Any business needs people. Whether that’s the CEO, the sales team or the cleaner. They all make the business tick; without them, nothing would happen. So, whilst they’re vital to you, they’re important to your clients or customers.
In today’s digital-driven business landscape, the human touch makes a difference. While algorithms and data drive decisions, the handshake, the personal story, and the face-to-face interaction create lasting partnerships and brand loyalty. Businesses may operate online, but they remain intrinsically human at their core.
I recently posted on LinkedIn about meeting a client for the first time, one we’d worked with for nine months. In that time, we’d never met in person; we’d delivered good work for them, and they were pleased with our progress. However, during our meeting, we discussed all manner of things, many not business-related, which allowed us to build a bond and understand each other better. The client discussed his journey, why, and how he set up his business. From this, we appreciated more about his positioning and approach. Simply put, this insight would have never cropped up in the functional world of remote video calls.
We spend a lot of time reviewing data as an SEO and PPC agency. Every industry is different; various sales funnels, some long and some short, high ticket items and fast-moving consumer goods. It can be challenging to draw parallels between the businesses, but with most clients, we’ve spotted one common trend.
The ‘About us’ or ‘Our team’ pages have exponentially increased traffic numbers. People are taking more of an interest in the people they’re dealing with. To cite just two of our clients, two that couldn’t be more different, an automotive brand and an online retailer of clothes, they have respectively seen a 62% and 52.15% increase in traffic to their ‘About us’ or ‘Meet the team’ pages.
This increase is supported by HubSpot’s ‘The State of Inbound in 2022’ report that found that the average website’s about us page increased in traffic by 10% since the pandemic. The study highlights that the visitors to these pages were likely to be first-time visitors. Further to this, in a separate piece of research, HubSpot also referenced (1: link) that 31% of people polled felt that having a detail about us page was vital. This element helped build trust in a brand.
Interestingly, our brand strategist interviewed the Black Lab team and several clients during our rebrand. The words used to describe how they viewed Black Lab included the following:
- Friendly
- Genuine
- Authentic
- Enthusiastic
- Thoughtful
All these words refer to human relationships, which support people’s importance within a business. We have evolved our brand to feature people at the core.
Why has there been an increase in traffic to this content?
It is challenging to pinpoint an exact reason, but three factors must be considered.
- The Covid pandemic allowed us to reset and review how we did business. Overnight, at least in the UK and most of Europe, people went from busy lives, rushing to and fro, living life in almost an autopilot state, to being at home, unable to travel, see friends or do business in the way they had done for years. Google Meet, Teams, Zoom and hundreds of other tech platforms became the defacto method of engaging with others. This enforced disconnect from society (who remembers going to the supermarket felt like an exciting trip) meant people found new ways to connect and understand who they were working with, as meeting in person wasn’t always available.
- Clients or customers want to know who they’re doing business with. They want to make the right decision and be comfortable that they have achieved this. Therefore, spending a small amount of time building a picture of who you will work with will pay off. Websites are increasingly crucial first touch points where users seek to garner as much information as possible in the first interaction.
- We live in a world of faceless multinational organisations; whilst they can provide excellent products or services, they’re often seen as black boxes. This, coupled with the pre-pandemic tax and zero-hour scandals (in the UK), has turned some customers or clients to look for more niche suppliers of their products or services—businesses with a more human approach that they can trust and build a relationship with.
The above points highlight why a brand must ensure that the ‘About us’ pages have the right content to form that initial connection with site visitors. This content will be vital in broadcasting trust signals when a user visits a website.
Technical Benefits
‘About Us’ pages strike a chord with visitors and search engine giants like Google.
Google are adding further emphasis on the E-E-A-T principles. Beyond the obvious human connection, there’s a technical side to it. Google and other search engines are giving prominence to content that exhibits E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Not only do people want to know who they’re working with, but quality, relatable content around these principles can also boost a website’s ranking. In essence, showing the human side of your brand strengthens customer relationships and aligns with search engine metrics that prioritise authenticity and credibility.
The Power of Presence
Our world is increasingly improving at connecting people saving time through more efficient transactions. However, people still need the physical connection of being together. For example, 48% of 18-29-year-olds said they would prefer a hybrid option of working rather than just remote, according to a BBC article. If building relationships are important to employees, starting that connection with potential clients from the outset can only aid in creating strong business ties.
The old saying that people buy off people still rings true. Humanising your first interactions with potential clients or customers will stand you in good stead. With the launch of the new Black Lab website, the ‘About us’ section and team bios are core to our content strategy. Furthermore, as a team, we are actively looking to meet our clients in person more than we have in the last few years. A blend of remote calls and face-to-face meetings will help us reconnect with clients, enhancing the relationships and helping us understand their requirements better.
