About Us—Use this section of your website to boost your sales!

 By Donald Nelson , Copyright, 2004

Many websites have an “About Us” page. However, when you click on the “about us” button and reach some of these pages, often you do not learn much about who is behind the website. This is a pity, for you, but it is also a loss for the person who owns the website, for she has missed a chance to convince you why you should do business with her. 

If you have a website which is trying to convince your viewers to buy goods or services from you, here are some ways to use the “about us” section to back up and support your sales message. 

1. Put your photo on the page.  No one likes to deal with a faceless person. How would you feel if you went into a store and the sales people were hidden in shadows or had masks over their faces? You most certainly would find it odd. Similarly, when someone comes to your website and clicks on the “about us” button she wants to find out who she is dealing with. One of the best things you can do to answer this desire is to put  your photograph or some of your staff photographs on this page. This immediately let’s your potential customer know that she is dealing with “real” people. 

2. Explain your special features  and why your visitor should do business with you. The Internet is crammed with websites selling almost the same goods and services, and in the case of affiliate sites, exactly the same products. Why should someone do business with you and not your competitor? 

Suppose you have a site selling DVD rental plans. On your “About Us” page you could explain your passion, interest and knowledge of films and  show how you have used this zeal to build a unique website.  This information could make you stand out from the many other sites offering the same rental plans. 

3. Don’t try to be what you are not. Anyone can build a slickly-designed corporate looking website and pretend that they have a huge organization, when in reality they are a home-based business working from one computer in their living room.   

If you are a small business, don’t hide it. Often it works to your advantage because many people prefer to deal with one person  or a few persons with whom they feel they will be able to communicate easily.

On the other hand, if you have a well-organized corporate structure, use the about us page to give some background on your set-up and to show how this organization serves the needs of its clients. 

5. Give as much information as you can.  Trust is one of the most important factors in successful selling on the Internet. You are asking your customers to take a leap of faith and send money to you,  a complete stranger. Make it easier for them to do so by providing accurate information, contact details and anything else that will give people confidence in you.     

So, take a look at your website’s About Us section, and see if you can provide the kind of information that will improve  your website’s ability to build trust and convert your visitors into buyers.

Donald Nelson is a web developer, editor and social worker. He has been working on the Internet since 1995, and is currently the director of A1-Optimization (http://www.a1-optimization.com), a firm providing low cost search engine optimization, submission, website copywriting and web promotion services.