Whether you’re building your own website or are just browsing for information on a business, organization or individual, the ‘About Us’ page is a vital part of every website and blog. Why? Because it’s usually one of the first destinations that visitors will click when arriving to a site. If they aren’t impressed, you can expect them to leave without reading your awesome content, signing up for your newsletter or making a purchase on your eCommerce site.
But, what makes a solid ‘About Us’ page’?
For starters, it should be informative. It doesn’t always have to tell the whole story, but it should at least provide people with an idea of who and what you are. Besides that, it should contain social proof, testimonials, and some personal information that viewers can relate to such as education, family, etc. It also wouldn’t hurt t0 make sure that it’s also responsive, since more people are surfing online on mobile devices.
That may sound complicated, but it’s really not. The main purpose of the ‘About Us’ page is to give visitors a glimpse into the identity of either a person or business. If you know who you are and your goal for your site, the ‘About Us’ page should come naturally. But, if you’re still looking for inspiration, you can always check out the following Top 25 ‘About Us’ pages.
Screenshot of Yellow Leaf Hammocks 2/4/14
Yellow Leaf Hammocks is a company trying to save the world via hammocks. The brand plans to accomplish this by selling hand-woven hammocks from artisans in Thailand. The idea alone should be enough to make this a brand worthy of your attention (and money) but the story of how founder Joe Demin discovered these hammocks and the statistics regarding poverty found on the About page are equally compelling. Both humanize the brand, company, and product which should motivate you into purchasing a hammock.
Screenshot of I Shot Him 2/4/14
Don’t get fouled by the name. I Shot Him is not a violent or gory website. It’s actually a creative studio located in San Francisco. There’s a lot going on here, but we really like how the company embraces its quirkiness and has fun with their About page. Furthermore, it’s fluid and very responsive. And, we’re fans of how you can simply scroll over “the crew” to find out more details without having to click and leave the page.
Screenshot of Dashing Dish 2/4/14
Dashing Dish aims to provide healthy recipes for food that would otherwise be categorized as ‘junk’. What makes the story behind Katie Farrell captivating is that it’s personal. Nothing embarrassing. Just an honest tale on why she began Dashing Dish. There’s also an accompanying video and random facts that give visitors even more insight into Kim and her business. After your visit, you feel like you personally know Kim and want to support Dashing Dish.
Gummisig is a web designer who makes great use out of over sized text, which he utilizes to bring attention to what he does in a humorous manner. While he proudly states the companies he has designed websites for, like IKEA, he’s not boasting. He also provides testimonials and comes across as very friendly and approachable, even if you just need a simple website design for your small business.
Screenshot of LesserFilms 2/4/14
LessFilms is a video production company that decided to show off their wit and sense of humor by basing their entire site on wrestling. Yes. Professional wrestling. Somehow, the duo make it work. The result is an original and unique page that gives LessFilms a lot of personality. Personality that would make us feel completely comfortable hiring the company for film production needs.
Moz decided to provide visitors with a timeline to tell their story. But, the site didn’t go overboard with details. Instead, the SEO consulting firm only shares highlights with circular images on a track, which you can easily scroll through. With this method, Moz can showcase their awards and accomplishments without coming across show-offs.
Dan provides us with all the ‘cliches and stereotypes’ that you would expect to find on an about page, but in a simplistic and interactive way. Instead of throwing all of the vital information surrounding his graphic and web design work onto one page, Dan provides separate links for his resume and contact information. Overall, this is a clean page that gets right to the point in a trendy way.
Tumblr has a near perfect About page. It’s clean, easy to digest, and provides all of the important information front and center, such as how many blogs or the number of employees. If you keep scrolling, however, you’ll also be treated to the latest blog posts, which are usually based off trending topics. It’s fun and informational!
Screenshot of Jared Christensen 2/4/14
Jared Christensen is a graphic and interaction designer who has created pretty much the anti-About page. While he provides all of the information a potential employer would be asking for, he does so in a witty and honest way, such as under the About tab it states Yawn. Nap Time. Clearly Jared had some fun with this page and it’s a breath of fresh air.
Screenshot of Tobey Powell 2/4/14
Tobey Powell is a website designer who did an outstanding job with his About page. Powell uses large text in front of a background that resembles crumpled-up paper. He also provides a portfolio of his work for interested parties to view. Our favorite aspect of this page has to be the blank cut-out. It’s just cool.
Screenshot of Bentley Motors 2/4/14
Bentley’s are one of the most prestigious luxury vehicles on the market. The About page reflects that prestige with a clean and elegant site that features stunning professional imagery and an interactive way to explore the history, factory and latest updates involving Bentley.
Screenshot of Andrew Reifman 2/4/14
If you make your living doing freelance work, then you know how important it is to not only sell people on your talent, skills, and resume, but also on who you are. In that area, Andrew Reifman succeeds. The graphic designer includes all of the important information required on an About page, but presents it in a comical and almost video-game themed way. It definitely give you an idea of who Andrew Reifman truly is.
Screenshot of Joe Payton 2/4/14
Here’s another web designer, but one who has one of the most interesting About pages we’ve come across. Joseph Payton highlights his talent right on the page by turning himself into a caricature (there’s also some neat animation you’ll have to visit the site to see). To be honest, we don’t even know if we need to read his full story or resume. He proved how talented he is already. But, this page is so amazing that we don’t mind sticking around.
Screenshot of FortyOneTwenty Inc s 2/4/14
This San Diego based media production company has a crisp and fluid About page that highlights the various talents of each and every member of the team. Most impressive, however, are the testimonials, such as one by Jason Ehrlich, Executive Producer at NBCUniversal. Underneath that are a list of companies and organizations that trust FortyOneTwenty, such as the San Diego Chargers and BMW. It is a fresh, easy to navigate page that also shows they are a proven and respected company.
Screenshot of Adidas Group 2/4/14
Normally, we would say this is too much information for the about us page. But, Adidas does an excellent job of breaking everything up. What kind of info can you find here? Pretty much everything. Whether it’s the brand’s history, it’s strategy or the different brands under the Adidas umbrella can be found on this Profile page. Despite all the info, it maintains a minimal appearance.
Screenshot of Tim Friess 2/4/14
You may have heard of Tim Friess from his successful 4 Hour Work Week and 4 Hour Body. If you frequent his blog, you can even find all sorts of inspiration to change your lifestyle. But, why is his About page included in this list? The most obvious place to start is the constant use of third person. It’s a change of pace from all of the other pages that contain first person narrative. The third person approach also gives Tim the ability to list his achievements without it sounding like he’s bragging.
Screenshot of MailChimp 2/4/14
Apparently, over 5 million people use MailChimp to create, send, and track email newsletters. Who knew? We didn’t, and that’s the clever part of MailChimp’s About page. It’s a great example of how to use an About page as a sort of pre-sales page. It’s simple, fun and effective.
Screenshot of The Nerdery 2/4/14
The Nerdery is an interactive production company that created by nerds, for nerds. In keeping up with the nerd theme, they took the opportunity to convert their About page into a Periodic Table the features all of the nerds. It’s fun and completely embraces the lightheartedness of the company.
Screenshot of National Geographic 2/4/14
For a publication that has been around since 1888, National Geographic seems to have a great understanding of technology. Their entire site is full of beautiful imagery that the magazine has become known for. Their About page is no different. Beside a very brief history, the minimal page directs visitors by breaking it up into the categories that NatGeo is known to endorse.
Screenshot of Chattanooga Renaissance Fund 2/4/14
The top part of the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund is to entice investors and entrepreneurs into looking at the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area by quickly mentioning its rich history and the companies currently located in the region, like Amazon and Volkswagen. As you scroll you down, you can discover information on the members of the team followed by an option for either Startups, Investors, or Third Parties to continue exploring the site in their devoted sections.
Screenshot of Chap Barry 2/4/14
Here’s another page created by a digital creative/ developer. Barry Chapman’s page is worth mentioning because he keeps the About section light, simple, and a bit funky. We really like his use of the interactive skill level graph.
Want to know our favorite part of Apptopia’s About page? The honesty. Here’s a company that’s in it to make money, not something that was conjured up by friends. Other than that, the page is clean and focuses on the people who make Apptopia happen. Not only are bios provided, but also links to their social media profiles.
This game-based studio from Quebec uses its homepage as just one destination for all the information you need to know so you’re not searching throughout the site for different sections. It’s also a playful and aesthetically cool page that reflects its business.
Screenshot of Twitter 2/4/14
Don’t be fooled by the lack of bells and whistles on Twitter’s About page. It’s there for one purpose. To get you to sign up for the social network. If you browse through the page you’ll notice interlinking everywhere. These links take will eventually take you back to the Home page, which is where Twitter wants you to land since that is where visitors sign-up. It’s a very effective tactic.
Screenshot of BodyShopBids 2/4/14
What’s great about this About page is the personal anecdote that describes how BodyShopBids was established. It’s a story that many of us have experienced at least once in our lives. The story presents a problem and how this site will resolve the issue. That all makes for one of the most relatable About pages out there and helps to establish an emotional connection.
Which one of these is your favorite ‘About Us’ page? And, if we didn’t include your favorite in our list, please let us know what we forgot.
Just a typical guy that enjoys an ice-cold beer, pizza, sports and music. Since venturing into the blogosphere many years ago to discuss his favorite tunes, Al has been known to write for online publications by Alpha Brand Media such as SoJones and AMOG, as well as Search Engine Journal, to discuss everything and anything that matters.
