The ‘About’ section or page of a website can often feel like an afterthought, but the potential power of this section should not be underestimated. Whether humanizing a brand or giving context to a blog’s author, the ‘About’ page can be crucial for emerging sites. While big websites with significant traffic have more scope to assume that their purpose is evident to visitors, new sites should think carefully about information to share in their ‘About’ page.
Brands should also consider what sort of image they want to project, as well as how an ‘About’ section could help the site stand out from its competitors. Here are five things to consider when crafting your ‘About’ page.
Show some character
What many people want from an ‘About’ page is personality. For blogs or news sites, it is much easier to convey personality in the site’s content. For brands, this is trickier. This is why an ‘About’ page can be influential in prompting customers to choose one brand over another. If the services are roughly the same, most consumers will choose the site that is unafraid to display humor or self-awareness.
An ‘About’ page can be effective in building up trust in a brand, particularly for new websites. Listing skills or life events that make you qualified to run your company or blog can help. For example, if you’re starting up a fashion brand then it can be useful to detail relevant qualifications and experience to show that you can offer the same expertise as bigger brands, just with a more personal service.
State your ambitions
Showing how you got here is important, but it is also vital to share your plans for the future. Many websites don’t have the opportunity to make such grand statements on a regular basis. Social media has bridged the gap between companies and clientele, but an evergreen ‘About’ page provides a touchstone for potential customers. You want people to share in your path to success; an engaging ‘About’ page can be the first step in that journey.
Link to big names
Mentioning any prestigious partnerships is useful in building trust in the brand. The ‘About’ section is a rare opportunity for brands to indulge in some mild bragging, so make the most of that. For example, scratch card websites may want to drop the names of big-name developers whose games they host. This can help players to be certain that the site is a source of safe gaming online. Your company might not yet have thousands of employees or globally trusted operations, so any collaborations with companies of that stature should be shouted about.
Explain payment methods
If a site facilitates financial transactions, then new customers will want to know that their money is in good hands. If your site offers slightly rarer payments methods like PayPal or cryptocurrency choices, then these are worth noting. Payment information can also be detailed in an FAQ section, but an acknowledgement in the ‘About’ page shows that safe payments are a rightful priority for the site.
There is no such thing as the perfect ‘About’ page, but there are perfect ‘About’ pages for a particular site. If the ‘About’ page can state the brand’s history and future while staying true to the theme of the website, then it will be an effective way of encouraging visitors to stay that little while longer.