Are You Ready to Write your About Page?

Have you been following our series on How to Create and Write a Great Website? Last week, we covered how to craft an effective homepage. This time around, we’ll lead you through best practices for your About page. We know writing about yourself can be one of the hardest parts of creating a website, so we’ve even included a handy list of prompts to get you started.

Let’s Talk About It: Your About Page

Prospective clients should come away from your About page feeling that they know you as a person. They should feel a kinship with you and understand your unique expertise and passion for serving people just like them.

While the About page tells the story of you, your business and your team, it's important to remember the page should still be centered on the needs of the potential client who's reading it. The page shouldn’t read like a resume or be used to recap every single event or accomplishment in your professional life. You don’t need to tell the entire history of your business, either. However, it should be used to give the story of your business a personal touch.

From your About page, site visitors should be able picture themselves working with you. They should come away thinking, "I like this person. This is someone I could work with. I think they would get me and enjoy working with me, too."

So what should you include on your About page? Here are some subjects to consider:

Relevant expertise:

While the About page isn't a resume or a company history, it should highlight your relevant expertise and the expertise of your team, if you have one.

‍Your core beliefs and values:

Help site visitors get to know who you are on a deeper level and make a real connection by telling them why you believe what you do is important. People want to do business with people they like, so make sure they get a good sense of what makes you unique or relatable.

‍Who you work with:

This can be similar to the statement you’ll make about your audience on your Services page, but it can be written in more personal terms. For example:

• Services page: "I help veterans translate their experience and expertise into well-paying civilian careers."
• About page: "As a former service member myself, nothing makes me happier than helping fellow veterans find their perfect civilian careers with employers who appreciate all they have to offer."

Brand story:

Share the story behind your business, especially if the story includes a compelling reason you started the business. For example:

• "As a longtime real estate agent, I saw all the things that clients hated about the process of buying or selling a house. So I started my own firm to create an entirely new experience."
• "I spent eight years speaking to large audiences at business conferences, but I realized I'd have more impact one-on-one. So I decided to become a business coach."
• "I wondered why there were no style blogs for women over 50. So I started my own."

Your process:

Your expertise probably has some bearing on how you do business. If you follow a set process, your About page is a good place to add in a graphic to call attention to how your experience led you to develop a proprietary process for, say, helping someone find the right career path, learn how to date better or buy or sell a home. You can include a link to your Results or Services page where you explain your unique process in depth.

‍Personal detail:

There's no single right answer for how much personal information you should include on your About page. It all depends on your business and your audience. The key thing to remember is that the information you include should connect with your target audience, speak to their needs and help make the case that you are uniquely suited to serve those needs.

For example, if you're a personal trainer and nutritionist, it would be very powerful to share with your audience how exercise and clean eating helped you manage a chronic health problem. You could even share that you just learned to surf or that a healthy version of your chocolate chip pancake recipe is your favorite cheat day meal. These facts help your prospects imagine what it's like to work with you. ("Hmm, I'd like to do more adventurous things like surfing myself. And she eats pancakes sometimes, so she's not going to tell me I can never have a carb again.")

And of course, some details, like that you used to live in Oregon but moved to Texas in 2010, should be left out if they don't really speak to your audience.

‍What about your team?

Should you also include bios of your team members on your About page? If your team interacts with your clients, we think it's a nice touch to include their bios. It's just one more way to show your target audience what it's like to work with you and to demonstrate your expertise. Team bios shouldn't be long – about 200 words is a good target for most businesses. Your prospects aren't looking for your team members’ full resume or life story. They are looking for key details that demonstrate that 1) Your team members have the experience and expertise to help them; and 2) They'll like working with them.

Your content will feel more polished and professional if you standardize your team bios. They should all be around the same length, include similar information and have the same voice. Try creating three to four questions that everyone on your team answers and write their bios based on consistent information. It’s fine to try something more fun here. Again, it’s all about people wanting to work with you, and being relatable.

Looking for More?

There are lots of great resources out there on the subject of creating your About page. Here are some more articles to help get you thinking:

• How to Write a Sparkling About Page
• ‍How to Write an Epic About Me Page
• ‍12 of the Best About Us Pages on the Internet
• ‍How to Win Customers With Your Team Bios

Prompts to Get You Started

Use these questions to help brainstorm and get started writing.

1. What’s the story behind the creation of my business? What client or customer need am I addressing? Why is this important to me?
2. What aspects of my personal or business story would help me connect with my audience?
3. What experiences, training or education can I talk about to demonstrates my credibility?
4. What other information would help my website visitors feel a connection with me and my brand? What would make them enjoy working with me or buying from me?
5. What beliefs and values are at the heart of my company?
6. What type of people do I really LOVE working with? What kind of clients light me up?

Want more help creating your About page – or writing and designing your new website? Check out our series on How to Create and Write a Great Website and contact us at DesignGood.