September 6, 2019
Before the digital world took over, business cards were one of the best ways to promote your brand and foster new business. However, with a plethora of online alternatives providing instant information for consumers at the touch of an enter key, the humble business card is slowly vanishing from the enterprise space.
According to data from Internet live stats, the number of daily searches on Google is rising exponentially – currently standing at 3.5. billion – and when consumers arrive at your website ‘About’ page, you need to be confident that you have followed SEO best practice to ensure maximum conversions.
Designing your website doesn’t have to be a complicated feat, so long as each component is carefully considered, planned and executed within Google’s guidelines. 81% of shoppers will conduct online research before making a purchasing decision, so it’s important that your website represents your business accurately and assures users that your company is the stand out competitor.
When users arrive organically at the website of a business they’ve never heard of before, they will likely conduct a quick online investigation. According to a study lead by KoMarketing, 52% of visitors will be looking for an ‘About’ page. Without one, businesses risk being hidden from potential customers.
An ‘About’ page:
- Allows customers to get to know you, the basis of a relationship between them and your brand. The better the relationship, the more successful your business will be.
- Present your achievements, experience and credentials, improving your site’s E-A-T (Enterprise, Authority and Trust) and thus helping your rankings.
The problem is, many businesses fail to create ‘About’ pages that effectively convey their message and brand mission to consumers. It is also all too common for companies to overlook the weight of this page entirely, despite evidence from Google Analytics that suggests ‘About’ pages are one of the most frequented webpages.
With this in mind, let’s look at the key features of an ‘About’ page, and what is needed to assure users that your company is one that they can trust.
Tell Us Your Story
When creating content of any form, it is vital that you keep your audience engaged. They need to be interested enough to carry on reading.
This page does not need to be an essay, but it does need to explain where you came from, what your goals are and how you or your business got started. Focus on key elements that have influenced you in some way and how they’ve impacted your company. Your readers don’t need to know how many suppliers you’ve been with or a year-by-year growth timeline – just the parts that emphasise your relevance to your target audience. It is generally advised to cut out any jargon – you’re better off using a simple tone of voice that suits your company ethos and writing in a way that users will actually understand.
Make Your Mission, Values and Visions Clear
This is probably one of the most important features to consider when creating your ‘About’ page. Your mission, values and visions provides an insight into what your business entails – they reflect pretty much every facet that makes up your company.
Is your company environmentally conscious? What do you believe in? These are your values, and they say a lot about your company culture.
Note, your values are not the same as your mission statement. Your mission is why your company exists and what it wants to achieve in the short term. This matters to users as it’s more action orientated and thus suggests what your team are doing to put their values into practice.
Now on to your vision statement. Your vision statement should explain what your business is aiming to achieve in the long run. The simplest way to differentiate this from your mission statement is to think about what goal your mission serves. How will your company change its sector? Where does your company want to sit within your industry or even general society?
E-A-T Factors
If you know anything about SEO, you’ll know that E-A-T is a major ranking factor (if you weren’t aware of this, click here).
There are many reasons why an ‘About’ page can work wonders for E-A-T. You can include your credentials, testimonials and experience within your content to show that you are a reliable business to go to within your field. When talking about experience, don’t forget to mention how long your company has been operating – this will fit in nicely with your story.
To demonstrate your enterprise, you’ll also need to include information on any qualifications and awards that you’ve obtained. Have you been mentioned by relevant experts from your industry? Integrate this into your page (and link to the source to make it easier for Google to associate you with them).
By following the factors above, Google is more likely to recognise your business’ website as credible and will favour you when ranking sites. Just remember that the aim of your content is to clearly demonstrate you or your business’ purpose, and how you intend to meet it. This information should always be easily accessible.
Include A Variety Of Features
User experience (UX) is an indirect ranking factor when it comes to websites. Google’s aim is to improve UX as much as possible by presenting high-quality sites to its users.
Visuals are a good way to achieve this, as they break up your text and make the page look less intimidating. They can add value to your content and, if they’re personal, they can add an element of company culture which users often find appealing. They don’t necessarily need to be headshots of your team members – there is a large variety of media you can go for instead, such as images, videos, infographics, and timelines. Don’t forget to optimise images for SEO.
A Quick Recap
There are many key elements that make up a quality ‘About’ page. We’ve explored the most essential features above, but here is a quick check list for you to take note:
- The story of your business
- Your values, mission and vision statements
- E-A-T factors such as credentials and experience
- Different forms of media
By including these different elements, your ‘About’ page will speak volumes and assure users that you and your team are capable of meeting their requirements. This will contribute to your overall visibility and keep customers coming back to you, boosting your rankings and future conversion rates.
