I was recently asked by a client why they would want to put their biography on the website. They cited that they didn’t think anyone cared who they were and just wanted their software. I scoured the web for a quick search on this subject and surprisingly didn’t find too many answers. I receive questions like these quite often, and want to be able to answer questions in a timely fashion. So why should you put your biography on your website? The answer seems obvious to me but I have been working in digital marketing or over 15 years now, so what is obvious to me may not be to others. So I broke it down into 4 main categories: Trust, Search, Psychology, and Accountability.
1. Trust
Bios and company information build trust. Most people like to know who they are dealing with. With people taking advantage of others in the digital age by stealing identities, credit card information and just taking the money and run, people have become a little leery of businesses without real people listed on their websites.
Yes a biography builds trust. It shows your visitors trust and that you stand behind your product. Even if it’s just the leadership team. Would you buy something from someone you have never met or heard of without knowing there is a real person behind their website?
2. Search and Search Engine Placement
If for no other reason, ranking higher in the search engines is usually a top priority for clients. We can build trust with our content articles if they are coming from a person. For example, if you sign up with Google+, Google will put a person’s picture next to the profile. If you are doing business you should want this. (See 1). Some business owners are a bit more introverted, and that can be a good thing, but they still want their website to rank higher in search engines and if for no other reason, know that your site can become more visible if you are doing any sort of inbound marketing.
3. Psychology
People are more likely to do business with a person than a big business.
Would you be more likely to do business with someone who has been in business for 10 years or 1? Or how about years of experience? Does this matter to you?
Perhaps if the company has built a good brand (which usually takes time), they don’t need the corporate officers right there staring you in the eye on the company website while they are trying to sell software or buy the latest product. But the most successful ones do include biography information. Nike even built a whole website dedicated to the company itself (Nike Inc ). But what if that business is just starting out? The truth is, whether the website is small or large, people want to work with people. Even if you have software, they want to know that you have people standing behind your product and that they will be able to find someone if they truly have a problem.
4. Accountability
Behind great companies are great leaders. Are you a great leader? You could be. Start by making yourself accountable for what you make and sell online. What does that say about your software or product if you aren’t willing to stand behind it? Worse, what do your customers think of you and your product? They probably don’t even know. They may think your software was made by someone in India or China, or your software is vaporware.
Other Reasons to have a bio?
Are there other reasons to have a bio on your website? Are there reasons not to? Let me know.
