Whether you’re a SaaS start-up, an established retail brand, or a one-man contraction company, your website needs an About Us page.
Look at the website of any company in any industry and you’ll find an About Us page. Sure, it may have a different name. Perhaps Our Story or History or Mission Statement. But the purpose remains the same.
To tell people who you are. And why they should care.
An About Us page adds a human dimension to your brand, showing the people behind your products or services, transforming you from an impersonal and faceless company to someone potential customers might form a relationship with. This page is a chance to create a real impression, showcasing what makes you unique, and helping you stand out from competitors.
Here’s everything you need to know about creating an About Us page that delivers.
What Should You Include in an About Us Page?
What you include on your About Us page will vary depending on the nature of your business. But the goal of the content on this page is always to create a powerful first impression, communicate what makes you special, differentiate you from similar brands, establish trust, and add a personal touch.
Given this, here are a few things it might be worth including on your About Us page:
- Your values and guiding principles.
- The story of how your business started, including a timeline showing important milestones, especially if you’re a long-established firm.
- Recent business successes, including third-party endorsements and testimonials.
- Quotes, anecdotes, and images from your team.
- Your vision—where you picture your company going and the changes you hope to make.
- The kind of customers your product or service aims to help.
- Your business model and what makes it different. For example, the sustainable materials you use or the artisan partnerships you’ve created.
7 Tips to Upgrade Your About Us Page
1. Talk values
An About Us page should always talk about your mission statement, especially if you’re a company with an important cause at your heart.
What does your business set out to do? What is your goal?
This is your USP—your unique selling point—and it’s what distinguishes you from competitors. Make sure this information appears above the fold—that part of the page a viewer sees before scrolling down.
Examples of company values include:
- Loyalty and trust
- Simplicity
- Accountability and transparency
- Respect
- Courage and authenticity
Try to avoid sounding preachy or self-righteous. It helps if you stick to details. Give examples showing exactly how your company embodies these values. For example, if one of your values is “communication”, you might mention how one of your customer satisfaction KPIs is Average Resolution Time—how long it takes for a customer complaint to be solved.
You can also talk about company culture. These days, people are keen to invest in companies where they know the employees are happy and well cared for.
And this is also an opportunity to mention if your company partners with any charities. Be specific about what exactly the partnership entails. What percentage of profits do you donate?
2. Tell a story
Stories sell. And telling the story behind how your company came to be will draw the reader in and engage their imagination. Sure, you might be a start-up right at the beginning of your journey but talking about the aha moment that led to launch can help people empathise.
The following questions might help you narrate your story:
- Are you a big or small company? A family-owned business? A venture between friends?
- When did you first have the idea behind your company? What inspired you?
- When did you make your first sale? What did that feel like?
- When did you hire your first employee and start to grow your team? What did that mean for your business?
While there may be other companies in the industry with similar offerings to yours, you’ll be the only company with your particular backstory. So stress the unique elements that make you special.
You might also include a map pointing out where in the world your factory or offices are located so people can create a mental picture and build their awareness and relationship with you.
Remember to update your story when you achieve other successes. Your About Us page needs to feel current and relevant.
But, most importantly, keep it succinct and interesting. Most readers are not interested in dates and lots of details. Just focus on the big emotional milestones and the things that make you stand out. Stick to the facts and avoid hype.
3. Be candid
People appreciate honesty and authenticity. You want to come across as genuine and sincere so as well as mentioning light bulb moments and strokes of genius, you can also talk about struggles and hardships—how your company has evolved and changed. It shows that you are responsive and keen to mature and adapt.
Using the first person, I, or first person plural, we, makes you seem more sincere and approachable than the rather stiff and formal third person, especially if you’re a small company.
Photos of behind-the-scenes, especially if you’re a company selling physical products, can be powerful. People like to be able to picture exactly where something was made.
This all encourages your audience to trust and emotionally invest in your company. Focus on being real.
4. Talk about the customer too
Although it’s an About Us page, don’t neglect the customer. Talking about who it is you intend to serve instantly creates a relationship between your business and visitors, building a rapport and letting them know that they are the priority. You are doing this for them.
So address the audience directly with “you” and talk about their needs, showing that you understand them. What problem are you aiming to solve?
5. Get the tone right
Your tone of voice should match that of your customer. They want to feel like they’re sitting down to talk with someone just like them. So use their language—the kind of words and phrases you can imagine them using.
For example, the tone of voice you use to talk to students will be vastly different to the tone of voice you might use with high-flying business professionals. Similarly, an IT expert will expect a different kind of language from a recent graduate.
This is a chance to express your personality and solidify your brand image. Just make sure it feels authentic and consistent. Your tone of voice should also match the other elements on the page like the images and graphics.
6. Include images of your team
People come to the About Us page to find the humans behind the brand name. So make it feel like they are getting to know you by including a photo of your founder and other members of the team. You might even consider making a short video where you introduce yourselves and the company.
7. Add a call-to-action
Although the About Us page isn’t expressly designed to sell, you can still include a call-to-action that directs customers to other pages on your website rather than leaving.
This might be something like “Discover our products now”, with a button to direct them to your shop. Or a “Sign me up” button or a contact form to encourage them to reach out.
3 Examples of Stellar About Us Pages
1. McVities
The McVities About page starts with a timeline with key milestones in the company’s long and illustrious history. Rather than overwhelm the reader with too much text, they have a short summary of the milestone on one side and a more detailed explanation on the other. You can also jump to sections on the timeline to make it easier to navigate.
The company introduces the page with a simple sentence:
“Here at McVitie’s we’ve been crafting the UK’s favourite biscuits and cakes since 1839. This is our story…”
In a single sentence, they’ve highlighted their USP—“crafting the UK’s favourite biscuits”—as well as alluding to how well-established they are (they’ve been around since 1839). The customer immediately trusts them. Because how can everyone in the UK be wrong about a biscuit? And a company that’s been around for that long must be reliable.
2. Haeckels
The Haeckels About page opens with its mission statement and values. They get straight to the heart of the issue:
“We are driven by trying to solve the waste problem.”
They then launch into a detailed explanation of what makes their products unique.
If you then click on the History tab, you get an insight into founder Dom Bridges’ story, including personal details such as an allusion to his wife and how he would bring ingredients back to his family kitchen.
The effect? We care more about the brand because we care about Dom and his story.
3. Monzo
An About Us page shouldn’t just be about the company. You want to address the reader too, creating a bond that makes them more invested in you and your business.
Monzo’s About Us page does just that. The opening headline is
“We’re building a bank, together.”
The use of the word “we” creates a connection You’re in it together. Then they talk about their USP: “solving your problems, treating you fairly and being totally transparent”.
Monzo’s About Us page employs a few other techniques to inspire trust in the reader. It mentions that “more than 6 million people” use Monzo cards, using facts and figures to convince. And it mentions that the headquarters are near Liverpool Street station so we can picture the company in a real physical location.
A Perfect About Us Page
Creating your About Us page is a chance to show your audience who you really are. Rather than pushing products or simply relaying information, you’re trying to build a relationship, human-to-human. Make the most of this opportunity to convey what you have to offer and what you believe in.
Struggling to articulate what makes you special? We can do your company justice. Our team of talented copywriters know how to craft a mission statement that conveys to customers the value of you and your products. Find out more and contact us here.
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