How do you describe your online business? Words have an incredible impact on perception. For instance if you use the word ‘heritage’ that could mean quality, integrity and legacy or it could just mean old. The word ‘innovative’ could mean strong enough to challenge the status quo or it could mean you are fishing for a new strategy with no clear idea of what you’re doing.
The words we use in sections like ‘about us’ on our websites really do mean something. If you simply slapped a few words together (or worse yet put a statement saying ‘under construction’) and put it on your website in order to have something on that page I might suggest revisiting the page and taking some time to recraft the information to your advantage.
Let me give you a poor and better example using a fictitious handcrafted furniture company with a website. Each example would be found in their ‘about us’ page.
Poor
Hi, my name is Harold Snodmarker, owner of ABC furniture. I started this company back in 1973. I’d like to think I bring a rich heritage of fine Ozark Mountain know how to making furniture for your home. Look around my online showroom and I think you’ll see what I mean.
Better
ABC Furniture was quietly carved from a heritage steeped in Ozark Mountain lore and a work ethic that is defined by each quality piece hand carved and finished with an integrity that is only matched by innovation.
Visit virtually any national furniture showroom and you will not find anything to match what ABC Furniture has offered for more than three decades. With our direct shipping partnerships, home delivery is possible overnight. Sacrificing nothing in quality to present a real word answer to meeting your on time needs.
Why is the second one better?
Maybe it’s not so important to emphasis the year the company started or at least soften this approach to a bullet point highlights. Also the name of the owner may not be incredibly important unless it has significant name recognition for visitors. That’s not to say the length of time you’ve been in business (or even your name) isn’t important, but what the second example does is draw on the greater extended heritage of the Ozark Mountain tradition rather than the year the company stated. The second example is more visual as well. It invites readers to envision a foggy morning looking out over the Ozarks with a sense that you’ve entered a place like no other on earth.
You’ll also notice that the first instance was written from the perspective of the owner using words like ‘I’ and ‘my’. The second is written as if a third party wrote the content. This allows the material to perceived as less biased and perhaps more trustworthy.
The first instance also uses terms like “I’d like to think” in a way that suggests a lack of confidence. Harold sounds hopeful, but visitors may feel less trusting if they don’t believe the business owner is sure of the product.
The second instance also uses the two example words mentioned at the start of this article, but it differentiates between the ‘heritage’ of the conditions that led to the creation of the work and the ‘innovation’ that assures prompt delivery and customer service. It doesn’t suggest a reduction in quality for the sake of innovation, but that a heritage based business can exemplify the wonder of an innovative approach to distribution and care in the 21st century.
It may seem like I am dissecting a worm in 7th grace science class, but for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. What you say on a page will encourage a connection or a disconnect on the part of the site visitor.
Many online business owners are content to simply toss something together for one of the more important parts of their website – About Us. If you wish to encourage trust in potential customers help them really understand who you are, what you do and how you can present quality in a unique way.
Author Resource:
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. Make your own website in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com or Build A Website at: http://www.buildagreatsite.com . Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com
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