About Us pages are the slackers of the web.

Of all the business webpages I’ve reviewed and analyzed over the years, About Us pages are the ones that fail most often simply by missing the point. The point is that About Us pages can contribute to credibility, and therefore sales, when used properly, or they can waste space and a primo opportunity.

For example, take this one software development company I know of. Their marketing team was tasked with writing up content for the firm’s shiny new website. They spent weeks preparing text for the all-important Product pages. They spent three days crafting headings and copy for the Home page. They took an afternoon to add call-to-action text links on all the mission-critical pages. Then, when everybody was tired and wanting to go home, they spent a few minutes on the About Us copy. After all, nobody reads that page, right?

Oh, but they do. Jakob Neilsen, the renowned website usability expert, has studied About Us pages, why we click to them and what we want from them. He talks about the important role of these pages when online sellers jockey for a competitive advantage:

"Trust and credibility are major issues on the Web, where even the biggest company exists as only a few words and pictures in a browser window.... Explaining who you are and where you come from does matter, as do simple things like providing management biographies and photos."

So what makes a good About Us page? The most effective ones introduce the company’s principal people and their qualifications. They talk about why and when the business was founded. The copy isn’t too shy to mention specific achievements and recognitions. In other words, an effective About Us page is a confidence builder for wary or thorough readers who want to know more about a company’s background before they commit to doing business.

And yet what do we find on most About Us pages? Often, it’s a rehash of the firm’s main sales pitch. Or bland reiterations of its mission statement. Or, in the case of the software company above, it was a couple of paragraphs of empty hype about their "commitment to excellence" and "customer service that’s second to none". Yawn.

The Human Touch

The About page is your unique opportunity to get personal and put a human face on your organization. Here’s an example of an About Us opening paragraph that reflects the management’s personality and is gloriously straightforward in its language:

"Fiore di Italia is a family-owned web based retailer, headquartered in Del Mar, California. It was inspired by a personal passion for great products. For us, that inspiration draws upon the craftsmanship, style, charm, and warmth that is the legacy and lifestyle of Italy."

Compare that approach to the cool, corporate tones of this salesy copy that misses the "About Us" boat:

"At (Our Company), we have the expertise that it takes to save your practice time and money on all your billing needs. Our complete billing solution, together with our dedicated team of specialists, will improve the profitability of your healthcare practice. Imagine greater office efficiency, productivity and patient relations, simply by signing up for our Complete Billing Solution."

A quick Google search turned up plenty more examples of slacker About Us pages:

• the phone company that uses its About Us page solely to display links to press releases.
• the marketing website that promises the moon but offers no concrete examples, testimonials or case studies that prove it can actually deliver.
• the umpteen sites that copy and paste text from other pages just to fill up their About Us page.