A well-designed website should engage visitors and drive engagement. To make that happen, each section of your website needs to perform a specific duty that will move visitors one step closer to conversion.

The landing page is your first opportunity to grab attention and offer something that visitors want. If the visitor already knows what they want, they’re usually funneled directly to “Products”, “Services”, or “Contact Us”, where they’ll make a purchase or submit information. However, in between these points is the critical “About us” page, often an overlooked opportunity in web design and something that can make or break the experience for your visitors.

Why is the “About us” page so important?

The “About us” page is full of potential that’s often unfulfilled. It’s usually a brief overview of the company mission and photos of the team. It serves to humanize your company and helps visitors relate to the mission by seeing the people involved. An “About us” page builds trust and credibility.

However, the problem is when “About us” stops there. When the “About us” page is an afterthought that lacks preparation and presentation, it weakens the rest of your site’s experience. Usually, it’s quickly filled in with basic information, then left to languish when other areas of the site receive updated design attention and optimization.

With this in mind, here’s how to write a great “About us” page, make it perform, and add the dimension you need to round out a fantastic website when starting your business.

Showcase your strengths

When a visitor arrives on your landing page but isn’t yet confident enough to convert, one of the first places they go to learn more is your "About us" page. So, you're going to need to really showcase your value here in order to keep them on your website.

You should feel comfortable using your “About us” page to brag about your accomplishments. Using your website to generate new business starts with showcasing your partnerships and satisfied clients.

“About us” isn't necessarily limited to being a space where you write about yourself. It should also be a place where others share testimonials about you to show off your credibility.

If you already have some loyal customers, then it’s critical to share those positive experiences with potential customers browsing the site. Show logos and ask for client testimonials so you can display social proof that backs up the claims you make about your business.

This is even more critical if you’re just starting out and don’t yet have a solid client roster, because a relatively empty “About us” section looks like there’s nothing to be said. In this case, rely on the collective expertise that your team offers by showcasing experience, talent, and attributes that together make your company unique and compelling.

Be transparent

An “About us” can also connect visitors with key decision makers in your organization. This offers transparency and a real opportunity for connection. Encouraging potential customers to contact you brings them one step closer to conversion.

This goes beyond a hyperlink to a single “contact@company.com” email address, which gives the impression that their message will end up in a black hole. Instead, exceed expectations and be transparent about which team members are open to receiving messages and responding.

Stay social

With permission, amp up your website’s individual staff bios by linking to their LinkedIn profile and personal blogs or websites.

If a team member actively promotes relevant content using their personal Twitter account, linking to that account on the “About us” page corroborates their passion for visitors to see. It’s social proof that keeps visitors engaged with your site.

An integrative social strategy on your “About us” lets visitors connect in more than one way. It may not expedite a purchase, but by giving a visitor the option to research your brand outside of your website, you’re allowing them to inform themselves so they’ll eventually return as a converted customer.

Write to your customers' needs

Yes, it’s “About us” so it tells a visitor about your company, employees, and unique value proposition. However, that still means writing the page with your customers' needs first and foremost.

Every element of a good website needs to engage the visitor, meaning you use language that appeals to what they’re looking for. You don’t walk into a store and expect an employee to give themselves a glowing review. They try to figure out what you need and how to get it to you as conveniently as possible.

Forget the usual business jargon that tries to dazzle by actually saying nothing. Here’s an example:

“X is the best-in-class provider of customer-facing solutions for X.”

Making statements of ‘world class’ or ‘best’ of anything is a superlative based on nothing. And “facing” a customer? How else would you be if you’re running a business and attempting to grow your customer base? We’re all selling something and that’s okay!

Instead, use your “About us” page to instill personal belief about your products or services by saying, for example, “We produce amazing X that help our customers do X”. You may check out our page as a reference.

If facts and statistics can be used to back up just how well your products or services work, show those facts in a clear, eye-catching way on the “About us” page. Even better, have your customers state those facts in a testimonial. Reading “they made it just how I wanted it, and shipped it to me yesterday at the price I need” is a traditional approach that works.

Keep it short

For example, leading your sector for 10 years in a row doesn’t mean you need to display proof of all the awards you clinched. And attaining industry-specific product certifications that are actually just required to sell your product don’t need to be displayed.

If there’s a standout accreditation or honor that’s truly pivotal for the company, show it off! Be concise in showing achievements that matter for people who may do business with you, not for self-congratulatory reasons. You can nail those plaques to the office wall.

Make the words on your “About us” page count by optimizing it for SEO purposes. Again, this leads back to creating the site and its content around the needs of the customer, not solely for brand pride. SEO delivers optimization because it actively maps the trending language around your product offering and includes it within your site pages in a personalized and effective way. This increases the likelihood that visitors will find you directly through search.

SEO requires sector awareness and effort to stay relevant and position your site for high discoverability. It’s advisable to have a professional service like B12 streamline the task by providing experienced input on effective copy and an AI-enabled SEO strategy.

Always evolve

Finally, an “About us” page that fails to reflect the current state of a company in terms of staffing, mission, communication, and how it specifically handles customer needs is a page better off deleted. If it isn’t an up-to-date document that reflects the changing nature of new hires and company strategy, it’s not living up to its potential. The lack of upkeep and enthusiasm affects the rest of the website because it degrades the vitality of the company and its mission.

This is why an “About us” page must be part of an evolving marketing strategy. It should be a place where new visitors and loyal customers alike can tap into the energy of the company. It should be written by individual team members as an ongoing collaboration that provides fresh perspectives on changes in company direction and how those changes improve the products or services you offer.

The “About us” page often lacks the attention given to the landing page or the thorough information packed into “Products” or “Services”. This is a wasted opportunity. Simply using the page to list staff and spout off a business jargon or a generic statement of purpose robs your website of its potential. This type of page is inert and fails to foster engagement.

Instead, let the page drive company energy by showcasing testimonials, achievements, providing real human information and contact opportunities, and by designing a space where visitors convert to customers through a sense of personal agency from interaction and the ability to form their own opinions.

The “About us” page is among the first three pages visitors go to when they enter a site. Don’t overlook it. Make it an active interaction point for your team and customers alike.