An adage in business says people do business with people they know. But if potential clients read your website and still don’t know who you are, then you have a little problem. That’s why it is essential to put your name on your website.
Who Are You?
A while ago, one of my clients wanted to introduce a new service. They asked me to research their competitors and those in adjacent industries who offered a similar service. Of course, the client wanted service details and pricing information, but they also wanted me to collect information on the service providers – their names, years in business, experience, etc.
Imagine my surprise when I found almost half of the businesses did not mention the owner’s name. Here is what those websites had in common:
- The Home page only referred to the company and its services and never mentioned the people involved in the company.
- The About page was full of sentences that started with “I” or the company’s name. For example, “I have 15 years of experience working in the industry. [Company name] builds high-quality widgets.”
- Most of the time, there were no photos of people on the About page. If there was a picture of a person, there was no caption (or alt-text) to describe the image. I did not know if the image was the owner or a model in a stock photo.
- If there were social media icons, they linked to company pages, and those pages did not mention or connect to personal profiles.
- The contact page only had company information, no personal names.
Why You Should Put Your Name on Your Website
There are several benefits to putting your name on your website. Firstly, it builds trust and credibility. When you personalize information, potential clients know real people work at your company. Again, people like to work with people – not anonymous corporations.
When your name is on your website, people can search for you on the internet. Potential clients can find you on LinkedIn and your industry association and see your interviews with media outlets. All these sources build your experience, expertise, and authority, making it much more likely a client will buy from you.
Additionally, it’s important to consider search engines. Imagine that you give a presentation at a local community centre. The audience members want to buy your products. They search for your name online because that is what they remember from your speech. But potential clients will only find you if your name is on your website.
Where You Should Put Your Name
Home Page: Put your name on your home page at least once. Write a few sentences explaining your role. For example, “Henry Jones, the CEO of Back-In-Time, has 25 years of experience designing historical-based vacation packages. Learn more about Henry Jones (link your name to the About page).” Alternatively (or in addition to), include a small photo with a caption and alt-text.
About Page: Definitely put your name and photo on the About page. Write a few paragraphs about you and your company in the third person. For example, “Henry Jones spent his childhood travelling around the world with his parents, who were archeology professors. It inspired him to create vacation packages to famous archeological sites.”
Many people find it challenging to write about themselves in the third person. Asking a colleague who knows you and your business to write a few paragraphs can help get you started. However, I suggest hiring a copywriter to ensure you speak to your target market.
Contact Page: When you put your name at the top of the contact form, you tell potential clients they will contact a real person. It gives them confidence that their message won’t get lost in the void of cyberspace.
Other Places: Include your name in webpage metadata, ideally on the Home, About, and Contact pages. If you write blog posts, use the author feature to display your name on the blog posts you write. Add your name to alt-text on images of you throughout your website.
Rememberability
Putting your name on your website can help establish credibility and authority for your business. People will remember you. Also, visitors can identify who is responsible for the company and will feel more comfortable contacting you if they have questions about your services. Additionally, it can help with networking opportunities, ultimately leading to more visibility and business success.