How speed-dating can help you write a better ‘About Us’ webpage

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Gary Chow | No Comments » | Trackback URL

Some time ago I thought I’d give speed dating a try. I was curious and figured I’d add it to my life experiences. If you’ve tried it you’d know how it works. You sit and chat with one person for a few minutes until a bell rings and you move onto the next person. At each stop, you tend to ask each other the same questions: what do you do for a job? What do you do in your spare time? Have you done this before? Where do you live? etc. The idea is that in those few minutes (I think it was 7) you get to know a bit about a person, enough to exchange contact details later on, if you liked each other.

In a way speed dating is like the About Us section of your website. You only get a few minutes to engage the viewer, to tell them what you do and how you do it – to win their trust, to gain their confidence.

Personally, I find many companies don’t have very good About Us pages. Their web copywriters would make poor speed daters. Here’s a story. Readers who have read my last couple of posts would know that I’m in the midst of house-hunting. In one house I inspected, I was particularly taken by the kitchen. It was big, had a great layout, and plenty of cupboards and bench space; just ideal for a wannerbe master chef. I was especially drawn to the sparkling kitchen appliances. I noted the brand name: Ariston.

Not being very familiar with this brand, I went home, got onto my trusty Mac and googled ‘Ariston’. What came up was disappointing to say the least. The Ariston About Us page told me little about the company. All I read was gobbledygook on the ’soul of the brand’ whatever that meant, and corporate nonsense on values.

Place of origin? Nope. Who are the people behind it? Beats me. How long have they been around? Haven’t the faintest. Are their products for residential use only or do they make appliances for commercial kitchens, too? Can’t say. All-up, the About Us page told me next to nothing about Ariston. Because the page failed to answer any of my queries, the website did a lousy job of earning my trust and confidence in their products, and did not win me over. I’m left wondering whether Ariston appliances are as good as, say, Smeg or ILVE or Bosch? I know those brands a bit more than I know Ariston; not just because they are more familiar to me as brands, but their websites actually tell me a bit more.

The lesson to be learned is this: Don’t waste space with your About Us webpage. Approach it like you would speed dating. Be informative, be engaging, and seek to win trust. A bit of charm wouldn’t go astray either. Tell your readers the following:

• Who you are
• What you do and how
• Where you come from
• The people behind your company
• How long you have been in business (brief history)
• Your clients
• Your business partners
• Where you do business
• Your mission/goals.

In addition, use your About Us section to project your brand personality and underscore your passion. Check out how Nike does it, or Apple. A site I like is that of the specialist earphone manufacturer, Ultimate Ears. Notice how its personality comes through loud and clear, and note how the About Us page succinctly informs about the history of the company. Also take a look at the website of environmental organisation, the David Suzuki Foundation. Its About Us section tells you all you want to know about the foundation: its mission, what it does, who it works for, its goals, its team, its history. Perfect.

By the way, I still haven’t a clue about Ariston; anyone know, please tell me.