Almost every business and non-profit website has an ‘about us’ page.

This shouldn’t be the most prominent page on your site, but it’s the one visitors will seek out when they want to know more about your company’s background and why they should choose you over your competitors.

More than any other page on your website, your ‘about’ page is the perfect place to highlight your brand’s strengths and your personality. Unfortunately, many of these pages miss the mark by leaving out what’s important, wasting space on irrelevant information, or relying on the same ‘quirky’ touches as everyone else.

Don’t be self-absorbed

It may sound counter-intuitive, but keep in mind that your ‘about us’ page is written for your customers, not for yourself. Like every other piece of content you create, it needs to offer value to your customers by solving their problems.

A short history of your company and brief biographies of your team put a human face on your company (especially when they’re accompanied by photos), but make sure you focus on your strengths as well as the fun stuff – your customers want to know why you’re the right people for the job.

Don’t be irrelevant

Don’t waste words on platitudes and generic statements that could be describing any company in your field. Most people reading this page will already have a vague idea of what you do – now tell them what makes you special.

Tell your site visitors what you’ve achieved, not what you aim, strive or promise to do. People are interested in your team’s relevant skills, achievements and backgrounds, not the universities they went to.

Don’t steal someone else’s quirk

Source: D&M Creative

In a post on Inbound.org, Rikki Lear pointed out how many marketing agencies’ ‘about’ pages now include the stat of how many cups of coffee they drink. What began as a light-hearted way to mix humour and personality into a corporate profile has become a cliche through overuse.

If you’re comparing the websites of a number of companies in the same industry to help you solve your problem, seeing the same quirky touch repeated again and again just makes it look like the company has no ideas of its own, something that’s unlikely to win you many clients. Instead, think about what makes you different, better or more appealing and showcase that rather than your caffeine addiction.

Pick up more tips for how to write and how not to write for your website by following our blog.