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Does your website’s About page do little more than talk about your company and read like a carbon copy of your CV or resume? If the answer is yes, then it will be of no interest to your visitors and you’re missing a great opportunity to engage and start to build a relationship with them.
Before I get started, it’s important to keep in mind that …
Your About Page Should Not Be About You!
Did you know that your About page is likely to be the second most viewed page of your website? Yes I know, it’s a recurring theme that I mention in numerous posts, but if your visitor doesn’t find what’s in it for them in a few seconds then you’ve lost them. You need to humanise your brand and connect with your customers.
Always remember they want to interact with people and not faceless corporations. Your website visitors want to know there is a real person behind your business so it’s important to write in a friendly tone as though you’re speaking to them face to face. Ask yourself why should they invest themselves in your company?
To help get you started, here are 10 tips to come up with an About page that will resonate with your visitors.
1) Relate it to your customer
Make sure the content of your About page is benefit rich emphasizing the benefits you bring to your customers and visitors. There needs to be a tangible benefit for your visitor and you can talk about the transformation you bring to them.
For example, if you are an accountant you could talk about your determination and hard work towards getting your clients every tax deduction they are entitled to. A hairdresser could talk about the amazing before and after results they get for their clients.
Remember who is most likely to read your About page and visualise them. What are their wants and needs, objections and pain points?
2) Share your mission statement and story
We all like to hear a good story, so to solicit your visitors’ interest, you need to create a story which talks about:-
- Why you do what you do.
- Who you help.
- Why you love helping those people.
Your visitors are more likely to relate to your brand when your story overlaps with their experience. As I stated in my Don’t Overlook Your Buyer Persona post your business idea is likely to have evolved after one of your frustrating experiences.
So why not share the details via a good story? Let them know all about how you stand out from the crowd and how you got there.
3) What makes you unique?
As I also stated in my How to Create a Strong USP For Your Business post, knowing what stands you apart from your competition is extremely important. Your About page is a good opportunity to highlight what makes you different and it’s important to talk about all the advantages people will get from working with you.
It is important to keep it benefit driven and as I stated in my Benefits vs Features post, your visitors want to know what’s in it for them. The best way to convey this is via your product or service benefits. Don’t lose them with an uninteresting mention of only your product or service features.
When stating benefits, make it more persuasive by quantifying them. So for example instead of saying your product will increase productivity, state that it will increase productivity by 25%.
4) Keep it brief
I suggest that you keep your About page to a maximum length of around 500 words and if including any video content that you keep it under 2 minutes. Otherwise it is too lengthy and people won’t take the time to read it through or watch it for long enough.
Always remember to ensure that your About page has content above the fold. In other words, give careful consideration to what the visitor can view before there is any need to scroll. This will of course vary depending on what device they are using to view your website.
5) Use adjectives to be Impactful
Using adjectives or power words helps you get your point across with a bit of extra impact. Adjectives help express the tone, feelings and emotions of your words by accentuating the point. They help to punch things up a notch.
6) Add social proof
To help build trust, include any evidence that you have helped others in the past. This is important because people will feel more comfortable interacting with you when they can see your results with others. As I included in my 6 Ways to Gain Customers By Building Trust and Credibility post you could include video content such as customer testimonials, reviews or case studies on your About page.
Another way to do this is to include logos of any companies you’ve completed work for in the past or details of any credentials, certifications or awards.
Do you belong to any professional organisations in your industry or sector, such as a local chamber of commerce? Include their logos also.
7) Tell customers where you are located
Advising customers where you are located contributes further towards building trust in your business. Make the effort to also let them know where your products are shipped from.
This can help erode a buyer’s reluctance to buy from you when they may have a mindset of “It’ll take me ages to get my product”.
8) Keep it visual
Many of the About pages that I view are little more than a wall of text which I rarely bother to read. Similarly to all your website content, you need to prepare content that will appeal to those who are quickly scanning it. After all, your aim is to get their interest sufficiently for them to hang around and take a closer look at your website content.
Why not include some different headlines to break your page into sections of interest.
I also suggest that you incorporate images on your About page such as photos of real people working for your company. This will help people get to feel like they know you and will make you standout from the crowd. I suggest including behind the scenes photos with some text explaining the production or other processes.
This helps the reader feel more confident they know what they are buying and where it comes from. You can also use icons to get key concepts across or showcase the benefits of working with you.
9) Avoid the use of stock photos
Whilst stock photos can work on some pages of your website, I suggest you avoid using them on your About page. Instead, include real photos of you and your employees in action. This could be using your products or doing what you enjoy. For example, an owner of a bakery could be photographed donned in their uniform putting the finishing touches to a cake or other masterpiece!
10) Finish with an action point
At the conclusion of your About page don’t just leave your visitors hanging in the air. Direct them to take an action. After all, you’ve done a great job and kept them engaged and they’ve got this far! So don’t be vague and non-specific but give them some clear direction.
So for example, this might be to check out your products or leave a comment.
What are some of the best About pages that you’ve seen? Let me know in the comments!