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You wanna know what makes me chuckle, maybe a bit of a dry, world-weary cackle, after all these years messin’ about with websites? It’s the sheer number of folks who treat their “About Us” page like it’s some digital backroom, a dusty old cupboard where you stash the stuff you don’t want out front. Something you just gotta have, but nobody ever really looks at, right? Wrong. So wrong, it hurts my old SEO-addled brain. That page, that quiet little corner of your online presence, it’s not just a formality. Never was. It’s gold. Pure, unadulterated, often-missed, SEO gold. And you’re just leaving it lying on the pavement, aren’t you?
I’ve seen it countless times. Someone whips up a beautiful homepage, pours hours into product descriptions, maybe even knocks out a few decent blog posts. Then they get to the “About Us” and it’s like they hit a wall. A quick blurb. A stock photo. Maybe a mission statement that sounds like it was generated by a particularly bland corporate bot. And then they wonder why Google isn’t sending them the love. What a laugh. It’s baffling, truly.
You think Google, or any search engine worth its salt, just reads keywords and calls it a day? Bless your cotton socks. That’s cute. We’re well past the days of keyword stuffing and hoping for the best, mate. This ain’t 2005. Google’s lookin’ at everything. They wanna know who you are, if you’re real, if you know what you’re talking about. And the “About Us” page, well, that’s your first proper handshake, your chance to prove you’re not just some fly-by-night operation. That’s where you start to really figure out how to optimize about us page for seo.
Seer Interactive
Now, take a shop like Seer Interactive. These folks, they get it. They’re not just some small outfit down the road, they are a serious player in the digital world. You look at their “About Us” and it’s not just words on a screen. It’s a whole picture. They show their team, their values. You get a sense of the actual human beings behind the pixels. That’s the kind of stuff Google’s looking for these days, whether they admit it in public or not. It’s all about E-E-A-T, right? Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. The whole shebang. Your “About Us” page is practically the cornerstone of demonstrating that. If you’ve got people who’ve been doing something for decades, and you don’t talk about it, that’s just daft. Why keep quiet? Tell their story. Link to their LinkedIn profiles. Show off their articles, their speaking gigs.
What’s the point of having a team of bona fide experts if you don’t shout it from the digital rooftops? It’s like having a winning lottery ticket and keeping it in your back pocket. The search engines, they’re getting smarter. They wanna see that there are actual, breathing, knowledgeable humans behind the website they’re trying to rank. This ain’t no secret handshake club. This is just basic common sense applied to the digital world. Your people are your assets. And I truly do believe that applies to how to optimize about us page for seo for small businesses, too.
The Human Element: More Than Just Words
You gotta remember this. People, actual living, breathing people, they connect with other people. They don’t connect with corporate speak or bland statements. If your “About Us” reads like it was written by a committee of lawyers in a windowless room, you’re missing the boat entirely. I’ve seen some shockers. Pages so sterile you could perform surgery on ’em. Nobody wants that. They want a story. A bit of personality. Maybe even a laugh.
I always tell my clients, think of it like sitting down for a cuppa with someone you’ve just met. You wouldn’t just rattle off your business plan, would you? Nah, you’d talk about how you got started, what you care about, maybe a funny anecdote or two. Your “About Us” needs that same sort of yarn-spinning. A bit of history, a bit of the present, a bit of where you’re headed.
What about a video of your team goofing off, or a quick tour of your office? Doesn’t have to be Hollywood production values. Just real. You see those big brands, they do it. The smaller ones should be doing it too. It builds rapport, see? It makes people feel like they know you. And when people feel like they know you, they trust you. And trust, my friends, is a huge factor in search rankings. It’s what Google calls ‘quality raters’ and they’re looking for signs of genuine trust and authority.
Ignite Visibility
Take a look at how Ignite Visibility puts their stuff out there. They’ve got a whole section on their leadership, talking about their backgrounds, their experience. They’re not shy about it. And why should they be? This isn’t a humble brag competition; this is about showing search engines and potential clients that you’re legitimate, that you’re an authority in your field. It’s not just some anonymous group of coders behind a screen. You can put faces to names.
Have you ever considered that your “About Us” page is the perfect spot for some really subtle, yet powerful, keyword placement? Not stuffing, mind you. Never stuffing. But if you’re a web design firm in Newcastle, well, you should probably mention that you design websites and that you’re based in Newcastle. Seems simple, right? Yet so many miss it. Or they make it so obscure that Google needs a magnifying glass and a decoder ring to figure it out.
location, Location, Location and Links
For anyone with a physical presence, or even serving a specific geographical area, your address, your phone number, your actual location, that’s gold. Make sure it’s prominent. Not just in your footer, but on that “About Us” page too. Google My Business profile, sure, but your page needs to echo that. Make it easy for people, and for the crawlers, to confirm you are where you say you are.
And internal linking. Oh, the joy of internal linking. Your “About Us” page can link to your services page, your case studies, your blog posts about your specific industry know-how. It creates a web, a lovely little spiderweb, for Google to crawl through, tying everything together. It shows relevance. It shows connection. It tells the story of your business, piece by piece, all connected. You could link to your “Our Values” page if you have one, or even specific team members’ expertise pages. It all helps how to optimize about us page for seo.
What about external links? I know, I know, some folks get twitchy about sending people off their site. But if you’ve won awards, or been featured in a reputable industry publication, link to it! Show it off. It’s called social proof, and it’s a massive trust signal. It tells the world, and Google, that other people think you’re pretty darn good too. It’s not about bleeding traffic, it’s about building authority. Trust me on this one. I’ve seen this play out for years.
Moz
You know, the chaps at Moz, they’ve been talking about E-E-A-T and trustworthiness for ages. They preach it because they know it’s the future, or really, the present. Their own “About Us” page is a masterclass in transparency and showing who they are. They list their values, their leadership, their history. It all contributes to their authority in the SEO world. It’s not just about some mystical algorithm, it’s about building a genuine presence, a genuine brand.
People always ask me, “Do I need to update my ‘About Us’ page often?” My answer is usually, if you’ve got something new to say, something worth mentioning, then absolutely. New team member? Update. New award? Update. Company milestone? Update. Don’t let it become stale. Google likes fresh content, and it likes to see that your site is alive and kicking, not just a static brochure from 2017. A small change here and there, a new picture, it all signals activity.
The Schema Markup Shenanigans
Now, let’s get a bit technical, shall we? You’ve heard of schema markup, right? Structured data? If not, pay attention. This is like whispering sweet nothings directly into Google’s ear. For your “About Us” page, you should absolutely be looking at Organization schema. That tells search engines your official name, logo, contact info, even your social profiles. It’s a goldmine for clarity. And if you’ve got individual team members you want to highlight, Person schema for them. It helps Google connect the dots, understand who’s who, and how they relate to your business.
It’s not some dark art. There are tools for it. Even if you’re not a developer, there are plugins and generators. It’s about giving Google as much information as possible, in a language it truly understands. It helps them build a clearer picture of your entity, of your company, and its place in the world. And that, dear reader, directly feeds into your search visibility. You can’t ignore it anymore, you just can’t.
Distilled
Firms like Distilled, they understand the intricacies of technical SEO. They know that every little bit of structured data, every correctly implemented tag, every bit of clear entity information, helps Google understand a website better. Their pages don’t just look good, they’re built to be machine-readable. That’s the secret sauce, often hidden in plain sight. It’s not just about what humans see, but what the crawlers see, too.
So, when someone asks me, “What’s the one thing people mess up most on their website?” I’ll tell you, it’s not the fancy sliders or the dazzling animations. It’s the foundational stuff. The stuff that seems simple, almost boring. Like the “About Us” page. People underestimate its power. They treat it like a chore.
Accessibility and performance: Don’t Forget the Basics
And don’t even get me started on mobile-friendliness. Your “About Us” page better look good and function perfectly on a phone, or you’re out of the game. Most people are browsing on their devices these days. If your page is wonky, slow to load, or just plain ugly on a small screen, they’re gone. And Google notices that. User experience, my friend, is a ranking factor. Slow load times? That’s a kiss of death. I’ve seen pages take so long to load, I could brew a cup of tea, drink it, and wash the mug before the images popped up. That’s just painful.
You want to know how to optimize about us page for seo? Make it load like lightning. Compress your images. Don’t throw a dozen unoptimized videos on there. Keep the code clean. It’s basic website hygiene, but it’s astonishing how many otherwise sharp operators forget it. It’s not sexy, no, but it’s fundamental.
Chipotle
Look at Chipotle. Their “About Us” or “Our Story” section, it talks about their food with integrity, their mission. It’s not just “we sell burritos.” It’s a narrative. You can even sometimes get a little snippet about their sourcing or how they care about animal welfare. This isn’t just fluffy stuff. This content gives Google more context about who they are, their values, their unique selling points. It helps to differentiate them from Joe’s Burrito Shack down the street. That kind of detail, that narrative depth, it feeds into the trust signals. It paints a picture.
Think about the unique selling points of your business. What makes you different? What’s your philosophy? Your “About Us” page is the perfect place to lay that out. It’s not just for people to read, it’s for Google to understand your unique value proposition. Why you, and not the other guy? What sets you apart? It’s not just about your products or services, it’s about your essence. The essence of your brand.
Some folks fret over every keyword on their product pages but then their “About Us” page is an afterthought. It’s backwards thinking. Your core identity, what you’re all about, that needs to be crystal clear. Not just for your customers, but for the search engines trying to figure out if you’re a good match for what people are looking for.
Patagonia
Patagonia, bless their hearts, they don’t just sell outdoor gear. Their “About Us” is an ode to their environmental activism, their commitment to quality, their story. It’s part of their brand. It’s why people buy from them. And that kind of authentic, values-driven content, it builds a powerful, sticky brand. It generates mentions, links, shares. All that signals to Google that you’re a real entity with real impact. And that counts. A lot.
Don’t treat your “About Us” page like it’s a glorified business card. It’s a living, breathing document. It should evolve with your company. It should reflect your current reality, your achievements, your people. It’s a conversation. A very important one, that also happens to be a vital piece of your overall SEO strategy. Get it right, and you’ll see the difference. Leave it ignored, and you’re just leaving money on the table, plain and simple. It’s not rocket science, this. It’s just showing up, being real, and telling your story properly. And then making sure Google can read it. That’s really how to optimize about us page for seo.
