Creating an incredible brand experience for the end consumer means more than just designing the right homepage or putting up a bunch of great product pages.
Effective website design conveys crucial information about a company, from the font to the image selection. Nowhere is this representation of brand identity more important than on the About page.
Often, the About page is confused with the Contact page, or it’s not used properly because people don’t know what to say. However, creating an information page that speaks to your audience can be immensely powerful.
What is an About Page?
The first step in designing a great About Page is to understand the purpose of this section. This is not just a page on a website that explains what a company does.
The About Page is an introduction to the company’s history, brand essence, and personality.
Done right, this page will show a crucial sense of connection between a company and its customers. It will highlight the values that resonate with the customer and make it easier for customers to trust the company.
The Yellow Leaf Hammock Company starts their About Page with a video.
As you scroll through the interactive page, you’ll discover new elements of the company’s history, such as what sparked the company’s birth and the brand’s mission.
Yellow Leaf lets its visitors know what the company is all about by using authentic images of real people to external content and bold quotes.
There are even snippets of customer case studies for social proof.
About pages are relevant because they give customers a way to make a real human connection with a company. Harvard professors say that 95% of buying decisions are emotional; we don’t buy things just because we need them. Instead, we look for companies we feel connected to in order to solve problems.
Using an About Page to convey an attitude, personality, or just what makes a company special is one way designers can make sure end consumers care more about the company.
How to make an About Page stand out
How can you make an About Page stand out?
Since every business is different, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. However, there are a few key steps you should follow when designing it.
Here are some pro tips to successfully attract attention with your About Page….
STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED
It’s tempting to assume that an intricate About Page will lead to a stronger relationship between a brand and its customers. The longer the story, the more the customer knows about the company – right?
While it’s important to include a lot of valuable information in an About Page, it’s important to remember that today’s customers are short on time. They don’t want to spend hours scrolling through one part of the website. Instead, they want to access information quickly and in an unacceptable way.
The Joseph Payton About Page is effective because it breaks down the story into bite-sized morsels . Each piece of information highlights valuable insights for the customer . Plus, the hand-drawn images and animations make it feel like you’re getting to know Joe on a deeper level.
Before you start designing, ask yourself:
How much text does the page need? How much space do you need to provide for text? How can you distribute the content in a visually appealing way ? What sections should the page contain ? For example, does there need to be a link to the contact page or a contact form somewhere ? How is the page connected to the rest of the site ? For example, can you link to things like case studies and reviews with quotes to connect more of the site together ?
STEP 2: MAKE THE GUIDELINE CLEAR
In a world where emotions influence buying behavior, clients and customers want to buy from companies they believe in . It’s no longer enough to have the right product or the right price point . People want to know they have a human connection to a company . On some “About Pages” it is difficult to find out the true mission of the company . It seems like you have to scroll through endless paragraphs of text to make your own assumptions about what is important to the company . However, a well-designed information page puts this important information front and center. 
For example, on the Apptopia “About Us” page, the subhead tells you everything you need to know about the brand. This headline immediately tells the audience if it’s worth reading on to learn more. The best “About Us” pages often contain much more than a single sentence of text. But it’s worth highlighting some of the key details of those pages and drawing attention to them. A larger font or a different font color might be perfect for this purpose. If it’s difficult to reduce the company’s mission to one message, it may also be worthwhile to create an entire segment at the top of the page dedicated to this information. This is what the Toms shoe company does.
STEP 3: INVEST IN THE RIGHT TRUST ELEMENTS
People aren’t always sure who to trust these days. There are millions of websites and billions of companies. Not all of them will appeal to every customer. Since an About Page is about making a crucial human connection between a company and its customer, it’s important to establish as much trust as possible. The good news is that there are many trustworthy elements you can include in an About Page to make it more reputable. Star ratings, taken directly from companies like Trusted Reviews and Google, are a great way to show that a business has already impressed its followers. 
Quotes from your customers or excerpts from case studies that you can place in the About Page text are another great way to show your authenticity. You could even take the same approach as Aja Frost here and embed real data and graphics in the About Page. One particularly helpful way to make a site’s About Page more trustworthy without eating up too much space is to implement trust stickers. Badges that show that all the right groups and regulators approve of a company are a good start. Also, displaying the logos of companies the company has previously worked for in a slideshow could be a great way to reinforce the company’s authority.
STEP 4: CONVEY BRAND PERSONALITY
Brand personality is reflected in the tone of voice a company uses for its content. You can tell a company’s personality by the choice of colors on its website. It’s in the fonts that convey a message, and in the videos, images, and other unique strategies each company uses. Although a brand personality must shine through in everything the company does, it is essential on the About Page. This is the environment where a customer first meets a company. Therefore, the customer should immediately recognize which brand archetype they are dealing with. For example, take a look at Eight Hour Day’s About Page. The first thing you see is a picture of two people laughing. That means you immediately get a sense of friendliness. 
As you scroll through the site, you are greeted by friendly, informal text combined with bright colors and useful information. Everything feels pleasant and reassuring. When you reach the bottom of the page, you’ll find a set of data that makes the company seem even more trustworthy. There are links to its social media pages and a partial customer list that shows brands like JCPenny, Wired and Purina. With the right combination of font, text and imagery, this About page tells you exactly what to expect before you interact with the company.
STEP 5: TAKE VISITORS ON A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Showing customers where a company is going with things like brand mission and values is great. But it’s also worth giving people a glimpse of where a brand has already been. Many of today’s shoppers aren’t comfortable buying from brands that haven’t spent much time in their industry. They want to see that the people they are working with have experience, background and a lot of background knowledge. What better way to demonstrate all of these things than with a timeline of accomplishments? Here is an example of how Marshall presents its history by mentioning several important historical milestones. 
However, a timeline of events doesn’t have to be that complex. If you don’t want to overwhelm visitors with a wall of text, an actual timeline that offers quick and easy insights into what the company has done over the years might be a better option. Another option might be to have a few key statements from the company’s timeline and then link to a separate “history” page for people who want to find out more.
STEP 6: SHOW THE HUMAN SIDE
People don’t buy from companies; they buy from other people. An informational website is not just an opportunity to show customers what a company does. It is also an introduction to the people behind the company. Introducing team members who have contributed to the company’s growth and development makes the company more appealing. If a team is made up of hundreds or thousands of employees, you obviously can’t mention them all on an About page. However, the page should generally include some insights about the executive team and key employees. 
A selection of company photos is a good way to introduce your team. But you can also consider other options. For example, to maintain their unique brand, the Tunnel Bear team drew their own bear symbols to represent their personalities. The design is adorable, and it’s a wonderful way to show what makes your business so unique. At the same time, this type of illustration saves you the trouble of making all your business photos look consistent.
STEP 7: SHOW VALUE WITH IMAGE MATERIAL
Last but not least, as we’ve mentioned many times in this guide, an About Page is an important place to showcase your company’s values. These are the core principles that guide you in everything you do. They help communicate to customers what’s most important to you and keep you from going in the wrong direction. However, you are not limited to highlighting your values through text alone. You can also communicate the things that are most important to you to your customers through visual elements. Graphics or illustrations that highlight important aspects of your business are a great way to share information without relying too heavily on text. 
Videos are another brilliant option, especially if you have a lot to say but not much time to say it. That’s what Ben & Jerry’s does.
On the website, you’ll also find a number of “issues” that are close to the company’s heart. That means people can get more information about things like democracy, racial justice, fair trade, and what Ben & Jerry’s is doing for all of those things.
Visuals like these are a great way to add pizzazz to an About Page. They also appeal to people who want to learn about your company but don’t want to read through text forever.
Creating Better About Pages
An information page should not be an afterthought.
It’s an important part of showcasing your company’s unique style and personality. Used properly, these pages convey important information about everything a company stands for.
Use the tips above to give your About Page design more meaning, and pay attention to how much your traffic and conversions develop with each update. A better About Page could even help you get more conversions.
