Many SMEs are missing a trick by not paying enough attention to their About Us page, often treating it as a standard add-on to their content rather than realising its true selling potential. Or even not bothering to add one!

With the vast majority of SMEs in the UK found in service industries, businesses need to take every opportunity to distinguish themselves from the competition. Whilst most marketing professionals will agree that an About Us page is a vital component of any website, there is a fair amount of disagreement about how to leverage the potential.

The two common mistakes that many SMEs make is not devoting enough thought and attention to the page or simply transferring something like their business plan mission statement that says little about the personality of the people who run the business.

Done well, your About Us page can provide a number of benefits:

• It can set you apart from your competitors who offer a very similar product/service.
• It provides space to sell yourself more completely and perhaps ‘seal the deal’.
• It offers the opportunity to show your credentials and experience clearly.
• It gives you a chance to bring your personality to the fore – people buy from people.

How to Write an Eye-Catching About Us Page

Unfortunately, it’s too easy to be bland when you are writing content for the online world. The reason that most About Us pages fail is that they have no power or personality. Yes, customers want to know that you have the experience and the credibility to provide the service they need.

But they also want to know that you are a real person.

If you read your About Us page and find yourself falling asleep halfway through then it’s probably time to have a rewrite. You’ll be surprised to find that there are plenty of things you can include:

• Your professional experience and qualifications.
• Where you came from and where you are going.
• What really floats your boat and gets you up in the morning.
• How you came to creating the business and why.

Whereas your main content pages might well contain industry related information and language, you want to get across something a little different on your About Us page. It cries out for a more conversational tone – imagine you are at a party telling someone about your company rather than writing it down in over refined bullet points.

Passion, pride and personality all need to come across in your About Us page – after all, how do you expect visitors to be enthusiastic if you can’t demonstrate it yourself? The page doesn’t have to be a simple exercise in writing either. You can post a video of you talking about your company or perhaps encourage staff members to say why they like working for you.

The trick with About Us pages is to put as much effort into them as all your other content. In the end, if you don’t have compelling content that adds value to your website then there’s no point in having an About Us page at all. Some SMEs simply decide not to include one. Taking that option is missing the chance to get your personality and ethos across in one easy to find space – it’s something that can set you apart from your nearest competitors.

People buy from people and your About Us page is the perfect platform for increasing your visibility and bringing your business to life. Don’t waste it!