As a freelance copywriter, I work on a lot of business websites, from property agencies through to engineering companies, energy businesses and even tea consultancies.
Whatever the project, I am constantly surprised by the number of businesses who haven’t included an ‘About us’ page in their website plan. One client even told me that he wanted to remain anonymous on his website. But, for me, the ‘About us’ page is one of the most important pages. In fact, it is one of the most visited pages on my own website (leaving aside the home page).
Putting the personality in your business
From a psychological perspective, most prospective customers will want to know a little about you before they part with their hard-earned cash and give you their business. That’s only natural. Clients will want to know about your skills and personality but, most importantly, they’ll want to know what sort of person they’d be dealing with. So, it’s absolutely vital that you get this right.
How to connect with your readers on your ‘About us’ page:
Focus on what you can offer your customer
Provide some information on your skills and experience but focus on how this benefits your customers. This isn’t the right place to re-live your life story or regurgitate your CV.
Sell yourself
Be direct and don’t be modest. Website readers will skim your pages and you need to make your key strengths and skills stand out. If you’ve won some industry awards, say so. This isn’t the place for underselling your skills.
Show your personality
Tell people a little about what motivates you and gets you out of bed in the morning. Give them some insight into what makes you tick. People want to work with people – not faceless entities.
Keep it concise
Your ‘About us’ summary should be 200 to 300 words max. Research shows that website visitors tend to read for 2 to 3 seconds at most. So, write a short summary, not a thesis.
Keep it professional
Stick to your professional interests. Some may disagree with me on this point but I don’t think this is the right place to talk about your hobbies or include photos of your pets or children. Leave that for Facebook.
Get a professional mug shot
Don’t upload an image taken on your latest holiday to Greece or a blurry/poorly lit shot take from a dodgy angle. This will leave your customers with such a poor impression. Get a photo taken professionally. For the sake of £50-£75, it’s well worth the investment and you can use this photo in all your marketing (including social media).
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a compelling and dynamic ‘About us’ page that really sells your services – and yourself – to prospective customers.
If you’d like some advice or help with planning or developing your business website, please do get in touch. I help businesses of all shapes and sizes to transform their website marketing through attention-grabbing content.
