Five Must-Haves For Your Company’s “About” Page

A case can be made that the “about” section on your website is the single most important page on the entire site. It’s where strangers can get comfortably acquainted with your brand, and where they can learn to not only like your company, but trust your company. And that’s crucial to your business success.

We humans aren’t always a very trusting species to begin with. We don’t trust politicians, doctors, in-laws, and least of all, companies.

So how exactly do you achieve trust for your business online? Here are a few must-haves to include on your “about” page to begin building that relationship.

Real imagery or video

Speaking about trust, your potential customers trust real people. So show real people. Consider using imagery of actual customers enjoying your product or service, and maybe even include pictures of your team, either individually or as a group. And if you have the ability to create an “about” video, that's even better.

Simple language

You could probably write a book about your company and all the complexities of your product offerings -- which is great! Let’s not make people read it though. Your potential customers need easy-to-understand, digestible information. This doesn’t mean you need to make it short, just make sure you only include information that someone would be interested in knowing and capable of understanding. Also, don’t be afraid to use bullet points. Everyone loves a list.

A brand story

In plain, concise language, answer all the pertinent questions about your brand: “What do you do?”; “How do you do what you do?”; “Where do you do what you do?”; and most importantly, “Why do you do what you do?”

Tell your brand’s story as a narrative. Explain what inspired you to create your company, what drives you to keep going, and what you’re offering to the potential customers who give you a chance.

Make it easy to contact your company

Many visitors will visit an “about” page thinking it’s a way to contact the company directly, so don’t leave them out in the cold. They might even just need to know that they can contact you without needing to at the time. If you have a main phone number for customers to call, this is a great place to include it. Otherwise, consider using a clean, simple contact form to field inquiries. This doubles as a great way for you to learn about what your visitors are looking for and provides you with a way to track customer interactions.

Links to your social media

​While this seems obvious enough, it’s super important and you would be surprised at the number of companies that don’t include social media links. Your social media, in many ways, is an extension of your “about” section. It’s where people can get information about your brand, engage with you, and learn about your company culture. Plus, including links to your social pages from your “about” section is a great way to increase your following.

Mastering the perfect “about” page isn’t rocket science. It just takes a little understanding of what your customers are looking for -- whether it’s company details, contact information, or proof that your company is made up of humans and not vicious cyborgs.

​Courtesy of Weebly
​Chad Reid • Director of Communications for JotForm, a popular online form building tool for small businesses