"About
Us" Pages in Small Business Websites
By Mario Sanchez
The Internet has been heralded as "the great equalizer":
on a browser window, any company, no matter how small, can
look as good as a large company with a long history of quality
and service. This situation presents an important challenge
for small businesses: how can I convince my potential customers
that I am not an unethical, fly-by-night operation? The best
way to do it is through a properly structured "About
Us" page.
Your "About Us" page must not only introduce your
company to your potential customers, but must do so in a way
that it explains, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why they should
trust you and your company. Often, this means answering six
basic questions:
Who is behind this website?
People are getting tired of large, bureaucratic companies
and their "your-call-is-important-to-us" service
mentality. As a small business owner, you can give your customers
the personal attention they won't get from the big guys. Get
that message across in your "About Us" page. Don't
be afraid to talk about yourself and your passion for the
business, and by all means include your picture. The central
message you want to convey is that behind your business there
is a real human being who has his or her customers' best interests
at heart.
Is this a real business?
Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to list your
full physical address. There is something reassuring about
a "bricks-and-mortar" location, even if your customers
will never visit you. A physical address shows your prospective
customers that you don't have anything to hide. Include your
full contact information, including your physical address,
in a conspicuous location within your "About Us"
page.
How do they make money?
You know the cliché: "If it sounds too good to
be true, it probably is". If you don't make your business
model evident to your visitors (in other words, if you don't
show them how do you make money) the first question they will
ask themselves is: "what's the catch?". If you offer
too many things for free, or price your products too low vs.
your competitors, prospective customers will hold back. Use
your "About Us" page to explain what your main revenue
streams are, and why do you charge what you charge. Remember
to always talk "value", not "price".
How long have they been in business?
People tend to regard longevity and stability as important
qualifiers to determine trust. Since most small business (especially
of the on-line variety) tend to be very young, it may be hard
to use the longevity card to solicit trust. If that is your
case, you can talk about your past experience instead. For
most small business owners, their past experience is highly
relevant to their current businesses. Use your "About
Us" page to talk about it, and how does it relate to
and benefit your current business.
How do I know they deliver?
The best way to show your prospective customers what you
can do for them is through testimonials from satisfied customers.
Ideally, the testimonials should come from companies that
accurately reflect your customer's demographics. To be effective,
these testimonials must provide some form of contact information
of those who offer them (usually, a name and a link to a website
will work). Presenting a small table with a list of previous
clients and the type of work you did for them is also very
effective. Make sure you ask for permission before listing
your clients' name (most of the time, they will be more than
glad to give you authorization, especially if you link to
their websites).
Are they related to the business community?
Another way to establish credibility and trust is to belong
to community, trade or professional associations. These entities
usually authorize their members to use their logos. For example,
a repair shop's website can use the seal of the ASE to emphasize
that its mechanics are well trained. Similarly, a business
consultant's website can display a logo of the American Management
Association, or a real estate agent can display a logo of
the National Association of Realtors. Use these associations
to your advantage in your "About Us" page.
Should I trust them with my private information?
People are very protective of their personal information,
especially on-line. You should have a privacy policy clearly
displayed somewhere in your website, and you should link to
it from your "About Us" page (and also from your
homepage). Aside from that, if you sell goods or services
on-line, it is a good idea to become a Truste privacy sealholder.
By becoming a Truste member and displaying the Truste seal
in your "About Us" page, you will demonstrate that
you abide by Truste's best practices. This alone may make
the difference between prospective customers buying from you
instead of from somebody else.
Some Implementation Details
If the information in your "About Us" takes too
much space and makes your text too long, you can always split
it among several pages (you will then have an "About
Us" section instead of just a page). If you do so, create
a small menu of options that apply only to your "About
Us" section. The links in that menu can be called: Our
People, Our Business, Portfolio, Customers, Community, Privacy,
etc. The best location to place this menu is on a column to
the right of the page, since usually the left column or the
top of the page are reserved for the main navigation menu
of the site. Finally, a link to your "About Us"
page must be present in your homepage (it doesn't have to
be in the most prominent location or in your main navigation
menu, but it has to be visible and easily accessible).
Summary
On the web, it is very difficult to determine if a company
is good and reputable. One way to help prospective customers
know that they can trust your business is through a good "About
Us" page. A good "About Us" page must answer
the most common questions prospective customers are likely
to ask themselves to determine if they should give you their
trust. Your "About Us" page should be easily accesible
through a link in your homepage.
About the Author
Mario Sanchez is a Miami based freelance writer who focuses
on Internet marketing and web design topics. He publishes
The Internet Digest ( http://www.theinternetdigest.net
), a growing collection of web design and Internet marketing
articles, tips and resources.
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