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The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist for the About Us Page

September 11, 2008 Comments (10)

Stoney deGeyter

Stoney deGeyter

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This is a continuation of a series of website marketing checklists. Check out all Web Marketing Checklists in this series.

What this is about: This checklist covers the "About Us" or "Company" page on the website, providing keys as to what visitors typically look for and should find when visiting this page.

Why this is important: Studies have shown that conversion rates for visitors who have visited the About Us page increase measurably. Those who visit here are looking for a few extra elements of trust that will help them decide whether to continue on or move on. What they find can mean the difference in a conversion or the visitor leaving your site for a competitor's.

What to look for:

  • Adequately describes company: Be robust in your company information. Visitors may not read everything, but they are here to find out all they can. Give them what they came for.
  • Shows team biographies: Provide information in individual team members or executive management. Give them a face and let your visitors know who they are dealing with.
  • Shows mission statement: If you have a purpose (and you should) let your visitors know what it is. Spell it out for them.
  • Up to date information: Keep information up to date, whether that be current biographies, news, etc. Don't let the page get out of date.
  • Links to support pages: This is a great place to link to other support pages. Often this page is often a first stop to more pertinent information.
    • Contact page: Link to your "contact us" page. Yeah, the link is probably easy to find elsewhere, but a link here is worthwhile.
    • Investor relations: If you have investors, this is the page to provide a link to the information that is relevant to them.
    • Company news: If there is somethign newsworthy about your company either display it here or link to a page that covers that information.
    • Registration info: If you have a members section, provide a link to where new visitors can sign up.
    • Job opportunities: List or link to any job opportunities your company may currently have.
    • Newsletters: If you send out newsletters, provide links to the main newsletter page and/or past issues.
  • Link to social media profiles: If you have profiles on sites like Facebook, MySpace, etc., provide links to those profile pages here.
  • Note associations, certifications & awards: Document any particular noteworthy associations your company has with community or other important groups, along with worth certifications and awards.

Did I miss anything? Add to this list with your comments below.




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Comments (10)

Thanks for the informative post! I love reading about SEO and this offers a lot of good reading.

Amanda

Posted by: Networking4Biz on September 11, 2008

Stoney, one of the more intriguing suggestions for an About Us page is to turn it around and address the About You information. Providing some context for the visitor to understand the typical client that you serve.

Most visitors could care less about your strategic capabilities founded on years in the trenches. They care about the problem that they arrived with. If the About Us page can be used to show the visitor that other people like them have been well served, then the page is adding value. What kind of benefit can you see from adding this kind of information to an About Us page?

Posted by: Jim Spencer on September 11, 2008

What about associations, certifications and awards that are related to the company? I've been advised they should be included on the About Us page to give further credibility.

Posted by: Simon McManus on September 11, 2008

@ Jim - that's a very intriguing suggestion. I kinda look at it as the rest of the site is about the customer (if the content is written properly) and the about us page is really the one place where the visitor needs to know more about the company. But anytime you can talk from the visitors perspective the better.

Posted by: Stoney deGeyter on September 12, 2008

@ Simon - Absolutely right. I'll add that now!

Posted by: Stoney deGeyter on September 12, 2008

I would add that your About Us page should include pictures -- pictures of your key people and possibly also pictures of your facility, if relevant.

People want to do business with people they know. They don't want to feel like they're dealing with an automated, impersonal internet company. If they can see your face, they're more likely to feel they can trust you and relate to you.

I know this from personal experience. When I added a photo of myself (with great reluctance) to the About Me page of my copywriting services website, I immediately noticed that the calls I received from new prospects began much friendlier, often with a "Hi Susan, how are you? I'm interested in your services..." versus the straightfoward but cold "How much do you charge to write a website?"

Also, many people actually referenced having seen my picture and thought that I looked like someone who could assist them. Strange, but true.

Susan

Posted by: Susan Greene on September 13, 2008

@ Susan, Good point. I did say to give them a face in the "Shoe Team Biographies" point, but I don't think I stated it forcefully enough.

Posted by: Stoney deGeyter on September 15, 2008

Any places like directories to post about us pages to? Always good to have a link pointing at you...

Posted by: Pete on September 17, 2008

Really it was helpful as i tried one steps first and then it made an impact and now i will try to use all the points and would like to see the great results impact

Posted by: David on December 4, 2008

I will def. use the points that you mentioned, thanks for the advice.......

Posted by: Bella on February 20, 2009

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About the Author

Stoney deGeyter founded Pole Position Marketing in 1998 working from a home office and has since turned it into a leading search engine marketing business with a small team of seasoned Reno SEO and marketing experts. Stoney pioneered the concept of Destination Search Engine Marketing which is the driving philosophy on how Pole Position marketing helps their clients expand their online presence and improve online conversion rates.

Stoney is a moderator at the Small Business Ideas Forum, a regular contributor to the Search Engine Guide blog and has a monthly column on Search Engine Land. He posts his SEO and business insights at the E-Marketing Performance blog where you can also find his e-books: E-Marketing Performance: Effective Strategies for Building, Optimizing and Marketing your Website Online and Keyword Research and Selection: The Definitive Guide to Gathering, Sorting and Organizing your Keywords into a High-Performance SEO Campaign.

Stoney is married with five wonderful children and, if away from the computer long enough, enjoys riding his dirt bike, watching DVDs, reading books and spending quality and quantity time with the family.


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Search Engine Guide > Stoney deGeyter > The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist for the About Us Page

Stoney deGeyter founded Pole Position Marketing in 1998 working from a home office and has since turned it into a leading search engine marketing business with a small team of seasoned Reno SEO and marketing experts. Stoney pioneered the concept of Destination Search Engine Marketing which is the driving philosophy on how Pole Position marketing helps their clients expand their online presence and improve online conversion rates.

Stoney is a moderator at the Small Business Ideas Forum, a regular contributor to the Search Engine Guide blog and has a monthly column on Search Engine Land. He posts his SEO and business insights at the E-Marketing Performance blog where you can also find his e-books: E-Marketing Performance: Effective Strategies for Building, Optimizing and Marketing your Website Online and Keyword Research and Selection: The Definitive Guide to Gathering, Sorting and Organizing your Keywords into a High-Performance SEO Campaign.

Stoney is married with five wonderful children and, if away from the computer long enough, enjoys riding his dirt bike, watching DVDs, reading books and spending quality and quantity time with the family.

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