5 Tips for a great About page

Is your About page boring? How often do we treat these as an afterthought or, worse, overfill them with irrelevant content that focuses on the wrong things. In reality, an About page can be a golden opportunity to connect with your customers — if you do it right.

An About page is important for every business to have on their website. It’s a prime trust factor for visitors to see you as legitimate, and it will help visitors understand how your business can help them. Like welcoming signage on your front door, it’s a key business asset. And like any good asset, the overall value of your brand increases when it is optimised.

#1 | Remove “I” and “we”

You might be frowning at this and thinking it’s counterintuitive. After all, the About page is about you, right? Well… not exactly. Of course you can (and should!) talk about your business, but you’re not the true focus of the About page. Instead, your customer is the focus. Strange but true!

#2 | Put your customers first

Your website is the story, and your customer is the hero. They want to see themselves in every story and piece of content they read on your website. They want to feel acknowledged, included, and know that they can trust you to provide solutions to their problems. Your About page is the perfect place to do this.

#3 | Share the “How”

Customers want to know the “how”, but in not the way you’re thinking. They don’t want to know how something works; they want to know how it will help them. Talk about the benefits of your products or services. Talk about how it will improve their life or their business. Don’t get into the nitty-gritty details of the features – this isn’t the right place. Instead focus on how someone will feel after they’ve done business with you.

#4 | You’re only human

Don’t be afraid to show some personality. Your customers will have an easier time connecting with you, a real human with your own personality, than with an emotionless robot who sounds like every other About page out there. This doesn’t mean pouring out a ten-page memoir on your About page, though! Just share enough that your customer can relate to you. Feature things like team profiles and images. Eye contact, even through a screen, is a powerful tool. Show your customers that you’re human and gain their trust.

#5 | Show the journey

Customers love to know that the business they’re buying from is well-established and has been around for a long time — and, perhaps more importantly, will continue to be around for a long time. It raises trust and reassures them that you’re here for the long run. Talk about where you started, where you’re at now, and what’s to come. Share your plans… and then show how these plans will benefit your customer in their own journey.