REMINDER: All of the designs shown here are copyrighted. So use them for inspiration only. Don’t copy them; make them your own!
YOUR WEBSITE has many jobs. Among the most important: sharing your story and letting people know what sets your office apart. Whether it’s your staff, your services, your selection or a combination of them all, a strong “About Us” page can intrigue prospective patients and keep current clients engaged.
Daniel Feldman of dba Designs & Communications asks you to imagine sitting next to a stranger on a three-hour flight and being asked what you do for a living. “What doctor would ever say, ‘I graduated fifth in my class from XYZ state college to go on to receive my doctorate in optometry from ABC University?” he asks. “Other than your parents, who really cares?”
Feldman uses a different approach: “We like to tell a short story about why someone would want to do business with our optical clients in the same way they would introduce themselves to a seat mate on a plane. We work from the premise that people don’t buy what you do — as there are 35,000 others who do the exact same thing as you — but rather, people buy why you do what you do.”
Great visuals help, too: a fun staff portrait, or maybe even a video. Check out these pages that do a good job sharing their creators’ individual style and stories.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Black Optical, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK
Black Optical’s “About” page takes a powerfully minimalist approach with its widescreen graphic of a big Oklahoma sky. In the clouds, you see clean, large text in capital letters: “Something we think: Good design can exist anywhere. Something we do: Passionately curate premium eye and sunwear from our friends around the world.” Spare, simple and probably all you need to know about this innovative, design-centric retailer — though a seasonal video on the home page helps, too. “Our brand has always been about doing what we love and hoping others join us in what we love,” says Jason Betz. blackoptical.com
SOLO SHOWCASES
Eye Spy Optical, Chicago, IL
This shop’s “About Us” page goes beyond putting names to faces; it offers a mini profile for each team member, including a fun photo, the number of pairs each employee has in her eyewear wardrobe (great idea to encourage multiple-pair sales!) and several fun facts. Would-be customers learn that owner a.k.a. “Queen of Specs” Alissa loves bluegrass and home-grown veggies; Siobhan is a thrift shop and flea market devotee; Patsy models a different pair of glasses every day (but is partial to her red Theos); Sara shares her costume design and baking skills; and Adrienne is a singer and an actor on the side. eyespyoptical.com/about-us
NO APOLOGIES
Art & Eyes, New Orleans, LA
A savvy business also uses its “About Us” page to identify its ideal clients. Art & Eyes’ “Our Store” page cuts to the chase: “If you are looking for that outsized logo or those tiny, rimless glasses that attempt to disappear on your face, as if sort of apologizing for themselves, you might not be in the right shop. Our frames do not apologize. Our collection is for customers who understand luxury to be quality craftsmanship rather than branding, who value innovative design rather than trendiness.” artandeyesnola.com/our-store
COMMUNITY FOCUS
Chapel Hills Vision Clinic, Colorado Springs, CO
The “Meet Your Doctors” page at this website features engaging photos and welcome messages from the four optometric physicians. For example, Dr. Cynthia Cid writes, “I sometimes think of our jobs as actually being Vision Detectives, which is pretty cool!” Dr. David Guhl recounts how he enjoys getting to know patients and their families and see children grow up. “This is what life is all about, this is what our community is,” he says. The website also has a “Spotlight” page on which each staff member occasionally gets the chance to shine. chapelhillsvision.com
SPARKLING PERSONALITY
One Hip Chic, Rochester, NY
Owner/optician Tamra Asmuth clearly has fun as owner of this small upscale shop, and the website shows it. She explains on the “Bio” page how she came to open the business via a New Year’s resolution, the coolest thing she’s seen from the seat of a bicycle, her favorite optical show (so far) and more. A helpful FAQs page and links page with commentary on some of Asmuth’s favorite eyewear lines are all packed with personality, too. onehipchic.com
GREAT GROUP SHOTS
Orlando Eyecare, Orlando, FL
“We wanted to show the staff in a unique, fun way,” says Mary Canfield, office manager and optician, noting that past staff photos “made us look like a sports team or a bad Christmas card, just all lined up and sometimes in awkward stances. So we came up with this. We laugh a lot with our patients and hoped to portray ourselves in a professional yet lighthearted manner.” Orlando Eyecare also uses its website home page to tell how its founder packed up a Chevrolet in 1961 and headed to a Florida town few had ever heard of — and how that small-town spirit of community lives on in the practice today. orlando-eyecare.com