About Us: Presenting Company Information On Corporate Websites and in Sections

Presenting Company Information
on Corporate Websites and in

About Us Sections
3rd Edition
Anna Kaley
48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 94539–7498 USA
Copyright © Nielsen Norman Group; All Rights Reserved. To get your own copy, please go to:
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Report Author: Anna Kaley
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Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................... 6
Research Studies .......................................................................... 6
About the Third Edition .................................................................. 8
About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity ................................ 9
Seeking About Us Content: Why and How ...................................... 13
User Satisfaction: Contributing Factors .......................................... 14
Empathizing with User Skepticism ................................................. 15
Structuring and Labeling About Us Content .................................... 17
Guideline List .............................................................................................. 20
Making a Good First Impression ................................................................. 27
About Us Structure and Labeling ................................................................ 52
Company Information and News ................................................................ 69
Communicating Your Business Philosophy................................................. 99
History and Timelines ............................................................................... 106
Executive Leadership and Management ................................................... 115
Careers and Company Culture .................................................................. 122
Social, Environmental, and Charitable Impacts ....................................... 130
Awards, Recognition, and Reviews .......................................................... 140
Contact and Customer Support ................................................................ 157
Nonprofit Organizations ........................................................................... 184
Images, Video, and Mobile ....................................................................... 191
Usability Basics for Corporate Sites.......................................................... 210
4 Contents
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Methodology ............................................................................................. 237
Overview .................................................................................. 237
Participants .............................................................................. 237
Task Procedures ........................................................................ 239
Website Selection ...................................................................... 242
Author Biography ...................................................................................... 251
Acknowledgements................................................................................... 252
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Executive Summary
Whether users seek company information in a B2B (business-to-business) or

B2C (business-to-consumer) context, effectively explaining a company’s
purpose and what it stands for provides essential information for users and
helps the business maintain its brand reputation.
Most sites offer an About Us section, but the pages often do a poor job of
clearly communicating the most important information users need.
Additionally, many people now seek out company information not only from
About Us sections, but also from third parties to obtain honest, unbiased
information about an organization.
To help designers understand these evolving behaviors and user preferences
related to About Us content, we turned to user research. We observed many
users, including business professionals, as they completed common tasks
with About Us content, on a variety of corporate websites in the United
States and other countries.
Users attempted to learn the organizations’ purposes, where companies were
located, their missions, values, and history, as well as how to get in contact.
Consistent with our previous studies, users appreciate About Us content that
is easy to find and understand. However, users today are more skeptical than
in the past. Organizations that stood out from the crowd in favorable ways
used similar tactics which helped them appear authentic and transparent.
Those tactics included:
• Storytelling
• Using realistic photography
• Showcasing unbiased reviews
• Offering multiple channels to connect with a real person at the
company
RESEARCH STUDIES
The information in this report is the result of three separate rounds of

research conducted by Nielsen Norman Group, as well as design reviews of
About Us content on corporate websites. The studies primarily took place in
the United States, along with a few sessions in Hong Kong. In total, across
the three studies, we tested 100 websites and reviewed an additional 65
sites. Thus, our recommendations are based on evaluations of 165 websites.
6 Executive Summary
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Additional details about the studies can be found in the Methodology section
at the end of this report.
First Edition Research

The first research study included usability tests of 15 corporate websites.
Using the one-on-one think aloud protocol, the main purpose of the research
was to learn how different people used corporate websites to find general
company information. Most test participants were mainstream web users,
although a few young adults were included to evaluate how corporate
information was used to support student projects and attract interns. For
each session, a facilitator sat next to the user, provided instructions, and
took notes. Users were asked to think aloud as they worked; to describe their
thought processes, decisions, and any positive or negative reactions to the
sites.
Second Edition Research

The second edition of this report included usability findings from several
years of subsequent studies and expert reviews, along with methodical
observations, interviews, and new usability studies for the report.
48 websites were tested and an additional 51 underwent expert review. 50
users participated, including mainstream web users, investment analysts,
and journalists with at least 2 years of online experience. Their ages ranged
from 16-65. Most sessions were conducted in the United States, with a few in
Hong Kong, to ensure the international applicability of our findings.
On each site, users were given one open-ended task: evaluate the
organization. We also gave them several directed tasks such as to find out
who runs the organization, what community or social programs the
organization contributes to, and when the organization was founded. As
people worked, we observed their behavior and noted patterns such as
where they clicked, what they avoided, and what caused frustration.
Participants were asked to think aloud as they browsed and user feedback
ranged, but mainly included likes, dislikes, and suggestions for improvement.
We also gave participants questionnaires and interviewed them at the end of
each session.
Third Edition Research

The research for the third edition was comprised of lab-based, one-on-one
usability tests. 20 business professionals participated in 90-minute sessions,
using the think aloud protocol. 40 corporate websites of various sizes,
designs, and industries were tested, along with nonprofit organizations and
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government agency websites. A portion of the sites were tested on desktop
computers while others were tested on mobile devices.
For our recent round of research, we primarily tested with business
professional users. Participant occupations ranged from financial analysts and
realtors, to city clerks and nurses. People working in technology or tangential
fields were screened out to avoid bias. One common thread all participants
shared was that they each had at least 2 years of experience using the web
for decision-making purposes related to their jobs. Their ages ranged from
24-65.
Each user was given a unique, open-ended task to attempt on two different
websites, specified by the facilitator. After attempting the open-ended task,
users were provided with 8 directed tasks to attempt. At the end of each
testing session, users provided feedback about the most important factors
that impacted their perception of an organization. In addition to usability
testing, an expert review of 26 corporate websites was also conducted.
ABOUT THE THIRD EDITION
The result of all three rounds of research is this report which offers guidelines
that can help you better design About Us content to help users easily find
and understand your company information. The guidelines include ways to
improve the usability of About Us sections, and other corporate website
areas, to maximize your company’s image and reputation while garnering
interest and trust.
Some screenshots remain from earlier rounds of research; older screenshots
are retained, when necessary, to reflect the appearance of the site at the
time it was tested. It’s likely that the website designs have changed since the
sites were tested.
For instructional purposes, all examples remain valuable. They reflect actual
designs and real user behaviors, which in turn, create best practices that
stand the test of time. Lessons learned from these designs are valid, even
when designs have changed. Including examples helps us illustrate good and
bad usability examples, which can help designers learn from previous
mistakes and successes. More details about the study can be found in the
Methodology section at the end of this report.
8 Executive Summary
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About Us in the Age of Transparency and
Authenticity
Since we conducted our first About Us study over 10 years ago, we’ve seen
steady advancements in technology, and many new design trends; both of
which continue to evolve at a rapid pace. Amidst this progress, human nature
and user behavior actually tend to be quite stable and change slowly, if at all,
over time. As such, many of our findings from prior editions of this report
remain relevant today. Because we’ve studied About Us content for over a
decade, we have a strong basis on which to assess the major trends
surrounding corporate website design. Over time, we have solidified our
understanding of long-lasting findings and continue to add more recent
findings to this report.
Perhaps the most noteworthy trend that emerged in our most recent round
of research, was that users now expect companies to demonstrate a
heightened level of authenticity and transparency; on their websites as well
as in every interaction a person may have with the organization. Now more
than ever, users are skeptical of companies and see right through complex
corporate-speak, jargon, and stock photography. People favor companies
that showcase themselves as being customer-focused, human, and easy to
understand. When businesses deliver on their promises, people are willing to
write them glowing reviews, and recommend the business to friends,
colleagues, and family. We found that reviews and recommendations from
trusted peers are one of, if not the most important criteria people look for
when forming an impression about an organization. Reviews are also
extremely influential for people when deciding whether or not to conduct
business or apply for jobs with a particular organization.
People continued to value plain, easy-to-understand language in About Us
sections. Copy that made users feel as though they were having an
intentional and mutually beneficial conversation with a human being at the
company was appreciated. Peopled liked to see photos of real employees and
products, and looked for content that came directly from happy customers
and employees. Content with an honest and straightforward tone eased fears
and skepticism, therefore making users more comfortable with sharing their
personal information, reaching out to contact, applying for a job, or initiating
business with the organization.
What Does Transparency and Authenticity Look Like?

Elements that make an organization appear transparent and authentic can
manifest in many different ways. Most impactful were those observed in
areas of sites which communicated a company’s commitment to social
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responsibility such as, Diversity and Inclusion, Sustainability, Culture, and
Mission & Values.
For example, Zappos’ About Us section included a subcategory called Zappos
for Good, where it outlined the company’s position on its culture and
important social topics such as environmental sustainability and giving back
to less-fortunate people.
The content on Zappos for Good helped affirm the organization’s stance
on important social topics, making it appear authentic and transparent.
Zappos’ main About Us page also featured elements that contributed to

the authentic image of the organization. Across both of these main site
pages, the authenticity of the company was displayed in many ways, such
as:
• Authentic and realistic photography
10 About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity
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• Videos that felt compassionate and genuine to users
• Stories about their business-model, policies, and working at the
company.
• Use of plain language resulting in easy-to-understand headlines
and copy
• Highlighting community efforts
All of this, showed that Zappos spent time to thoughtfully, clearly, and
creatively explain their organization to website visitors. This is preferred
by users who are tired of seeing corporate websites that are full of
corporate-speak and stock photography.
The realistic portrayal of Zappos’ culture in its About Us section made

the company appear authentic and transparent as opposed to corporate
and stuffy.
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We also observed elements which demonstrated transparency and
authenticity on a few of the government agency websites we tested. For
example, on the Small Business Administration’s website, officials included
their social media usernames as a means by which to contact them. From a
user’s standpoint, this demonstrated authenticity and transparency because
it showed officials weren’t hiding on social media and that they wanted to
engage in conversation with people on these channels. This shows empathy
and a willingness to meet people in places they already are online, rather
than dictating a rigid process for interacting.
Leaders from the Small Business Administration encouraged users to

follow and communicate with them on social media channels.
Beyond the About Us Section

Users don’t always trust what company websites say, and skepticism often
drives people to look beyond the About Us section to piece together what
they think is a more accurate perception of a business based on ratings and
reviews from others.
In our studies, users turned to social media channels such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn to see what other people were
saying about their experiences with a company. Many people also relied upon
user reviews sites such as Google Reviews, Yelp, and Glassdoor to get a
more realistic picture of the organization they were researching.
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While some websites had testimonials in their About Us sections, users
remained leery as to whether or not the company curated the reviews, or if
they were only showing the most favorable ones. Despite this cynicism, users
still read the testimonials and often compared the information they found on
corporate sites with what they found on the third-party review sites. Because
of this, we recommend including honest and balanced testimonials on your
corporate website, but be sure to cross-reference what people are saying on
other review sites too; users will take all sources of information into account
when forming an opinion about your company.
Finding Answers in Search Engine Results

If they were pressed for time, users didn’t even navigate to a company’s
About Us section if they could find answers to their questions from the
metadata or rich answer boxes found on search engine results pages.
Additionally, people relied on search engines when they were unable to
quickly find the information they needed in the About Us sections of
corporate websites.
When users were unable to find an answer or piece of information on a
corporate website, they often gave up and said, “At this point, I’d just Google
it.” Several users also stated that they would prefer to use Google to find a
quick answer to a question, rather than taking the time to go to the
company’s website. They’d often give Google the credit for providing the
answer, even if the information displayed by Google came directly from the
company’s website.
Because users seek information from external sources, companies must
consider how all of their communication channels work together to ensure
alignment. Users expect organizations to tell a consistent, cohesive, and
authentic About Us story. It’s also essential to make sure metadata and
contact information published on third-party sources is accurate and up-to-
date, as users rely on those sources when forming perceptions and initiating
interactions.
SEEKING ABOUT US CONTENT: WHY AND HOW
Though some organizations may think the About Us section of the site should
be a lower priority, users actually do seek out this information for many
important reasons, including:
• Professionals who want to interact with business partners and

investigate potential vendors.
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• Professionals such as medical professionals, lawyers, and
tradespeople, who need access to quick answers about your company,
products, or services.
• People who take up sports or new hobbies, discover a new genre of
literature, music, or home décor, are diagnosed with a new disease,
start eating a new type of food, or otherwise become interested in
organizations that they’ve never dealt with before.
• Journalists, influencers, and content creators who need information
about your products or services.
• Individual investors who read something positive about your company
or saw it pop out of a page of stock metrics.
• Job seekers who were attracted by one of your opportunities, but want
to learn more about the organization before applying.
When asked to describe the last time she looked up company information on
a website, one user seeking a new job said, “I was being recruited and was
just looking into the company as a potential one to work for. On their
website, I looked at their mission, their client base, how they describe their
products. I look at the vibe and feel; sites can be crap. If you hire a high
school kid to do your site, I can tell and I don’t want to work for a company
like that. The site itself is not going to sell me, but it’s a good start.”
She went on to explain that she does this type of research on a desktop
computer, but often switched between desktop and mobile when making her
final decision. In fact, the majority of users in our study stated that they
usually try to learn about companies on desktop, rather than on mobile.
If you deprioritize About Us content, you’ll likely miss key opportunities to

engage both new and existing users. Or, you’ll push people away who would
have otherwise worked with you. By all means, dedicate most of your
website’s homepage to sales, current offers, and navigation to products or
services, but remember to include a simple link to the About Us section.
USER SATISFACTION: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
While websites are getting better at supporting people’s tasks, standards are
much higher today and organizations have to do more to satisfy users.
The main things that negatively impacted user satisfaction with About Us
content were:
• Complex and overwhelming navigation
• When critical information was difficult to find, including what the
company does and who to contact
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• Content that lacked substance
• Stock photography
• Walls of text and insufficient use of white space
• Busy and cluttered interfaces
• Poor choice of font size, color, and contrast
• Lack of trust and security indicators
• Aggressive sales tactics (e.g., promotions, banner ads, pushy tones)
The main things that positively impacted user satisfaction were:
• Clean graphic designs that complimented the content and were
consistent with the company’s image
• Authentic, realistic-looking imagery
• Simple and consistent navigation across desktop and mobile
• Easy-to-find contact information with telephone numbers, email
addresses, and chat options
• Clearly outlined community and social efforts
• Endorsements from reputable, external sources
• Seemingly good products and services
• Emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and environmental sustainability
EMPATHIZING WITH USER SKEPTICISM
An influx of online scams, data breaches, and negative experiences people

have had with companies contributed to users becoming more and more
skeptical of businesses and their About Us content. In addition, hearing about
other people’s bad experiences on social media, in the news, or via word-of-
mouth heightened fear among users.
Ecommerce sites, transactional sites, and online services sites need a strong
About Us section, because users often wonder who’s behind a business, how
it’s funded, and whether it’s credible. Users typically have questions about an
organization, which motivate them to dig into About Us information. Common
questions include:
• If I order from an ecommerce site, can I trust the company to
ship the package?
• Will the company accept a return if the product arrives in poor
condition?
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• If I register on a site, will it sell my personal information to
anyone who can pay, this exposing me to endless spam?
• If I donate to this nonprofit, how much of my donation will go to
administrative fees versus supporting the cause?
Due to many recent data breaches, users are also more sensitive with their
personal information online. They fear their data might be shared,
compromised, or that their privacy could be violated. In our most recent
study, several users were cautious with their email addresses; they thought
if an organization had their email the company would spam them with
unwanted messages.
With the increased scrutiny companies now face from users, we wondered if
this had any impact on users’ preferences for working with small or large
businesses. As with many answers in the field of user experience, the answer
depends. In general, users felt that they would get better convenience,
prices, and overall support when working with big companies. They feared
that small-business, prices might be higher and reliability might be lower
than what they’d get from working with a large company.
At the same time, many users were skeptical of large business and felt they
would be less honest and helpful than smaller companies. One user said,
“I don’t have a preference, but if I had to pick, I’d choose a
small business over a large one. I like having direct contact with
a person and sometimes, it’s harder to work with larger
companies. I like to support small businesses; it’s easier to get
things done when working with a smaller company, in general.
Bureaucracy elongates things.”
The key takeaway here is that both large and small companies have an
opportunity to show users that they debunk these assumptions. Be thorough
and diligent in the About Us section of your website to address these
legitimate user concerns.
The Rise of Reviews

In the 20 sessions we conducted during this round of research, the word
Reviews or some mention of “I would read reviews” was cited over 40 times.
It’s important for companies to monitor what’s being said about them on
review sites. Doing so will ensure the company can either address the issues
in their corporate site content, or use the feedback as opportunities to
improve. For example, one user said, “I would do a Google search for the
company name to learn more about them. I’d target sites that do company
reviews and give info about the company, as well as its competitors. Google
would give me that site along with others. It’s validation for what they’re
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(the company) saying about themselves. I’ll be on the lookout for adverse
stuff as well; I look for consistency and trends.”
Another said, “I’m very skeptical; I would not look at just the website. I
would look at blogs and review sites; these would be my first place. I’ve been
burned and the website alone won’t make the case for me. I’m going to
Google that company and look for reviews and see what’s out there. There’s
all kinds of places you can go to now.”
This reliance on reviews means that companies also have an opportunity to
set themselves apart by including authentic review content on their own
corporate websites within the About Us section. Though users will likely still
rely on Google to form their final opinions, at least surfacing unadulterated
reviews shows you have nothing to hide and that you want users to get the
full story on you from real people and customers.
STRUCTURING AND LABELING ABOUT US CONTENT
We recommend sites always include at least a main About Us page, but

depending on the amount of content you have, your users’ information
needs, the size, and tenure of your organization, you may decide to include
subcategory pages underneath About Us. We suggest providing About Us
information at 4 levels of detail:
1. Tagline on homepage: A few words or brief sentences on the
homepage that summarizes what the organization does.
2. Summary on About Us page: 1–2 short, scannable paragraphs at
the top of a main About Us page, that offer a bit more detail about the
organization’s goals and main accomplishments.
3. Subcategory pages under About Us: Including detailed information
on subcategory pages can give users answers to their questions when
they want to learn even more about your company. Examples of
appropriate subcategory pages that could live underneath the main
About Us category include, Mission and Values, History, Leadership,
Investors, News, Careers, Sustainability, and Diversity and Inclusion.
For smaller sites and organizations, subcategory content can live
directly on a single About Us page, rather than breaking it up into
individual pages. In either case, if your organization places a
heightened emphasis on any of the subcategory pages we mentioned,
make sure those links are not subcategories underneath About Us, but
rather, link to them from your main navigation to make them easily
accessible. This often happens with pages such as News, Investor
Relations, or Careers to name a few.
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4. Footer: Be sure to also link to About Us content in your footer as
users heavily relied on the footer as a fallback. Anytime people
couldn’t find the information they needed from the main navigation,
they immediately scrolled down to the footer to find it.
Additionally, it’s important to reiterate from previous studies, that
average users will rarely click on obscurely-named links such as Corporate
Governance. People don’t understand jargon terms like this and struggle
to decipher meaning from obscure link names. Use clear link labels; they
help general web users navigate and are less burdensome for more
sophisticated users, such as investors or business journalists.
Explain What Your Organization Does

Whether you use a single About Us page or an entire About Us section, you
must provide a clear explanation of what your company does. Although this
sounds obvious, for many organizations, it’s actually quite difficult to do. We
saw journalists, investors, and general web users baffled by numerous
websites and unable to figure out what the organization did. Too often,
companies erroneously assume that people understand their business and
neglect to concisely state their purpose, or how they differ from competitors.
Usually, having a single phrase or a concise paragraph will do the trick.
For example, users struggled to understand exactly what AECOM did from
the content presented in their About Us section. The language was too vague
and could have been applied to any field or organization. When asked to
describe the company in their own words, people began reading right off of
the page or they pulled words from the page into their descriptions, without
actually knowing what they meant. This is a sure sign that people are not
clear on what your company does.
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AECOM’s website did not help users gain a clear understanding of who
they were and what they did.
Some organizations intentionally convolute this content to keep themselves

open to many different types of business partnerships. In other cases,
internal content creators assume the copy describes what the business does,
but to an outside user, it means nothing. No matter the reason, if your About
Us content is vague, jargon-laden, or difficult to understand, work with
stakeholders to define the company’s purpose and clearly identify
differentiators. Do competitive analysis and market research before crafting
your messaging, and test out different descriptions with real users, to find
out which ones make sense to your target audience.
In any conversation, saying who you are and what you do demonstrates
good manners. Explain your company’s origins, how you view business, and
how you relate to the community. From our earliest usability studies to now,
we’ve seen that users like getting a sense of the company behind the website
and good About Us content helps facilitate this conversation.
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Guideline List
Making a Good First Impression ................................................................. 27
1. Maintain a professional–looking website. ................................ 27
2. Match the site design with the tone and personality of your
audience and organization. ................................................... 33
3. Show the company name or logo in a reasonable size and

noticeable location, ideally in the upper left-hand corner of the
header............................................................................... 34
4. Proofread content for spelling, grammar, and punctuation

errors to avoid doubts about your credibility. .......................... 36
5. Keep metadata accurate and up-to-date for users who seek

answers directly from search engine results pages. .................. 36
6. Retain valid site security certificates so your corporate site URL

begins with https. ............................................................... 37
7. Use geolocation to present the correct language and country-

specific website to users; provide an easy way to switch
countries or languages. ........................................................ 40
8. Optimize site content for fast page-load and ensure clickable

elements respond right away. ............................................... 42
9. Avoid using overly intrusive modals for surveys, email signups,

or promotional messages. .................................................... 45
10. Test the implementation of required GDPR modals and pop-ups

to ensure they are compliant, function properly, and don’t
obscure the entire page. ...................................................... 48
11. If your organization has a gateway page to subsites, phrase the

choices in terms of function, and not by the organization’s
internal structure. ............................................................... 49
About Us Structure and Labeling ................................................................ 52
12. Include an About Us landing page along with more detailed

company information for people who want it. .......................... 52
20 Guideline List
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13. Place an About Us or About <company name> link in the main
navigation and in the footer. ................................................. 54
14. If you use branded subsites, include an About Us link to

corporate information in a consistent place across all sites. ....... 59
15. Make sure the About Us link stands out, is not difficult to find,
or contained in a visual element resembling a banner. .............. 61
16. When Investors, Careers, and News are high priorities, include
direct links to them in your navigation; otherwise, make them
subcategories under About Us. .............................................. 64
17. Write out the official company name on the About Us page and
any subcategory pages, including Investors, News, and
Careers. ............................................................................ 66
18. Remove links to outdated or nonexistent corporate content. ...... 67
Company Information and News ................................................................ 69
19. Anticipate your visitors’ initial questions and provide answers in

your About Us content. ........................................................ 69
20. Place a tagline that succinctly states what the organization does
at the top of the About Us page. ........................................... 73
21. If a single tagline cannot sufficiently explain your company, use

a few sentences or list key business areas. ............................. 79
22. Include a meaningful summary about the organization that

elaborates upon what it does. ............................................... 81
23. Use clear and plain language in your company summary. ......... 82
24. Make key corporate facts prominent and scannable. ................. 83
25. Don’t dynamically change or hide content on your corporate

site. .................................................................................. 86
26. Ensure About Us content is indexed and appears in site search

results. .............................................................................. 89
27. For SEO purposes, include news articles and press releases on
your corporate website; don’t just link out to third-party news
sources. ............................................................................. 91
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28. If your organization is currently in crisis, or has faced
controversy in the past, address it on your website. ................. 93
29. If your organization has a social media presence, make sure

the messages on those platforms are consistent with what’s on
your corporate website. ....................................................... 95
Communicating Your Business Philosophy................................................. 99
30. Post a mission statement that conveys your organization’s

philosophy and purpose. ...................................................... 99
31. Match the tone of your mission statement with your target
audiences. It should be brief, memorable, and genuine. .......... 100
32. Feature your organization’s core values, ethics and, employee

conduct. ........................................................................... 101
33. Define corporate governance, as most people don’t know what

it means. .......................................................................... 104
History and Timelines ............................................................................... 106
34. Offer historical content that outlines the organization’s

milestones and achievements. ............................................. 106
35. Make historical information easy to scan................................ 108
36. Don’t use excessive animations or interactive elements in your

historical timeline. .............................................................. 112
Executive Leadership and Management ................................................... 115
37. Provide information about the organization’s leaders including

their names, job titles, photos, and biographies. ..................... 115
Careers and Company Culture .................................................................. 122
38. If you must utilize subsites for career content, ensure the
transitions are streamlined. ................................................. 122
39. Showcase benefits, training, and ongoing investments the

company makes in its people. .............................................. 124
40. Provide an accurate picture of the company’s culture. ............. 125
22 Guideline List
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41. Include information about how your organization prioritizes
Diversity and Inclusion........................................................ 128
Social, Environmental, and Charitable Impacts ....................................... 130
42. If your organization prioritizes giving back to society and the

community, share this information. ...................................... 130
43. Include specific information about how your company

emphasizes environmental protection and sustainability. ......... 133
44. Provide detailed facts and legitimate proof to back up your

social claims. ..................................................................... 136
45. Use a genuine tone, especially in your community-focused

content. ............................................................................ 137
46. Avoid using overly complex terms when talking about social
and charitable contributions. ................................................ 138
Awards, Recognition, and Reviews .......................................................... 140
47. Designate an area within your About Us section to showcase

awards and recognition. ...................................................... 140
48. Write informative headings and summaries that explain the

significance of any honors mentioned. ................................... 142
49. Provide concrete evidence to substantiate awards including

what it was for, how it was judged, and by whom. .................. 144
50. Include trust-builders and endorsements from clients and

reputable, third-party organizations. ..................................... 146
51. When featuring customer stories, reviews, and feedback, be

specific about the sources. .................................................. 150
52. Showcase the feedback, stories, and case studies that are most
relevant to your target audience. ......................................... 152
53. Monitor feedback that’s on third-party review websites as users

rely on these sources for unbiased opinions. .......................... 154
Contact and Customer Support ................................................................ 157
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54. Display noticeable links to Contact Us and/or Customer Support
in your main navigation and in the footer. ............................. 157
55. The Contact Us or Customer Support link should lead to

complete contact details and options..................................... 161
56. For sites with many contact numbers, create a clear structure
to help users find the right one. ........................................... 165
57. Offer a contact form only in addition to telephone numbers, not

as a replacement. .............................................................. 169
58. Don’t force people to create an account to contact your

company. .......................................................................... 171
59. Include online chat as a contact option, but make sure it is not
the only contact method available. ....................................... 172
60. Allow users to contact your organization via social media

channels. .......................................................................... 173
61. Communicate wait times and response timeframes in context of

specific contact channels. .................................................... 175
62. Limit contact forms to 3-5 fields; only ask for the most
pertinent information needed for response. ............................ 176
63. For contact forms or chat boxes, favor open text fields instead
of forcing users to select from a predetermined list of topics. ... 177
64. If you serve multiple countries or an international audience,

provide contact information for each office location abroad. ..... 178
65. Provide a link to your privacy policy and terms of use in the
footer; reiterate these policies where people enter their
personal information........................................................... 181
Nonprofit Organizations ........................................................................... 184
66. For nonprofit organizations that accept donations, report the

share of funds that go to overhead versus the amount that
goes to the cause. .............................................................. 184
67. When asking for donations, let people enter their own amount,
rather than forcing them to choose from a set of narrow
choices. ............................................................................ 188
24 Guideline List
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Images, Video, and Mobile ....................................................................... 191
68. Refrain from overusing stock photography. ............................ 191
69. Use realistic, high-quality images that portray an accurate

representation of your company and its people....................... 194
70. Ensure graphics and images reinforce the written message

without obstructing reading. ................................................ 197
71. Avoid making content and links look like promotions or

advertising. ....................................................................... 201
72. Use video only when the message is better served visually and
audibly, rather than by reading. ........................................... 203
73. Always include transcripts and closed-captioning options with

videos. ............................................................................. 206
74. Keep video clips short; cut unnecessary segments that do not
add value. ......................................................................... 206
75. Test videos on different platforms, configurations, devices, and

settings to ensure video works for many contexts. .................. 208
Usability Basics for Corporate Sites.......................................................... 210
76. Use a consistent navigational structure across related sites and

subsites. ........................................................................... 210
77. Avoid opening new browser tabs and windows. ...................... 215
78. If you must link to a different website, open the site in the
same window and tell users they’re going to a different website
(before they click the link). .................................................. 217
79. Name links to corporate content clearly; avoid using vague

labels that could imply similar or duplicate meaning. ............... 218
80. Use font sizes and styles that optimize readability. ................. 220
81. For readability and accessibility, ensure there’s adequate

contrast between text, images, and background colors. ........... 222
82. Write and present long-form corporate content in a way that

optimizes scanning. ............................................................ 225
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83. Use language that is familiar to your target audience, and avoid
technical language or uncommon terms. ............................... 228
84. Offer PDFs in addition to HTML formats, not as a replacement. . 230
85. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) should include only

questions that are actually asked frequently. ......................... 233
26 Guideline List
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Making a Good First Impression
1. Maintain a professional–looking website.
Users begin to form their opinions about a company right after they land on
the website. Therefore, the impression you make in the first few seconds is
critical to establishing your brand and convincing site visitors to stay. A
messy website will give users a negative perception about your organization,
regardless of whether those perceptions are true.
For instance, users described their assumptions about companies with sites
that looked unprofessional or outdated as:
• small, low-budget
• untrustworthy, not credible
• unconcerned and careless
• unwelcoming and not customer–centric
• old-fashioned, lacking innovation
• not secure
Avoid the following as they make websites look unprofessional:
• low-quality or stock photography
• small fonts and mismatched colors
• old design patterns, such as table-based layouts
• poor contrast; using light fonts on dark backgrounds
• desktop versions of sites appearing on mobile
• inline frames
• unusual or non-standard looking navigation
• Flash-based pages
• content that was slow-to-load
For example, the American Refugee Committee website created a good first
impression by having a clean visual design and layout. The site looked
professional and legitimate on both desktop and mobile. The organization’s
mission statement and images piqued people’s interest and encouraged site
exploration. The navigation was straight-forward and easy to understand,
which helped users get to exactly where they wanted to go.
Upon landing on the website, one user said “This site has very compelling
photography. The navigation titles are clear and I can see right where I’d go
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to learn more about them or make a donation. I understood exactly what
they do, right from the start.”
The American Refugee Committee website created a positive first

impression through clean visual style, balanced layout, clear navigation,
and straightforward word choices.
28 Making a Good First Impression
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On mobile, The American Refugee Committee’s website maintained a
clean design and used clear language. These elements helped users
understand exactly what the organization did, right away.
When users encountered professional and polished sites, they credited the
company and the website team for putting time, effort, and thought into the
website. A user reading on Computershare’s website said,
“I think it would be a good company to invest with, just because
the website looks really good. If it looks like a company put
effort into design and content, it says a lot without even saying
anything. If it looks janky or there’s not a lot on it, then I feel
like they don’t care a lot about it. It’s about presentation; how it
looks matters.”
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Users felt they could trust the organization (Computershare) because of
the time, effort, and attention to detail demonstrated in the website.
Another user who was looking for corporate information on Deutsche Bank’s
website said, “The people behind the scenes made this look nice and clean.
They put time into the site, so you know they’ll be a trustworthy company.
It’s not a site you’d feel questionable about.” Factors such as a balanced
layout, clear navigation with expected labels, and a clean design all
contributed to users feeling like Deutsche Bank’s website was professional-
looking.
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Users credited the company (Deutsche Bank) and its website team when
they encountered sites that had a professional aesthetic and
comprehensive content.
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Conversely, when a user was evaluating whether or not Dow Chemical would
be a good company to work for on Dow.com, her first impression of the
website was that it was boring and lacked a personality. Based solely on the
appearance of the website, she felt that she probably wouldn’t have a good
experience working for the company.
“It’s just not an exciting-looking website; I don’t like it, it’s
boring. It doesn’t even have a personality. I’m not drawn to
want to read any of these things. And even when I click on
something, I still don’t want to go further. It’s a whole lot of
red; almost like it’s screaming at me.”
Factors which led to this perception on Dow Chemical’s website included
images that looked too corporate and self-centered copy that talked all about
the organization without any regard for what users might actually want to
glean from the website. The crowded grid layout forced images to bump up
against each other, which made it hard to visually distinguish between the
sections of content on the page. This design choice also did not help to draw
users in to key areas of the site where their tasks could be supported. A
better approach would have been to include more whitespace between the
images and content blocks so that users can more clearly differentiate
between each section. Replacing the stock-looking images of the corporate
headquarters and people standing on the floor of the stock market with
images that reflect the true benefits Dow brings to people would have also
helped users form a more positive first impression.
The abundance of the color red throughout the site was off-putting to one
user. Red in particular is often used to indicate errors or warnings, so it can
easily make users feel uneasy about a layout that uses too much of it. For
Dow Chemical, red is branding color, so it’s important this color be used to
establish the brand. However, it may be necessary to iterate on the use of
red in the design so as to not negatively impact users. No matter the color
scheme you choose, make sure to test it with users to ensure they perceive
its look and feel as professional on various devices.
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The lack of personality and abundance of red on Dow.com were off-
putting to users.
2. Match the site design with the tone and personality of

your audience and organization.
Visual elements such as graphics, colors, typography, and layout help users
know if they are on the right website. In addition to these aesthetic
elements, writing style, word choice, sentence structure, and punctuation
also influence users’ perceptions when assessing whether or not your
company will meet their needs. Both your visual design and written
communications should align to your company’s branding and match what
your audience expects.
About Us content should use a tone of voice that’s consistent with other
areas of your website and branding. For example, shortly after arriving on
UncommonGoods.com, one user said, “Wow, they seem really conversational
and friendly in tone, the vibe of the business really comes through on their
website. It makes me like them and want to buy things from them.”
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The personality and tone of voice on UncommonGoods.com made a
positive first-impression with users and motivated them to spend money
on the website.
3. Show the company name or logo in a reasonable size

and noticeable location, ideally in the upper left-hand
corner of the header.
One of the easiest ways to communicate the site’s purpose is to show the
company name and logo. Neither need be enormous, but the name and logo
should be prominent enough to get people’s attention when they first land on
the site. For people who are familiar with the company, the logo can help
reinforce the brand and corporation’s image. Even for people who don’t know
the company, repeatedly seeing a recognizable logo can trigger feelings of
familiarity. For languages that read from left to right, it’s customary to find
corporate logos in the page’s upper left-hand corner.
Most of the sites we tested followed this guideline, however, Chevron.com
didn’t. Chevron placed the logo in the middle of the main navigation, and
though users could still identify that it was Chevron’s website, it took them
longer to navigate back home. Users naturally moved their cursor to the
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upper left corner, where they expected to find the logo, but after realizing it
was not there, they had to redirect to the logo in the middle of the page.
The non-standard placement of Chevron’s logo meant users had to use a

bit more intention when locating it to get back to the homepage.
Citigroup’s logo was placed properly in the upper left-hand corner; this
helped users recognize that they were on the correct website.
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4. Proofread content for spelling, grammar, and
punctuation errors to avoid doubts about your
credibility.
While this may seem as if it should go without saying, we leave this guideline
here as a constant reminder that you can’t neglect your About Us content.
Even in our most recent study, several users noticed errors in spelling,
grammar, and punctuation on corporate websites.
Always be sure to thoroughly check your copy for mistakes before releasing it
to users, and continue to check the content once it’s live. Though it might
seem trivial to some internal teams, when users encountered these errors,
they questioned what else the company or website had overlooked. For
example, while reviewing corporate information on Benettongroup.com, one
user encountered a spelling error while scanning the content and said,
“Everything needs to be spelled correctly. No typos, no errors in punctuation,
which drives me crazy. It seems minor but those are things that tell me
whether or not this is a legitimate company.”
5. Keep metadata accurate and up-to-date for users who

seek answers directly from search engine results pages.
After years of studying user behavior, we know that most people’s
experience on the web starts with a search engine. Because of this, it’s
important for organizations to keep metadata, including title tags, meta
descriptions, and image alt tags informative and updated for users who seek
quick access to company information from search results. If the content in
the search engine results page is helpful and answers their questions, users
are more likely to click through and engage with your site to get more.
When users failed to find information on corporate websites, many of them
said, “At this point, I’d just Google it.” For example, one user struggled to
find information about the CEO of Purina on their mobile site. He first scrolled
up to the very top of the About page and said,
“I’m going to scroll down until I see something about the CEO.”
He navigated all the way down to the footer and clicked on a
Contact Us link thinking that information about the executive
team may be found there. Not finding what he was looking for,
he tried using site-search with the term, “CEO”. Three results
appeared and he said, “I found three results; Beverly Murry is
the CEO. Wait hold on, no she’s not, let me double check; I
have to go into this article…No, I don’t think that’s right, I’m not
sure, I’d just rely on Google’s search engine results over the
website at this point.”
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The user was clearly lost and unable to find any information about the CEO.
When he grew frustrated, he said he’d abandon the website and expected to
find a quicker, more reliable answer in the search engine results pages.
Maintaining clean and accurate metadata on your pages will help users find
answers to their questions, whether they search on the corporate website
itself or seek answers to their questions directly from search engine results
pages.
Users were unable to locate accurate information about who the CEO
was from Purina.com (left) and thus, turned to Google to find a faster,
more reliable answer (right).
6. Retain valid site security certificates so your corporate

site URL begins with https.
With mounting skepticism and concerns about security online, users want to
know that the organizations they’re researching as potential vendors or for
professional partnerships take security seriously. Users in our study
mentioned the tiny padlock icon that appears within the browser bar on both
desktop and mobile. They expected to see this padlock icon to indicate
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whether or not the site was secure. One user said, “I always make sure that
I’m on HTTPS so that it’s secure, and so that I can be confident in my
transactions online.” Another user said, “The site has to have the security
indicator; the little green lock at the top that says it’s secure. Red or yellow
are the other two colors I look for. I guess it’s more something you notice if
it’s not green.”
Because the majority of users in this study were business professionals, they
often visit company websites from their work computers. The fact that many
companies won’t allow access to sites if they don’t have valid security
certificates means it is even more important to keep your website secure.
SSL certificates should be up-to-date, and the padlock icon should appear,
preferably in green.
Users noticed that Titan Vision’s website did not have the padlock icon
present. This, in conjunction with its slow page-load times made users
question if the company valued data security.
Titan Vision’s website did not have the padlock icon present.
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Users noted the padlock icon on mobile and desktop which indicated that
Apple’s site was secure.
Users noted the padlock icon on mobile and desktop which indicated that
Apple’s site was secure.
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7. Use geolocation to present the correct language and
country-specific website to users; provide an easy way
to switch countries or languages.
For corporations that have multiple country-specific websites, always default
the user to the site version that aligns to their current location, if it’s known.
Of course, not all users will provide their IP address or consent to having
websites use their current location, so in these cases, make it easy for users
to manually switch to the country-specific site they need.
Nestle’s corporate website did a good job of defaulting users to the proper
language and country-specific context. Rather than beginning the experience
with a choice, the site automatically placed users in the global site
experience. It then provided a link in the utility navigation, which allowed
users to change their location and the language of the site, if needed.
Nestle provided a global site experience and an easy way to change it.
In another example, BCG.com presented users with a banner at the top of

the homepage, which asked them to choose a location to get a tailored site
experience. Many users completely overlooked this banner and did not take
the time to actually confirm their location. A better approach would have
been to automatically detect where the user was accessing the site from
(Like Nestle in the previous example), and provide that location-specific
experience from the start.
BCG.com presented users with a banner at the top of the homepage

asking them to select a location.
Another pattern we observed was the use of a map to route users to the
location-specific experience. Rather than presenting users with a map and
the burden of an extra choice, present the correct experience by default. For
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example, UPS already had the North American region highlighted and had
preselected United States – English as the language. If UPS.com knew
enough about the user’s current location to highlight the correct continent
and language option, it should have just taken users directly to this version
of the site and provided an easy way to switch, once there.
UPS.com knew where users were located, so the extra step requiring
users to select their country was unnecessary.
If people don’t share their location or if the browser is unable to detect it, use
a gateway page with simple options to get users to the correct site
experience. For example, Yamaha.com presented users with a gateway page
and asked them to select their preferred language for viewing the corporate
site. Though a better option would have been to detect the country where
the user was located and present that site version and language, this is an
acceptable pattern to follow when the user’s location cannot be detected.
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Yamaha’s corporate website presented users with an interstitial page
where they could choose the proper language and country-specific
experience.
8. Optimize site content for fast page-load and ensure

clickable elements respond right away.
The speed with which webpages loaded had a significant impact on users’
first impressions of a company. If a site was clunky and slow to load, users
developed a negative perception of the organization before even landing on
their About Us content. When they encountered slow-to-load sites, users
wondered if the company lacked tech-savviness, if it was experiencing
technical issues, or if they had let their website go completely. Users tried to
refresh the pages in an attempt to access the site, or they navigated to a
search engine (usually Google) to find the information they needed
somewhere else. One user who was looking to find out if ImmunoGen would
be a good company to work for, became so frustrated with a site’s inability to
load that he abandoned the task entirely.
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Users waited on a loading screen while ImmunoGen’s website took over
10 seconds to load (top).
The homepage contained a large video file which contributed to slow

load speeds and diminished user perceptions of the organization before
the site even appeared.
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When asked what makes a website credible, one user said, “How it’s laid out;
if it’s not all jumbled in one big run-on sentence. If the site responds quickly
as in button presses, menu animation, things like that.” Interactive elements
such as buttons, links, and menus should always respond in a timely fashion
and not leave users waiting and wondering what will happen next, and when.
Sites with speedy load times caught favorable attention from users. While
reviewing corporate information on Wirecard’s mobile website, another user
noted, “It’s handling on my phone very well. I appreciate the speed of
performance and how you can navigate through with fast response times;
this made it easy for me to find the information. Even though this site had a
search bar, I didn’t use it, which is a sign of me being able to find the site
content.”
Wirecard’s mobile website loaded quickly; this made it easy for people
to find the company information they needed.
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9. Avoid using overly intrusive modals for surveys, email
signups, or promotional messages.
Throughout our study, many users were inundated with intrusive modal
windows within the first 5 seconds of landing on a page. Don’t burden your
users by making them close an irritating modal before the page they
expected even loads. If you must use modals, at least select a strategic point
in the experience to show them. For example, an appropriate time might be
after a number of pages are viewed, an amount of time is spent on a page
without interrupting a task, or when a key task is completed.
While browsing Uncommon Goods, one user vented about an intrusive modal
window, “It really annoys me when stuff like that pops up before I’ve done
anything else on the website. How do I know if I want to be an email
subscriber if I just got here? I would prefer to get that a little later on.”
Though the illusion of a secret sale might seem compelling to the company,
users simply closed the modal without reading it and expressed disdain for
the intrusion.
Within the first few seconds of landing on UncommonGoods.com, users

were presented with a modal window encouraging them to enter their
email address.
While searching on Purina.com, another user said “Yea this is pretty good;
it’s pretty mobile friendly…Oh wait, there’s a little pop up for the email
address already. I don’t like that.” An annoying modal can quickly shift user
perceptions of a site from positive to negative.
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An email pop-up on Purina.com obstructed the user’s view and their
initial opinion of the experience went from mobile-friendly to
displeasing.
Nestle did a good job of displaying a feedback link as well as a cookie

consent notification on their corporate website, without using intrusive
modals. The links to these elements were in plain sight for users to see and
interact with, but did not block their ability to find corporate information. The
feedback tab sat statically on the right-hand side of the screen, and the
cookie consent was ever-present in the lower right corner.
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Links to Cookie Consent and Feedback were available to users on
Nestle’s website but did not pop-up right away or block their ability to
find corporate content, which is a favorable approach.
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Another option is to use a less intrusive, nonmodal overlay to house your
feedback rating scale. This is a favorable approach because it does not
require the user to interact with it, nor does it inhibit people from completing
their tasks when it is visible.
10. Test the implementation of required GDPR modals and

pop-ups to ensure they are compliant, function
properly, and don’t obscure the entire page.
While recent legislation is favorable for users in that corporations must now
ask for permission to track and use their data, some mechanisms for gaining
consent have become altogether annoying to users. Features asking users to
consent to have their information collected often take up the entire page at a
critical point when users are developing their initial opinions about
organizations.
If you must disclose your use of cookies or other data-capture methods to
users, do it in a polite way that doesn’t completely inhibit people’s browsing.
For example, while looking for contact information on BCG’s website, one
user encountered a cookie notification pop-up that did not block their ability
to navigate the website, which was good. However, this notification took 4
click-attempts before the user could close it, as the I agree button was
buggy. Don’t make your users repeatedly click to close these pop-ups, and
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be sure to give them the ability to opt-out, rather than forcing them to agree
to be tracked.
BCG.com used an unobtrusive pop-up to ask users to agree to the use

of cookies on the site. Though it did not get in users’ way while
navigating, it was difficult to close.
11. If your organization has a gateway page to subsites,

phrase the choices in terms of function, and not by the
organization’s internal structure.
Many corporations are no longer using gateway pages to direct users to
subsites, which is favorable. Though the trend is declining, this guideline
remains relevant as a reminder to phrase choices by function rather than
internal nomenclature, if you’re still using gateway pages to link multiple
subsites together.
Never present users with navigation choices that mirror your organizational
chart. This type of navigation may make perfect sense to its creators, but it
won’t make sense to the intended audiences. Giving people a list of internal
organizations to choose from assumes that they are familiar with your
company’s set-up. Don’t make that mistake; people don’t know your org
chart and they don’t care about it. Use clear choices that align with users’
mental models for finding information about your company.
For example, BMW.com used to have a gateway page to various subsites
which structured choices by internal departments. This created an
antagonistic user experience and forced people to guess which website (or
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department) might have the information they needed. A better approach
would have been to classify choices by function or phrases that reflect
visitor’s tasks. For example, rather than “BMW Group”, a better label would
be “About BMW” or “Company Information”. BMW has since redesigned their
corporate website to remove the gateway page and updated links to its
corporate content to say, Company Information.
BMW used to have a gateway page which linked to its various subsites.
Though the company has since redesigned their site to remove the
gateway page, it still serves as an example of what no to do in terms of
phrasing links to subsites based on the organization’s internal structure.
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FedEx’s site had a gateway page to various subsites. Choices were
phrased in a way that aligned with users’ tasks rather than the
company’s internal structure, which is favorable.
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About Us Structure and Labeling
12. Include an About Us landing page along with more
detailed company information for people who want it.
Some users may want to research your organization beyond the About Us
page, so it’s helpful to provide them with links to additional content such as
your history, accomplishments, awards, and future plans. People appreciate
seeing how long an organization has been around as well as the
accomplishments it has achieved. Well-documented successes displayed on a
corporate website indicate an organization is thorough and methodical in its
work and has the history and specifics to back up its claims.
We list the top content subcategories for corporate information below. This
list serves as a guide, as some of these topics may not pertain to your
organization or your users’ information needs. If your organization is just
starting out or small, it’s acceptable to include the information listed below
on a single About Us page.
Suggested subcategories to organize under About Us:
• About Us landing page
o Leadership and Team
o History and Timeline
o Awards and Recognition
o Diversity and Inclusion
o Community Involvement
o Environment and Sustainability
o Customer Testimonials
The following corporate-related topics are broad and can either live under the
About Us category, or as standalone categories, depending on if your users
access this type of content often and if your main navigation can
accommodate these extra links.
• Investor Relations
• Newsroom
• Careers
Johnson & Johnson did a nice job of summarizing our suggested
subcategories on their About Us page. The overview content was thorough
and genuine, and provided the right balance of brevity and clarity. For
52 About Us Structure and Labeling
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specific areas of interest, such as Leadership, Diversity, and Company
Structure, users were able to click through links to find more detailed
information about these topics.
The About Us section on Johnson & Johnson’s website provided

compelling content which made the organization feel more personal. The
links to specific corporate information helped to build its credibility.
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13. Place an About Us or About <company name> link in
the main navigation and in the footer.
Don’t make users endlessly search for company information on your website
and don’t make people guess where to go to find it. The main navigation and
footer should always provide a link to About Us content. Simply placing a link
on the homepage is not enough, as search engines often take people directly
to interior pages, rather than starting them out on the homepage. If you only
place a link to corporate information on the homepage, users will likely miss
it.
Additionally, if the link is labeled as anything other than About Us or About
<company name>, users will likely have to work harder to find your
company information and get confused along the way. For example, a user
on OneCall.com couldn’t easily find information about the company. After
failing to locate an About Us link in the main navigation, the user clicked on a
main navigation link labeled, Learning Center instead, assuming they’d find
About Us content there.
“I’m trying to figure out what company this is, all I see is
Learning Center. Obviously, they sell electronic gadgets. Who
are they? I can’t seem to find any information about them. I
don’t know who they are. Nothing on the home page jumps out
at me.”
The About Us content was not actually found in the Learning Center, but
instead, users could find this information directly in the footer of the page.
OneCall could have avoided this misinterpretation by placing an About Us link
in the main or utility navigation. Otherwise, similarly named links could be
confused as the best option (like Learning Center in this case) and lead users
down the wrong path.
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The link label Learning Center was easily confused for About Us content
as the user assumed he would learn about the company in this area.
The way people interact with an interface depends on past experiences, and
users expect to see standard terminology. Because the link to corporate
information is usually called About Us, users look specifically for these words
when seeking out company information. Deviating from the norm is risky
because other keywords won’t match what people are scanning for.
The United Colors of Benetton featured a link to corporate information called,
The Group, rather than using the more standard label, About Us. This was
also problematic because it presumes people are familiar with the company
structure. Most people are familiar with the fashion brand, United Colors of
Benetton but don’t know that it is owned by Benetton Group.
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The United Colors of Benetton featured a link to corporate information
called, The Group, rather than using the more standard label, About Us.
AXA did a nice job of following About Us link standards, as they use their
company name in the link. Placing the word About in front of the company
name also works well and makes the link to company information clear and
recognizable to users.
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AXA Retirement used the word About in front of their company name,
which is also an acceptable way to link to company information in your
main navigation and footer.
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Using a straightforward label such as About Axa in their main navigation
also made it easy for users to find this content on mobile; it was readily
accessible from the main menu.
One popular approach to categorizing About Us content is to use the phrases

Who We Are and What We Do. While these labels seem straightforward to
internal-facing teams, they can become quite conflated to users. Take for
example, a user looking for your company vision and mission statement. If
presented with the options of Who We Are and What We do, they may be left
wondering which category to select to find such information. A more direct
approach is to label this section of the site, About Us.
One user on BP.com had trouble discerning between the labels, Who We Are,
What We Do, and Products and Services when looking for the company’s
business philosophy. Though they ended up navigating to all three sections
to get a sense of the business’ philosophy, their experience could have been
more efficient by starting in a simple About Us section.
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BP.com did not have an About Us link, which caused users to stop and
think about which section to choose when they needed specific company
information.
14. If you use branded subsites, include an About Us link to

corporate information in a consistent place across all
sites.
If your organization has multiple brands and subsidiaries, provide a direct
link to corporate information on all of your brands’ sites. People go to the
brand site for corporate information because they are familiar with brands
and often, don’t even know a parent company exists.
Here’s a scenario from a user’s perspective:
• Joan has money to invest.
• She read a news article about 7UP gaining market share.
• She goes to 7Up.com to research the company.
• She doesn’t see a link to corporate information.
• (15 seconds later…) She gives up and checks out a competitor.
The scenario from the company’s perspective:
• We have a website dedicated to corporate information.
• 7up is only one of the products we make.
• The company name is Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.
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• Therefore, it makes sense to put corporate information only on the Dr.
Pepper Snapple Group website.
• People should be smart enough to figure out the relationship between
the brand sites and the corporate site.
There are many reasons why organizations might not feature links to
corporate information on subsites:
• Low importance: Corporate information is not a priority. The sites
are for brand recognition, ecommerce, promotions, fun, or other
functions.
• Wrong assumption: People know the parent company name and will
go to that website for corporate information.
• Vanity: We are proud of our brand and don’t want the corporate site
to be associated with the other subsites (or vice versa).
Whatever the reason may be, it’s critical to provide users with direct access
to information about your company. People likely have varying levels of
knowledge about you and your product, and will begin their research from
where they are most comfortable and familiar. Guide people through your
various websites by way of a universal navigation; include an ever-present
About Us link in your site’s main navigation, as well as in the footer. Don’t
assume people know about your parent company or that you have corporate
information on another website. Include a link that takes them to the right
place to learn about your business.
7Up.com lacked a link to corporate information on its brand site.
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Including an About Us link to corporate information on all brand sites
would assist people in getting to their parent company Dr. Pepper
Snapple Group.
15. Make sure the About Us link stands out, is not difficult
to find, or contained in a visual element resembling a
banner.
Making something bigger and brighter, or placing it in an unusual area of
your website does not always mean that it will get more attention from
users. In fact, the opposite is usually true. Banner blindness occurs when
people consciously or unconsciously ignore the information contained in
banners, regardless of if they’re ads or website links. When people are task-
focused, they dwell on the parts of the page that are perceived to have the
information they need (e.g., text and links) and ignore colorful banners and
animation. So, if your About Us links are placed in a banner area, they will
likely be overlooked.
For example, people missed the About Yamaha link because it was located in
a banner on the homepage. Additionally, because Yamaha employed a
hamburger menu (typically considered a mobile navigation pattern) on
desktop, the link was not readily discoverable. Users had to click the Menu
icon to find the About Us content, rather than simply scanning the main
navigation to find the link. A better placement would have been to display
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the About Us label in an exposed, main navigation rather than in the banner
or hiding it behind a mobile-like menu.
People had difficulty finding About Us content on Yamaha’s website

because it was contained in a banner-like element that resembled an ad.
Make sure that your About Us link is easy to find and is placed in an area
that users expect. A text link in your main navigation and footer labeled
About Us works best, provided it is not too small or overshadowed by
adjacent visual clutter.
For example, the nonstandard placement of the About Noridian link made it
difficult to find on the website. In addition, the complex navigation areas and
lack of a main navigation inflicted an unnecessary burden on users as they
had to scan each area carefully to locate what they needed.
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People struggled to find the About Us link on Noridian’s website because
it was not located in an area where the main navigation links are usually
found.
In another example, the tiny links in the utility navigation for About Us,
Corporate Responsibility, Press, Financial Professionals, and Contact on
Allianz’s website were hard for users to see. These important links would
have been better positioned in a larger font and in the main navigation to
help users find them faster. Because the utility navigation is usually reserved
for secondary, task-based functions such as Contact and Sign in, the About
Us link is better-suited to live in the main navigation.
People had a hard time seeing the About Us link on Allianz’s website
because the link text was far too small.
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In contrast, people on HNTB’s website noticed the About link right away; it
was the first link in the main navigation and was clearly labeled About.
HNTB’s website placed the About Us link in a priority spot, which made it
very easy to find.
16. When Investors, Careers, and News are high priorities,

include direct links to them in your navigation;
otherwise, make them subcategories under About Us.
There are three main factors to consider when determining if you should
house links to Investors, Careers, and News as individual links in your main
navigation, or if these links should live as subcategories underneath your
About Us section:
• Do your users actively seek out this type of content?
• Are these links a starting point for a top task on the website?
• Do you have space in your main navigation for three separate links?
If you answer yes to these three questions, then place the links to this
content in your main navigation. Otherwise, the links may live as
subcategories underneath About Us.
For example, General Electric’s corporate site featured direct links to
Investors, Careers, and News in their main navigation. Because these are
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high-priority areas for the organization, these direct links demonstrate their
importance and make it very easy for users to repeatedly find.
GE placed links to Investors, Careers, and News in their main

navigation, rather than housing these links as subcategories under an
About Us label.
However, not all websites have room to feature these links in the main
navigation, nor do all sites have the same priorities when it comes to
corporate content. In this case, organizations can feature their company
information on or categorized under the About Us page. Our research shows
that investors, journalists, and job seekers intuitively click on About Us labels
and use the subcategories to find the relevant information they need.
For example, Cardinal Health featured labels for About Us and Careers in
their main navigation. From the About Us label, users could find many more
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subcategories of content related to the organization including, Investor
Relations, Leadership, News and Media, and Diversity and Inclusion.
Cardinal Health featured all corporate information underneath an About

Us link which made it easy for users to find what they needed.
17. Write out the official company name on the About Us

page and any subcategory pages, including Investors,
News, and Careers.
An agonizing inconvenience that users and journalists often face is not being
able to find the official company name on corporate websites. Don’t spend
huge resources designing the perfect corporate image and forget to let
people know your name. Spelling out the full name of your organization
minimizes guesswork and ensures that people cite your company name
accurately.
Take the example below, what is the company name? Is it:
• GSK
• gsk
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Glaxo Smith Kline
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• Glaxo Smith Kline, Inc.
• GlaxoSmithKline plc
On GlaxoSmithKline’s About Us page, it was difficult to find the full
company name. Its logo and copy favored the acronym of the company
name, GSK, rather than spelling out the full name. Users had to scroll to
the footer to find out that the full name of the company was
GlaxoSmithKline plc.
GlaxoSmithKline forced users to scroll to the footer to find its full name.
18. Remove links to outdated or nonexistent corporate

content.
It’s important to take inventory of your corporate site content; this exercise
will help ensure that what’s presented to potential customers doesn’t become
outdated or lead users to 404 pages. When users landed on outdated content
or pages that no longer existed on company websites, they immediately
formed a negative perception of the company. Users began to believe that
the business didn’t care about keeping its content fresh and its website up-
to-date; they questioned what else in the business wasn’t updated.
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For example, a user on the Small Business Administration’s website said,
“Speeches, what is that? Oh, and this page isn’t there. When I see a page
not there, I always wonder how updated the whole site is, if there’s a link
that doesn’t go anywhere.”
The Small Business Administration’s website contained navigation links

that led to non-existent content. This created a negative perception
among users.
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Company Information and News
19. Anticipate your visitors’ initial questions and provide
answers in your About Us content.
Ease any apprehension or uncertainty people have about working or
transacting with your organization by answering critical questions right away.
Don’t hide or bury answers; people often research an organization’s
background to assess its character, and sites that appear to hide or withhold
information risk losing customers and appearing untrustworthy.
The answers people seek will vary from site to site, depending on the
product, service, and related tasks. However, regardless of the type of
business you’re in, there are usually a handful of questions that most people
need answered to determine whether your organization is right for them. We
list a few examples below, but strongly encourage you to develop your own
list by conducting a few one-on-one usability sessions with your target
audience.
Initial questions users might have:
• Who and what: Who is this company and what do they do?
• Contact: Will it be easy to contact someone if I have questions?
• Security: Is it safe to do business with this company?
• Relevancy: Does the site or organization satisfy a relevant need?
• Business practices: Is the organization ethical? How are my
donations spent? Will they share my data?
• Time: Will I receive my order in time?
• Quality: Will the quality of the product/service meet my expectations?
• Cost: Are the products or services within my budget? How much do
they cost and what comes with it?
• Reviews: What do other people say about working with this company?
Sites that provide answers to users’ top questions appear trustworthy and
competent. No one likes a pushy sales person who only looks out for their
own agenda, while ignoring the needs of the customer. Respect your users’
time and understand their reasons for coming to your site.
While looking into the remote meeting provider, GoToMeeting, one user said,
“So, my question is, what account do we actually need? I don’t know the
differences between the starter, pro, plus, and enterprise levels. What’s the
difference? I don’t want to look at all of this and try to compare it.”
Order NNG200605-1485-90437
GoToMeeting displayed its pricing structure in a comparison chart, which
is commonly a good pattern to help people see the differences between
options. However, this particular chart included a lot of attributes and
required the user to interpret the meaning of the grayed-out text to
indicate that package did not include those features. People were
overwhelmed by the amount of information presented, and found that it
took them a lot of time to find the answers they needed.
The content presented alongside GoToMeeting’s pricing options forced

users to interpret complex comparisons to answer their main questions.
A better approach would have been for GoToMeeting to lead with a short
summary of the key differences between packages. They could have also
included user-centered context such as the type or size of the business best
70 Company Information and News
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suited for a particular pricing model, which would have also helped people
answer their key questions. Then, for those interested in a detailed
comparison of each feature, a link to this detailed comparison chart could be
provided.
UBreakIFix’s website did a better much better job of providing straight-
forward answers to questions such as, who they are, what they do, and why
they do it. The site also offered a helpful button in the right-corner labeled,
Have a question? which launched a chat session. While exploring this site for
the first time, a user questioned who the organization was and what they did.
As he browsed, the user said, “Well it gives me a place to enter a ZIP
code…this looks like a locator to Find a Store. It shows me where I can get
things fixed.” The user then navigated to the About Us section of the site and
said,
“This is good, it tells me they fix cell phones and shows me
where I can go to get my phone fixed; it also lists phone
numbers. That’s the bottom line to me; it says repairs and helps
me get where I want to go pretty fast. I can also ask a question
right here with this red button.”
The UBreakIFix website answered users’ main questions right away at

the top of the About Us page.
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People on ecommerce sites questioned what the purchase process entailed
and looked for customer service information. They also wanted to know
post–purchase policies in advance, in case there would be a need to return
an order. Questions predominantly centered around:
• Contact methods
• Site security
• Shipping costs and timeframes
• Return policies
• Order pickup options
A participant on Uncommongoods.com viewed the site favorably because at
first glance, it contained the information she needed to feel comfortable with
purchasing; she scrolled to the footer to find Shipping & Return information.
“I would look at returns; I like to know that if something comes
broken, wrong, or not what I expected, what can I do. It’s nice
that they give you a phone number, live chat, and email
options, however you like to communicate, you can do it.”
Users could find customer-focused links and information at the bottom

of every page on Uncommon Goods’ website (Shipping & Returns,
Support, Live Chat, Email Us, and a toll–free number) which helped to
earn visitors’ trust.
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Uncommon Goods also placed their customer support resources in one
central place, thus reducing the effort required to find this information.
20. Place a tagline that succinctly states what the

organization does at the top of the About Us page.
Don’t assume that users know who you are and what your organization does
when they arrive on your website. People may be researching a new vendor
partnership, looking for a new job, or reading a case study. While completing
these tasks, they will likely need additional context and explanation about
your business.
To help give users the additional context they need, include a clear tagline on
your website that communicates exactly what your business does. When
crafting a tagline, keep in mind that it should briefly answer what your
company is about and what benefit it brings to people. People are growing
evermore impatient, so taglines should be brief, simple, and to the point.
Though Sempra Energy’s focus is reflected in its name, the company still
included a tagline on its homepage to remind users that they’re a forward-
thinking energy company.
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Sempra Energy’s tagline was clearly featured in the main hero space on
their homepage.
Taglines may not be necessary if the company is well-known worldwide, or

when the company name itself explains what the company does. Though
Sempra Energy’s name implies it deals in energy, this may not be specific
enough, so an additional tagline was helpful.
Vague or jargon-laden taglines confused users. For example, Lubrizol’s
tagline, Solutions for Everyday Life is too broad and doesn’t describe their
offerings and services. A tagline this general could have multiple
interpretations and apply to many different industries. A tagline such as, A
Practical, Environmentally-Conscious Chemical Company would be a more
descriptive option. One user said, “I’m not really sure what they do. It
doesn’t tell you right off the bat. I guess you can tell by reading some of this
stuff.”
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Lubrizol’s tagline on the homepage was too vague and could be applied
to many different companies and industries. Users had trouble
understanding what the company did after arriving on the site.
The Department of the Interior’s site didn’t have a tagline, and some
participants were unsure about the agency’s purpose. A simple tagline such
as Protecting Our Heritage and Environment would have helped.
One user said, “Is it the interior of the United States or department of what?
It doesn’t make sense to me. From this, I can figure out that it’s our natural
resources type of thing, but it doesn’t explicitly say that.”
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Some people were unfamiliar with the U.S. Department of the Interior
and would have better understood its role if the website had a simple
tagline to describe what it does.
When asked what the organization does, one user immediately navigated to
the homepage of Team Industrial Services’ website to find the answer.
Because the homepage displayed the company’s tagline right away, he was
able to familiarize himself with its purpose and understand what they do.
Though the tagline included jargon-filled buzzwords such as, Integrated
Specialized Service Solutions, the user was still able to grasp what the
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business did from other information-carrying words in the tagline. He said,
“This sounds like their tagline or a value statement but they maximize
equipment performance. Help repair and maintain piping equipment, and
help companies reduce down-time.”
Team Industrial Services featured a helpful tagline on their homepage.

Though the tagline contained unfavorable jargon terms, users were still
able to understand what the company did. The tagline would be vastly
improved by removing the jargon terms.
In a previous round of research, a tagline appeared on the HSBC website

which stirred good feelings among new customers. One person said, “It says
we are the world’s local bank—that’s a softening concept. I like that, they
have global resources, but it’s available to you locally. The world’s local bank
— I really like this.”
However, when conducting international usability testing, a user in Hong
Kong wondered what the tagline meant. The user said, “I don’t understand
what local bank means.” This disparity proves that if your company conducts
international business, make sure to test your website with your target
audiences around the world. Phrases that might be meaningful in one
country could be meaningless in another. HSBC has since redesigned their
website and unfortunately, the company no longer features the feel-good
tagline.
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HSBC used to have a friendly tagline The World’s Local Bank on their
website. This favorably helped users understand that the company is an
international bank that also had local branches.
HSBC has since redesigned their website and unfortunately, they removed
the friendly tagline from the design.
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HSBC’s website no longer includes the helpful tagline that it once had.
21. If a single tagline cannot sufficiently explain your

company, use a few sentences or list key business
areas.
If your organization is a conglomerate working across multiple industries,
coming up with a single tagline might be challenging, or even impossible. In
this case, consider listing a few of your key businesses in the relevant areas
of your site; especially on the home page and in the About Us section.
Having a large and complicated corporate structure does not mean that you
should have a complicated website. Large organizations can appear
intimidating to potential customers, and therefore, you must work harder to
help users understand your company information.
For example, Textron provided a list of their business segments on their main
About Us landing page. This is a favorable approach for listing out key parts
of the business, however, the description that precedes the list of business
segments could be much more specific to give users a better understanding
of what Textron actually does across the aviation, industrial, systems, and
finance verticals. The text is too vague and does not explicitly state what
Textron provides for the markets it serves. It reads:
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Textron is home to globally-recognized businesses, organized within five
segments: Bell, Textron Aviation, Industrial, Textron Systems and Finance.
Our businesses produce hundreds of products for customers around the
world, in a range of industries spanning aerospace and defense, specialized
vehicles, turf care and fuel systems. The company continually invests in
next-generation products and services designed to win in the marketplace.
A better approach would be for Textron to provide more specific detail and
outline exactly what products and services it provides to each segment.
Textron users could immediately see the breadth of the company’s

businesses from the categories listed on the About Us page. However,
the introductory copy on this page is too general and could be much
more specific to help users understand exactly what the company does.
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22. Include a meaningful summary about the organization
that elaborates upon what it does.
Offer a concise summary that provides more details about what your
company does, right on the main About Us page. This way, people won’t
have to parse through multiple pages or massive paragraphs of content to
figure out what you do.
When possible, present this summary in the top area of the About Us page.
Once people click the About Us link, they expect the website to explain the
company immediately. Burying this summary within multiple layers of links is
unwelcoming and causes frustration.
Introducing yourself at initial meeting follows social norms and makes your
organization feel more genuine and personable. For example, the About page
on GSA.gov followed this guideline by providing a simple summary about
what the organization does as well as helpful links to guide people through to
related subcategories.
GSA.gov’s About Us page immediately summarized their company’s

mission at the top of the page.
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23. Use clear and plain language in your company
summary.
Always provide a straightforward summary describing what your company
does. Avoid jargon-filled descriptions, as they tend to confuse users and
cause them to distrust a site, especially if people perceive the descriptions to
be fluffy, void of meaning, or misrepresentative.
In our research, we found that when companies establish this basic context
through a simple summary, it significantly helped people interpret product
information, as well as investor, and news-related content. Even a short
description is enough to situate users and facilitate a deeper, more accurate
understanding of your business.
While exploring Slack’s website for a new vendor partnership, one user
navigated to the About Us page and said, “Something that hits me first is
that I see it’s about collaboration. They say that Slack helps make work life
simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. That’s good.”
Slack used clear, straight-forward language on the About Us page to

help unfamiliar users understand what the company offered.
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24. Make key corporate facts prominent and scannable.
On the About Us page, people expected to find pertinent facts about the
organization, right away. Along with your description, provide key facts and
links that lead to more specific information. However, don’t bombard users
with links right away; be sure to provide a summary or an overview that
describes what your organization does, first.
Your corporate facts should include answers to top questions such as:
• What does the organization do?
• How long has the organization been around?
• How large is the organization?
o Number of employees
o Number of locations
• Where is the organization located?
Use bulleted lists to draw attention to your corporate facts, when possible,
but if your corporate facts appear in paragraph form, be sure to use proper
formatting techniques such as descriptive headlines, chunking, bolding of
keywords, and the use of white space as these are all effective ways to make
your corporate facts stand out.
For example, users on Lexmark.com could pull key pieces of information out
of Lexmark’s facts because they used descriptive sub-headlines which set up
context for what information users would find in each paragraph. One user
was able to identify right away that the organization was global from these
facts. One user said, “I think that it’s cool that they’re global.” “It’s good to
be associated with the organization because it has so many national and
international [locations] ... their services are pretty much all around.”
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Lexmark provided key corporate facts and formatted them in a way that
made it easy for users to read and understand, right away.
Another user on the Constellation Brands site viewed organization size as an

indicator of overall health. They were able to easily find this information in
the About Us content because the site used proper formatting techniques
such as, breaking up content into scannable chunks and using bullet point
lists. Both of these helped users focus in on important key facts.
“They have positioned themselves as leaders in the world. They
are second in the U.S., and second in the UK, it talks about how
big they are, which is good. ... It shows the breadth of their
organization — how large they are, and how diversified they
are. Large is not is always good, but in terms of what they are
doing, the more market share they have the better.”
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Constellation Brands included key facts in bullet point format which
made them easy to scan.
Users on the Department of the Interior’s website also appreciated that the
key facts about the company were delivered up front. The site used
scannable statistics that stood out to users and the information on the About
page was broken up into easy-to-understand sections. One user said:
“They’ve been around since 1849, so they’re certainly an
established group. ... They manage land. ... What I like about
them is that they protect wildlife. I like this organization right
now because it’s trying to protect America, and they’re spending
a lot of money to do it.”
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The U.S. Department of the Interior used scannable statistics that stood out
to users; the information on the About page was broken up into easy-to-
understand sections.
25. Don’t dynamically change or hide content on your

corporate site.
Because sites are now using cookies more frequently to track user behavior,
we observed many websites in our study change content dynamically,
throughout the session. They were changing content in an effort to provide a
more tailored experience to users, but many people found the content
changes to be creepy and off-putting, and that it felt too much like the
website had been watching their every move.
If your site uses cookies to serve up a more personalized experience based
on the user’s browsing behavior, don’t be so obvious in changing your
messaging to the point where it makes users uncomfortable. The best use of
personalization on websites shows people new content or tailors existing
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content to make it more relevant based on their past browsing. After
encountering modified content on Wellsfargo.com, one user said,
“The images and links on the carousel; one has changed. If I
was interested in that first picture, I wouldn’t know where to go
to get it now. I planned on it being there when I came back to
the home page. Maybe it’s the same thing in the end but a
different picture is confusing.”
Another user on Cintas.com saw different messaging in the homepage
marquee space throughout their session. When they started out on the
website, the space said, Ready for the Workday. However, the user
navigated to a different website, then back to Cintas, and the website said,
Welcome Back. The site was obviously tracking the user and knew they had
been on the site before, which was a little disturbing to them.
When users initially landed on Cintas.com, they were met with a

standard, introductory message on the site. This is a common pattern
we see on corporate websites.
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However, after navigating away from the homepage or when users
returned to the site after browsing another website, the marquee space
changed to say, Welcome Back. This messaging is too obvious; we don’t
recommend using personalized messaging in this way, as you risk
creating a perception of being creepy among users.
Xfinity also used a Welcome Back message on their site. One user said, “How
do they know I was here? And, no, I didn’t find what I needed the first time
so why should I think it will be any different now?”
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People did not appreciate sites that specifically called out that they had
been tracking them through messaging such as, Welcome Back.
26. Ensure About Us content is indexed and appears in site

search results.
When users struggled to find corporate information or key facts, many tried
the website’s search function to find the answers. Unfortunately, most of the
sites we tested did not return good results. When users couldn’t find what
they needed from the website’s search engine, they often said, “I give up, at
this point I’d just Google it.” This is unfortunate because you want people to
stay on your website, as opposed to going over to a search engine to find
answers.
If your website includes a search feature, make sure that your About Us
content is indexed and ranks appropriately for user queries related to
corporate content.
A user on Immunogen’s website struggled to find information about the
organization’s stance on social and community efforts. He looked in the
History section and then went to the search bar and typed in social
community responsibility. He said,
“Well, I found What We Do. That didn’t come up right away,
that was not necessarily the best way to do it. I would do a
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Control + F and look for the word ‘community.’ I would go to
the chronology to see if they created any social or community
activities. I didn’t get it with search. To me, it should be
available from search. I’m not seeing it jump out to me.”
Immunogen’s website included a search function, but the results were

not helpful for users looking for content related to social and community
efforts.
Johnson & Johnson’s site did a good job of including key corporate content in
its site-search results. When researching who the CEO of the company was,
users were able to find the answer they needed without even having to click
into the results themselves. This was helpful because people didn’t have to
navigate away from the page they were on to get the information they
needed. Rather than presenting results on a traditional search results page,
Johnson & Johnson’s site used an expanding panel which appeared from the
left side of the page to house its search and search results experiences.
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Because its corporate content was indexed, when users searched for the
word CEO on Johnson & Johnson’s website, they could find the answer
they needed straight from the search results interface, without having to
click into a content page.
27. For SEO purposes, include news articles and press

releases on your corporate website; don’t just link out
to third-party news sources.
To have the highest chance of ranking in search engine results pages for
keywords related to your organization, your website needs quality content
that’s crafted with keyword phrases in mind. Make sure to include keyword-
rich articles, such as news and press releases on your corporate website. If
your news articles appear on third-party websites, don’t just copy and paste
a link to the content onto your site. Include versions of your news releases
on your website so that when people come to your site seeking the
information, they’ll find the story there, as well.
For example, Sempra Energy’s Newsroom provided a nice snapshot of recent
articles and press releases. When users clicked on a headline of interest, they
were taken to a page on Sempra’s website that provided the full story or
article. This was a great way for Sempra to build up its repository of rich
content, thus giving it a higher chance of ranking in search engine results
pages for related keyword phrases.
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Sempra Energy featured a robust Newsroom section on their corporate
website. This helped inform users about current events going on in the
business.
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Featured headlines directed users to article pages that were hosted on
Sempra’s website rather than directly linking people to Fortune.com, in
this example. This practice is favorable and will help Sempra rank higher
in search engine results pages for keyword phrases related to their
company and its noteworthy news.
28. If your organization is currently in crisis, or has faced

controversy in the past, address it on your website.
It’s common for companies to run into problems, but how they deal with
them shapes both their character and reputation. When people hear
something newsworthy about an organization, they often go to the corporate
website to get more information. If the information is not there, is
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misleading, or inconsistent, it may seem as if the organization is lying about
it, trying to cover it up, or that its leaders think nothing is wrong.
Investors and journalists in particular are keen researchers and expect to
find this information on corporate websites. As today’s users grow more and
more skeptical of companies, they are less empathetic to those that try to
cover up a situation or completely ignore it on their website.
Address controversial issues on your website and indicate how the
organization is making amends or moving forward to mitigate the issue —
within what’s legally feasible, of course. Explain the situation and
communicate to shareholders, vendors, and customers about how your
company is going to make the situation better.
For example, in 2016, Wells Fargo was caught opening fake accounts on
customers’ behalf. They have since added transparent content to their
website which addressed the situation and admitted fault, while also helping
customers understand if they’ve been impacted.
Wells Fargo added content to their website amidst massive controversy

it faced as a result of opening fake customer accounts. The content was
honest, detailed, and it provided context about what happened. Users
could also find out if they were affected and what to do next.
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29. If your organization has a social media presence, make
sure the messages on those platforms are consistent
with what’s on your corporate website.
Gone are the days when users rely only on the content found in the About Us
sections of corporate websites to form their opinions about organizations. As
users spend more and more time on social media platforms such as
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, they will turn to these
channels as sources of input when evaluating a company. If your company
participates in social media on any platform, make sure the messages and
the branding you’ve established on your corporate site carries through to
these channels and vice versa. Users look for consistency and commonality
across the channels to ensure companies are credible.
For example, one user was asked to look at Benetton Group’s website and
instead, she said, “I’m going over to Facebook to do my own real research. I
look at good and bad reviews; l just want to see where the good or bad lies.
I want to see pictures. Sometimes it’s easier just to look at social media
rather than the website.”
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People in our study relied not only on corporate website information to
form their opinions about companies; they also looked to social media
channels to ensure consistency and that people had favorable things to
say about the organizations.
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GE also represents a good example of using social media to mirror the
messages on your corporate site. On Twitter, the company posted a
video to create awareness about its new 3D printing capability.
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Users could click the link on Twitter to find out even more information
about how GE is innovating with 3D printing on their corporate website.
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Communicating Your Business Philosophy
30. Post a mission statement that conveys your
organization’s philosophy and purpose.
Users sometimes browse mission statements to assess a company’s
character. Websites that don’t post their mission statement on the website
miss an opportunity to connect with viewers. A mission statement helps
users understand why you do what you do. It also reinforces your guiding
principles for employees to help them make decisions that positively affect
the direction of the company.
A mission statement should explain why your organization exists and outline
responsibilities to shareholders, customers, vendors, and other constituents.
Clearly outlining goals and objectives shows that the organization is serious
about its current and future dealings. Surfacing your mission statement on
your website demonstrates that your business is firmly committed to being a
reputable and trustworthy organization.
When evaluating Melissa & Doug’s business philosophy, one user said,
“I love them; I bought a lot of their toys for my son. I like that
they have their mission out there; not a lot of companies put
that out there. And, I think that their mission clearly
demonstrates that they stand by their toys. You won’t get that
from Toys R Us or Target.”
Users appreciated the fact that Melissa and Doug posted their mission
statement and context behind it in their About Us section.
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31. Match the tone of your mission statement with your
target audiences. It should be brief, memorable, and
genuine.
Simply having a mission statement is not good enough. It must be sincere
and true to how customers and employees are treated in real life. A genuine
mission statement, such as the one from Mercy Corps can also attract new
people to your organization. Their mission was sincere, used meaningful
language, and stated the values the organization upholds.
Mercy Corps’ mission statement used a genuine tone which resonated with
users.
Effective mission statements can motivate a company’s employees and
customers in constructive ways. Flowery, self-congratulatory statements will
be ignored — or even worse, mocked by site visitors. Avoid insincere-
sounding phrases like “process excellence” or “unparalleled service”. It’s
important to understand that hype and superlatives often backfire and are
seen as self-centered, so avoid using them in your mission statement.
100 Communicating Your Business Philosophy
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32. Feature your organization’s core values, ethics and,
employee conduct.
Users were quite impressed when companies had information about their
core business values and ethics in the About Us section. With the recent
news regarding corporate scandals and data breaches, people are especially
skeptical of corporate practices and greed. Addressing your organization’s
values up front can help ease some of this mistrust and enhance people’s
confidence.
LogMeIn featured a sincere set of values within its About Us section. The
tone matched what users expected, and helped them understand the
difference the company wanted to make.
When learning about LogMeIn’s business philosophy, one user said, “It looks
like they bring people together to help improve whatever their situation is
throughout the world. Building connections and communication and there’s
too little of that. I think it’s great; I had no idea. This has really opened my
eyes about this company.”
Seeing LogMeIn’s values left a positive impression with users who were
not familiar with the company.
Bristol-Myers Squibb had a section on their site called, Our Principles, which
also featured their Standards of Business Conduct and Ethics. Showcasing
this level of detail to end-users implied that they considered ethics to be
important. One user said, “This is nice. It makes them sound honorable.”
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Bristol Myers-Squibb dedicated an entire page to outlining their values
and principles of integrity. This made users feel that the company truly
cared about conducting ethical business.
People on Sempra.com were also impressed by the organization’s diversity

and inclusion policy.
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“These are good standards for an ethical workplace. They are
letting us know that they don’t have discrimination against
people. That’s a nice thing to know about the organization, that
they treat their employees equally. ... If people were looking to
invest in the organization it would help them know what it would
be like inside of the organization. They know how the employees
will be acting ... to do their part. ... They are going to know it’s
going to be in good hands when they’re investing in them.”
Sempra.com dedicated an entire page to outline its values related to

diversity and inclusion.
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33. Define corporate governance, as most people don’t
know what it means.
If you include a corporate governance section on your corporate website, we
recommend defining what this term means because most people are
unfamiliar with it. Corporate governance practices continue to receive a good
deal of public interest, especially from the investor-relations perspective.
People want to know the policies by which your corporation is governed to
ensure the accountability of major decision makers.
While having a corporate governance section enforces this notion of
accountability, the concept of corporate governance is still poorly defined,
and there is no general agreement as to its exact meaning. Whenever
appropriate, offer a brief explanation of what it means (e.g., corporate
responsibility, business conduct, how funds are spent or reinvested, etc.).
People on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s site were confused by the term corporate
governance. One user complained, “I don’t know what that means ... Not
again! I’m not used to that kind of stuff. Governance, that’s a weird word. I’ll
click it to see what it says.” Though they were initially confused by the term
corporate governance, they were able to find a more understandable
definition of the term after clicking into the company’s governance section.
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Bristol Myers-Squibb defined corporate governance right underneath the
main headline on the page to help users understand what it meant.
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History and Timelines
34. Offer historical content that outlines the organization’s
milestones and achievements.
Sharing major milestones and showing off how long your company has been
in business can increase the levels of confidence and trust users have in your
organization. Timelines help people gain a more comprehensive
understanding of where your organization has been and how it’s evolved over
the years. People were particularly interested in company milestones such
as:
• How and when the organization was formed
• When important products and services were invented, and why they
are significant
• Prestigious awards or recognition received
Depending on the amount of history you have to recap, this content can exist
within the About Us page, or as a its own subcategory page underneath it.
Even if your company is relatively new, communicate your history to give
your users and potential customers an understanding of your corporate
roots. How did the company start, what prompted it, what gaps were the
company filling? It doesn’t matter if your timeline doesn’t span decades;
providing several noteworthy milestones and plans for the future helps to
round out people’s understanding of who you are and where you’re heading.
For example, Roche Group featured a timeline on their website which
included 10 key years in the company’s history. It was presented in an
engaging format and allowed readers to scroll through and scan dates.
Because the business only included 10 important years, users felt they could
get a sense of the organization’s history without feeling overwhelmed by the
amount of detail and content.
106 History and Timelines
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The Roche Group featured an engaging history section that detailed
several key milestones in the company’s evolution on a vertically
scrolling timeline.
Oscar Insurance did a nice job of outlining their brief history of the
company right on its About Us page. Their timeline included when the
company was founded, when they opened their first office space in New
York City, when they doubled their footprint, and more. Though they
don’t have a lengthy history when compared to other insurance
companies, they told a simple story that focused on key dates and
milestones that users cared most about when evaluating a new
insurance company.
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Though the company was only 7 years old, Oscar Insurance still included
a timeline on their About page to help users get a sense of their history
and how they came to be.
35. Make historical information easy to scan.

In our studies, people preferred timelines that were broken into small chunks
and separated by dates (usually the year is sufficient). People quickly lost
interest when the content became too long and wordy. It’s always better to
deliver the information in small bites, while using appropriate headlines and
sub-headlines to break up paragraphs of text. This is far preferred over
presenting content as an overwhelming wall-of-text.
While it’s good to show your history, make sure to highlight only major
milestones. Users are not interested in reading a long list of detailed dates
and events. Keep the user’s interest by trimming down the timeline, and
showing only the most critical points.
For example, users on Willis Towers Watson’s website complained that the
History section contained too many uninteresting details and that the format
was too difficult to read. Though it’s favorable to arrange this information in
bite-sized chunks that are organized by date, adding a bit of space between
each year and prioritizing the organizations’ top 10 or 20 key milestones to
feature would have made this page less overwhelming and easier to read.
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The history information on the Willis Towers Watson website could have
been presented in a more appealing and scannable format.
Bayer had many elements competing for user attention on their History page.
They featured a horizonal, image-based timeline at the top, and also included
a paragraph format lower down on the page. Additionally, users could click
through a lengthy list of dates in the left navigation if they wanted to jump
through various timeframes. This included too many formats on one page; all
of which display the same information. Without an indication of where to
start, users can easily become overwhelmed. We recommend keeping your
timeline much simpler by using a single format to display the information.
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Bayer’s website used too many different types of timelines all on one
page adding complexity to the page.
A journalist looking for historical information on Bayer balked at the

overwhelming presentation of corporate history. “There’s so much going on
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here. I think the key points would work better to convey these things. It
would be easier to digest if it’s in a simple, single timeline fashion.”
Bristol-Myers Squibb on the other hand, did an impressive job of presenting
the company’s history. They used a chronological format that was very clear
and helped users to understand the information immediately. As users
scrolled through the timeline vertically, additional milestones with short,
informative descriptions appeared. This supported easy scanning and drew
the user’s attention down the page. One user said,
“I like the page on the history. It gives the years and what
they’ve done since they started the business. You can learn a lot
by just reading this little page here. Milestones that they’ve
accomplished since they’ve been in existence.”
People on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s website appreciated the History page

was presented in a clear and simple format, not long paragraphs of text.
The blue dates and short text snippets facilitated scanning.
Vertical timelines tend to be more favorable because users are accustomed

to scrolling down a page to access more information. However, if you’re
designing a horizontal timeline, make sure to provide prominent controls
(usually arrows) so that users know they must scroll left or right to access
more information. If you don’t, users may assume that your timeline is
incomplete. Make sure to test your timeline sufficiently to ensure it is usable
and the content which appears off the page is discoverable.
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36. Don’t use excessive animations or interactive elements
in your historical timeline.
While fancy timelines might seem appealing, they’re often cumbersome and
get in the way of people accomplishing their tasks. A major drawback of an
interactive timeline is that people can often get the information faster from a
simple HTML page. Letting people scan for information on a single page is
easier than forcing them to move their mouse over icons or dates, one at a
time. These requirements get old quickly, and people lose interest. Most
organizations are better off having one version of the timeline in a plain,
linear format.
The Constellation Brands site offered an attractive single-page timeline.
Users could scroll through the page to see notable years and a simple
corresponding image without any extra hassle or burdensome interactions.
Constellation Brands used a simple, straightforward HTML timeline.
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Unilever had an unnecessarily complex, interactive timeline on their website.
Users had to manipulate their cursor with great precision over a slim
chronological bar on the right side of the page in order to move through the
timeline. This was annoying and made it difficult to learn about the company.
Additionally, the timeline offered 2D and 3D views, however, neither format
added value to the basic historical information.
Unilever’s interactive timeline was too elaborate. It contained 2D and 3D

views and required gestures which were far too complex to be effective.
A better approach would have been to list out key dates on one page.
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Alcoa’s timeline did a good job of showcasing its company history.
Although it may seem less interesting than Constellation Brand’s
timeline at first glance, it’s much more enjoyable for customers who are
actually using it to get information. The simple layout used a nice mix of
headings and sub-headings which helped to facilitate scanning. While
looking for how long the organization had been in business, one user
said, “I see that it started in 1886 – on the timeline. Then, I see in
1988, it was first incorporated in Pittsburg as Alcoa. It’s clearly stated, I
just have to keep scrolling down throughout the years.”
Alcoa’s timeline was simple and listed key milestones; users had no
trouble finding information such as when the company started.
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Executive Leadership and Management
37. Provide information about the organization’s leaders
including their names, job titles, photos, and
biographies.
Potential customers and investors typically want to scan through information
about an organization’s leaders to help inform their opinions of the company.
People look for details like age, position, and background, and also like to see
photographs. People want to see pictures of executive members because it
puts a face with the company, thereby making the site feel more transparent
and authentic. Many of our users appreciated seeing photographs of the
executive members and expressed that websites containing photographs and
information about management appeared more personal.
On Americanforests.com, users focused on the photos of the executive
leadership team. This heatmap from eyetracking research shows how a
sample of 40 users viewed the page. The areas in bright red show where
most of the attention was focused. Yellow and blue areas also received
attention but less and less, respectively. The areas without a color overlay
received no attention from users.
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This heatmap shows that users focused in on the photos of executive
staff on the American Forests website.
A user on HUD.gov had difficulty finding the secretary’s information, but once
she found it, she thought the information was thorough. She said, “It gives
you a biography on the secretary, which is nice. It gives you their
accomplishments and a look at who this person is.”
116 Executive Leadership and Management
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Users liked seeing pictures of leadership on the website as it helped
make the company feel more authentic and transparent.
After being asked to find the main person who runs the organization on
Alcoa’s website, one user navigated to the Leadership page in the Who We
Are section. He said, “That was easy, it’s Roy Harvey.”
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People on Alcoa’s website were able to easily locate information about
the executive leadership team.
Sempra.com linked people to a full biography with pictures, making the

organization appear more personal. One user said, “I appreciate seeing a
picture rather than just a biography ... If I was trying to reach the
organization, I would find it useful.”
Another user said, “It gives info on the president of the organization. That’s
helpful to make it more personal.”
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People on Sempra.com liked that they could click on the picture or name
to get a full biography.
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People appreciated seeing photos with a biography of top executive
members, such as on this page.
Though people liked seeing photos and biographies of top company leaders,
be aware that users may judge your company’s values when it comes to
diversity and inclusion from the photos of the leaders that are featured. For
example, one user was looking for the main person who runs the
organization on Manulife’s website, and he said,
“Roy Gori, I found leadership pretty easily. He’s the CEO of
Canada; appears to be an actuary guy so that’s related to
insurance, that’s good. There’s very little diversity here though,
and that stands out to me. That’s just what I see; I don’t think
it’s a good thing or bad thing. It leads me to believe that it’s a
less-diverse company.”
It’s not enough for your company to say it values diversity and inclusion;
users expect you to show it. Be authentic and transparent about it in your
leadership profiles.
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Users noticed a lack of diversity in the leadership profiles on Manulife’s
website.
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Careers and Company Culture
38. If you must utilize subsites for career content, ensure
the transitions are streamlined.
Making users jump through multiple hoops to view career opportunities does
not create a good first impression with potential candidates, nor does it make
your company seem organized and well put together.
Some corporate websites display a link to Careers from their main
navigation, while others display it as a subcategory under About Us. Either of
these approaches can work well, depending on the relative priority of
recruiting job candidates, as compared to other website goals.
However, one common and problematic practice, is forcing users to navigate
to a completely different site to search for jobs. Using a separate, dedicated
system to manage job postings may be practical for hiring managers, but it
complicates the process for users. They must to learn about the company on
one website, and then navigate to another (or possibly multiple other sites)
to view and apply for jobs.
It’s best to keep users on your main website for both About Us content and
Careers. Even if job postings are managed through a separate system, try to
integrate this into the main site to simplify the experience for job candidates.
For example, when one user clicked on Careers on HSBC.com, he
encountered two different pop-up modal messages stating that he would be
taken to another site to continue his experience, which was segmented
across 3 separate websites. He said,
“Wow, it keeps taking me to other websites, I don’t even know
where I am anymore. If their job application process is this
complex and disjointed, I can tell my friend that I honestly don’t
think it would be a good place to work. It seems like a mess, no
matter how nice this site looks.”
122 Careers and Company Culture
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After clicking on Careers, a modal pop-up warned users that they were
about to leave the first site.
After the user selected a job category on the second site, another pop-up
warned him that he was again being taken to another site. On the third site,
the user had to search again for a role in order to initiate an application.
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The second pop-up stated that they were going to a third website to
apply for the job.
This was an overly complex experience; if Careers content cannot be

integrated into the primary website, don’t make people transition to another
website more than once to find this information. Always retain a link back to
the main navigation from the Careers subsite and avoid using intrusive modal
windows to announce the transition.
39. Showcase benefits, training, and ongoing investments

the company makes in its people.
When evaluating whether or not a company would be a good one to work for,
several users in our study mentioned that they appreciated when businesses
were upfront and transparent about training, benefits, and how the company
values its people. Seeing this type of content on websites helped users who
were less familiar with a particular organization, form a positive opinion of
the company.
If your business has a compelling story to tell about ongoing training,
development, and employee education, include this content on your website
either under the About Us section, or within the Careers section of your site.
For example, one user on the Team Industrial Services’ site noticed the
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different certification programs the company offered their employees. After
navigating to the About section, he said, “I see Core Values and Training. If
I’m looking for a job, it’s nice to know that they have different certification
programs, and that they have their own tech training school, so that’s pretty
cool.”
Team Industrial Services featured content on their website under the

About section that outlined the ongoing training it provides to its
employees.
40. Provide an accurate picture of the company’s culture.

When learning about a company, users like to get a feel for what the people
are like behind the scenes and what the corporate culture is like. If your
company’s culture bodes favorably for its overall image, make sure to include
stories, photos, and other artifacts on your website that help to demonstrate
the personality and dynamics inside your business. Organizations who share
this information give users a sense of authenticity and appear to be more
down-to-earth than companies who do not.
Culture-focused content also helps job-seekers feel more comfortable and at
ease when applying for jobs. Seeing photos of real employees made people
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feel like a company would be a great place to work. For example, after being
asked if ImmunoGen might be a good company to work for, one user said,
“From the site, I can tell who they are and their culture. When I
went to Careers, it told me about all the benefits, and
everything, which is great. That is my general assessment. It’s
easy to read, and draws me in.”
ImmunoGen included detailed content about the company culture on

their website which gave people a sense of what it’s like to work for or
do business with the organization.
Another user formed a positive impression of Purina from what he saw on

their website. Because they included imagery and detailed copy about their
culture, community involvement, and pet-related causes including, animal
rescues, pet adoption programs, and shelter partnerships, he felt like they
genuinely cared about people and pets.
“I like the culture and their story; they have companies all over
the world. And, I like the website. They seem passionate about
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what they do. They put emphasis on pets and use words like
pets are our passion, on the main page. Your pet is our passion.
They seem to be really engaged with what they do from what I
can see here. They partner with St. Louis Children’s Hospital
and they seem to do a lot of community involvement.”
Reading about the causes Purina supports made users feel like the
organization had a good company culture.
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Communicating company culture can be done in a variety of ways, including:
• Using real pictures of employees
• Through storytelling about the benefits employees enjoy
• With specific examples of the company’s commitment to their
values and platforms they support
41. Include information about how your organization

prioritizes Diversity and Inclusion.
In our most recent study, we observed a favorable trend of corporate
websites placing a much-deserved emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Many
of the sites we studied devoted an entire subcategory of their About Us or
Careers section to outlining their stance on the topic. It’s important to
include information about Diversity and Inclusion on your website; users
today expect companies to have a strong and comprehensive point-of-view
on the matter. If your company doesn’t currently have a message to
communicate, we strongly encourage you to develop a clear and thoughtful
one, as this type of supporting content shows you care about people of all
backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures.
For example, Visa had an entire website section devoted to Diversity and
Inclusion. It included key quotes from leadership, stories from employees,
information about resource groups, and more. The authentic nature of the
content was displayed proudly and left a positive impression with users.
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Visa did an excellent job of communicating its positive stance on
diversity and inclusion. People now look for this important content.
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Social, Environmental, and Charitable Impacts
42. If your organization prioritizes giving back to society
and the community, share this information.
Companies that make a concerted effort to give back to society and the
community are often seen as more benevolent and responsible than
companies that don’t. People like to see when organizations care and give
back; it makes them feel good about doing business with those companies.
Wells Fargo did a nice job of outlining their community efforts by featuring an
entire subcategory entitled, Corporate Social Responsibility under their About
Us section. Here, users could find a wealth of information about Wells Fargo’s
focus in the community and their commitment to social efforts.
Wells Fargo included a Corporate Social Responsibility subcategory in

their About Us section.
130 Social, Environmental, and Charitable Impacts
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It’s also good to include a brief snapshot of your social and community
efforts on other key pages of your website, such as, the home page, About
Us page, and on pages related to career opportunities. However, make sure
there’s a clear link for users to find all of the content related to social and
community involvement, so they can see the full picture of your focus in
these areas.
Sempra Energy did a nice job of providing users with a complete overview of
their social and community efforts. When users encountered this section of
the site, they were impressed and eager to learn more about how the
organization gave back to society and the community.
Sempra.com showcased its impressive corporate and social giving

stance, which made users feel like the company cared for the
community.
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Timberland’s involvement in social issues caused a user to want to work
for them and buy from them. The person said,
“They have been around for long time. ... They have
community involvement — recognition and awards. I didn’t
know about environment before. I think that’s great. That
makes me like them even more. I had no idea they did all of
this stuff. Knowing this stuff makes me more apt to work here
or buy something from them.”
Users liked to see how Timberland approached its giving back efforts.
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43. Include specific information about how your company
emphasizes environmental protection and
sustainability.
In our most recent round of research, an area of increased importance was
that of environmental protection and sustainability. People wanted to know
that companies cared about the environment and that they were taking the
necessary measures to prevent negatively impacting it. If your company
cares about sustainability and making a positive impact on the environment,
include this information on your corporate website, in the About Us section.
For example, one user on Manulife’s website said, “They’re looking at green
efforts, and it appears they have an emphasis on certain environmental stuff.
A lot of companies say these things, but it’s good that they’re trying.”
Companies must do more than just say they care about the environment;
they must provide thorough content to corroborate this statement. Users
appreciated seeing detailed information about organizational efforts and
reports that outlined exactly how the company tracks success against
sustainability goals. A user on Alcoa’s website was impressed by the amount
of detailed information they included about their sustainability efforts.
“I’m seeing more and more about sustainability from these
companies; it’s good to see their plan. We have to learn over
time to see if it’s for real or a sales pitch. It looks like they care
about sustainability and reducing emissions, usage of water,
decreasing waste. They have a big focus on environment and
health and safety aspects. They know the business they’re in
has a footprint but it looks like they’re trying to make it better.”
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Alcoa provided a detailed website section all about environmental
sustainability.
Another user on MacGray’s website appreciated that the corporation was

putting money back into protecting the environment. She said,
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“They are more about protecting the environment. They invest
in technology that reduces impact, reuse, and recycle for people
that care about the environment. It’s good to know that you’re
spending money with a company who is giving it back, not just
putting it in their pocket.”
Users felt good about doing business with Mac-Gray because they
diligently invested in policies and products that aimed to diminish
negative environmental impacts.
If your site does not include information related to environmental topics,

people may think you don’t care about the environment, which may not be
accurate. This pitfall could result in your company being incorrectly labeled
as a bad company to do business with.
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44. Provide detailed facts and legitimate proof to back up
your social claims.
To ensure that your organization appears credible, make sure to avoid
generic or broad claims about your social corporate responsibility, especially
when it comes to sustainability and diversity and inclusion. To say that you
are committed to people, giving back, or protecting the environment is not
good enough; you must back it up with proof and facts.
For example, a user on IBM’s website was initially skeptical as to whether or
not their social and community efforts were legitimate. He made this initial
assumption after landing on a page, which outlined IBM’s environmental and
community efforts. Because IBM is a large, for-profit business, he assumed
that the company was just saying they cared about the environment, when
really, they didn’t do anything about it. Later, the user found key facts to
substantiate IBM’s claims, and thus, he felt more assured that IBM actually
did prioritize environmental efforts.
He said,
“Here’s a bit about the plastic bank; it helps communities
recycle waste into currency so that’s a good thing. That’s the
only thing I’m seeing from the website though. I don’t believe
too much of that, seeing that IBM is for profit.”
IBM provided a good level of detail regarding their social, community,

and charitable efforts. The organization used key facts related to
volunteerism, donations, and sustainability which helped users to
believe their claims.
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45. Use a genuine tone, especially in your community-
focused content.
Don’t undermine your credibility by inadvertently overstating or overhyping
your efforts. Keep your claims factual and avoid exaggerated statements,
especially in the corporate areas of your website. With that said, don’t be too
humble and hide your accomplishments either. After all, the purpose of a
community-based section is to inform your readers how your organization is
making a difference in the lives of others. Use a genuine tone of voice when
communicating about your community and charitable efforts; it will go a long
way in building rapport with your users.
For example, one user on LogMeIn.com formed a very positive opinion of the
organization after reading content in their corporate social responsibility
section. Phrases in the copy such as the following, fostered a tone of voice,
which made LogMeIn.com seem humble and sincere, yet focused and goal-
oriented.
• “positively affects change in the world and improves people’s
lives,”
• “unlocks the potential of its people, products, and culture to
create long-term, sustainable social and environmental impact,”
To this, the user said,
“They want to achieve a sustainable agenda by 2030. That’s a
good idea. Great idea. I love that. Everything on that critical
human need. I hadn’t even thought of those ideas. This says a
lot about a company. Just doing volunteering; also helping
students with entrepreneurial skills. A lot of companies will help
charities just to look good but this company does not, I love
this.”
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Users formed a positive opinion about LogMeIn after reading the
genuine content found in their corporate social responsibility section.
46. Avoid using overly complex terms when talking about

social and charitable contributions.
Using flowery or sophisticated language such as Philanthropy instead of
saying Charity and Volunteering does not impress users. Always use simple,
plain language; it fosters good communication and people always appreciate
clarity more than complexity.
For example, while looking for information about the organization’s social and
community efforts, one user became frustrated by the term, Corporate
Responsibility on Computershare’s website. She said,
“When it says corporate responsibility; I see that word and think
high-up stuff, not any information about volunteering or giving
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back, and usually people try to make that stand out when it
comes to the company. Take out the word corporate or use the
word community, or giving back. That’s going to tell me about
the big wigs, the way that it is now. Corporate gives you an
office vibe. I don’t get giving back from corporate
responsibility.”
Corporate responsibility may be meaningful in corporate circles, but for a
general audience, this term is jargon and not very descriptive. A more
straightforward way to categorize this information would have been to use
the words Community or Giving Back.
The words Corporate Responsibility made some users feel like the
website was using overly complex jargon to describe its social efforts.
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Awards, Recognition, and Reviews
47. Designate an area within your About Us section to
showcase awards and recognition.
Featuring awards and recognition for the quality of your products and
services is one way to enhance your organization’s credibility and build
people’s trust. Carefully chosen mentions can seal the deal, or at least leave
a positive imprint with users. This is particularly important for organizations
that have not yet established strong brand awareness.
Showcase relevant awards related to topics that your users care about on
your website’s homepage and within your About Us section. Additionally,
include content about awards that employees won to show off the quality of
people behind the products and services your organization provides.
However, it is important to exercise a bit of restraint when displaying awards.
It’s better to mention a few impressive accomplishments that people will
remember as opposed to touting as many accomplishments as possible.
Make sure to translate how winning the award ultimately benefits customers.
Don’t feature any awards that appear vague, meaningless, or unimpressive.
Each item you add to your site adds to its overall complexity and steals focus
from your key message. Also, don’t feature old awards; this will undermine
your credibility and make it seem like you haven’t done anything new or
noteworthy.
Bristol-Myers Squibb listed some of its most prestigious awards from well-
known agencies, thereby helping people feel more at ease with the quality of
their products and offerings. The site did a good job of keeping awards
current and listing them in a format that was easy to scan. The selective use
of bolding helped people quickly find the most important pieces of
information (date, name, and agency giving the award). Users remarked
positively after seeing these awards on the site.
“They have some good awards. It would make me feel safe to
do business with them. It sounds like a reliable organization.”
“They’ve gotten a lot of awards. That’s impressive.”
140 Awards, Recognition, and Reviews
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People formed a more positive impression of Bristol-Myers Squibb
because it had received impressive awards. The judicious use of bolding
made scanning for important information easy.
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48. Write informative headings and summaries that explain
the significance of any honors mentioned.
Your awards content must be relevant, from the user’s perspective. There’s
no benefit in listing awards if your readers aren’t impressed by them. You
might have won a prestigious award, but if your audience has never heard of
it, or doesn’t know what it is, they are apt to gloss over it. Grab your reader’s
attention by writing clear headings and inform people with straightforward
summaries that explain the award.
For example, Wyndham Destinations’ Awards page was not compelling; the
layout was sterile and uninteresting, and there were no headings or titles to
grab users’ attention. All of the body text was in the same tiny font, and after
reading the copy, the significance of the awards remained unclear. Having
more informative headlines and a brief description of each awards’
importance would have been more helpful.
Wyndham Destinations’ Awards page was bland and boring rather than
informative and engaging.
In contrast, Cardinal Health did a much better job of displaying content on

their Awards and Recognition page. The grid-based layout made it easy to
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parse through the various awards, and avoided looking like an overwhelming
wall of text. The headlines and award descriptions were both relevant and
concise—two attributes that work well for website copy. An image
corresponded to each award, and users could navigate to see their awards in
other categories.
Cardinal Health included informative award headlines, images, and text

snippets.
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49. Provide concrete evidence to substantiate awards
including what it was for, how it was judged, and by
whom.
Simply claiming that you were chosen for an award is not sufficient; you
need to back it up with supporting details. Without evidence, your claims
may appear to be fictitious or hyped. Users are more apt to believe
accolades that are properly cited and explained.
Though there were many interesting awards mentioned on Constellation

Brands’ website, the lack of contextual information about them
diminished the impact of the listings and their credibility in the minds of
site visitors. Constellation Brands should have provided a bit more detail
about why the award was particularly noteworthy.
Constellation Brands should have included more details about its awards.
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American Express’ website featured an award they received on their
news page. The headline included what the award was for, its
significance, and who bestowed them with the honor.
Users could find more detail about the award in a full-length article.
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50. Include trust-builders and endorsements from clients
and reputable, third-party organizations.
In our studies over the years, we’ve found one major factor that continually
helps to build users’ trust are endorsements from current clients and
independent, reputable organizations. But, simply saying you are endorsed is
not enough; you must include a link to details about the endorsement, so
people can verify the legitimacy of your claim.
For example, Oscar featured a list of endorsements from respected
organizations such as KPMG, Time Magazine, and Crain’s on their site. After
clicking on each piece of recognition, users were able to see specific details
about the endorsement.
Oscar displayed a section of endorsements on its site which helped to

build trust and credibility among users.
One user exploring Slack valued the fact that they provided client logos,
detailed case studies, and direct quotes from customers describing how they
were using the platform. He said,
“Wow, they work with some big clients. It looks like those
people are finding success with it. I like seeing these
endorsements right here from people like me who work there ...
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That makes me feel better about suggesting this platform to my
boss if someone big is using it.”
As a form of endorsement, Slack featured a list of client case studies

and logos from reputable businesses on its homepage.
Users could also click through to read full case studies, descriptions, and
quotes from real people who implemented and used Slack successfully. This
type of authentic and transparent content helped people feel good about
working with Slack, as they could see others had found success in their
partnerships. When possible, we recommend providing this level of detail in
your case studies and client endorsements; it will further build trust and
motivate new leads to reach out.
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Slack included much detail in its client endorsements. This helped build
trust and visibly demonstrated how others were using the platform.
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Additionally, displaying trust seals on your site, such as those from VeriSign,
Trustwave, and the Better Business Bureau can also help to build rapport
with users.
For example, Build.com wanted to help customers feel secure while sourcing
materials from their site, so they included an accreditation badge from the
Better Business Bureau along with a Trust Guard seal in their footer. These
small-but-mighty visuals helped indicate that the website was PCI compliant
and that the company prioritized keeping users’ information safe online.
Build.com included an accreditation tag from the Better Business Bureau

and a trust seal from Trust Guard right alongside the payment methods
accepted on the site. This insinuated to users that the site was
trustworthy and secure.
Don’t rely on trust seals entirely. In previous studies, we found that some
people ignored the seals or mistook them for ads. Additionally, the
effectiveness of trust seals depends on whether the organization associated
with the logo upholds consistent standards across websites. For example, if
the agency endorses a website that ranks poorly in user satisfaction, then
users will be less likely to find that endorsement credible, and in turn, will
find the others sites associated with that endorsement untrustworthy.
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As users continually become more and more skeptical of business’ websites,
suspicious of scams, and wary of having their data compromised, the more
they’ll look for indicators of security and credibility.
51. When featuring customer stories, reviews, and

feedback, be specific about the sources.
Users often scanned customer feedback and reviews to get a general
impression of the organization’s quality of products and services. If you
include testimonials, ensure that they contain as much information as
possible about the source; users tend to distrust customer testimonials when
they seem sourced or fake.
People may not want to give away an abundance of personal information
when providing a review, which makes adhering to this guideline more
difficult. However, put in the due diligence to source reviews from customers
who are willing to share, so you can at least associate a name with the
feedback. Ask for more details if your customers and clients are comfortable
providing it; the more information with the review, the more it adds to the
testimonial’s believability.
Depending on the nature of your field, additional customer identifiers such as
the name of their business, frequency of working with your company, their
title, and the businesses’ vertical can help make feedback appear more
authentic. For example, Custom Ink allowed users to include their name,
title, company, city, and state when providing product feedback. The fields
were optional, as not all reviewers populated these details, but they were
available for those who felt comfortable providing it. This allowed some
reviews to have very specific sources attributed to them.
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Custom Ink gave reviewers the option to provide their name, title,
company, city, and state along with their product review.
The feedback on GiftTree.com provided the names of the reviewers, but a

little more context such as date and city might be nice to make these people
appear more real.
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Gift Tree showed specific names attributed to the quotes provided about
the products.
52. Showcase the feedback, stories, and case studies that

are most relevant to your target audience.
Make sure that customer feedback, stories, and case studies are genuine and
representative of the true quality that your organization provides. Feedback
can hurt you if it sounds fake or vague, and broad statements are not as
helpful as ones that state problems and solutions in relevant context.
Stories about the experiences people had with your business are more
compelling when they talk about the user, not the company. Thoughtful
feedback usually cites specific examples or detailed evaluations of the
product or service. Multiple listings that say the company is great aren’t
compelling and won’t cut it. It’s better to feature feedback that tells a story
of how the product or company solved a user’s problem. For example,
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Masergy featured an entire page of customer testimonials on their site;
stories were accompanied by short videos of high-ranking people within the
organizations, talking about how the services and solutions provided by
Masergy helped their businesses. Though some users may not watch the
videos, this is a compelling way to showcase relevant stories and reiterate
that the feedback is in fact, coming from real people.
Masergy included concise testimonials from high-ranking officials. To

substantiate the feedback, short video clips were included.
Listing bad reviews might also work to your advantage — especially if you
provide an explanation of how you mitigated the situation. This demonstrates
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that you have good customer service and are proactive in assisting your
customers.
A person on Xfinity’s website actively looked for testimonials to assess the
credibility of the site and the organization. When asked if she thought it was
a trustworthy company, she said,
“Usually they have customer reviews and I don’t see any of
that. All I see is about paying bills, paying bills, products
nothing else at all. I would definitely read and look at them
because people could be telling the truth – if everything is all
good and 5 stars you know the company did it themselves. I
would Google Xfinity reviews on Google or wherever, then I
believe that much more. They wouldn’t have any of the bad
stuff on there.”
53. Monitor feedback that’s on third-party review websites

as users rely on these sources for unbiased opinions.
Users rely on more than just the content that’s presented on your corporate
website to form an opinion about your company. In our most recent study,
users overwhelmingly stated that they do their own research on third-party
websites to find out what kinds of experiences other people have had with a
company before doing business with them, or applying for a job. Because of
this, it’s important to monitor what people are saying on third-party websites
such as Google Reviews, Yelp, and Glassdoor, just to name a few. Not
because you can necessarily change what people are saying on those
platforms, but because you want to know the kinds of information people are
getting about you, so that you can either address it on your corporate
website or make the proper changes to your business to improve peoples’
sentiment across the internet.
People liked that Adobe’s website had client success stories, but stated that
they would still go to third-party sites for non-biased reviews. One user said,
“If reviews were on the site, I would feel that they are a little biased, I would
want to go to a third-party site where non-biased opinions are. On the site,
of course they’re going to say good things about it. The Mercedes client video
seemed genuine.”
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Adobe featured customer stories on their website which is favorable, but
users also wanted to seek out the non-biased opinions of others on
third-party review sites when forming an opinion about the company.
In general, another user described her methodical research process when

looking for information about a company. She said,
“I use a common-sense approach and cross-check information
with other things. I check Google Reviews, Yelp, GlassDoor, and
social media. I know I can get honest opinions in these places
that the company can’t change the answer to in order to paint
whatever picture they want. I know some places are going to
have bad customers, but if everyone else is positive and a few
negatives, something is probably wrong with them.”
A user on UncommonGoods.com said,
“The first thing I’d look for is to see if there are any reviews;
granted every company only puts positive reviews on their
website. No one is going to voluntarily put something negative.
I would Google Uncommon Goods reviews if I was going to look
for real reviews. I bet you can submit feedback but I bet they
don’t let you read other people’s feedback; nope they sure
don’t.”
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To get what they perceive as a well-rounded opinion of an organization,
people will Google reviews about an organization just to see what other
people are saying. Monitor what people are saying on other websites;
these pieces of feedback can be helpful and uncover problematic areas
of your business that you may have never even known about.
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Contact and Customer Support
54. Display noticeable links to Contact Us and/or Customer
Support in your main navigation and in the footer.
Users want an easy way to contact an organization. From qualitative usability
testing and eye tracking research, we know that if you ask someone to find a
contact number, they will look in the top right or down in the footer, first.
Because of this, we suggest placing contact information such as a phone
number, an email address, or a link to Contact Us or Customer Support in
your main navigation and/or in the footer of your site.
Companies that hide or don’t provide contact information are seen as evasive
and are viewed less favorably, especially if the organization is unknown. Most
companies want people to refer to the corporate website for answers to their
questions. However, some users prefer talking to a real person, whereas
others want to send an email, or interact via live chat. Users decide which
way to get in contact, based on a variety of factors, including, the scenario
they’re in, the amount of time they have to devote to a task, their
perceptions of a channel’s reliability, their external context, and their
comfort-level with certain methods of contact.
Most users in our study expressed that they would prefer to call a company
when they had a specific question, rather than emailing, filling out a form, or
chatting. One user said,
“There are companies that don’t even give you an 800-number.
I don’t like it at all. If I was to purchase something, I want them
to send me an email confirming that they received my email.
What if my message gets lost? If they’re suspicious to me, I
would want to talk to someone on the phone.”
Clearly displaying telephone numbers shows that the organization cares
about their clients and customers, and wants to be available for them. Not
displaying contact information implies that the organization doesn’t want to
be bothered. By giving people ways to directly reach your organization, you
help ease any fears that people might have and, more important, you help
establish trust.
For example, Team Industrial Services did a good job of providing contact
information. Their phone number and Contact Us links were highly visible on
every page. One user said, “There’s a Contact link on the top of every page.
The phone number is always visible, so that’s great.”
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People had no difficulty getting contact information on the Team
Industrial Services site because the information was visible in the
header and footer on almost every page. A link to contact information
from the main navigation also took users to a comprehensive page.
Users on GiftTree.com and OneCall.com liked that the organization’s 800-

numbers and email addresses were easily accessible. One user said, “Good
that the 800-number is on top, with a link to contact. There are a lot of
places where you can get a hold of them if you want to — which is good.”
158 Contact and Customer Support
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The prominent telephone number and Contact Us link on the OneCall
site made the organization seem open and willing to be contacted,
thereby boosting trust.
OneCall.com also placed contact information directly in the footer which

made it easy to access this information right when users needed it.
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GiftTree also featured a prominent phone number and a link to live chat
throughout their entire site.
Though many corporate websites we tested provided clear links to contact

information, a few sites remained that made it particularly difficult to find
ways to get in touch. For example, one user on the U.S. General Services
Administration struggled to find contact information, as it was hidden in a
dropdown menu underneath the About Us link in the main navigation. She
finally found it, but wished it had been easier. She said, “I would have liked
to have Contact Us up in the top of the navigation, rather than going to
About Us. Once I scrolled down to the footer, I saw it, but it could have been
easier to find.”
We don’t recommend hiding Contact Us links behind your About Us label in
the navigation. Prominently feature contact information in the header and
footer of your website.
One user was frustrated by the fact that the U.S. General Services
Administration did not have a Contact Us link in their main navigation.
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She eventually found a Contact Us link in the footer, which is one of the
key areas where we recommend placing contact information.
Additionally, if your organization primarily serves a local market, be sure to

include your full address in your contact information, including
state/province/ZIP. This is important because it increases the probability that
potential customers will find your company when searching for local results
via search engines. Users often enter a combined query that includes
keywords for both the desired product or service and the location. For
example, somebody looking for a dentist in Salem, New Hampshire is likely
to use a keyword like dentist Salem or dentist Salem, NH. Your site won’t
show up in search results pages unless the search engine robots can
determine that your dentist office is in fact located in Salem, NH.
55. The Contact Us or Customer Support link should lead to

complete contact details and options.
Your site should include a dedicated contact page with complete contact
details such as phone number and email address, not just a contact form or
physical address. A user looking for contact information on USA.Yamaha.com
grew frustrated by the fact that there was no email address or phone number
on the contact detail page. He said,
“This is where I would go hoping to find that information. This
is misleading to have this page called Contact Us and then the
content on the page is more just paragraphs of content; they
don’t seem to be offering other methods of contact including
social media, email, or a phone number. If I go to contact us,
I’m already expecting the variety of methods of contact.”
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Yamaha’s corporate website disappointed users; rather than offering
specific information on the Contact Us page, the site listed a set of
poorly formatted copy that users had to wade through to find out how to
actually contact the organization.
Users look for different types of contact details, depending on their needs. At
a minimum, include the following information on the main contact page:
Telephone numbers:
• Main contact number
• Customer service number(s)
• Press contact number
• Number related to investor relations, if applicable
Other methods of contact:
• Main corporate address
• Local addresses, if applicable
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• Email address(es)
• Chat
• Fax numbers, if applicable
Beyond providing appropriate contact channels and clearly displaying these
on your site, here are additional best practices for displaying this information
in a usable way.
• Provide the phone number and email address for the primary contact
first, then list phone numbers and email addresses by department
(sales, accounts, support, geographic headquarters, etc.). Some
people prefer to pick up the phone, while others prefer to email. This
depends on individual preference and the nature of the transactions.
• Provide paths to find contact information for local branch or physical
locations. Link address(es) so they open up a map application. This
way, users can get driving directions to your company locations.
• Provide hours of operation and time zone.
• Offer contact information in other languages if you serve a multi-
lingual audience.
• Add the ability and links for users to contact your organization via
social media.
• Set expectations for each mode of contact including exact or average
wait times, or approximations for the time it will take to receive an
email response back from the company.
One user on UBreakIFix.com said they valued contact information for
someone at a local store to answer his questions. He said, “I would try by
phone call first; probably a local store. If I can’t find it myself, I’ll call
corporate.” The user found what he was looking for, but he appreciated that
the site included a clear link in the navigation to find locations and the
corporate phone number.
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UBreakIFix.com provided users with local information including the
address and phone number. This made it easy for people to contact a
nearby store to get help.
While searching for contact information on the Small Business

Administration’s website, one user was particularly impressed by the fact
that the organization offered full contact information in both English and
Spanish. She said, “It’s nice that there’s Spanish contacts. You don’t always
see that; I can call a phone number. I don’t always see that either, it’s very
nice.”
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The Contact SBA section on the Small Business Administration’s website
provided all the right forms of contact including their mailing address,
phone numbers, email addresses, and local district offices. There was
also an option to get contact information in Spanish which shows extra
consideration for their users.
56. For sites with many contact numbers, create a clear

structure to help users find the right one.
Large organizations tend to have hundreds and, in some cases, even
thousands of contact telephone numbers, resulting in complex contact
schemes that are completely meaningless to outsiders. Sites with complex
contact page elements — such as extensive dropdowns and department
categories — tend to overwhelm users.
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Organizing contact numbers based on your company’s internal structure
usually backfires because outsiders won’t understand the hierarchy or
categorization scheme. If you have a complex company structure, provide a
main phone number to alleviate any confusion customers have about
reaching you. Multiple contact listings should be grouped and labeled so that
your users know exactly which one to choose. Provide additional user-
centered labeling structures to help people distinguish their choices.
LogMeIn’s contact information was convoluted and difficult to understand.
After clicking Contact Support in the site’s footer, users were taken to a full
page of product options.
LogMeIn’s Support page asked users to first select the product in

relation to their question before they could see any contact information.
After selecting the product, users were then taken to a page where they had
to look around for an answer to their question. A main phone number was
still not offered, even after users navigated deeper into the content.
Searching for a phone number in the search box returned only an article
which explained how to search for answers on the website before contacting
the company, rather than displaying an actual phone number.
Finally, on the bottom of the article, a link to Contact Support was offered.
However, even after clicking this link, users were taken to yet another page
where they had to classify their problem which revealed a contact form to
reach someone at the company.
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When searching for a phone number on LogMeIn.com, users were taken
through a series of steps that never presented an actual phone number.
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After multiple steps, users were only provided with a form to contact the
company, rather than a phone number.
Though LogMeIn’s support page appeared to use a clear structure in that it

directed users to customer support channels that were segmented by
product, the experience still lacked immediate access to a general support
number. Forcing every user to self-serve gives users a bad impression about
the company and looks as if the organization is purposely trying to avoid
contact. It would have been better for LogMeIn to provide a contact phone
number after people initially selected the product in question.
In contrast, Chevron’s Contact Us page did a nice job of displaying a main,
catch-all phone number, along with a link to a list of more specific phone
numbers for various countries and regions. In addition, they included a
section below the main page content that allowed users to drill into specific
topics. These topics utilize vocabulary familiar to site visitors, rather than
internal jargon. Each topic area provided further details about how to get in
contact with that area.
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Chevron.com displayed a helpful Contact Us page which offered many
specific contact methods for users, including investors and the press.
57. Offer a contact form only in addition to telephone

numbers, not as a replacement.
People have concerns about committing to contact forms. Forms benefit
companies, not users. They are often used to capture email addresses for
marketing purposes and automatically route messages to the appropriate
department or contact person. However, when users fill out forms, they are
relinquishing control of the interaction to the company rather than retaining
it themselves. Many times, users wonder when their inquiry will be
addressed, and in some cases, after submitting a form, whether it will ever
be answered at all.
People on Slack.com were annoyed that they were required to fill out a form
to ask a simple question.
“I don’t like that you have to fill out this form, considering all
you want to do is talk to them. I hate when you go to a link and
have to provide a bunch of information to get in contact. I am
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hesitant to put my email into a website – that is the last thing
that I would do.”
Considering Slack is a company that promotes good communication,

users were let down by the fact that the only contact mechanism offered
on their website was a contact form.
Melissa and Doug on the other hand, offered a myriad of helpful contact
options, including a form. Not only did they provide a contact form, they also
had specific email addresses for various business units and presented users
with all of their international phone numbers right on the Contact Us page.
One user who was evaluating a position with the company said, “It’s nice
that they give you many different phone numbers, live chat, email options
through this form, however you like to communicate, you can do it.”
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Melissa and Doug provided many different options for retail partners,
consumers, and job seekers to get in contact.
58. Don’t force people to create an account to contact your

company.
People don’t want to spend time creating an account with your company if all
they need is an answer to a simple question. In addition, users worry about
being inundated with spam and email, so they may avoid creating an account
and contacting you entirely. For these reasons, don’t require users to create
an account to get in contact with you.
While learning about what Adobe offers, one user tried to contact the
organization. He was immediately annoyed when he noticed that he had to
first sign in to an account to contact the organization. He said,
“I wish when I hit contact, that I could just get an email address
or a phone number, instead of having to sign in. I’d have to
create an account.”
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Users did not like the fact that Adobe.com forced them to create an
account to contact the organization. (Note: Red box added by author to
point out sign up area.)
59. Include online chat as a contact option, but make sure

it is not the only contact method available.
There were mixed opinions from research participants about using online
chat. This was due in large part to their own preferences and bad
experiences with poorly implemented chat experiences in the past. It’s good
to include a chat option, but it’s also important to test the functionality with
your users to make sure it’s not intrusive. One user browsing on Slack’s
website did not care for using online chat. She said,
“I usually find that the chat pops up around pricing stuff; More
often than not, I am going to ignore that. I want to get all of the
information I need first before I communicate with anyone. I’d
rather hold off, until I’m ready. I would rather talk to someone
in person or over the phone to make sure we can talk it out. I
have done chat in the past and things get lost in the messaging
and then you have to wait to figure out what each other are
trying to say.”
However, some people spoke favorably about chat options when they were
available. For users who preferred chat over picking up the phone, they cited
not having to sit on hold as the main reason for this preference. On
GoToMeeting, a user exclaimed,
Order NNG200605-1485-90437
“Chat Now keeps popping up. Love the chat box, they know
what they’re doing, without having to sit on hold forever. If a
copy of the log can be emailed, I’ll screenshot it on my phone.
prefer the chat.”
60. Allow users to contact your organization via social

media channels.
A recent trend we observed is that corporations have started using their
social media channels as outlets where customers can get in contact. Many
people in our study mentioned they have used a company’s social media
channel to ask questions or resolve issues. It’s a good thing to include your
social media channels as contact options, but only display them in your
contact details if there are trained customer support professionals available,
and ready to respond to inquiries in a timely fashion.
For example, one user spoke highly of an internet service provider that did a
good job responding immediately to a user who contacted them via Twitter.
He described that he was getting very slow connection speeds, so he
mentioned the company in a Twitter post by using the format @<company
name>. Within minutes, he got a productive response. He said, “That’s one
of the first times I’ve used Twitter and social media to reach out to a
company; but that’s where things are headed or have headed.”
UBreakIFix.com offered customers options for contacting the company via
social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
These convenient options were presented right on the Support page, and
provided direct links to each channel, where the user could reach out.
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UBreakIFix.com offered customers options for contacting the company
via social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
YouTube.
As contacting companies via social media is becoming more and more

prevalent, if your company offers customer support via those channels, it’s a
good idea to include such information in your contact details. It’s important
to mention however, that not all users will be comfortable contacting your
company via social media, nor do all users have accounts on those channels.
For these reasons, it’s still important to include other methods of contact,
such as a phone number, email address, and a chat option.
Computershare’s website did not have a clear Contact Us link. Instead, a
Contact Us heading existed on top of a list of links, which directed users to
various contact forms. This lack of an immediate path to a phone number
made one user assume that the only way to contact the company was via the
social channels listed under the Connect with Us section. She mentioned the
downside of only allowing customers to reach out on social channels saying,
“Usually there’s a Contact Us link, but these under Connect with Us only
gives social media; I don’t know about that, not everyone may have it.”
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The Contact Us headline and links in Computershare’s footer did not
take users to a Contact page; this confused people and made them think
the only way to get in contact was on social media.
61. Communicate wait times and response timeframes in

context of specific contact channels.
One of the reasons that some people shy away from email and contact forms
is that they don’t believe they’ll get a quick response — or if they will get a
response at all. Show people that your organization is proactive in answering
email and other contact channels by telling them when to expect a response,
or how long they will wait if they call, chat, or email.
Most users expect an email or response to a form submission within 24
hours, and usually don’t want to wait longer than a few minutes on the
phone or chat. If you give people a timeframe, make sure you live up to your
promise.
A user described the contact options on the U.S. General Services
Administration’s website as,
“Pretty generic; phone number, live chat. Since this is a
government website, I would feel better about chat because if
you call they will take you to 500 different people; keep
transferring you and I don’t have time to wait for an email.”
However, the U.S. General Services administration did a great job of setting
expectations with users for when they would answer their email. They state
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right on the Contact Us page that they will get back to the user within 24
hours. This is a very user-friendly piece of copy. Though this participant
could not wait 24 hours for a response, others may find this acceptable for
their issue and make that selection confidently.
The U.S. General Services Administration offered users a variety of

contact methods that were very easy to distinguish from each other.
They also set expectations with users for when email inquiries would be
answered.
62. Limit contact forms to 3-5 fields; only ask for the most
pertinent information needed for response.
Many companies use contact forms to capture online leads or to personalize
the user experience. This is ok as long as the form is supplementary to other
more types of contact channels such as live chat, and telephone.
Regardless, it’s a mistake to ask for too much personal information in a
contact form — before providing any value to the user. We recommend
including 3-5 fields, and collect only the information needed to respond to
the user in a meaningful way.
For example, ask people to provide their name, their preferred method of
contact, and a brief description of their question or issue. Asking for this
amount of information is acceptable to most users on contact forms. If your
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form requires more fields for specific reasons, know the tradeoff in asking for
more information is that users may not complete the form to get in contact.
The contact form on the American Refugee Committee’s website has only a
few fields. While it does ask for some personal information (i.e., name and
email), the fields are relevant and not too restrictive as people can choose to
enter their full name or not.
The Contact Us form on the American Refugee Committee’s website

offered an appropriate amount of form fields.
63. For contact forms or chat boxes, favor open text fields
instead of forcing users to select from a predetermined
list of topics.
Give people the flexibility to ask a question or type in a comment. Don’t
make users choose from a dropdown of pre-set options. When users want to
add comments to clarify their questions, rigid categories and noneditable
fields are too restrictive. Given the choice to either type in a question or
make a selection from a dropdown, people usually prefer to type in their own
text. UPS offered a friendly form that gave users the ability to type in
comments or questions to help them get answers fast.
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Users could easily type in their questions and comments into a form on
UPS.com to get an instant answer.
64. If you serve multiple countries or an international

audience, provide contact information for each office
location abroad.
To show consideration for your international audiences and users who need
information about an office abroad, provide contact information for all of your
global locations, not just your headquarters. People may need to find the
address of an office location in another country or call an international office
directly, rather than calling your headquarters. Include the physical address,
an email address, and an international phone number (with the country
code), for your office locations abroad.
For example, Chevron included a gateway page that provided a link to
contact information for all of its international offices. Users could easily select
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the international office they needed to contact. After clicking on the location,
users found a comprehensive contact page which provided detailed
information about how to get in contact with someone at the global office.
Chevron included a gateway page on its website that housed links to

detailed contact information for each of its global business locations.
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Clicking on an international location took users to a detailed contact
page which featured information about that specific office.
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Slack also did a nice job of displaying its international offices on their
website. Though they did not provide specific phone numbers for the
locations abroad (which would have been ideal), the company did display a
mailing address for each international office location. This is helpful for users
who need information about Slack’s international offices.
Slack included addresses for all of its international offices on its website.
To make this even better, Slack should have included an email address
and international phone number for each location.
65. Provide a link to your privacy policy and terms of use in

the footer; reiterate these policies where people enter
their personal information.
People are wary about providing personal information on websites for fear of
misuse. Sites can demonstrate responsible data use and integrity by making
it perfectly clear that they will not give out or sell sensitive customer
information, such as name, phone number, and especially email address.
Users have grown ever-more suspicious of organizations who may send large
amounts of email or use their data in a malicious way. Because of this, be
sure to link to your privacy policy as well as your terms and conditions from
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the footer of your site, as well as any areas where personally identifiable
information is collected from users. For example, Nestle included links to
their Privacy Policy, Cookie Consent Policy, and Term of Use from the footer.
Nestle’s footer contained links to their privacy policy and terms of use in
their footer. (Note: Red box added by author to point out links.)
Nestle also reiterated their privacy policy on their email sign up form, in close
proximity to the button users would click to submit the form. This is
favorable because it reminds users how Nestle will use their personal
information in a contextually relevant place. This practice will also help ease
any fears users may have about getting spammed with emails or having their
information misused.
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Nestle included detailed information about how they respect users’
privacy and the measures they take to protect it. (Note: Red box added
by author to point out the content.)
Nestle also has a subcategory page which outlines its privacy policies.
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Nonprofit Organizations
66. For nonprofit organizations that accept donations,
report the share of funds that go to overhead versus
the amount that goes to the cause.
In our study, one of the first things people wanted to know about charitable
organizations was how much money actually went to the cause. Don’t hide
this information in PDF files or annual reports; make sure it is clear and easy
to find on your site. People often hear about dishonest agencies in the news,
and want to ensure that their donations are allocated to the right cause.
People distrust charitable organizations that don’t clearly disclose this
information. For example, People were frustrated on UNICEF.org because
they couldn’t find information about how donations were allocated. One user
said,
“I’m looking for the amount of money that goes to the
organization, vs. overhead. I’m skeptical about giving money to
people. Not seeing that here, so as a donor, I would be very
interested to find the track record, percentage of help vs.
overhead.”
This information was available in the About Us dropdown menu, on the
homepage, as well as in the FAQs section. However, because the message
was communicated as $0.89 cents of every dollar, rather than
communicating overhead and administration fees of 11%, users remained
skeptical about how much money went to the needy versus the clerical staff
and executive team.
184 Nonprofit Organizations
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Though users had a hard time finding information about the portion of
UNICEF’s budget that went to helping children, it was available in the
FAQs section. It would have been easier to see and understand if it was
communicated as a percentage.
The website also addressed controversy from the FAQs page. One user
noticed this and said,
“Oh, look 89% of every dollar spent helps kids. That’s a little
low for me, I would like that to be in the 94-95% range. United
Way had a 60 minutes story that the president was making 1
million dollars a year. That has been rectified; that was about
15 years ago. I like to find out that people are in it for the cause
not their own pocket book. If they’re spending that money on
facilities or travel that’s one thing but people shouldn’t be
getting paid a ton of money.”
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Users could also find information about UNICEF’s finances under their
About Us menu, as well as on the homepage.
A user on the National MS Society site was skeptical of the organization

because she couldn’t find the expense ratio.
“The number one thing I would be interested in is what is their
administrative cost and research cost, to make sure that the
dollars you donate are going for the research and help for MS
patients — and not all for administration. I want to see
administration no more than 20%.”
Similarly, other users on the American Refugee Committee website wanted to
know how his money would be spent.
“There is nothing on here that says where the money would go?
Do I adopt one child? It says I am a refuge, but a refugee from
where? ... I would not go with ARC. I would donate elsewhere.
This is giving general info. No particular info to convince me to
donate my money. They need to do some convincing. ... I want
to know more particulars.”
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Another user browsing on the Make-A-Wish foundation had a similar set
of questions regarding how funding was used. After asking her if she
thought the organization was a good one to donate to, she said, “I’ve
never heard of this. I would hit About Us…” She then started reading the
content on the page and continued,
“Let’s see how they manage their funds. I would want to know
how the money is spent; how do they choose their children;
how do they find out which child gets the wish?”
Users were able to find information about how the Make-A-Wish

foundation managed their funds. Unfortunately, the content was buried
in a PDF. A better approach would have been to display the information
right on the Managing Our Funds page to demonstrate more
transparency.
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The best example we saw in our studies came from Charity Water. Right on
their homepage, they were upfront and transparent about the amount of
money that goes to helping people get clean water. At an impressive 100%,
they set the bar high for other non-profit organizations.
Charity Water expressed their fund percentage allocation very clearly.
67. When asking for donations, let people enter their own
amount, rather than forcing them to choose from a set
of narrow choices.
It’s fine to suggest donation increments, but if you don’t make it easy for
people to enter whatever amount they want, you’ll alienate some potential
donors. Either let people enter an amount, or have an Other option in
addition to the suggested amounts.
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Water.org did a nice job of allowing users to select a pre-set donation or,
they could enter their own monetary amount. However, the field where a
user could enter their own amount contained large placeholder text that
seemed to insinuate users needed to donate that specific amount. We advise
against this to avoid off-putting users and making them think that the
minimum self-directed donation is the amount reflected in the placeholder
text. Simply write, Other in the form field.
Don’t use placeholder text that implies users should donate an amount.
One user on UNICEF.org was pleased that she could enter an amount that
she was comfortable donating. In addition to pre-set donation amounts,
there was an open form field where she could enter any amount. She said,
“This is good, when you click through, it specifically lets you donate to
specific causes. Can use PayPal, they have a secure network.”
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UNICEF made donating flexible and let people enter their own amount.
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Images, Video, and Mobile
68. Refrain from overusing stock photography.
Site visitors are often unimpressed by stock photos. In fact, people distrust
sites that have images of models with perfect smiles. Such images appear
artificial and make the organization seem disingenuous. We’ve seen
audiences become more cynical of stock photography over the years,
especially in the corporate area of websites.
Don’t treat your site like a brochure; people research About Us sections to
learn about your organization. Images that appear staged with fake people
and settings do nothing to educate people about your corporate identity.
It’s better to use original images of real people doing real things within your
organization. Doing so gives audiences a better feel of who you are, your
culture, and what you represent. Sure, taking your own photographs might
not look as polished as the ones you purchase, but viewers appreciate
authenticity over style.
For example, the images on JM Family Enterprises did not add enough value
to the site. The background images appeared to be genuine images of real
employees and customer interacting. However, the stock image of the
quintessential customer service representative, wearing a headset is generic,
artificial, and overused. This insinuates to users that you’re not innovative or
original. Use photography that actually reflects your organization, not stock
photography.
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The stock photo of the customer service representative looks artificial
and disingenuous.
Best Buy features pictures of real employees in their About Us section. This
approach is much more effective in educating site visitors than simply
sprinkling the site with stock photos.
192 Images, Video, and Mobile
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Best Buy did a nice job of using authentic imagery in its About Us
section. The photos look real and reflect the company’s culture and
offerings.
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69. Use realistic, high-quality images that portray an
accurate representation of your company and its
people.
Images shouldn’t simply adorn pages, they should provide visual
communication and reinforce users’ understanding of your company, its
people, products, values, culture, and services.
Sites dense with text can seem boring or uninteresting, so images are
necessary to add visual interest, rest the eye, and reinforce the brand. Users
in our study appreciated sites that used imagery to accompany the written
content. One user said, “Pictures are important because, given a choice, if
people can stare at all text or pictures, people would like to see images.”
Tips for using imagery effectively:
• Limit distracting images with busy backgrounds and too many
foreground objects.
• Faces of people, especially smiling people, elicit positive
responses from users.
• Don’t use images as filler; always select relevant images to pair
with content. Images should visually reinforce the message in
the written content.
• Avoid imagery that looks too posed or resembles stock
photography. Images that are specifically curated for the site
and the content will appear more genuine.
• Crop images to focus on the subject and eliminate distractions
from the background.
• Use images that illustrate products in context or use by real
people.
The main graphic on Chevron.com was directly relevant to the headline it
accompanied. The photo was high quality, it looked realistic, had clear focal
points, and contained few background distractions. One user felt that the
site’s images were appealing. He said, “The photos look authentic. Everything
seems appropriate for a Fortune-100 company.”
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The main graphic on Chevron.com was directly relevant to the headline
it supported.
The graphics and presentation of the Benetton Group’s website appeared as

if the template dictated the need for images with headlines, but effective
images were not utilized in these placeholders. Next to a headline about how
well-known the brand is, they provided an image of a large building with no
indication of how this building related to the article. Also, a link about the
company’s vision showed an abstract graphic of multicolor lines. Neither
photo helped to convey information about the content.
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Though the images on Benetton Group’s website were perceived as
high-quality, the surrounding visual elements made it look like a
templated, quickly-constructed website.
Another user on the US Department of the Interior site developed a positive

impression of the organization because of the way the pictures
complemented the content. “I like this organization because it shows pictures
of what they are talking about.” The photograph was not only aesthetically
interesting, but it also reinforced the rich visual detail related to the topic. In
this instance, because the content was focused on the glacier and the
architecture found in America’s National parks, the size of the photo works
well to fit the content.
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Users appreciated that the Department of the Interior included high-
quality photography alongside their written content.
70. Ensure graphics and images reinforce the written

message without obstructing reading.
Place graphics in areas that will enhance understanding without interfering
with users reading the copy. Consider a graphic’s layout and size in relation
to the content. Avoid using graphics that are so large that they overpower
other key elements on your site or take up important real estate, such as at
the very top of the page.
Some sites we tested used pictures in a way that diminished access to the
content and made readability difficult. For example, users were annoyed that
the same marquee image obstructed their reading on every subcategory
page of the Small Business Administration’s website. Because people were
trying to read the written content on the subcategory pages in the About Us
section, they did not like having to scroll past the same marquee image
every time a new page loaded to get to the copy. One user stated, “I don’t
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think that big picture is necessary for every page you go to. The print is kind
of small. It’s annoying to have to scroll down to get to read anything.”
Another user also said, “Maybe their mission should just be a simple
overview. Looks like a waste of space there… I don’t find it captivating or
easy to find what I’m looking for.” Avoid using marquee images at the top of
subcategory pages that contain important information users want to read and
scan. Don’t force them to scroll past images; let them get straight to the
content.
The large marquee image that loaded on every page in the Small
Business Administration’s About Us section blocked users from reading
the written text they needed.
In an eyetracking experiment, we compared using a zigzag image and

content layout with a layout that aligned all of the images on the right and all
of the text on the left. We wanted to see if the placement of images affected
the amount of attention they got from users. We found that regardless of the
image placement, what was more important to users was whether or not the
images had informational value. When they did, users looked at the images
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and the text in both layouts. When the images weren’t meaningful, people
ignored the images in both layouts. The only real difference as that the
decorative images were a bit harder for people to ignore in a zigzag layout.
This means that images must reinforce the message communicated in the
copy. Remember to communicate through your graphics and imagery; don’t
just decorate your site with them.
The images in this heatmap are placed favorably and do not obstruct the
user’s ability to read. However, it proves that even despite correct
placement, users ignore images that do not meaningfully reinforce the
message found in the body copy.
While reviewing content about how donations are spent on Charity Water’s
website, one user took notice of the graphics on the page. Their placement
enhanced her reading experience and visually reinforced the message in the
body copy. After seeing these images, the user scrolled back up to focus
more intently on them and said, “this is really speaking to me.”
Though text is often the most effective and best way to communicate a
message, sometimes it can be more powerful and emotionally impactful
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when supported with an image; just make sure the image upholds the
message and does not get in the user’s way of reading. Additionally, if you’re
describing a quantity, scale, weight, size, volume, or frequency, use graphics
to illustrate those elements.
Charity Water used an image layout that did not get in the way of user’s
ability to read. The image reinforced the message in the body copy,
used scale comparison to communicate size relation, and human
connection as the person in the illustration is looking at the user.
Here are a few more tips for using images effectively:

• Don’t needlessly break up blocks of text with unhelpful imagery.
Doing this creates too much visual distraction for users.
• Make sure images convey real information that supports the
message in the text.
• Use caution with large imagery; it can take up lots of space and
give users the impression that there’s no further information
below the image. Big images can also block users from efficiently
getting to the text content they need.
• Choose an image size that reflects quality and adequately
communicates the image’s detail without taking up the entire
page.
• Review what your graphics look like across desktop, tablet, and,
mobile to ensure they support reading across all devices.
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71. Avoid making content and links look like promotions or
advertising.
Users are goal-oriented and tend to ignore anything that might get in their
way when trying to complete their tasks. Eye-tracking studies show that
goal-oriented users have trained themselves to dodge graphics and
advertisements. People only look at the elements on a page that could fit the
need they’re seeking to fulfill, usually text content, numbers, links,
headlines, buttons, and form fields.
When people are on a mission, they tend to disregard the colorful boxes that
are commonly used in advertising. In fact, anything that is boxy, large, and
colorful risks being ignored. In-your-face attempts at grabbing people’s
attention, such as animated graphics, often backfire. Users interpret them as
advertising and purposely avoid them. People have been conditioned to see
plain text as useful and filter out eye-popping graphics. If you want people to
take your content seriously, refrain from making content and links overly
decorative with images and text. People may assume it’s an ad and will never
click on these elements.
While looking for the About Us section on Deutsche Bank’s website, one user
felt that website graphics looked too much like advertisements. She said,
“I would expect to see it under an about us section; who they
are; that’s what you want to know. They are doing too much on
the landing page. I just want to find out if it’s a good bank to
bank with. This reminds me more of advertising. They’re trying
to use too many different visual elements. This is too busy. It’s
an overflow of information.”
A better approach would have been for Deutsche Bank to forego the
image backgrounds in favor of a linked headline and small paragraph
of text describing each key topic or site section, similar to how Slack
does. This approach makes the content look less like an
advertisement, and helps draw the user’s attention into topics and site
sections of interest.
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Deutsche Bank’s use of images with headlines overlaid resembled
advertisements and felt busy to users.
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Slack’s content and links did not look like advertising. They took a much
more favorable approach to their content design through the use of bold
headlines, small paragraphs of text, and blue links to lead users to key
areas of the website.
72. Use video only when the message is better served

visually and audibly, rather than by reading.
When done well, video can augment text presentations and help illustrate
complex concepts. If people are impressed by your videos, this will positively
impact how they view your organization. That said, you should use video
judiciously, and only when it adds substantial value to your site.
In many cases, it’s easier for users to simply scan through text content,
instead of watching a video. For example, one user on Yamaha.com said,
“I avoid videos. Because most of the time I’m looking for the
easiest answer to my question and watching a video seems
laborious to me. Or, I fear that I will watch the entire video and
it still won’t answer my question, it will waste my time and I’ll
get frustrated.”
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Use videos when written text content is not enough. Here are some
additional factors to consider when determining if a video is the right
format to serve up your message:
• Use a video if your message is emotional or needs to
reflect the personality of an individual or organization.
Emotions and personality nuances sometimes do not translate
well in written formats, whereas seeing the event or a person
speak in a video provides an added layer of information that is
often missed in articles or written content.
While looking for career opportunities on ComputerShare.com, one
user said, “I would definitely watch videos when I’m looking for the
right job. I would want to watch it to see what work-life and culture
might be. But, watching video in general? It depends on what I’m
looking for. If it has nothing to do with what I’m searching for, I’ll
skip past it.”
• Use a video if your organization offers complex products
or services that need explanation. Sometimes showing a
short video communicates better than text can. If you have
products you need to explain or demonstrate, this message is
often well served with a video.
A user on Slack.com expressed confidence in the
organization because it included videos. He said, “I likes
these videos and the picture examples of what things in the
platform look like, with the descriptions and key points, off to
the side. Looks like it works pretty well.”
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Users appreciated the ability to see how Slack works in a short video.
Don’t rely on video as the only medium to deliver a piece of content. Some users
may be in a situation where audio is not appropriate or possible, or they may just
prefer to read. For these reasons, we recommend also having the same content
delivered in text format, and provide video as a supplement. Another approach is to
ensure you provide video transcripts to accompany a video, as is discussed in the
next guideline.
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73. Always include transcripts and closed-captioning
options with videos.
Though the message in your videos may be better viewed and heard instead
of read, make sure to always include video transcripts and closed-captioning
for users who are unable to hear. Providing transcripts of the spoken
message in your videos helps to enable closed captioning so that deaf users
can understand your content.
For example, Adobe featured short, two-minute videos on their website to
showcase client success stories. Though each video was fed into the site from
YouTube, the option to turn on closed-captioning was available and thus,
ensured hard-of-hearing users or those who could not watch the video with
the sound on were still able to benefit from it.
Adobe offered closed captioning on its videos so that deaf users and
those who could not have sound on could still understand the content.
74. Keep video clips short; cut unnecessary segments that

do not add value.
Human nature is to scan the web and move rapidly; it’s important to take
this into consideration and keep videos short and concise for quick answers.
Most people resist sitting through long video clips online, especially when the
content is corporate information. For example, one user on IBM.com said, “It
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says watch video. “He then clicked to watch the video and looked to see how
long the video was and said, “I wish it was shorter, get to the point. I don’t
have time to watch that to figure it out and it should be up on the front
page.”
Tips for making effective video clips:
• Pare videos down to the most compelling segments.
• Cut out the fancy introductions and transitions; get straight to
the point.
• Audio and video should be less than a minute long, and two
minutes at most.
People are more likely to view multiple videos on your site if their
experience with the first one is worthwhile. If you bore people with the
first video, they are unlikely to give you a second chance. For example,
users appreciated the short, 30-second video on Lemonade.com which
explained exactly how their homeowner’s insurance worked. They said,
“This is great. It’s so easy to understand and it’s not even a
minute long.”
“That was really nice — short, to the point. The last one was
very drawn out.”
Later in the session, they interacted with other video clips and liked that they
were also short, yet still informative. This was an effective use of video.
Lemonade provided users with short, 30-second video clips which

explained how their insurance worked. Users appreciated this approach.
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75. Test videos on different platforms, configurations,
devices, and settings to ensure video works for many
contexts.
Though many people in our most recent study stated that they conducted
About Us research on their desktop computers, it’s important to remember
that not all users will have high-speed internet. Users may be conducting
company research on their mobile devices as well, which introduces many
additional factors to consider with video content. Those factors include:
• Users could have less-than-optimal network connections.
Slow-loading or low-quality videos can completely ruin an
experience. Ensure media file sizes are as small as possible to
balance quality with loading speed.
• Videos should be tested on different platforms. Determine
which platforms people often use to access your videos and
ensure your videos display properly on each platform.
• Test videos on common configurations, devices, and
settings. Devices and settings aren’t always the same. Videos
might appear to work fine in your viewport, but the experience
might be completely different for your target audience.
For example, a user on the Department of the Interior’s website complained
that the video quality was poor. She said, “Poor quality video ... terrible
quality video. ... You can’t even read the titles. ... I’m going to get out of
that.”
The video content on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s website was
hard to read and slow-to-load.
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Merck did a nice job formatting their video so that it would play for users
across many different aspect ratios and devices. The user remained in control
of starting and stopping the video and could watch it either in the overlay or
in full-screen mode.
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Usability Basics for Corporate Sites
76. Use a consistent navigational structure across related
sites and subsites.
Because corporate websites often have subsites for related brands and
subsidiaries, it’s important to consider how the navigation will potentially
direct users to and from these other sites. If a user clicks on a link that takes
them to a new site with a completely different navigation, their experience
can be negatively impacted in several ways:
• Users become confused and unsure of where they are. They
often question if they are still on the original site or a new one,
and how to get back to the original site.
• If subsites fail to include a link back to the main site, users often
get stuck clicking on a logo or home link on the subsite,
expecting it to take them back to the original site. They become
frustrated when their clicks take them to the homepage of the
subsite, rather than back to the original site. This often happens
when subsites open in a new tab or window and the back button
is disabled.
• The visual and functional differences create a disjointed
experience, which diminishes users’ perceptions of the brand
and its credibility.
One user who was exploring GoToMeeting got confused as she navigated
between GoToMeeting’s website and their parent company’s website,
LogMeIn.com. The different navigational structures across the two sites made
it difficult to keep track of where she was. She said,
“I’m in LogMeIn now aren’t I!?, The yellow is ugly.” She then
scrolled down to the bottom of the page and said, “I didn’t even
realize that I switched tabs. That was confusing; I like the look
of the LogMeIn site way better. I just wish it was all one site.
What’s the difference between them and how do I get back?”
210 Usability Basics for Corporate Sites
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The About Us link on GoToMeeting.com opened its parent company’s
website, LogMeIn.com in a new tab which caused users to get lost.
Due to the complex relationship between all of LogMeIn’s products, it may

not be possible to avoid the complicated subsite structure. However,
LogMeIn, could do a better job of making each site experience feel like part
of a larger ecosystem of websites. The navigation could be more consistent
across subsites and if each product requires its own unique branding, apply
these styles to the body content, while preserving the navigation.
The navigation structure between Uncommon Goods’ main website and its
customer support website was unpredictable. For example, one user kept
trying to hit the back button after getting stuck in the customer support site,
but it would not take her back to the main website as she expected. She
said,
“I keep hitting the back button, but it’s not taking me to the
home page. She eventually clicked the subsite’s logo saying,
“Oh, look at that, you click on their name and it takes you
home, but this is a different homepage than the one that I saw
when I started. Oh, it’s the support home page, I’m confused
about how I got here”
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Uncommon Goods’ customer support center website opened in a new
tab, which confused users when navigating between it and their main
website. Users felt that this page lacked structure and consistency both
in navigation and page layout.
After clicking the logo on the customer support website, users expected to be
taken back to Uncommon Goods’ main homepage, not the support
homepage.
Users on MacGray’s website had similar trouble when looking for information
about executive leadership within the organization. After attempting to find
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the main person who runs the organization, one user said, “Oh here’s an
executive leadership section and now I’m on another site. This part has more
tabs; instead of the links (navigation) I saw on the other site.” The user
continued navigating between the websites and said, I’m not sure how I got
on that one page; the main CSC site. I was just kind of clicking around.”
Users started out on MacGray’s website but noticed the CSC logo in the
upper left corner. This caused them to wonder about the relationship
between the two companies.
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As people began reading the About Us content, users were taken to the
CSC corporate site which had a different navigation and aesthetic. This
confused users and made them further question where they were and
what the relationship was between MacGray and CSC.
When comparing the new website that opened to the original site, a user
said,
“This page looks way different; it looks very clean. The tabs are
big so you can’t miss anything. I like this one; the links on the
first page were a little bit smaller, this has tabs and it’s easier to
navigate through. I don’t see MacGray on anything though, just
CSC. Maybe MacGray is the bigger one (company) and this is a
branch-off service from them?”
Proctor & Gamble represented a good example of how to connect
many subsites back to a parent website. Though the company has
many different brands in its portfolio, they used a consistent blue
navigation bar across the top of every subsite, which linked users back
to the main site.
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Proctor and Gamble has many brands in its portfolio, but used a
consistent blue navigation bar across the top of every brand subsite
which led users back to the main P&G website.
77. Avoid opening new browser tabs and windows.

In general, refrain from opening new browser tabs or windows from the
About Us section. This practice is problematic for users navigating on both
desktop and mobile devices. In countless usability studies, we’ve seen people
get stuck in new tabs or windows without an obvious way to get back to the
prior page. This is caused by two specific factors:
• In the case of new windows, it is difficult to control which
window is active. When a new window appears on top of the
original, it’s difficult for users to preserve access to the non-
active window.
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• People often accidentally click outside the active browser
window and bury it underneath the parent window. The new
window then blocks users’ view of the original page when fully
maximized.
• In both cases, the Back button becomes disabled, because there
is no prior history for this tab or window to refer to. People don’t
realize they are in a new tab or window, and they subsequently
struggle to return to the previous page because the browser’s
Back button doesn’t work.
This might be difficult for power users to fathom, but users who are less
proficient with the web have great difficulty managing multiple tabs and
windows. People who get lost or think your site is broken will give up or
attempt their task on a competitor’s website. For example, one user on
UNICEF’s website got stuck in their marketplace website after it opened in a
new tab. The user said, “I’m clicking back in the market to get back to the
main site, but I’m in a new tab. I’m stuck here in the market, trying to get
home, but every time I click on back or this logo, it just takes me back to the
market.”
Users got stuck in UNICEF’s market website because it opened in a new

tab off of their main website, UNICEF.com.
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78. If you must link to a different website, open the site in
the same window and tell users they’re going to a
different website (before they click the link).
If you need to link users away from your website to continue their research
on another one, it’s helpful to give them some understated contextual clues
about the fact that they’re going to another site. However, don’t use modal
overlays for this; favor options that are subtler and won’t obstruct the user’s
path to the next site.
For example, on Eli Lily’s website, after a user rolled over a link that would
take them to another website, a small tooltip appeared that informed the
user they were about to leave Eli Lily’s website. This non-intrusive,
informative message set users’ expectations so that they were not lost amid
the transition to the next site. Unfortunately, the new site opened in a new
browser tab, which made it difficult for users to get back to the page they
came from. Eli Lily should have opened the link in the same window.
Users were presented with an informative tooltip that let them know
they were going to a different website from Eli Lily’s. This is helpful for
users to remember where they were and where they went. Be sure to
open links to external websites in the same window so users can find
their way back to where they came from.
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79. Name links to corporate content clearly; avoid using
vague labels that could imply similar or duplicate
meaning.
Good link names help people quickly and accurately predict what they will get
when they click a link. When link names are too similar, people are more
likely to click the wrong link and miss the information they need.
For example, one user was looking for information about how long the Make-
A-Wish Foundation had been in business. She said, “I’m confused between
Our Story or About Us, which one should I choose?”
From a users’ standpoint, either of these links could take them to the
information they need. When users struggle to decipher between which link
to click, it slows them down because they have to stop and think about the
options. In these cases, link labels are likely not as indicative as they could
be, or the site has redundant content that’s too closely related for users to
immediately understand the difference. In the case of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation, there are several potential fixes for this issue:
• They could have included their story right on the About Us page,
so that there’s only one place to find it.
• They could have relabeled the Our Story link to say Our History,
which is a stronger indicator for this type of information and
more clearly differentiates it from About Us.
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Make-A-Wish Foundation’s website had two About Us links as well as a
link to Our Story. This made it difficult to determine which link to click to
find specific information about the company’s history. (Note: Red boxes
added by author to denote navigation links.)
Don’t include redundant information in links. Listing links this way presents
users with a column of identical words, and they must carefully read through
all links to glean the differences between them. For example, Schneider
Electric introduced linked to video content by denoting if the video was a
Solutions Video, or a Customer Video. Using repetitive information in front of
every link is unnecessary and not overly valuable for users. A better
approach would have been to remove this arbitrary text and let the title of
the video serve as the link or group related videos under higher-level labels.
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Schneider Electric’s website did not need to include the redundant link
text in front of its useful links. Doing so actually made them less useful.
A better approach would have been for UNICEF to open their market website
in the same tab, while maintaining the Home link in the utility navigation, to
help users get back to the main site.
80. Use font sizes and styles that optimize readability.

Tiny fonts are difficult to read, especially for people with low vision. Small
fonts might look good at first glance, or if they are displayed on a large
monitor during web page design, but when customers actually have to read
the text, tiny letters can cause eyestrain and some people can’t read them at
all. If people can’t read your site’s text, they can’t accomplish their tasks.
Using tiny fonts causes discontent and alienates users, even those with
normal vision.
Use large, bold fonts for headlines and sub-headlines. It’s acceptable to use
styled fonts with serifs for headlines, but favor sans-serif fonts for body copy
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and long blocks of text, as it is easier to scan. Use at least 15-point font for
body copy on desktop and at least 13-point font for body copy on mobile.
Avoid using all-capital letters; headlines can be displayed in all caps if the
design requires it for branding purposes, but use this treatment judiciously.
Pair complementary fonts together to create a visual aesthetic that favorably
represents your brand. Regardless of the font choices you make, be sure that
the informational text is readable and that the font is utilitarian. When fonts
are difficult to read, users run into trouble.
After asking a user what he’d tell his boss he didn’t like about IBM, he said,
“I think that the titles for each category should be larger. I have to really
look for that title in order to see what the picture or section is about. If I am
just browsing it on my phone and not knowing what the picture is for, then I
would just be browsing it all the way down to the bottom and miss the vital
information there.”
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Make sure to include font sizes that are legible across desktop and
mobile. One user on IBM’s mobile website had a hard time seeing the
headlines that corresponded to the content on the page because they
were too small. (Note: Red boxes added by author to denote headlines)
Beyond the size of the text, consider the readability of the font face. Choose
sharp, crisp font faces. Use fonts that are optimized for onscreen web
reading. Sans-serif fonts, like Arial, are considered best for reading on the
web because they are clean and straightforward, without extra flourishes.
81. For readability and accessibility, ensure there’s

adequate contrast between text, images, and
background colors.
Reading onscreen is much more difficult than reading printed material.
Maximize legibility by using high-contrast text and background colors,
primarily black text on a white background. White text on a black background
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also provides high-contrast and can be almost as good, but make sure to test
the experience with your users to uncover their color preferences while
reading and completing tasks on your website. The inverted color scheme of
white text on a black background can blur the edges of letters, which slows
reading slightly. While the white-on-black color combination may be
appropriate for small blocks of text, for longer-form content, it’s best to use
dark text on a light background. If you do use a light text on a dark
background, make sure the text is bold and large enough for users to see.
When it’s not, users can run into trouble, or develop a less than optimal
perception of your brand.
For example, after asking one user on WellsFargo.com what he didn’t like
about the bank he said, “I’m not a fan of white text on black background.
The text and pictures on my phone are pretty low res, they could look
better.”
Stick to standard black or dark gray text on white backgrounds. Unlike

Wells Fargo’s website which used a black background with white text,
the inverse is much easier for people of all sight-levels to read.
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Many sites have started to use gray text on light-gray backgrounds. Though
this treatment might look good to the designer, it negatively affects the
text’s legibility. Additionally, text presented in this color scheme is often not
accessible, which could get your company into legal trouble. It’s important to
take the proper measures, including checking for proper font sizes and
contrast levels, to ensure your site is accessible.
For example, after running a page from Squarespace through a color contrast
checker, it revealed that the contrast was far too low to be considered
accessible, and the font size was far too small for desktop. WCAG 2 level AA
requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large
text, and a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for graphics and user interface
components (such as form input borders). Level AAA requires a contrast ratio
of at least 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Squarespace’s page
had a contrast ratio 1.66:1 and thus, failed to meet accessibility
requirements.
Squarespace used a dark gray font that was too small for the desktop
experience. Coupled with its placement on top of a light gray
background, the contrast ratio was too low to be considered accessible
and readable.
Avoid excessively high-contrast color schemes too, such as pink text on a

green background, as these combinations can be impossible for colorblind
users to read. Reinforce your commitment to inclusivity and social awareness
by making sure your site is navigable by all users, including those who rely
on assistive technologies. Doing so helps your organization capture a broader
audience and it shows that you are conscious of all peoples’ needs.
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82. Write and present long-form corporate content in a way
that optimizes scanning.
Research has shown that people don’t read word–for–word on the web, and
their reading patterns when interacting with corporate website content will be
no different. Users often skim pages trying to pick out a few sentences or
even parts of sentences that hold the information they want. For example, in
this heat map from an eye tracking study, users fixated (red areas) on the
parts of the copy they thought would provide the answers to their questions,
rather than focusing on every word in the copy.
Heatmaps from eye tracking studies show us that users don’t read word
for word on the web; they skim and scan to find information.
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People prefer text that is short and to the point. To make text scannable and
efficient for reading adhere to the following text optimization
recommendations:
• Don’t overload people with too much text. Offering vast
amounts of text is overwhelming and intimidating. Be judicious
with writing be trimming off unnecessary detail and keeping
information immediately actionable.
• Enhance scanning by using formatting elements such as
headings, large type, bold text, highlighted text, bulleted lists,
graphics, captions, and topic sentences.
• Use concise and simple language, and break up large blocks
of information into short paragraphs.
For example, Oscar.com did a nice job of properly formatting its longer-form
web content for scanning. The site used all of the right elements which made
this page easier for people to read. They used clearly written headings —
along with indents, white space, good contrast, a concise writing style, and
appropriately-sized fonts.
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Oscar.com presented users with long-form copy which was very easy to
read and scan.
Conversely, when one user on Adobe.com was looking for content related to
his industry, he encountered an overwhelming wall of text. Once he saw the
long spans of text, he immediately said, “This is kind of hard to read; I wish
that was easier right off the bat. I don’t want to waste time reading all of
that”. Then, he immediately left the site. Adobe should have broken up this
mass of text into shorter, more digestible excerpts, with sub-headlines that
summarized the main point of each paragraph. Bolding keywords and
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phrases would have also helped to draw users’ attention to areas of
noteworthy information.
After encountering a wall-of-text that contained little formatting to lend

scanning, one user immediately left Adobe.com.
83. Use language that is familiar to your target audience,

and avoid technical language or uncommon terms.
When communicating information about your organization, it’s very easy
to rely on internal and industry-specific terminology. Unfortunately, for
external visitors, this type of copy is often perceived as jargon-laden. It’s
better to use simple and clear words than fancy ones that might confuse
users. Content is supposed to convey information; when people can’t
understand it, it’s worthless. Even worse, jargon terms can leave people
feeling frustrated and talked down to.
As we often find on many government websites, HUD.gov used an over-

abundance of acronyms and terms that people didn’t understand. When a
user landed on acronym-filled content, she said, “What in the world does
PD&R mean?”
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Many government sites are guilty of over-using acronyms instead of
thoughtfully spelling out what they mean. In this example, HUD.gov
should have more explicitly called out what PD&R meant for unfamiliar
users.
A user on BMS.com was researching information about environmental efforts,

but stumbled over the term EHS. “They strive to prevent negative EHS
impact — whatever that means.”
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Bristol Myers-Squibb used acronyms on their site which tripped users up
when they were scanning through the content.
84. Offer PDFs in addition to HTML formats, not as a

replacement.
Present content for online viewing in HTML format. Save PDFs for content
that people want to print. Though they are typically good for print, PDFs are
unpleasant to read and difficult navigate on a computer. PDF layouts are
often optimized for a sheet of paper, which rarely matches the size and scale
of the user’s browser window.
In previous studies, we found that PDF files are problematic because they are
typically converted from documents that were intended for print, so the
guidelines for web writing are not followed — resulting in lengthy text that
takes up many pages, is unpleasant, and boring to read.
Besides the added potential for long downloading times, PDFs are difficult to
use. They live in their own environment with different commands and menus.
Even simple things like printing or saving documents are difficult because
standard browser commands don’t work.
Also, most PDF files are enormous content chunks with no internal
navigation. They also often lack decent search, aside from the extremely
primitive ability to jump to a text string’s next literal match. If the user’s
question is answered on page 75, there’s close to zero probability that he or
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she will locate it. Burying corporate information in PDFs means that most
people will not read it. Participants in this study did not appreciate PDFs and
often skipped right over them instead of finding value in the information.
Many people who opened PDFs quickly abandoned them.
One user looking for information on the Small Business Administration’s
website got stuck in a PDF. While she was trying to figure out what exactly
the administration did, she said, “I expect it to talk more about what they
can do for me. If the print was bigger, that would be really helpful. Now, I’m
stuck in a PDF.”
While looking for content about the Small Business Administration, one
user clicked on a link that she thought would take her to About Us
content. Instead, she got stuck in a PDF about the Small Business Act.
Another user was looking for information about where Wells Fargo was
headquartered and got stuck in a PDF. He said, “I expected to see it at the
bottom of the contact us page; it’s not there.” The user proceeded to use site
search to try to find the headquarters location. After typing in headquarters,
he was taken to the history section of the website. He clicked on a link that
said, Wells Fargo Today, and said, “Maybe it’s in Wells Fargo today. All of a
sudden that downloads a PDF, ew! At this point I would just Google it.”
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Wells Fargo housed corporate information in a PDF, which forced one
user to give up browsing on their site, entirely. He subsequently
performed a Google search to find the answer to his question.
Sempra Energy did a nice job of offering multiple formats for its corporate
content, not just a PDF. In addition to viewing the content as HTML
webpages, users could also listen to presentations and download PDF files.
The PDF link included an icon that set users expectations for the fact that
they would be downloading a PDF. Giving users multiple means by which to
access content, especially content that’s usually in a PDF is a favorable
practice.
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Users could view content on webpages or download PDF files from
Sempra Energy’s website.
85. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) should include only

questions that are actually asked frequently.
Do not assume that you know what questions will be frequently asked by
your users. Only address real user questions in your FAQ section, not
those you or your colleagues assume users might have, and don’t use
FAQs as a platform to tout your organization.
For example, the FAQs in the corporate area of Nintendo’s site appeared
to contain questions that were company–centric. For example, questions
such as, “How does the organization help protect the environment?” seem
like PR rather than a frequently asked question from users. FAQs are not
a replacement for good information architecture; if Nintendo’s site was
well-designed, the answers to these questions should be easily found
contextually, in the appropriate sections of the website.
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Nintendo included questions in their FAQs which seemed more like
attempts at PR, instead of answering a real user question.
Additionally, FAQs are not intended to organize large amounts of content.

They’re most effective when applied to situations that have simple questions
and straight-forward answers. When FAQs are too long, or if they contain too
many irrelevant questions, users begin to lose trust in the website.
Pier 1 Imports did a nice job of presenting its FAQs in a format that was easy
for users to navigate and find the answers they needed. The anchor links at
the top of the page helped users skip down to the sections of the page that
were the most pertinent. The questions were bolded to help users distinguish
them from the answers, and the answers were presented clearly and
concisely. These are all favorable formatting techniques for your FAQ section.
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Pier 1 Imports did a nice job with their FAQs section; anchor links
helped users skip down to the relevant questions and answers were easy
to understand.
There are several things you can do to determine users’ most frequently
asked questions. For example, you can monitor support lines and email
inquiries, check search logs to see what people are looking for, pay attention
to comments users make on social media, and conduct field studies or user
tests. Check with your customer service groups to find the top 15 to 20
actual inquiries they receive.
Additionally, if you present FAQs in accordions, make sure that the frequently
asked question is clickable, along with any iconography; plus signs or arrows
are often used expand the accordion to reveal the answer. Many users in our
study struggled to interact with FAQs content when both elements were not
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clickable. We also recommend including a link to expand and collapse all
questions, at once.
Microsoft’s frequently asked questions allowed users to click on either

the Plus icon, or the main question headline to reveal the answer
underneath. This is a user-friendly way to ensure users can easily find
the answers they need. Utilizing an expand or collapse-all link could be
added to make this design even better.
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Methodology
OVERVIEW
This report features the results of three usability studies. For each, we used
the thinking aloud methodology; we gave participants realistic tasks to
perform on websites and asked them to think aloud as they attempted each
task. A facilitator sat next to the participant and observed, listened, and took
notes during each session. Users commented on:
• What they were looking for or reading
• What they liked or didn’t like about the site
• What made it easy or difficult for them to accomplish their tasks
At the end of each session, users rated their subjective satisfaction with the
website on a scale of 1-7 and discussed their experience with the facilitator.
Each session lasted 90 minutes and had the same facilitator. Participants
used either a PC or their own personal mobile device, (iPhone or Android)
and a high-speed Internet connection.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 70 people participated in these studies (30 female and 40 male).

The table below shows the number of participants by age group.
Age Group 15-18 18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-65
Participants 4 12 23 20 9 2
All participants had previous online experience and had used the web to
research companies. In the most recent round of research, we primarily
focused on testing with users who regularly interacted with corporate
websites as part of their job.
The participants all had at least two years of web experience, but most had
significantly more. We screened out technical experts such as IT personnel,
programmers, and web or software designers, as people like this are likely
experts in using the web, and were generally not the target users for the
sites we tested.
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PARTICIPANTS’ OCCUPATIONS (partial list)
Business owner
Sales agent
Student
Homemaker
Home health aid
Restaurant server
Registered nurse
Publications
Fundraiser
Administrative assistant
Distribution product specialist
Retail consultant
Realtor
City clerk
Professional investor
Project manager
Financial analyst
Financial advisor
Journalist
Bookkeeper
Sales
Teacher/professor
Vice president
Editor
Warehouse associate
Financial account executive
Government health coach
Logistics
238 Methodology
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TASK PROCEDURES
The facilitator gave users one task at a time, and asked them to carry out
each task as far as they would if they were on their own. Depending on the
time available, most users tested two pre-selected websites. For each site,
users performed the open-ended task first, then completed as many specific
directed tasks as possible from a list of items (we staggered the item order
from session to session).
Participants were allowed to research websites that they were interested in.
This was the case for some people who were interested in investing in a
company and for journalists who were doing research for an article.
Open-ended Tasks
We asked participants to research organization information on the target
website and determine whether it was worth doing business or being
associated with the organization. We asked participants to write or report
their analysis to ensure that they gave due diligence to the task. Each
website type required a slightly different variation on the task as follows.
Ecommerce
Imagine that you just received the following email from a friend asking for
advice:
I am planning on buying this product:
from company .
This company has what I need. But, before I make the purchase online, I
want to make sure that this is a good company to do business with. Please
go to their website and let me know the following:
(Note: We will not use your advice in any way. Your information will remain anonymous.)
1. If, overall, you think it is a good or bad company to do business with?

Why or why not?
2. What do you like about this company, if anything?
3. What don’t you like about this company, if anything?
Banks or financial institutions

Imagine you’re new to the area and looking for a new bank. Before you open
an account, you want to find a good bank to do business with. Go to this
website and see if this bank would be good to open an account with.
1. Do you think this is a trustworthy bank? Why or why not?
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2. What do you like about this bank, if anything?
3. What don’t you like about this bank, if anything?
Corporate sites: task version 1

A friend of yours is thinking about applying for a job at
_________________________________.
See what you can find out about what this company does and if it seems like
a good place to work.
1. Do you think this is a good company to work for? Why or why not?
Corporate sites: task version 2

Imagine your boss asked you to do some research to a find a company that
can provide ________________________________ services.
Go to their website and decide whether this company would be a good one to
do business with. Explain why or why not.
1. Would you tell your boss that this is a good or bad company to work
with?
2. What would you tell your boss you like about this company, if
anything?
3. What would you tell your boss you don’t like about this company, if
anything?
Government organizations
Learn about what this organization does and whether it seems like a good
resource from the website.
Organization name:
_______________________________________________.
1. What does this organization do?
2. What do you like about this organization, if anything?
3. What don’t you like about this organization, if anything?
Investment-related sites
Imagine that you just received an email from a friend asking advice about
investing with_____________________________________.
Go to their website and see if this business seems like a good one to invest
with.
240 Methodology
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1. Do you think it is a good or bad company to invest with?
Nonprofit organizations
Imagine that you just received an email from a friend asking you to donate
to a charitable organization they’re passionate about.
Before you donate, you want to make sure that this is a good organization to
donate to.
1. Do you think it is a good or bad company to donate to? Why or why
not?
2. What do you like about this organization, if anything?
3. What don’t you like about this organization, if anything?
Computer or phone repair

Imagine that your computer (or phone) is not working and you need to get it
fixed.
See if this computer repair shop would be a good one to fix your device.
1. Do you think it is a good or bad shop to fix your device?
2. What do you like about this shop, if anything?
3. What don’t you like about this shop, if anything?
Utilities
Imagine that you’re new to the area and you need to set up utilities at your
new home. Before you make an appointment, you want to make sure the
utility company has a good reputation.
Go to this website and see if the utility company looks reputable.
1. Do you think this is a trustworthy company? Why or why not?
2. What do you like about this company if anything?
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Directed Tasks
After participants completed the open-ended task, we asked them to perform
the following specific tasks.
• What does this organization do?
• What is this organization’s position on social and community efforts?
• What community or social programs does the organization contribute
to?
• How long has this organization been in business?
• Who is the main person who runs the organization?
• What is the organization’s business philosophy?
• How long has the company been in business?
• Find contact information for someone who can answer questions you
might have about the organization.
• Where is the company headquartered?
• How many employees does the company have?
WEBSITE SELECTION
We tested 100 websites over the course of this research project. The
companies and organizations owning the sites ranged from a variety of
industries, company sizes, and web designs. In addition to testing these
websites, our staff reviewed 65 other websites.
Note: Some of the websites included in this report have changed or
disappeared since we tested them. Our purpose here is not to criticize any
individual site. Rather, we use the specific sites and screenshots as examples
to illustrate general usability issues that apply across many websites.
Thus, a site’s redesign or closure doesn’t change our recommendations, nor
does it make a screenshot irrelevant. Indeed, our hope is that many of the
websites we feature here will take any advice and correct the issue.
242 Methodology
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SITES TESTED AND REVIEWED
7UP (Dr. Pepper Snapple
Beverage
Group)
Transport and communications infrastructure
Abertis management
Adecco Group Staffing
Adobe Software developer
Alcoa Aluminum producer
Allstate Personal insurance
Altria Group Tobacco products producer
Amazon.com Wide variety of goods (ecommerce)
Ameren Energy services
American Airlines Airline
American Electric Power Energy services
American Refugee
Committee Humanitarian assistance to refugees
American Stroke Offers support and information for stroke

Association patients and their loved ones
Anthem Insurance
Apple Technology
ASE Global Semiconductor manufacturing services
AutoZone Auto parts and accessories
B4 Brands Holistic medical company
Barclays Financial services
Pharmaceutical/biotechnology/manufacturer
Bayer Group of polymers
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BCG Global management consulting
Bear Stearns Investment banking
Benetton Group Apparel
Bernett Research Market research services
Best Buy Consumer electronics retailer
BlueCross BlueShield Insurance
BMW Automobile manufacturer
Bodytrends Fitness apparel and equipment
Boeing Aerospace
BP Petroleum
Bridgestone Tire and rubber manufacturer
Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals
Build.com Building materials
Capital One Financial services
Cardinal Health Healthcare products and services
CCBill billing and ecommerce payment solutions
Charity Water Nonprofit
Chevron Petroleum manufacturer
China Mobile Mobile services provider
Cintas Uniforms and maintenance supplies
Citigroup Financial services
ComputerShare Investments
ConocoPhillips Oil and gas
244 Methodology
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Constellation Brands Marketer of alcoholic beverages
Continental Airlines Airline
Custom Ink Custom apparel
CVS Pharmacy
Deutsche Bank Group Financial services
Disney Entertainment media conglomerate
Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals
Esprit Apparel
ESRI Mapping software
Exxon Petroleum manufacturer
Farmers Insurance Insurance and financial services
FedEx Shipping
Fine Stationery Stationery (ecommerce)
Frontline Ltd. Tankers operator of crude oil
Gannett Publisher of news and information
Gap Inc. Apparel manufacturer
GE Technology
Gifts such as floral arrangements and balloons

GiftTree (ecommerce)
GlaxoSmithKline Healthcare products and services
Global Hyatt Lodging and leisure
GoTo Meeting Remote meeting software
Godiva Chocolatier Chocolates manufacturer
Google Search engine
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Hallmark Retailer of home furnishings and gifts
Hanson PLC Supplier of heavy building material
Henderson Land
Development Company Investments holding company
High Street Partners Finance and accounting services
Hilton Hotels Lodging and leisure
HNTB Infrastructure
HomelivingStyle.com Furniture (ecommerce)
Computer technology and consulting

HP corporation
HSBC Bank Corporate banking
Computer technology and consulting

IBM corporation
ImmunoGen Anticancer therapeutics
JCPenny Apparel and house wares
Jewelry Television Jewelry (ecommerce)
JM Family Enterprises Automotive
John Hancock Insurance and financial services
Johnson & Johnson Healthcare products and services
KB Home Home builder
Lemonade Insurance
Printers and imaging manufacturer and

Lexmark International supplier
Distribution and supply chain

LiFung management/retail chains
246 Methodology
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Limited Brands Wide range of products, mostly apparel
LogMeIn Communications services provider
Lubrizol Lubricants
Mac-Gray Laundry equipment and services
Make-A-Wish Foundation Wish-granting organization
Manulife Financial Insurance and financial services
Marriott International Lodging and leisure
Masergy Energy services
Matrix Resources IT support, staffing, and solutions
Mattel Toy manufacturer
Provider of business, education, and financial

McGraw-Hill information
Melissa & Doug Toy manufacturer
Merck & Co. Pharmaceutical
Metlife Insurance
Microsoft Technology
MTR Corp. Passenger railways
Nabi Pharmaceuticals
National Multiple
Sclerosis Society Advocacy group to support people with MS
Nestlé Food products manufacturer
Nestlé Purina Petcare Pet food manufacturer
Nintendo Video games developer and manufacturer
Nordica Ski equipment manufacturer
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Omni Hotels Lodging and leisure
OneCall Electronics retailer (ecommerce)
Oscar Insurance
Palm, Inc. Mobile products manufacturer
Paper Style Stationary (ecommerce)
PCCW Ltd. Communications services provider
PCL Construction Construction
Pepsi (PepsiCo) Beverage
Pfizer Pharmaceutical
Pier 1 Imports Retailer of home furnishings and gifts
Prudential Insurance and financial services
Wireless telecommunications research and

Qualcomm development
Multimedia retailer/online & television

QVC shopping
Roche Group Healthcare products and services
Ryder Transportation & Logistics
Samsung Electronics
Schneider Electric Utilities
Screencast.com Product that allows people to manage and

(TechSmith Corp.) share videos, images, and documents online
Power plants, pipelines and storage facilities

Sempra Energy operator
Slack Communication
Smith Barney Brokerage and Investment banking
248 Methodology
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St. Jude’s Children’s
Research Hospital Pediatric treatment and research
Starbucks Coffee retailer
Starwood Hotels &

Resorts Worldwide Lodging and leisure
Paper, packaging, and forest products

Stora Enso manufacturer
Suni Medical imaging devices manufacturer
Synchrony Bank Bank
TD Ameritrade Investment banking
Team Industrial Services Industrial leak and concrete repair services
Tellme (Microsoft) Telephone-based applications
Tesla Automobile manufacturer
Textron Logistics
The Brattle Group Provide consulting and expert testimony
The Dow Chemical Chemical, plastic and agricultural products

Company and services
Timberland Active sports apparel
Titan Vision Closed-circuit cameras
TNT N.V. Courier of parcels and freight
U.S. Department of Provides funding for programs that help

Housing and Urban people find affordable rental housing and
Development acquire loans
U.S. Department of the

Interior Government conservation agency
U.S. Federal Trade

Commission Consumer protection and anti-trust
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U.S. General Services Provide office space, goods and services to
Administration other federal agencies
Provides financial, and management

U.S. Small Business assistance to help people start and run their
Administration businesses
UBreakiFix Phone and computer repair
Ultimate Software Software developer
United Nations Educational, Scientific and

UNESCO Cultural Organization
Work for children’s rights, their survival,

UNICEF development and protection
UPS Package delivery services
Vivendi Entertainment media conglomerate
Wal-Mart Apparel and house wares
Water.org Nonprofit
WellPoint Health Insurance
WellsFargo Bank
Manufacturer and marketer of major home

Whirlpool appliances
Willis Towers Watson Risk management and insurance
Wirecard Digital payments
Telecommunications and internet service

Xfinity provider
Wide range of products and services, mostly

Yamaha musical instruments and electronics
250 Methodology
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Author Biography
Anna Kaley is a User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group.

Before joining NN/g, Anna worked for more than 10 years in user experience
architecture and digital strategy. She has conducted complex user research,
service and experience design for healthcare, agriculture, finance, tourism,
retail, and engineering clients. Most recently, she worked at a large retailer
where she was responsible for ecommerce UX in both B2C (business-to-
consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) channels. Anna is skilled at using
qualitative and quantitative research methodologies throughout the design
process to drive conversion, increase revenue and improve satisfaction. She
also has expertise in digital media planning, search marketing, and graphic
design.
Anna has held UX roles on both internal product teams and in digital
agencies of various sizes. She understands the challenges that user
experience professionals face in both contexts. This familiarity helps her
bring a well-rounded approach to her projects and instruction. She creates
experiences that meet user and business needs while balancing technical
pragmatism.
Anna has a Bachelor of Journalism degree with an emphasis in Strategic
Communication. She attended the University of Missouri, Columbia.
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Acknowledgements
The first and second editions of this report were researched and written by
Hoa Loranger and Jakob Nielsen.
Special thanks to all the people who participated in these studies, whose
identity we’ve promised to keep anonymous.
We’d also like to acknowledge Derek Loranger and J.M Berger for their
contributions to the first and second editions of this report.
252 Acknowledgements
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Evidence-Based User Experience Research, Training, and Consulting
Since 1998 Nielsen Norman Group has been a leading voice in the user experience field.
• Conducting groundbreaking research
• Evaluating interfaces of all shapes and sizes
• Guiding critical design decisions to improve the bottom line
We practice what we preach

We don’t just talk about the importance of testing with real users, on real tasks, in real life business situations:
we do it. Every week, somewhere around the globe, NN/g team members are conducting research that informs
the three pillars of our business: training, consulting and research. In that work we have:
• Tested more than 2,000 different interfaces
• Observed more than 4,000 users—in person—in 18 countries and on 5 continents
• Analyzed thousands of hours of recorded user observations sessions
• Conducted countless diary studies, focus groups and remote user tests
Our collective experience will save you time… and money

Making technology easier to use is no longer a nice-to-have. Useful, usable products make money. And our
expertise can help your team achieve their design goals quicker and easier than going it alone. Choosing NN/g
means you benefit directly from our:
• Finely tuned methodology: We have an arsenal of proven tools at our disposal and know how and where
to apply each one, taking the guesswork out of how to achieve the optimal design solution to meet your
business goals.
• Comprehensive body of knowledge: We’ve taken the results of our decades of research and testing and
distilled it down into actionable guidelines, best practices and proven methodologies. Our research
library, containing more than 60 published reports, books, and an email newsletter archive dating back
to 1995 is unrivaled.
• Practical approach: Our approach is 100% practical, useful and actionable. Whether you attend one of
our Usability Week events or invite us to consult at your place of business, the training you will receive
can be put into action immediately so that you can see the results.
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Our people are the best in the business

At NN/g there is no “B Team.” When we dispatch consultants to work with you and your team, or when you
attend a Usability Week course, you are learning directly from some of the best-educated and most experienced
minds in the business.
• Our principals are considered pioneers in the fields of user research and interface design.
• Our researchers and consultants tackle the most recent and relevant topics in usability, from evergreen
challenges such as information architecture and intranet usability to emerging trends in social media
and mobile usability.
Stay Informed
Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox Newsletter
Summaries of our latest research and insights published twice per month.
To subscribe: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/subscribe
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TRAINING
Usability Week Events
Usability Week training events are offered in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Europe, Asia and Australia.
Each week-long event features full-day, immersive training courses where attendees learn practical skills directly
from experienced practitioners so they can solve complex UI problems and create better interface designs.
More than 40 courses offered in these categories:

• Agile
• Applications
• Content Strategy
• Credibility & Persuasion
• Email
• Information Architecture
• Interaction Design
• Intranets
• Mobile & Tablet
• Non-Profit Websites
• Prototyping
• Social UX
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• Visual Design
• Web Usability
• Writing for the Web
Available courses and upcoming locations: https://www.nngroup.com/training/
In-house Training
Many of our courses can be taught at your location and customized to fit your unique offerings, methods and
resources.
In-house training is ideal for:
• Large teams that want to spread user experience perspective throughout the group
• Teams working on large projects that need to kick start the creative process and head in the right
direction
In-house training information: https://www.nngroup.com/consulting/
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REPORTS
NN/g has published more than 60 reports that detail thousands of evidence-based design guidelines derived
from our independent research studies of websites, intranets, application, and mobile interfaces.
More than 60 reports addressing these topics:

• Agile
• Applications
• Audience Types (e.g., children, college students, seniors, people with disabilities)
• B2B Websites
• Corporate Websites
• Ecommerce
• Email
• Information Architecture
• Intranets
• Mobile & Tablet
• Non-Profit Websites
• User Testing
• Social UX
• Strategy
• Web Usability
Shop for reports here: https://www.nngroup.com/reports
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CONSULTING
The same experts who conduct our research and teach Usability Week training courses are available for custom
consulting including:
• Evaluating your website, application, intranet or mobile interface (average cost $38,000 USD)
• Usability testing (average cost $25,000 - $35,000 USD)
• On-site training with your team (average cost $10,000 USD, plus travel per day)
Consulting details: https://www.nngroup.com/consulting
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Last Updated: 11/27/2012
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48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 94539–7498 USA

Report Author: Anna Kaley

© NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP | WWW.NNGROUP.COM 3

Research Studies .......................................................................... 6

About the Third Edition .................................................................. 8

About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity ................................ 9

Seeking About Us Content: Why and How ...................................... 13

User Satisfaction: Contributing Factors .......................................... 14

Empathizing with User Skepticism ................................................. 15

Structuring and Labeling About Us Content .................................... 17

Guideline List .............................................................................................. 20

Making a Good First Impression ................................................................. 27

About Us Structure and Labeling ................................................................ 52

Company Information and News ................................................................ 69

Communicating Your Business Philosophy................................................. 99

History and Timelines ............................................................................... 106

Executive Leadership and Management ................................................... 115

Careers and Company Culture .................................................................. 122

Social, Environmental, and Charitable Impacts ....................................... 130

Awards, Recognition, and Reviews .......................................................... 140

Contact and Customer Support ................................................................ 157

Nonprofit Organizations ........................................................................... 184

Images, Video, and Mobile ....................................................................... 191

Usability Basics for Corporate Sites.......................................................... 210

Overview .................................................................................. 237

Participants .............................................................................. 237

Task Procedures ........................................................................ 239

Website Selection ...................................................................... 242

Author Biography ...................................................................................... 251

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Whether users seek company information in a B2B (business-to-business) or

The information in this report is the result of three separate rounds of

First Edition Research

Second Edition Research

Third Edition Research

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ABOUT THE THIRD EDITION

What Does Transparency and Authenticity Look Like?

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Zappos’ main About Us page also featured elements that contributed to

• Authentic and realistic photography

10 About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity

The realistic portrayal of Zappos’ culture in its About Us section made

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Leaders from the Small Business Administration encouraged users to

Beyond the About Us Section

12 About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity

Finding Answers in Search Engine Results

SEEKING ABOUT US CONTENT: WHY AND HOW

• Professionals who want to interact with business partners and

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If you deprioritize About Us content, you’ll likely miss key opportunities to

USER SATISFACTION: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

14 About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity

EMPATHIZING WITH USER SKEPTICISM

An influx of online scams, data breaches, and negative experiences people

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The Rise of Reviews

16 About Us in the Age of Transparency and Authenticity

STRUCTURING AND LABELING ABOUT US CONTENT

We recommend sites always include at least a main About Us page, but