What do people want from your site?
People come to your website looking for the same thing they look for on all websites - no matter the industry, product, or service. They don't care how great you tell them you are. On the Internet, talk is cheap. What they ask is, " What can you DO for me? SHOW me right here, right now - ON YOUR WEBSITE."  And, they need you to show and prove in the first 7 seconds of their visit.  If you fail them in these first few seconds, they will move on to the next site - your competitor.

The "About Us" page isn't typically the first or second click. Most visitors who make it to the "About Us" page are still confused about what it is you do and how you are able to fill a need they have. You didn't make it clear on the Home page - the most crucial page on your site. About Us pages are quick-hit pages, meaning people become bored here after only 7 seconds, (we will prove it to you with your own site usage stats).

It's a bit uncomfortable to break away from the traditional thought process. Although you are proud of your accomplishments, common content such as how long you've been in business; the collective years of experience between you and your partners; your Principals/Officers (only salespeople on a cold-calling mission want this); History, Methodology, Values, Mission Statements, Visions, etc. are not what your visitors want. They don't care if your name is John, Josh, or Jane, if you've been doing it 5 years or 50 years, or what your personal goals are. These are not proof to them that you can bring it.

"Showing our experience and longevity has to mean something ", a client tells us. It does, but only if all else is equal with other non-performing websites a visitor may be comparing yours with. On the Internet, tenure doesn't mean you're the best by default. Your site should knock all memory of any previously visited sites right out of your visitor's mind. You should not be equal to the others, and your website should demonstrate this with content your visitors NEED. Your site should be the last stop and this means being different, thinking differently.

You've probably gone about your "About Us" page one of two ways, and both are problematic.

1) You've put some thought into a creative and powerful description about you and/or your company. If this is truly impactful content, it should be on the Home page where it will be most convincing - where more people will see it in their 7-second evaluation of your business, not buried several links down. If it's too wordy to go on the Main page, it's too wordy period.
If your powerful content is resident on your Home page, there is no need for an "About Us" page.

2) You did NOT put much thought into the content on your "About Us" page. You have "About Us" because perhaps you thought your site was too small and needed more pages or because that's what all the other websites have, or your web designer told you it came with your package. You have a fluff-filled page here, and again, there is no need for your "About Us" page.

If you absolutely cannot live without the "About Us" page, and we suggest you try, then provide credible information, verifiable by facts, that show your company can bring it, i.e. -

• ranked 3rd in our industry by Some Research Organization
• winner of Some Award in 2008
• frequent guest analyst on Some TV Show / Some Website / Some Radio Show
• featured Some Place September 2008
• quoted in Some Trade Magazine March 2008
• client testimonials - have other people talk about how great you are

Everyone on the Internet has A.D.D. You've got 7 seconds to capture a visitor's attention. Your 7 seconds starts over each time they click to a new page. Nine paragraphs of your personal or business resume will never be read. Provide prompts such as:

• "Click here to see it work..."  
•  "Click for a sample..."   
• "Build your own...."
• "See how your business can..."

You want KILLER content, not FILLER content.