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"About Us" Pages in Business Websites
The Internet has been heralded as "the great equalizer":
on a browser window, any company, no matter how small,
can look as good as a large company with a long history
of quality and service. This situation presents an
important challenge for small businesses: how can I
convince my potential customers that I am not an
unethical, fly-by-night operation? The best way to do it
is through a properly structured "About Us" page.
Your "About Us" page must not only introduce your
company to your potential customers, but must do so in a
way that it explains, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why
they should trust you and your company. Often, this
means answering six basic questions:
Who is behind this website?
People are getting tired of large, bureaucratic
companies and their "your-call-is-important-to-us"
service mentality. As a small business owner, you can
give your customers the personal attention they won't
get from the big guys. Get that message across in your
"About Us" page. Don't be afraid to talk about yourself
and your passion for the business, and by all means
include your picture. The central message you want to
convey is that behind your business there is a real
human being who has his or her customers' best interests
at heart.
Is this a real business?
Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to list
your full physical address. There is something
reassuring about a "bricks-and-mortar" location, even if
your customers will never visit you. A physical address
shows your prospective customers that you don't have
anything to hide. Include your full contact information,
including your physical address, in a conspicuous
location within your "About Us" page.
How do they make money?
You know the cliché: "If it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is". If you don't make your business model
evident to your visitors (in other words, if you don't
show them how do you make money) the first question they
will ask themselves is: "what's the catch?". If you
offer too many things for free, or price your products
too low vs. your competitors, prospective customers will
hold back. Use your "About Us" page to explain what your
main revenue streams are, and why do you charge what you
charge. Remember to always talk "value", not "price".
How long have they been in business?
People tend to regard longevity and stability as
important qualifiers to determine trust. Since most
small business (especially of the on-line variety) tend
to be very young, it may be hard to use the longevity
card to solicit trust. If that is your case, you can
talk about your past experience instead. For most small
business owners, their past experience is highly
relevant to their current businesses. Use your "About
Us" page to talk about it, and how does it relate to and
benefit your current business.
How do I know they deliver?
The best way to show your prospective customers what you
can do for them is through testimonials from satisfied
customers. Ideally, the testimonials should come from
companies that accurately reflect your customer's
demographics. To be effective, these testimonials must
provide some form of contact information of those who
offer them (usually, a name and a link to a website will
work). Presenting a small table with a list of previous
clients and the type of work you did for them is also
very effective. Make sure you ask for permission before
listing your clients' name (most of the time, they will
be more than glad to give you authorization, especially
if you link to their websites).
Are they related to the business community?
Another way to establish credibility and trust is to
belong to community, trade or professional associations.
These entities usually authorize their members to use
their logos. For example, a repair shop's website can
use the seal of the ASE to emphasize that its mechanics
are well trained. Similarly, a business consultant's
website can display a logo of the American Management
Association, or a real estate agent can display a logo
of the National Association of Realtors. Use these
associations to your advantage in your "About Us" page.
Should I trust them with my private information?
People are very protective of their personal
information, especially on-line. You should have a
privacy policy clearly displayed somewhere in your
website, and you should link to it from your "About Us"
page (and also from your homepage). Aside from that, if
you sell goods or services on-line, it is a good idea to
become a Truste privacy sealholder. By becoming a Truste
member and displaying the Truste seal in your "About Us"
page, you will demonstrate that you abide by Truste's
best practices. This alone may make the difference
between prospective customers buying from you instead of
from somebody else.
Some Implementation Details
If the information in your "About Us" takes too much
space and makes your text too long, you can always split
it among several pages (you will then have an "About Us"
section instead of just a page). If you do so, create a
small menu of options that apply only to your "About Us"
section. The links in that menu can be called: Our
People, Our Business, Portfolio, Customers, Community,
Privacy, etc. The best location to place this menu is on
a column to the right of the page, since usually the
left column or the top of the page are reserved for the
main navigation menu of the site. Finally, a link to
your "About Us" page must be present in your homepage
(it doesn't have to be in the most prominent location or
in your main navigation menu, but it has to be visible
and easily accessible).
Summary
On the web, it is very difficult to determine if a
company is good and reputable. One way to help
prospective customers know that they can trust your
business is through a good "About Us" page. A good
"About Us" page must answer the most common questions
prospective customers are likely to ask themselves to
determine if they should give you their trust. Your
"About Us" page should be easily accessible through a
link in your homepage." |
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