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7 most common mistakes made on “about us” pages

Here are the top 7 mistakes made on most “about us” pages.

7. Not having an “about us” page

Customers want to know about you, or at least you hope they do. So if you don’t have one, they assume you have something to hide.

I have to admit they are a bit of a fad. At one stage they were a must, then they went out, now they are back in again. It’s a bit like Abba.

6. Just having a form

It’s not a “contact us” page, it is an “about us” page.

5. Just having your contact details

Once again, it is not a “contact us” page, it is an “about us” page.

4. Giving a history lesson

People don’t care that you first opened in 2001, unless it happened to be September 11th, and then that is just really bad timing. Let’s be really blunt here – even your mother would be bored with most of the history of your company.

3. Showing off

This may be a cultural thing, but we hate show-offs. Because this page is titled “about us” it is about you talking about yourself. I would argue that there is less you can do on this page than any other page. This is about you talking about yourself, so be careful about how you speak.

2. Being Boring

The number one boring picture is the photo of the office from outside. Unless you are Google, chances are your office won’t impress anyone else. Face it, we don’t even need to know what it looks like because our navigation system will get us to the front door without any problems anyway.

If it contains numbers, it is probably boring. If it is …, it is probably boring. Most “about us” pages are boring. Don’t be boring.

1. Thinking it is all about you

OK, I saved the best for last. This is really the key point, and by now you will either be agreeing with me and will see the wisdom in what I am about to say, or are disagreeing with what I said. In that case, just tune out totally.

The biggest mistake made by most web sites is thinking that the “about us” page is about them. It’s not.

The reader NEVER reads a page to find out about you. They want to know WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM. They want to know what sort of company you are so they can decide if they want to do business with you. They want to know if they can trust you. They want to know if they should like you.

Which means that the “about us” page is really an “about you” page. It should reflect that you understand what your customer or reader is like, and should reflect some of that knowledge back to them. It should show that you know how you can benefit them.

I’ll show you what I mean. Let’s start with something simple like “been in business since 2000”. Great. That’s also how long the GST has been in business for (I should know, I started my business the same month the GST was introduced).

How about “since 2000, we have helped over 20,000 customers find the right … for their needs”?

Or “Since 2000, we have seen many changes in our industry such as… It has been an exciting time to help our customers … ”

I play a simple game on all my sites called the “so what” game. If there is something presented, I like to ask “so what”. I want content that is relevant and interesting to the reader.

 

As for the OnSolution “About Us” page, we thought we would have a bit of fun and we thought that we would explain why being an Aussie is such a damn good thing. This is at a time when the number of international sales is increasing and we are really trying to enter the US market. Instead of trying to hide it, we thought we would promote it.

 

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.