1. Conduct competitive intelligence

When you start writing your "About" page, it is relevant to take a few minutes to analyze what your competitors offer.

You will probably find that some neglect this page and that others try, on the contrary, to use it to enhance their business. Of course, it is the latter that you will have to inspire.

Take the time to study the tone they use, the information they put forward, etc.

Based on this, it's up to you to try to create an "About" page that includes all the essential elements and stands out from what your competitors have done.

2. Show from the outset what you can bring to the user

Certainly, this page should say more about the company but that does not mean that you should only talk about yourself.

Your visitors want to know above all what you can bring them. So avoid starting your "About" page by citing your staggering turnover or your hundreds of customers.

Instead, start by synthesizing what you bring good to your customers, the raison d'être of your company, as Moz does at the beginning of its "About" page:

In your presentation, think "customer-centric": write your sentences, especially the first ones, in a "you – me – us" spirit.

These first few sentences represent little volume of words, but require a long work of reflection and investigation upstream. It is indeed a question of showing from the first words, that you have understood exactly what the expectations of your customers are. Because it is this, more than your university CV or the number of your collaborators, that will make the user feel that he has in front of him an experienced professional who listens to him.

If it is obvious that your "About" page must present your e-commerce site, it is out of the question to offer a cute content that is anything but interesting for the reader. Think your content for the customer. If you succeed, a potential customer should be able to find on this page the answers to all the questions he is entitled to ask about your online store.

So take care in this page to explain the genesis of your e-commerce site, to present the products it offers and its target, to highlight your commitments and your team, to specify the geographical coverage of the activity and especially to say how your company is unique.

This last point is essential since it must convince customers that it is from you that they should make their purchases.

3. Surprise the reader with an original presentation

Even if your "About" page should avoid making tons, it should still be able to distinguish you from your competitors and other websites in general. You must infuse it with your personality, your values: in short, everything that characterizes your company and makes it unique. Your visitors shouldn't think, "I've read this dozens of times."

Always consider that you are not alone on the web, but on the contrary, one point among a galaxy of potential competitors. So shine with a special light to distinguish yourself from the gigantic mass of information available on the Internet.

The Internet user is constantly solicited, according to his navigation, his searches and advertising: what awaits him is weariness. It is therefore for you to score points by surprising him. Of course, there is a difficult balance to keep in the writing: it is not a question of doing in the "crazy", if you are a research institute or if you are targeting large customers in B to B ...

But sometimes it's a really special hook, a stroke of self-mockery, a touch of humorous provocation showing at the same time your deep knowledge of your field of activity that will make the difference.

Enhance your customer reviews

Because this page is widely read by customers, be sure to highlight your seriousness and professionalism.

All documents that can attest to your experience or the quality of your service deserve to be highlighted. A press article touting your business has its place on this page.

Similarly, why not put online on this page the latest reviews left by your customers? There is no doubt that they can give confidence to Internet users coming to your online store for the first time.

Dare to storytell

In 2019, a company must be able to tell its story. Also, rather than presenting a somewhat raw history presenting the major dates in the company's history, try to arouse emotion by explaining how the company came into being.

Of course, you don't have to be grandiose to tell the story of your business. On the other hand, dare the little anecdote or the funny detail that will allow all visitors to feel closer to you.

4. Get to the point

This page should not turn into propaganda to the glory of your company. There is no need to draw up an endless history relating all the "events" that have marked your history.

Certainly, the visitor wants to know more but that does not mean that he wants to know everything down to the smallest detail. So keep it concise and get to the point.

Ideally, your reader should be able to immerse themselves in your world described in the "About" page without having to scroll.

He must be able to memorize the essentials, to remember it when he wants to make the purchase, but also to be able to talk about it to his entourage by remembering some key points that you will have highlighted in your writing.

Finally, there is a major psychological reason that should push you to keep it concise by saying only the essential: the spur of the human mind is curiosity! A part of mystery does not harm your brand image, quite the contrary!

Know how to distill the essential information about you (enough to inspire confidence, reassure the potential customer about your experience, your certifications, your availability, your geographical location etc.), but while keeping some chiaroscuro areas that will push him to want to know more, so to visit the deep pages of your site or to contact you.

5. Accompany your text with images

Images are often as important as words, and this is especially the case on this type of web page.

A photo allows the visitor to visualize the company at a glance and quickly get an idea. Of course, images must be to the benefit of society and reflect who it is.

For some companies where customer contact is fundamental, a photo of you or your main employees will be welcome to create a first contact and attract the sympathy of the prospect, who will be unconsciously more inclined to call you if he can imagine the face of his interlocutor.

For other companies, the "About" page will benefit from incorporating graphics, or even short moving images that will avoid lengthy tedious descriptions of a complex process.

Beyond your field of activity, there is also the brand image, more subjective, that you want to convey.

For example, if you're a startup, you'll probably want to insert images that are synonymous with youth and dynamism.

If, on the contrary, you bet on tradition, choose a symbolism and chromatic variations in accordance with this imaginary.

Finally, be aware that provided that your field of activity lends itself to it, the inlay of videos can be beneficial both to capture the attention of your reader, and to boost your SEO.

Indeed, the human brain processes images faster than text: you are more likely to keep the attention of your user thanks to videos.

Especially since attention is in fact the new "gold" of the web, knowing that that of the user, unstimulated, not revived by you, does not exceed ten seconds on average...

In addition, it can be doubly advantageous for you to subtitle your videos: on the one hand you allow Internet users to view them discreetly or in a noisy environment, on the other hand you allow Google crawlers to take into account the content of your videos.

6. Create interaction with your potential customers

Because many potential customers come to your "About" page, why not use it to try to engage the customer?

To do this, place links directing the user to other pages of your website. For example, invite them to discover the brand new range of a product or to subscribe to your monthly newsletter.

Maybe they will prefer to make your site known on social networks by sharing your page. To make it easier, place Facebook or Twitter buttons at the bottom of your page. This could spur him to action.

7. Include a call-to-action

If you have a content marketing strategy, you probably already use call-to-action on many pages of your website: blog posts, white paper download page, etc.

But have you thought about including one in your "About" page? This does not necessarily seem appropriate, and yet, remember that if a visitor has read this entire page, then it means that he has a real interest in your company, its history, its values ...

Don't leave him on the sidelines and invite him to go further with a call-to-action. Whether it's encouraging them to look at your products or offering them to apply to work for you, there's always something good to get out of your visitor.

In addition, it is wise to place a call-to-action just below a smiling photo of your company's team, or the close-up of your flagship product: the image plays the role of emotional stimuli, but its effect is very short in time, so the prospect must be able to take action immediately, before the emotional effect of the image fades in his mind.

8. Place your "About" page prominently on your site

This may seem obvious. And yet, many sites still make the mistake of placing access to their "About" page at the bottom right, in a font that is too small and boilerplate...

This is to neglect the importance of this page, which has an essential function of reassurance to your prospects. This "About" page must be immediately accessible: it must appear on the home page, in the center, in an advantageous font. In addition, one must be able to return to it easily, even after going to a deep page of your site.

Conclusion

Be vigilant and avoid these few mistakes when writing your "About" page, so that it becomes a real asset for your website and your business.