Any guidelines for a good About this website page?

[born2run]

Hi so I heard an “About” page is liked by google bots. Any tips on what to write in this page, and url to use for proper optimisation? Thanks

[robzilla]

So you just believe and take action on anything you hear? And your intent here is to write an "About" page for the "google bots"? Expecting what, exactly? Can you think of any good reasons why a search engine would somehow reward you for having such a page?

Ignoring your SEO angle for a moment, do you think your users will be interested in reading an "About this website" page? If so, what do you think they would be interested in learning? Would they be interested in your mission statement, the history of the site, future plans, the people behind it? What do you want to say? It shouldn't be too difficult to figure that out, but you do need to approach it from the reader's perspective.

[engine]

It won't make any difference to a bot if you have one or not.

In some territories, the "About" page provides a source of legally required information.

[born2run]

Ok thanks guys, I met an Google Adsense team guy sometime ago and he said having an "About" page and relevant information makes it easier for ads to be approved for the website.

[RedBar]

I've been using About Us pages since 1993/4 time and for my global site, after millions of page views, this page has received 3.8% of the PVs of my most popular nidex page and 0.16% of all-time PVs.

I use it for any site I construct to explain the business's history and achievements usually with a few images.

Does it have any ranking siginificance? I very much doubt it BUT I do believe it may have a confidence signal for interested visitors.

[robzilla]

I met an Google Adsense team guy sometime ago and he said having an "About" page and relevant information makes it easier for ads to be approved for the website.

Presumably not as part of an automatic process? However, as RedBar notes, it could help give a human visitor a small boost in confidence in the site.

Needless to say, but since this is posted in Google SEO: AdSense != Search.

[topr8]

i agree with RedBar and have an About Us page on all our sites...

generally i put how long we've been in business and suchlike stuff, as well as official/legal company stuff (like registered address), i also give contact info (which although i have a contact us page too, why make the user take another click to get it) ... this on ecomm sites.

[lucy24]

I name my cats and say how old they are. This impels me to update the page at least once a year, at which point I find a typo I overlooked the previous six times.

:: tweet, tweet ::

[buckworks]

>> 0.16% of all-time PVs

I guarantee that a human visitor who checks your About page is a better-than-random prospect for what you're offering. So make it good.

Be conscious of pyramid structure when you create the page and put the most important info first.

Begin by making it crystal clear who you are, what you offer, where you're located, and what areas you serve.

Background info comes later.

Example: a wedding photographer should not start her About page by telling us where she was born and describing her emotions when she bought her first camera with bubble gum wrappers at the age of ten. Far better to lead with the fact that she covers weddings and architectural photography in the Chicago area, then mention the bubble gum later.

[tangor]

Pretty sure there is no correlation between "about" and "adsense". Meanwhile, if an about page is called for keep it simple and concise! It is a declaration page, not an instruction or "ad" page. Just the facts!

Your visitors will love you for that.

[phranque]

i've always thought jakob nielsen was the expert on this subject:
"About Us" Information on Websites [nngroup.com]

he actually wrote a book on the subject:
Presenting Company Information on Corporate Websites and in About Us Sections [nngroup.com]

[FranticFish]

I've always had as clear a divide between home / about if possible.

Information about WHAT THE BUSINESS DOES on the home page. This naturally orients it to (service) provider search terms, value proposition, 30 second pitch etc.

Information about WHO THE BUSINESS IS on the about page. Bit of history if there is one, but centred on the people involved, their skills / qualifications / experience, social proof etc - the human angle. I've never regarded these as having direct search value (although perhaps with EAT and YMYL this is changing), but they establish to a person that this is a real business run by real people. There's a chance to strike a chord and make a connection with a prospect and win them over by demonstrating not just expertise but also passion (a horribly overused word but still) and enthusiasm.

The home page will feature a 'teaser' for the about page.

[Webwork]

Not meaning to detract from what has already been stated, I'm reminded of a few posts by member Tedster (R.I.P.) who posited that a visit to a website's homepage should handle most of the critical questions "about a website" ~ What site is this? Who are you? What can I do here? Etc.

So I guess what I'm suggesting is to avoid redundancy.

The topic of Ted's posts was "information architecture". Real gems.

[tangor]

^^^ Words of wisdom!

[RedBar]

@Webwork ... Absolutely, under my various monikers Tedster and I used to discuss many of these things in private, I sometimes wondered when he ever found time to do realworld work if he was discussing somilarly with others.

But I feel there is a big difference this past 10+ years v from '93 onwards and that is of index page design and information. Pretty design seems to have taken over many sites' presentation with only the corporate logo, maybe an image or two and a tagline being present. When this is done an accurate about us page is extremely important for potential visitors / buyers / information seekers and it can also be a great reference point for new employees etc.

Centuries of physical print experience has proven precisely how important presentation architecture is.

[FranticFish]

the corporate logo, maybe an image or two and a tagline being present

These are the new incarnation of Adobe Flash home pages. I always try very hard to talk people out of them.

[Dimitri]

About page /.../ any tips on what to write in this page

Write what your site is about :-)

Joke apart, you write what your site is about, who you are , why you made this site. It's welcome if you can explain why you are legitimate in the niche too.

If you are selling a product or service, don't forget to list your address (the address of your business), phone number, not only on the about page, but also on the contact page. This is important. When I reach a site, and can't find (easily) the business who is running it, I know I won't spend money.

[lucy24]

Write what your site is about

But wasn't that Tedster's point? The home page says what the site is about. The About page is then for background information, which will obviously vary depending on what kind of site it is.

[NickMNS]

Home Page is "what", as in what the site is about.
About, previously "About us", but the "us" got dropped along the way, is meant to describe the "who, ie: the person, persons, team, organization or company that created the site. As well as answering where, when and, why.
At least that is how I've always structured my sites.

Sites structures have also evolved over time, nowadays the home pages are often built such that the various sections are included as infinite scrolls on one long page.

As to home page as splash screen approach

the corporate logo, maybe an image or two and a tagline being present

IMO this makes a lot of sense, you should be able to provide a succinct description of what your website offers, an "elevator pitch" of sorts. If the user want more info it's a click, swipe or scroll away. Bold visuals, and a brief pitch.

IME Google typically doesn't send much traffic to your home page, it sends users to product or info pages, where they can find the answers to their queries.

[RedBar]

you should be able to provide a succinct description of what your website offers,

Whilst I agree with this the problem is that some "designers" do not offer that and also seem to want to play a game of "find our navigation" :-)

<off topic>They're also the same people who use slightly darker text on the same colour background e.g. slightly darker grey on lighter grey. They look fabulous on huge HD screens but can be a nightmare on smaller screens or fpr those with eyesight issues. </off topic>

[lucy24]

slightly darker text on the same colour background

Pales by comparison with those who use grey text on a white background.

[tangor]

@RedBar and lucy24 ... are you guys deliberately derailing this thread? (LOL!)

Any about page should be prominent, styled to the site, and provide the appropriate information! Anything less is wasted effort.

[jediviper]

Nowadays the About Us page is needed also for EAT reasons.
You cannot invest on improving your website for EAT purpose and not having the About Us page.

[martinibuster]

A lot of good answers.

Do This
The About Us page is where you anticipate every doubt a customer or audience may have about your site and clear that doubt by listing all the reasons why you're legit.

EAT Is Not a Ranking Factor
EAT has nothing to do with that. EAT are subjective qualities that are expressed in the content itself.

EAT is not expressed in an About Us page. The Quality Raters Guidelines may tell the raters to check the About Us page but that is only because the purpose of the QRG is to standardize the process of rating a site and make it less subjective.

Do NOT confuse what's in the QRG with what is in the algorithm.

It is well-documented that Googlers have said [seroundtable.com] that what's in the QRG is not what's in the algorithm.

The QRG is only to be used to help YOU more objectively critique your own site, that is all.