An `About Us` page is one of the most common things you see on websites. Brands and companies use it to tell their story, state their mission and let people know how they can help them and what makes them different on the market. Since it`s so common, no one really thinks about it too much – some companies just paste the links to their social media profiles, some simply write the name of their company and what they do and some say what their mission is and move along.

But thinking that your `About Us` page doesn’t matter all that much is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. There are a lot of things that you can incorporate in this page to make your brand more likeable, human or transparent – all of which can improve your business immensely.

Because it is so important, here are some tips on how to write the best `About Us` page you can.

• Use the conversational tone. People are often put off if you sound like you are preaching. Be friendly and try to explain what you do and why you are the best company for them like you would explain it to a new acquaintance. Keep it simple and effective.
• If you want to write a history of your wholesale dropship company, don`t go on forever about it. People like to read about how you made it to where you are but too much information is overwhelming and they will skip it. Try to incorporate a funny anecdote or some interesting facts of how your company came to be.
• Focus on your audience. Your tone and style should appeal to people who will buy product from you. Tell them about why you are selling, for example, toys or baby gear. What made you focus on that? Is there a story behind it? Share it with your customers.
• Make sure that your `About Us` page is flawlessly written and without grammar mistakes. These can be off-putting – most people back off a bit when they see a grammar mistake. It can make you seem less serious about your business, uneducated or ignorant. This is an easy fix though – there are plenty of free tools out there that can help you write without mistakes. Grammarix, Via Writing, State Of Writing and My Writing Way are some of the tools that can be helpful.
• An `About Us` page can be used as more than just an introduction to your company – with proper keyword use you can improve your websites SEO. Include some keywords that relate to what you are doing. This will help your potential customers find you and even though the effect might not be much to talk about, it will help improve your business.
• Use your `About Us` page to humanize your company. Most people like to know who it is that they are doing business with. Put some pictures up – of yourself, of your employees, of your office space. Tell them about yourself, your likes, dislikes – but keep it short and interesting.
• If you have a social media page and you keep it up-to-date, you should definitely share your links on your `About Us` page. This will bring people closer to you. Your contact information should also be displayed – phone number, email, anything that can help potential customers reach you if they have any concerns or questions.
• In order to make your `About Us` page more readable and appealing, use short paragraphs, bullets and subheadings. “Humans are visual creatures – they will respond better to a good-looking page than to a large block of words. Use pictures, graphs or illustrations to break down the text and give your story credibility,” suggests Brian Kellys, an editor at Simple Grad.
• In case you have any awards, testimonials or anything similar, this is a good place to display it. There`s nothing better than a good review to let your customers know that you are serious about what you are doing.
• Be honest and use facts. Display numbers and your stats. People prefer honesty to `purple prose`.

At first the writing of an `About Us` page can seem like just another thing you have to do, but it`s much more than that. It is your chance to make a first impression and draw people in – make it count.

Grace Carter: Business Writer

Grace Carter is a business writer for BoomEssays and UKWritings, writing services. Also, she builds IT processes and improves business analysis at Essayroo, academic website.

Dropshipping is one of the best ways to start making money on the internet without taking on much risk, but as more people learn about it, and more dropshipping businesses are launched you might find your slice of the pie slimming down.

To be successful with dropshipping in 2018, you have to find your niche. But that’s easier said than done. How do you survey thousands of online stores and work out what isn’t there? Beats me. But there is a better way. If you know where to look you can spot trends the moment they begin, and uncover markets with massive unsatisfied demand. So keep reading and soon you will find yourself overwhelmed with ideas.

Recommended reading: How To Take Your Dropship Business To The Next Level

Google Trends

At the end of the day you’re looking for something on the internet so it shouldn’t be any surprise that the name Google pops up. The challenge with this option however, is that plenty of people will have had the same idea, and if you want to end up with unique dropshipping ideas you have to break away from the pack. To achieve this with Google Trends, you want to make use of niche filters and somewhat obscure search terms. You can write off the books, electronics, and clothing categories right away as they’re oversaturated with retailers already.

Kickstarter

Perhaps more infamous than famous these days, Kickstarter is a website that allows you to browse interesting new ideas, and donate money to make them a reality. But you’re not here to spend $450 on a cooler, you’re here for ideas. Well then head over to the ‘Design & Tech’ or ‘Food & Craft’ sections and see what’s popular. Sure these are products that don’t exist yet, but if a product is doing well on Kickstarter it’s not uncommon to see versions of it popping up around the internet, often before the official item has launched. This is a great way to catch trends before they go mainstream, and even if you don’t end up using a specific item from Kickstarter, it’s still a great place to find inspiration.

Pinterest

Of all the social media sites, Pinterest has the largest gender split by far, estimated 17% male and 45% female. If you have a history of selling products aimed at women, or you think you would like to start, then it’s the perfect site for you to find new ideas. As with many of the sites on this list you will have to make an account to start browsing and then choose your ‘interests’. You might be tempted to select as many interests as possible, but I would recommend sticking to areas you feel you can market. Going in-depth on a few interests is likely to work better than scanning the surface of them all. And don’t forget to check out the trending tab.

Massdrop

Massdrop is site that facilitates group buys. They work with companies to get discounts for their users depending on how many people pre-order. Most of the items are premium in nature and you won’t be beating these prices as a dropshipper, not directly anyway. Even though you likely won’t start selling anything that’s directly posted on Massdrop, it’s a great place to find niche communities that spend more than you think. People passionate about their keyboards or handwriting materials for example. On top of that it’s a great tool to check what sort of items there is demand for. If you already sell items that fit in with a Massdrop community, you can start stocking items that are similar to the ones that are doing well on Massdrop.

Online Marketplaces

In October 2016 Facebook introduced a revamped Marketplace feature to their platform, allowing users to purchase anything from cars and watches, to websites (including dropshipping businesses). Online marketplaces are a great source of information for you to mine when looking for ideas for your own dropshipping businesses, particularly if you are looking to establish what niche area that you want to set up shop in, and Facebook isn’t the only place you can find them. Using online store markets like Exchange you can look at whether a niche is trending, how high its sales price is, and its level of revenue.

Take the example of The Dialogue Projects. This is a business that sells products such as t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags. These are all items that you are able to sell via dropshipping, however, the angle that sets them apart is that the sales from their products, “help fund mental health organizations.” At $42,000, it has one of the highest selling prices within the fashion and apparel category, meaning that fashion with a social conscience could be a valuable idea for your dropshipping business.

Amazon Best Sellers

If you want to know what is selling well online why look further than the best sellers list on the internet’s largest store. It might be mundane, but if it leads to you making money, who cares. Use the categories to go in depth on your preferred areas and keep an open mind, the less conventional items won’t bring as much competition as the obvious ones. If this kind of approach appeals to you then don’t stop with Amazon, check as many sites as you can think of, most of them will have a ‘popular’ section of some sort.

Fancy

Fancy is approximately equal parts store, magazine, and wish-list. In other words, it’s the perfect place to find new, interesting, product ideas for your dropshipping business. They offer loads of ways to narrow down your search so you can get past the commonplace items fast. The ‘Popular’ and ‘Newest’ pages are a great place to start if you don’t have any specific categories in mind, and don’t forget to take a look at what’s trending. The gift-focused nature of the site makes it a gold mine if you’re trying to make the most of holiday sales.

If you add some of their trendy suggested gifts to your store then they’re practically doing all the marketing for you. The one thing that stops Fancy from being the ultimate resource for dropshipping ideas is its focus on clothing. If you’re dropshipping you want probably want to avoid clothing since the competition is already so fierce.

Some of the best ideas are right in front of you, you just don’t notice them. Take a look around your house or a walk down your local high street and think about what items are under-represented online. And while you’re at it, ask your friends, the great idea you’re looking for might have been under your nose this whole time. By now your head should be abuzz with possibilities, all that’s left is for you to decide which ones to pursue.

Victoria Greene is a branding consultant and freelance writer. On her blog, VictoriaEcommerce, she shares tips on how entrepreneurs can turn their great idea(s) into a successful business. She is passionate about using her experience to help fellow entrepreneurs succeed.