Every small business should have a website – this is one place where it is possible to achieve a level playing field between new/small businesses and larger, well-established ones. There are a few pages that should be found on every business website – these include About Us and Contact Us. In this article I’ll briefly discuss the About Us page – what information should be there, and what shouldn’t.

When potential customers visit the website of a local small business, one of the things that they’re looking for is credibility – a reason to believe that the business will be able to provide them with the desired product or service, will provide it well, and will be around afterward, just in case something goes wrong.

Having an About Us page on your small business website is a great way to tell visitors all of these things. Here, you can provide details about what makes your business special, and what differentiates you from your competitors. This is like your 30 second “elevator pitch” – convince potential customers to go with you, before they lose interest and move on.

What you should include:

  • Name of business – it doesn’t matter that the name of the business is at the top of the web-page, and at the bottom of the web page, and maybe over on the side of the web-page. Make sure that it’s also prominent in the first sentence of your About Us page, in conjunction with business key-words that people might search for (“John’s Autobody has been providing auto repair services to the Lower Mainland for over 20 years.” would work well – people doing a Google-search for “Lower Mainland auto repair” would see this sentence on their results.)
  • Location – if your customers are generally local, then the name of your city, or even your community, should be provided on this page, in the first paragraph (the actual street address belongs on the Contact Us page).
  • Qualifications – your landscaping business will be more appealing to potential customers if you are certified in horticulture, or landscape architecture… Whatever your qualifications, provide them here.
  • Background – if your business has been around for a long time, it implies that you’ve got a lot of satisfied customers that have helped keep you in business. Mention it. If your business is new, but you’ve previously worked in the industry for a long time, mention that. If your business is new and you have no experience at all in this area, then tell what you HAVE been doing that might convince a customer that you’re a safe bet.
  • What’s special – there must be some reason why customers should go with you rather than the competition; perhaps your product line includes things not sold by anyone else in town; perhaps your prices are guaranteed lowest; perhaps your services come with follow-up support. Whatever it is, don’t keep quiet – now’s the time to blow your own horn!
  • Invitation – at the bottom of your About Us page, once you’ve convinced the visitor that your business is the right one for whatever it is they’re looking for, invite the visitor to stop by, phone, or e-mail you to find out more about how you can serve their needs, providing a link to your Contact Us page.

What you shouldn’t include:

  • Products – detailed product listings belong on a separate page, or group of pages
  • Services – details of the services you offer belong on a separate page…
  • Contact info – belongs on the Contact Us page

 

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This