A company’s About page is meant to be genuine and unique to your company while also explaining what your business is well…about. Sometimes, you may include anecdotes about how your company started or explain the basis of your services, but how do you make yourself stand out from the rest? Each About page will (and should) look different, but here are a few suggestions that will put your best foot forward and get you more leads:
What Makes Up A Solid About Page?
About pages will look different depending on your company and should help reflect your company branding and values while also telling the reader something that makes them want to do business with you. This can be through trust, humor, endearment, or personal stories — as long as your message reflects your business and connects with the reader on some level.
About pages can contain a lot of different information, but the following are common aspects that make up complete About pages.
Note: About pages don’t need to contain all of these pieces, and maybe shouldn’t. Pick and choose what will resonate with your brand most.
Mission Statements
Your About page will be more than just your goals and values, though it’s important to hook the reader and get them interested in what you are saying….or selling. Think about why your customers should care, what you’re here to do, and how you’re making a difference.
Tell Your Story
Whether it’s personal or professional, every business has a story to tell. Even if your story is brief or simple, customers connect with brands that seem human and are more likely to give you business if they’re able to relate with the people behind the scenes.
Include aspects like milestones, a timeline, or the roots from which you came from and how you got to where you are now.
Turning Points
Successful companies offer services or products that others don’t. Or at least, they’ll make it seem that way by framing their offer as unique. Highlight a turning point in your company history or the aspects that set you apart from the competition. This ensures more trust and implies genuine confidence in your product or service.
Who Are You Helping?
It might seem redundant to tell your audience who your audience is, but sometimes, customers may turn away just because they don’t believe they need or deserve your product or service. This can help clear those worries and misconceptions immediately and implore more customers to feel justified in their potential purchase.
Got Reviews?
If your business already has a history or portfolio, show it off to your potential customers. Whether you’re showing off completed projects, beaming reviews, or just a simple picture of your smiling customer, all will help position your company as a leader in the space.
Not Just For Customers
Of course, customers and clients will be at the top of your mind when creating your About page, but they’re not the only ones looking. Future job candidates, the media, and even investors might come across your page, so it's important to keep them in mind, too.
Time to Design
All About Color
Different colors have different connotations and with what moods they convey, known as color psychology. While it’s not an exact science, there are some common trends between colors and the brands they represent. Check out Sortfolio’s overview of brands divided by the colors they’re representing
Tell a Visual Story
Having a big block of text for your About page will turn people away fast. Include visuals along the page to keep readers engaged and give them a better feel for your company’s culture. This can be in the form of team or workplace photos, explanation graphics, and so much more.
Show Off Your Staff
Often, companies will show off their staff headshots or feature a company photo on their About page. It can sometimes help to tell your team to either show up in uniform or wear your company’s colors to help keep the page design cohesive. If you are having trouble keeping the design coordinated, you can always put a black-and-white filter on all of the photos as well.
User-Friendly Fonts
You want to ensure that your About page is easy for anyone to scan and read. If you are going to use more than one font, you can use tools like fontpair to ensure that your combination is still readable. When deciding on fonts and sizes, it’s also important to consider those with disabilities. Use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to help ensure that your website follows the proper accessibility regulations.
Don’t Write Too Much
Long paragraphs and sentences can turn away readers and make it difficult to scan the page easily. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that your paragraphs are no longer than 3-4 lines and your sentences no longer than 20 words.
Page Load Times
Pay attention to the amount of time it takes your page to load on different devices and browsers. People will be viewing your website from various sources, and it’s important to ensure that your website loads correctly on all of them. Tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights are free and easy ways to check your website’s speed.
There are tons of different ways that you can uniquely upgrade and adapt your About page to make it represent your business in the best way possible, but these steps should help you get started. If you think your website could use an upgrade, or you’re looking for ways to upgrade your various pages, visit our contact page here and get a free quote for a new contractor website.