The 2nd most viewed page on your site is usually your ‘about us’ page. Why? Because people want to know WHO they’re going to be dealing with. An online sale doesn’t always depend on how new and improved your widget is. It depends on you and whether they like or trust you. And that means the success of your about us page really matters. So I wanted to talk about the Top 10 tips to boost the performance of your About Us page.
If you want your website to give you a return on your investment, then your about us page needs to be converting it’s little butt off just as much as the homepage!
Now when I say converting, I mean gaining the action you desire. So whether that means gaining their details via a sign-up box on your about us page, or that they move to the next page you want them to read, it’s all considered a success… just so long as they don’t leave!
So let’s set up the 10 tips to improve your About Us page:
1/ Surprise and engage with a different title. Almost everyone and their dog calls it an ‘About us’ page, and frankly I’m bored! Be engaging and link it to what the visitor will expect from you. If you were a builder, for example, it could be something like ‘how the kid obsessed with Lego became the builder obsessed with building your perfect home‘. See what I mean?
2/ Start with a punch. Write a great opening sentence (or two). Say who you are, who you are and why you’re special. Write it well and give them a reason to keep reading on.
3/ Write to an audience of one. Write to one person, not a massive target audience. How many people do you think are crowded behind that computer screen? Chances are it’s just one person. Speak to them directly and that leads me to the next point…
4/ Be passionate. It’s not just about your business. It’s your story as the owner, so tell it with passion (but still make it about them too).
5/ Have social proof. That means testimonials, pictures of your happy customers, all that jazz.
6/ Get snapping. Use real photos, it’s crazy to talk about yourself, but NOT to show you and your staff.
7/ Have a unique banner at the top of the page. If you can only afford one professional banner for the homepage, fair enough, use it through your site. But if you can, it’s always better if your banner is unique and plays into the message of your page. It’s one way small business can look big, and these sorts of touches builds your credibility… and trust increases conversions.
8/ Ask for an action. What is your primary goal? To get them to sign up for a newsletter, get a quote? Order a thingywhatsist? Make this always sit pride of place, perhaps at the top of the left or right hand column (if you have one).
9/ Tell them where to go. You’ll probably want them to go to your services or products page after this, so make it easy for them. Have a clear call to action at the bottom of your page which naturally directs them on in their journey. A visual button is always best, but a bolded text that’s hyperlinked can be effective too. Something like…
Find out how to pull customers towards a conversion now.
See what I mean?
10/ Check out the comp. Think your about us page is ready to go? Nope. Not until you look at what your biggest competitors are doing. It doesn’t have to be the same as theirs, but how do you compare in terms of message, likeability and professionalism? If you aren’t making the grade, then you better get back to tweaking and fixing.
One final thing that’s really important: You can’t fix a thing if you don’t know if a thing is broke!
How do you know if your ‘about us’ page isn’t working?
Make sure your Google Analytics account is setup on your site so you can see the length of time people stay around and where they go… and where they exit. I’d also suggest you use a tool like Crazy Egg that will visually show you WHERE people are looking and where they aren’t in a visual heat map. It’s an eye opener I can tell you!
What happens if you make these improvements and your about us page still isn’t rocking?
Honestly, there is no one size fits all. But the important thing is to be engaging. These aren’t all hard and fast rules, but they tend to work most of the time… for most websites. If your about us page is the exit page where visitors are leaving your site (without signing up), then guess what? You need to fix that hole quick smart. Your profits are whooshing out! Change is the only constant online… and that’s a good thing! Unlike when you print an advertisement in a magazine, your ‘about us’ page can be changed. If it’s not hitting the right spot with your clients and drawing them in deeper to your site, then just fiddle around with it and make it better. Move your call to action around a bit, or redesign the banner. Improve the language.
Make smart changes and ALWAYS make sure you have your customer in mind, and then sit back to see what the results are. Don’t worry, if you’re not getting great results right now, the good news is… the only way is up!
So what do you think? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts on a winning about us page. Til next time ABN’ers, Bianca
