My Great Web Page

Gene Crawford explores some of the secrets behind what makes a great sign-up page. Shares If you're running a business that relies on people signing up, signing in or otherwise completing a form of some kind on your website, you'll know that getting them through that process is paramount.

In any industry where the people behind a company are as important as the company itself, you’re likely to find a kind of expanded “about” page that includes information on individual employees. “Meet the Team” pages are popular among web design and other creative firms, but are also found on sites within various other industries. These pages are a valuable addition to any site where human contact is an important part of the industry. It adds a personal touch to the company and can lend trust to visitors.

There’s suddenly faces behind the names, and it becomes a “real” company to the visitor, rather than just another website. This builds credibility for many, especially considering how concerned many people are with online scams and phishing schemes. Adding information to a website on a company’s key employees is a simple but effective way to make that company stand out in the mind of its prospective clients. Below are a handful of trends and some interesting examples of “Meet the Team” pages.

With your program my parents, brothers, sisters, children, cousins, grandparents, etc can all be a part of one website at no extra cost! They all love being able to have their own homepages where they can share photos and keep everyone up to date in their lives.
Jun 25, 2015 Gene Crawford explores some of the secrets behind what makes a great sign-up page. Shares If you're running a business that relies on people signing up, signing in or otherwise completing a form of some kind on your website, you'll know that getting them through that process is paramount.
Jun 30, 2017 Web pages are among the most important types of content in your inbound marketing arsenal. They serve as your company’s introduction to potential clients when they find your site organically via search engines (an obtainable goal with a solid SEO plan). Making a good impression right out of the gate is key — you never get a second chance to make one, as my mother says — which is why I.
A classic website is what most people think of when they envision a site – there is a homepage accompanied by other pages, such as a contact page, a service page, and an FAQ page. Basically, the main reason to choose this web design format over a one-pager is if you have tons of content that is absolutely necessary to include on your website.

Trends

In reviewing “Meet the Team” pages, a few trends began to emerge. While some are present on almost every site (employee photos), others are used less often (animations). All were present on at least a handful of sites, though, and are worth mentioning.

1. Employee Photos

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Virtually all of the pages included here have images associated with each employee. Most opt for photos of each employee, though some opt for avatars or other images to represent each person. This is a great way to let an employee’s personality shine through while keeping the design professional and consistent.

Object Adjective had a simple team page, with a photo and brief bio about each member, as well as their contact information and a link to their downloadable vCard.

2. Social Media Links

Considering how many professionals are likely to have LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social media accounts, linking to those accounts can be a great way to let current and potential clients connect with employees. Some of the pages featured include only professional accounts, while others include virtually any account the employee has. Some sites use icons for each social media service, while others use text, or a combination of the two.

A word of warning, though: if employee accounts are going to be linked to a professional website, make sure the content they’re posting on those sites is appropriate and won’t damage the company’s reputation.

Chromatic only includes profiles for their leadership team. They include a pic and brief bio of each team member, as well as links to their Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Each team member also has their latest tweet featured next to their profile.

3. Unique, Humorous or Campy Features

A lot of the sites featured have unique, humorous or even campy takes on the more traditional “Meet the Team” format. For some, this is done through the employee photos, while others have added in additional content that lets team members better express themselves.

Be aware, though, of how this information can come across to professionals from different industries. What might be acceptable for a creative site might not go over so well in the finance or legal industries. It’s also important to consider how a site’s visitors will perceive a humorous or campy touch. While it adds personality, if overdone or done in the wrong industries, it can come across as unprofessional.

Th_nk used animated photos for each of their team members, and modal windows to display information about each team member.

4. Animations

A significant number of “Meet the Team” pages have incorporated some kind of animation into their designs. For most, this is done through employee photos or avatars, though some take it even further, with the entire page animated.

Ola Interactive Agency used an animated meet the team page, with each team member’s photo part of the animation. Click on a team member and their profile appears, including links to their Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, and their email. It’s a very casual, fun page design.

5. Expanded Profiles

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While many sites opt to only include basic information about each of their team members, others opt to include extended profile information. For some, this is done through the use of sliders or modal windows, but for others it’s done on an entirely separate page. Extended profile information is a great way to give clients and prospects more insight into the employees behind a company.

9miles Media uses photos of each of their members, which, when clicked on, display each person’s profile information, including links to social media accounts. It’s a simple but effective design.

More Examples

Below are twenty examples of great “Meet the Team” pages.

StationFourStationFour has a very clean and streamlined team page, though they inject a bit of personality by categorizing their employees as “The Chrises” and “The Non-Chrises”. They also include links to each employee’s LinkedIn profile, Twitter, and blog posts.

Efelle MediaThis is another simple team page, with a brief quote about each team member. Also included are links to each member’s full profile.

MW Design InteractiveThis is about as minimal as team pages get, with just a photo, name and title for each major member of the team.

Wax Creative DesignWax Creative Design keeps each team member’s information organized with an unordered list, but also adds personality to their page by included each member’s favorite cupcake.

HBCWeb.comHBCWeb.com keeps their meet the team page casual, with candid photos of each team member as well as a brief bio of each.

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Arc90Arc90 adds some punch to their meet the team page by having each team member’s photo change upon rollover from a straight-forward, business-casual-style pic to a candid shot. They also included a color-coded key for determining what each team member does.

WildbitWildbit shows only one (random) team member’s profile at a time under the list of team members. They also include links to each member’s Tumblr, Twitter, and Flickr profiles, if applicable.

AtlanticBTAtlanticBT has a number of interesting features on their team page. Each employee has a photo that, upon hover, slides down to show their name and position. There’s also a drop-down menu at the top that lets you switch between their main photos, action figures, sports teams, movie posters, and favorite foods.

Blue Sky ResumesBlue Sky Resumes uses consistent photos for each of their team members, something that isn’t often seen. In addition to a bio for each team member, they also provide links to their Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

MetaBroadcastMetaBroadcast uses a straight-forward and simple design, with icons for social media accounts for each of their team members.

2Cs Communications Ltd2Cs shows photos of their team members just below the header, with low opacity except for the active profile. Images also come into full color when they’re hovered over. It’s a great way to manage a large team, while still giving everyone equal space.

glue Isobarglue Isobar uses animated pixel artwork for each of their team members and Top Trumps-style profiles appear for each when clicked on. It’s a really unique and fun design.

CampaignMonitorCampaignMonitor uses brief profiles for each team member, accompanied by photos of each. What sets them apart is that in the background of each photo is a map, showing the location of each employee.

WooThemesWooThemes uses a simple design that puts the focus on the founders of the company, but also gives plenty of space to the other team members. Links to Twitter and each team member’s blog are also included.

nGen WorksnGen Works uses a simple avatar/name/campy title format, with a link to more in-depth profiles for each team member. It’s unique and fun while also maintaining a professional appearance.

BrightSparkBrightSpark uses a simple, one-column layout for their team page, with pics of each team member as well as a couple paragraphs about each.

EtsyEtsy takes a unique approach to their team page by putting different departments into separate columns, and displaying photos of each team member within that department. Each photo then links to more information about that employee. It’s a neat format, since it gives an immediate impression of how large each department is (the Engineering department gets 3 columns, and Support gets 2).

SmallBoxSmallBox uses a simple grid of employee photos, each with the person’s name and title underneath. What sets them apart, though, are the individual team member profile pages. In addition to the usual bio information, they include each person’s top 5 strengths in “StrengthsFinder 2.0”. It’s an interesting and personal touch.

Caxiam GroupCaxiam Group is another site where the individual team member profile pages are what make it stand out. On these pages you can find a keyword cluster that describes the team member, as tabs that give information on their inspriations hidden talents, unknown facts, and more.

Want to make your small business look big? Here's what customers are looking for when they visit.

Brought to you by Business on Main

So you want your website to make you look big. More power to you.

But the business experts I talked to recently say small is cool with customers, too. Small businesses, they say, have a personality, flavor and sensibility that big businesses can't match. And when it comes to what you put on your website, they urge: Don't be afraid to tout your smallness.

'Small businesses can have more fun with their sites, more so than large corporations,' says Alice Bredin, president of Bredin Business Information, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, company that helps large business-to-business companies market themselves to small businesses. 'A small-business site needs to include something that reflects the creativity and personality of its owner.'

Maybe you're a couple working side-by-side in a spare bedroom or a fourth-generation entrepreneur working to someday hand it over to a son or daughter. Maybe you're putting yourself through grad school. Or you operate from a remote site in the hinterlands and you use only recycled materials. Presented well on a home page and/or an 'About Us' section, all of these may have unique selling points to customers.

'People want character; it has meaning,' adds Kelly Cutler, chief executive of Marcel Media, a Chicago-based Web advisory firm. 'How folksy you get depends on your industry.' An attorney may not want to project an image of him or her working on a leather sofa with a dog curled up nearby. But that may work well for an artist or craftsperson, even an architect, Cutler and others say.

Whatever your industry, 'Tell your story online,' Cutler says. Customers want to know who you are and, if you lead a team, who is on it and what they do. 'You must talk about the team,' Bredin seconds. 'When there is nothing [on your site] about who you are or who's on your team, people wonder about whether you are a good company to buy from.'

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Here are the 10 most important things these experts say customers want to know:

How your business is unique
Answer the question 'Who are you?' as interestingly and compellingly (and honestly) as possible. This includes writing management bios that mention your expertise, years of experience and any unique attributes or details that may set you apart from others.
You need to answer, Bredin says, 'What is unique about your business? Why should I buy from you?' This is missing from many business sites because the owners haven't done the strategic thinking necessary to figure that out, she says.
Be concise, too, Cutler adds. 'You don't need to write a novel.'
A clear sense of what your company offers
'It's incredible how many sites you visit and you're not sure what the company offers,' Bredin says. Make it a priority on your home page to provide at least general information about your products and/or services, with links to specifics on a Products page.
Many service-oriented companies, Cutler says, are concerned about divulging too much information about their offerings, for competitive reasons. Some also feel that consumers will have no reason to contact them by phone if they get all they need from the website. 'There's a balance that needs to be reached' in giving the potential customer enough info to make a buying decision, she says. More often than not, consumers will not contact a company for the missing product information--they'll just move on to a competitor.
Contact information, including a phone number and physical location
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many companies are purposely vague about their location. Some prefer to do all of their business online and see no need to publish an address or phone number. Others are home-based or they worry that giving a street address or hometown will somehow hinder them.
'This is a must, and it's one small way of building credibility and trust' with the consumer, says Wayne Porter, co-founder of ReveNews, an online marketing publication, and former senior director of research at FaceTime, a business security solutions provider. 'A phone number, a street address and even pictures go a long way toward building credibility.'
Showing a physical location, even one that no one will ever visit, comforts a customer that your business is real and legitimate, Bredin says. Provide a phone number that maps to that location, rather than just an 800 number, she advises.
Third-party validation
This means customer testimonials, client lists, case studies, awards and recognition you've received, positive news clippings and the like. Potential customers indeed want to know who you do business with, and what current customers have to say about their experiences. Such items 'forge the underpinnings of trust,' Porter says.
Client lists are especially important if your customers are businesses. 'If you've got some big-name customers, people like to see that,' Cutler says. But make sure you get approval from those you list as clients, she adds.
Porter adds that having a presence on social networking sites and blogs, especially those serving your industry, is an increasingly popular form of validation among customers. 'Social networking now has strong validation,' he says.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
SSL is an encryption system that helps protect the privacy of data exchanged between a customer and a website. If you have an e-commerce site that takes credit card information, customers want to know that their sensitive data is encrypted. Get SSL if you don't have it. If you do, let customers know that and about any other safeguards you proactively take.
Ease of use and navigation
If people can't find it, they can't buy it. Porter advises keeping sites 'crisp, clean, and easy to navigate,' but also for site owners to study traffic and usage patterns to adjust their sites based on what visitors are coming for. 'The ability to search a site is very important,' he says. 'Businesses should study their search data to see if there are trends and what to make front and center.'
Clear guidance on your processes
Let customers know, step-by-step, important things such as how to order--and where to go and what to do should something happen out of the ordinary. Customers also want to know your shipping costs and procedures and how they can get status reports. (Don't list your shipping costs and procedures after people enter their credit card information, Cutler urges.) Last but not least, customers want to know how you handle complaints and problems, return procedures and whether you have a money-back guarantee.
Your processes can be described in a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page or separate 'how to order,' shipping and/or confirmation pages. Include a way customers can contact your business or fulfillment agency for more information.
An ability to give feedback
Encourage feedback about your products and services, your ordering process and your site in general, by providing a feedback mechanism--either feedback forms or e-mail links. Not every small business prefers to offer this, in some cases because of resource constraints. 'You definitely want to look at how and what feedback to gather, and you should consider offering an incentive or perk [to the customer],' Porter says. 'You might get some good stories to feature on your site or in your blog.'
Clear calls to action
Customers want signs or buttons in order to act, be it 'Buy now' or 'Sign up for our newsletter' or 'Click here for more information.' But many small-business sites don't provide calls to action or they don't present them clearly enough, Cutler says. 'This is one of the biggest things that nags me,' she says. 'If you have a captive audience, this is the time to grab them!'
Special offers and personalization
By personalizing a sale with a special offer, incentive or coupon, small businesses can gain an edge on their bigger counterparts, Porter says. 'This can be as simple as a hand-written thank-you note, free gift wrap services or a special offer for repeat business.
'Having a personalized touch,' he says, 'is something small businesses can do that many big businesses can't.'

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