Three ways to improve the About us section

By leahschothorst

The “About Us” section is an important and highly visited area of a corporate website. However, it can also be an area that is undervalued and sporadically updated. Considering that the “About Us” section is where the world comes to learn about a company’s story and corporate ethos, not taking full advantage of this section means forgoing an excellent storytelling and content opportunity.

Most corporate websites are structured around specific stakeholder groups and their content needs. For instance, the investor relations, career and press sections all contain content tailored for an investor, jobseeker or media officer. However, the “About Us” section of a corporate website has a broader target audience, including the capital market, jobseekers, clients, suppliers, buyers, business partners and other important stakeholders. Our research shows what information the target audience requests, and after ranking nearly 1000 corporate websites, we see where the gaps are.

Key gaps in the “About Us” section

1. Market share and competitors

It may sound counterintuitive to provide information about your competitors in your About us section, but stakeholders commonly request it. It provides them a clear picture of the competitive landscape and allows them to easily assess the company’s position. It also contributes to an individual’s understanding about what the company is and what it strives to be. Despite stakeholder requests for this information, only 15% of companies included in the Webranking provide info about their competitors and only 11% provide info about their market share, leaving a large gap.

2. Company video

Video content has exploded in popularity over the past several years and stakeholders are increasingly keen to consume this content form. According to the Comprend Capital Market Survey, 29% of respondents wanted video content in 2011. Today, that number is 42%. However, only 35% of companies in the Webranking produce video content about their business. Company videos offer a great opportunity to showcase employees, products or the company’s ethos in an engaging way.

TAKE A LOOK AT WEBRANKING HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015-2016

3. Organisational structure

Providing information about an organisation’s structure is a vital piece of information for investors and jobseekers alike. It visualises how the company functions and who is in charge of what. That said, the majority of companies do not provide an organisational structure on their corporate websites – with only 26% fulfilling this criteria. Even fewer companies (6% in total) bring this static content to life with an interactive organisational chart. interactive charts can increase user engagement and interaction for a more dynamic reader experience.

TAKE A LOOK AT WEBRANKING HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015-2016

More information

For more information about how to make the most of the About us page, contact Helena Wennergren at helena.wennergren@comprend.com.

You can also find inspiration for the About us page and best practice examples by reading our Webranking Highlights Magazine.