Too many websites are wasting a golden opportunity on their About Us page.
They start at the beginning. Literally. So the page kicks off with, "Shimmering Spas was founded in 1997 …"
But that really isn’t their most fascinating fact. They may have a superb setting, beautiful products or keen pricing, and any of those could interest customers. The year they were founded isn’t a selling point.
Make About Us into a showcase in which you shamelessly tout something good about your business: your experience, enthusiasm or creativity, for example.
Here’s an example of a page we rewrote recently for TalkFreely, the feedback management company.
It used to begin: "TalkFreely was founded in 2004 …" Yawn. This is the new version:
"At TalkFreely we really believe in what we do. We are a dynamic, intelligent company dedicated to driving and sustaining feedback, improvement and innovation. Talk to us and you’ll find a hothouse of ideas to help your organisation.
"We’ve consistently improved TalkFreely since we launched in 2004. Try our new App Store, offering a range of ready-made and build-your-own apps."
The trick is to start the page with a strong statement then include the launch date in context, using it as part of a boast about consistently improving the product.
