Your About page matters – here’s how to make it work for you
About pages. The one area of just about any website that fills a business owner with dread. It means talking about yourself, and that is never fun – even if you’re a writer, like me, it can be pretty tough to do. There’s something about writing about yourself that feels forced and clunky and awkward, isn’t there? And who even reads that stuff anyway? Well, I’m here to tell you why your About page is more important than you think. Here’s why it matters and how you should be making it work for you.
Who is your About page for?
Let’s think about this in an easy to understand way. Who will be visiting your website and clicking on your about page link? Potential clients, of course!
Here’s a little thing about me you don’t know. When I go and nose at a new website, I start with the home page, and if it looks like they offer what I’m looking for, my next place to visit is the about page. Before I even look at how much they’re charging for their services. And I know I’m not the only one who does that.
The thing is, it’s more important to me (and many others) that I get to know the person behind the business a little first. I want to find out if they’re the kind of person I even want to work with in the first place before I figure out if I can afford them or not. And, to my mind, if they’re exactly the person I’m looking to work with, I’ll figure out how to afford them anyway.
So, more people are clicking on your about page than you think, which is why it needs to be something special to stand out from the crowd and attract your potential client’s attention.
What do people want to know about you?
Folks, I often find myself huffing and puffing when I go to look at an about page and can’t find out the most basic information about the business. Simple things, like your name, where you’re based and what you look like often get neglected or ignored, and it rattles my cage!
But isn’t your About page actually about your client?
Yes, friends, there’s a bombshell for you. Your about page isn’t just about you. There are some very defined camps on this matter. Some say it is all about the potential client. Others say it should be all about you. But I say this… it’s a little bit of both. I’ve mentioned before that I believe your ideal client is a version of you. So, by allowing your personality to come through, you’re connecting with people who align with that.
Talk about yourself on your About page with confidence. Know that the information you choose to share there will immediately click with the people you want to work with most. It’s as simple as that!
But how do I write an About page that works?
Knowing who your page is for and what you should be writing about is only the start of it. Getting those words onto a page in a way that sounds non-sleazy and only mildly whiffs of a good Danish Blue is not easy. But here are my top tips to make your About page work for you and your business.
#1: Start with them
When you meet a potential client for the first time, you don’t immediately launch into a spiel of your life and business history starting from the moment you were a sticky, screaming, swaddled mess in your Mum’s arms at the hospital, do you? (I hope you don’t!)
No, you start by finding out a bit about them – what they’re looking for, what they’re hoping to achieve, how much they’re looking to spend, perhaps. You ask them questions.
The copy on your website is a one-sided conversation, though, so questions aren’t always the most effective. But you can definitely make statements about the sort of things they might be struggling with. And you can share how you can help with that.
A good about page will always start with the client. A statement or suggestion about their problem or difficulty will catch their eye, and say what you’re going to achieve for them.
Example: Molly has clicked onto your about page because she’s looking for someone to bake her vegan wedding cake next year.
‘You want all the flavour, texture and delight of a wedding cake with only vegan ingredients? Done! And your guests won’t know unless you tell them.’
#2: Tell A Story
No, I’m not referring to your life story with tales of childhood whimsy. Nor am I suggesting you make up stuff about yourself. I’m talking about your business story, which always comes back to why you do what you do.
By talking about your why you’re doing a couple of different things:
- You’re sharing your business and brand values
- You’re sharing your expertise as a business
- You’re giving a more personal insight into the person behind the business
All of these help to build trust with potential clients openly and honestly. Because you don’t have to be the pushy salesperson here, you just get to be you and share a little bit of who you are and what your business is about.
Remember, though, that many people share a story on their About pages. And a lot of those stories get a bit same-old, same-old. So, instead of only saying you got into photography when your Grandad gave you one of his old cameras out of the attic, go deeper.
Example: ‘I’ll never forget the day Grandad blew the dust off that old box brownie, handed me a roll of film and said, “Here, go and have a play with that.” I went down to the nearest cemetery and used up a whole roll of film taking photographs of the headstones! Grandad frowned, muttered about what a waste of time that was and wandered back out to the shed to tinker with his train set. But I was totally hooked, so I went straight out to do my chores so I could earn some money to buy more film.’
#3: Remember Who You’re Talking To
And don’t try to write in a way that appeals to everyone. Here’s the truth – it’s not possible.
You know your ideal client. Sit her down in front of you and picture yourself talking to her. Think about the sorts of words you would use to speak to her. Think about the way you would converse with her – is it formal, informal, light, in-depth? Is she likely to understand technical jargon, or do you need to speak in more simple terms? Is she a busy working woman or a mother with a little one in her arms? Then you need to keep things brief and on point!
Don’t worry if how you speak might put some people off. That’s a good thing! Your copy should aim to put off as many people as it attracts, if not more. Because it’s only the dream clients you want to be working for anyway, isn’t it?
#4: Those Personal Touches
I love an About page that includes cheeky little references to a person’s favourite movies, TV shows, songs or books.
I also love it when it’s written in a conversational tone and uses language-isms that person uses in their everyday speech as well.
Example: ‘Do you wanna?’
There are a multitude of ways to inject your personality into your About page text. It doesn’t only have to be a list of things that you love to do in your spare time. Get creative! Share a favourite Spotify playlist or your favourite photograph and why you love it so much. I’ve even seen someone share a blooper reel for a promo video they were making and it is so much fun to watch!
Helpful hint: Keep videos short at this point. You want to give them a taster of you, not bore them into leaving your site never to return!
#5: Include a Call To Action
People feel weird about selling on their About pages. But, with this being a popular page for new visitors, you need to give them a direction to move on to instead of leaving them wondering where to click next! Let them know about your packages. Or share some of your favourite blog posts to get them started. Don’t forget to include your opt-in on this page too. People are much more likely to hand over their email address at this point if they feel they’re getting to know you a little better!
Give them some options about where to go! And if you want to know more about creating clickable CTAs, then you can read this post.
Remember, this valuable page on your website needs a lot of love! So don’t write your copy, pop your pictures and videos up and then leave it to gather internet dust for the rest of eternity. Go back and check it now and again, freshen it up, give it a coat of paint and change things about a bit. And do it with confidence because you’ve got an About page worth sharing!
And if the idea of writing your About page still fills you with dread, come and talk to me. We’ll get your About page looking spankingly gorgeous in no time!