Yes, Your Small Business Needs an ‘About’ Page

The importance of your About page 

You may think it’s counterintuitive that so many people visit the About page. Shouldn’t they visit the services or pricing sections first or check out your content and resources? 

However, the About page’s popularity makes sense for several reasons

1. The About page fosters familiarity and trust. 

Here’s an analogy: When you meet a new person at an event, what’s the first thing you do? You’ll likely check for similarities and ask about their background, hobbies, favorite food and more. You’ll try to discern whether their story is similar to yours. When you feel a genuine connection, you may consider investing in the relationship. 

Similarly, when a prospect visits your website for the first time, they’ll head to the About page to determine if they can trust you. They want to know your story and see if you have the experience, knowledge and expertise to solve their problems. 

At this stage of the customer journey, your prospects want to understand what you’re doing – and why you’re doing it. If your About page includes elements of your mission statement or company vision, readers can determine if your business resonates with them and aligns with their values and needs. 

2. The About page helps visitors understand their options. 

The About page is also the perfect place for visitors to narrow their options quickly.

For example, say Company A’s About page discusses creating the highest-quality product in the industry. However, Company B’s About page mentions its desire to make the product affordable and accessible to all. If the visitor seeks a higher-cost, higher-quality product, they’ll want to know more about Company A’s products. If cost is a significant issue, they’ll be more inclined to buy from Company B. 

3. The About page humanizes your business.

The About page helps to humanize your business by telling visitors about yourself and your team. Put a face to a name and title, and let your photos and bios reassure visitors that they’re dealing with real humans who understand their needs.

Best practices for creating an About page

It may take time to find your company’s unique identity and voice and translate it into well-crafted copy. However, consider the following guidelines as you begin creating a compelling About page. 

1. Keep your About page customer-centric.

Your About page doesn’t have to be all about you. Website visitors are there because they’re facing a problem or challenge and need your help. If you can prove you understand their problems, they’ll feel more inclined to trust you.

Don’t glorify your company by only including its big philosophical missions and visions on your About page. Instead, share its mission while making it clear that you’re here to solve your customers’ problems. 

2. Tell your story on your About page.

Storytelling is a compelling way to capture your audience’s attention. An engaging story about your business’s humble beginnings can establish immediate trust in your customer’s minds. 

Share how your products or services were developed to improve lives. Discuss problems or challenges you faced that led you to start this business. If your business is family owned, let visitors know. Genuine stories humanize your brand, which provides context and meaning for your business.

3. Confirm you’re not a robot on your About page.

Feature your most valuable employees with their photographs and short bios. Sharing who’s on your team makes your business look more authentic and human. 

Include their contact information with links so visitors can reach out to them. For example, if someone wants to access your sales team, now they’ll know precisely who to contact. Linking this information can also help you build an email list of interested prospects.

4. Make your About page memorable.

Whatever you do, don’t make your About page boring. Strive to create a lasting impression in your prospects’ minds so they don’t forget you the moment they close the tab. 

People are far more likely to do business with people they like. Forming the right first impression with your About page can make all the difference. 

Make your About page copy consistent with your brand. While it should be professional, a bit of humor is always welcome. 

5. Toot your own horn on your About page.

While you don’t want to sound obnoxious, the About page is the place to tell prospects about your accomplishments. Showcase anything that builds credibility, including the following information:

• The number of years you’ve been in business (if it’s a long time)
• Your experience in the industry and related fields
• Any patents, copyrights, and other proprietary intellectual property of yours
• The owner and executive team’s relevant education, training and certifications
• Awards your company has received
• Honors anyone on your executive team has received 
• Company or product certifications like ISO, OSHA compliant or Microsoft Partner
• Certifications or practices related to sustainability, such as LEED, B-corp or Energy Star
• Statistics and survey data that demonstrate your success, such as customer satisfaction survey results, reviews (number of stars and number of reviews), size of customer base, percentage of repeat customers, and percentage of business from referrals 

6. Share your values on your About page.

Tell prospects what’s important to you. When visitors see you share their values, they’ll feel more comfortable buying from you. 

Consider sharing the following company values: 

• Operating with integrity
• Quality workmanship
• Excellent customer service
• Sustainability
• Curiosity and innovation
• Continuous improvement
• Diversity and inclusion
• Making a difference
• Community involvement
• Transparency
• Collaboration

Choose and highlight the top three or four values most important to your company. If your target audience is particularly focused on these values, discuss how you put them into action.

7. End your About page with a call to action (CTA).

Don’t leave your prospect hanging. If you’ve effectively introduced your company on your About page, ending it with a CTA can seal the deal. A CTA invites your website visitor to take another step. You can ask visitors to subscribe to a blog, download a white paper, or enter their email addresses as part of your lead generation strategy.

Here are some examples of strong About page CTAs:

• “Check out our [product name]”
• “Start your free trial”
• “Browse our catalog”
• “Schedule an appointment”
• “Shop now”

Get the most from your About page

Your About page isn’t just a standard website design requirement. A compelling, thoughtful About page can help generate leads, boost website traffic, and present your organization in the best possible light, especially for small businesses without an established brand value.

Pratik Dholakiya contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.