Recently, a question was put to John Mueller of Google over the importance of including a “contact page” and/or an “about page” on a website. Mueller took the time to discuss how much or little these pages applied and mattered.
In an effort to persuade their company, @jaclynbrandt asked for convincing reasons from Mueller to advocate for contact and about us pages, a statement that could convince them or any relevant information regarding this matter.
“@JohnMu I am trying to convince my company to add a contact us and/or about us page to our website. We are an online directory/blog for a niche sport (but run by a ecommerce company in that sport). Do you have any tips I can present to them as to why it’s important?”
John Mueller inquired whether the intention behind adding the pages was to gather feedback from users, recommending they consult their user base.
The individual posing the question replied that their motivation stemmed from the understanding that it’s crucial for Google for a company to possess these pages.
“Nope! No need for feedback (there are other ways to do this). I have just heard it’s important to Google – but I can’t find any documentation on this.”
And added:
“And yes I know I should not do anything just because Google wants it – I generally stay away from that and just try to be helpful. But I have heard this is a make or break rule.”
Is the Significance of Contact and About Us Pages Recognized by Google? It’s a valid query to ponder whether an about us or contact page holds significance. Google’s Quality Raters Guidelines explicitly instruct raters that it’s essential for the responsibility of the website to be evident.
“In determining page quality, Raters must consider EEAT:
The first-hand experience of the creator.
The expertise of the creator.
The authoritativeness of the creator, the main content itself and the website.”
The mentioned factors cannot be verified by the quality raters if there lacks documentation on the webpage regarding the entity responsible for the website, a detail commonly available on an about page.
The discussion on page quality continues:
“Raters determine a page quality rating by:
…Reviewing the information available about the website and its creator: It should be clear who is responsible for the website and who created the content on the page, even if through an alias or username.”
Having an about page makes it easier to define who is responsible for a web page and informs the visitors in detail about who is behind the website and why they should trust them. This directly relates to E-A-T, or Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness, key factors in the quality rating guidelines while evaluating a website.
Mueller gave some insight into the question of whether it is a deciding rule at Google that Contact Us and About Us webpages should necessarily be present on a website.
His response was tweeted:
“I can think of good reasons for some sites to have these kinds of pages, but, after double-checking, there’s nothing in our search developer documentation that suggests this is needed.”
About Us & Contact Pages
Many believe certain pages are important to Google when, in reality, they may not hold significance. For instance, recipe bloggers have long emphasized the importance of abundant content for Google ranking, despite the absence of official confirmation or statements from Googlers.
The truth is, content length isn’t a ranking factor or influencer; it simply doesn’t sway Google. What truly matters is whether the content is useful, helpful, and provides a satisfactory user experience.
Likewise, Contact Us and About Us, pages aren’t prioritized by Google; they’re not deemed important or mandatory. However, they play an important role in communicating to site visitors that the site’s creators aren’t mere affiliates lacking expertise. Building trust and confidence is essential for conversions, encouraging repeat visits, ad clicks, or purchases.
Convincing a company may hinge on the argument that it can lead to increased revenue. If people are purchasing more, clicking on affiliate ads, or boosting ad impressions, it indicates trust in the site. User experience directly impacts earnings, although it may not be immediately tangible, even if it’s valued by quality raters.
Would you like to read more about “Google on The Relevancy of About Us and Contact Pages” related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
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