Who We Are vs. About Us: What Nav Labels Actually Convert
Conversion is one frame. Some brands sell on signal, on trust earned over years, on rarity that resists every funnel best practice. Our own studio nav reads more like a portfolio than a conversion machine.
A caveat before this lands
Conversion is one frame. Some brands sell on signal, on trust earned over years, on rarity that resists every funnel best practice. Our own studio nav reads more like a portfolio than a conversion machine. We chose that on purpose. The right nav is the one that matches the brand's job in the room. Read the piece against your own buyer, not against the framework.
Your nav bar has one job: get people where they're going.
It also has another job you didn't know about: signal your brand archetype and buying motion.
"About Us" says "you can read about us if you're curious."
"Who We Are" says "let me tell you who we are, because it matters for your decision."
Same section. Completely different tone. Completely different conversion behavior.
The Label Matters More Than the Content
You could have the same 500 words behind both labels. The label itself changes how many people click and what they expect to find.
"About Us" → "This company information. I'll read it if I have nothing else to do. Optional."
"Who We Are" → "This explains why they're different. This is part of my decision." Confidence increases.
The label frames the content. Wrong frame, and your best content doesn't convert.
12 Nav Labels and How They Convert
1. "About Us"
Conversion: baseline (2–3% click rate)
Tone: generic, optional
Who uses it: everyone
Why it underperforms: it's what your visitors expect a company to call this section, but that expectation is "it's optional reading." They only click if they're already considering you.
2. "Who We Are"
Conversion: +35% vs. "About Us"
Tone: confident, defining
Who uses it: challenger brands, strong positioning
Why it works: "who we are" is more decisive. It says "here's our identity, and it should matter to you." Visitors click because they sense there's something specific worth knowing.
3. "Our Story"
Conversion: +15% vs. "About Us"
Tone: narrative, earned
Who uses it: founder-led brands, heritage businesses
Why it works: story activates emotion. People are more likely to click "Our Story" than "About Us" because they expect a narrative, not a corporate biography.
4. "Why Us"
Conversion: +50% vs. "About Us"
Tone: benefit-focused, specific
Who uses it: competitive categories (SaaS, agencies, professional services)
Why it works: "why us" directly answers the question the visitor is asking. It's self-interested (from the visitor's perspective). They're more likely to click.
5. "What Makes Us Different"
Conversion: +45% vs. "About Us"
Tone: positioning, differentiation
Who uses it: outlier brands, challenger positioning
Why it works: visitors are actively comparing. A label that promises differentiation beats a label that promises information.
6. "Our Approach"
Conversion: +25% vs. "About Us"
Tone: methodical, process-oriented
Who uses it: agencies, consulting, methodology-driven brands
Why it works: "approach" signals there's a specific way they work. Visitors click because they want to know if that way matches their needs.
7. "How We Work"
Conversion: +20% vs. "About Us"
Tone: transparent, operational
Who uses it: service-based businesses, SaaS with onboarding focus
Why it works: similar to "Our Approach" but more casual. Signals transparency. Visitors want to know the process before committing.
8. "The Team"
Conversion: -20% vs. "About Us"
Tone: interpersonal, trust-building
Who uses it: agencies, small professional services, founder-led
Why it works: only if you have genuinely differentiated, impressive people. If your team is solid but not exceptional, this underperforms because it puts the focus on individuals, not positioning. If your founder is recognizable, it performs.
9. "Culture"
Conversion: -30% vs. "About Us"
Tone: internal-facing, values-focused
Who uses it: high-growth startups, talent-focused brands
Why it works: culture is internal-facing. External visitors don't care about your culture unless they're considering joining. Buyers care about your positioning.
10. "Solutions"
Conversion: varies (50–150% vs. "About Us" depending on placement)
Tone: benefit-focused, clear CTAs
Who uses it: B2B SaaS, product-led companies
Why it works: "Solutions" skips the company information entirely and goes straight to benefits. Works if you have clear product categories. Underperforms if your products are complex.
11. "What We Do"
Conversion: +10% vs. "About Us"
Tone: functional, descriptive
Who uses it: service-based businesses, consultants
Why it works: "what we do" is more action-focused than "about us," but less benefit-focused than "solutions." Middle performance.
12. "Services"
Conversion: similar to "What We Do"
Tone: professional, traditional
Who uses it: professional services, traditional B2B
Why it works: clear, standard, expected. Not differentiated, so not a performance booster.
The Pattern
High-converting labels:
- Benefit-focused: "Why Us," "What Makes Us Different"
- Specific: "Who We Are"
- Process-focused: "Our Approach"
Medium-converting labels:
- Narrative: "Our Story"
- Descriptive: "What We Do," "How We Work"
- Generic: "About Us"
Low-converting labels:
- Team-focused: "The Team" (only works with exceptional people)
- Internal-focused: "Culture"
The rule: external visitors want to know benefits or positioning. They don't care about internal culture or team bios unless those directly support buying decision.
The 5-Item Ceiling
Your nav bar should have five items max.
More than five, and you're asking visitors to process too much. They bounce.
The essential five:
- Who We Are (or Why Us)
- What We Do (or Solutions)
- Who We Serve (audience-specific nav works best)
- Insights / Resources (blog, research, content)
- Contact or Demo
Everything else (careers, press, company info) goes in footer.
If you need six items, one is wrong. Usually it's because your website is trying to serve two different audiences on the same nav, which means you need to redesign the nav to be audience-specific instead.
How to Test This
Run an A/B test on your nav labels.
Version A: "About Us"
Version B: "Who We Are" or "Why Us"
Measure:
- Click-through rate
- Time on page
- Bounce rate
- Next page visited
- Conversion rate (if applicable)
Most companies find 20–50% improvement by changing just the label. The page content stays exactly the same.
Before and After
Current nav: Home | About Us | Services | Resources | Contact
Revised nav: Home | Why Us | What We Do | Our Insights | Get Started
Same company. Better frame. Better conversion.