What is an About Page?
An About Page is a page on your website dedicated to sharing who you are with your audience. In this post, you'll learn how to make the most of this valuable page!
The About Page is one of a typical website's most frequently visited pages. In a study by KoMarketing, 52% of respondents said the first thing they want to see when they land on a site is the About page.
Although they are essential, About Pages can be tricky to write. They need to be about your business while also being about your readers. When you achieve that magic balance, your About Page creates the ultimate BRIDGE between your brand and your audience.
What people often get wrong when it comes to About Pages
Too often, brands miss the opportunity to connect with their About Page and instead make it an afterthought where they dump some stale list of their credentials or some cliche copy about how their business loves to serve.
As a small business, your special sauce is YOU. Plenty of competitors offer comparable products and services, but only your brand provides those products and services with your business's unique values, process, and experience behind them.
What your About Page should do?
You’ve probably heard the term “know-like-trust” (KLT) when it comes to small business marketing. It originated a while back by Bob Burg in his book Endless Referrals when he said, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.” It’s since become #goals for small businesses to beef up that KLT factor through their marketing efforts, particularly on social media.
Think of your About Page as a chance to make major KLT strides by ensuring it answers these three questions:
1. “Do they get me?”
2. “Can they help me?”
3. “What drives them?”
How to answer "Do They Get Me?"
Demonstrate that you KNOW your target audience and understand their struggle and goals.
By showing that you know them, they’ll, in turn, feel like they know you a bit better. To do this part well, you need to make an effort to listen to your ideal customers and gather Voice of Customer (the actual words they use to talk about their problems, your products and services, and their goals).
On the About Page for Supported Mom Initiative of Central Massachusetts, founder Tina Gauthier wanted to connect to expecting, new, and early-years moms searching for support and community. After hearing directly from moms who had participated in her first round of Mama Villages, we crafted these words:
“Invisible. Awestruck. Exhausted. In love. Overwhelmed.
If you’re feeling any or all of these things in the early weeks and years of motherhood, you aren’t alone. Those newborn snuggles have you on Cloud 9, but being home with a baby can be isolating. And even as a second- or third-time mom, postpartum can really mess with your head.
Friends with older kids are in a totally different world. Your parents haven’t dealt with sleep regressions in decades. And friends without kids have no idea what you are going through.
Meanwhile, your entire life—and even your brain—has changed in the blink of an eye.”
How to answer “Can they help me?”
Incorporate your experience, accolades, credentials, results, or special aspects of your process that foster a sense of TRUST in your brand. For example, if all your team members are certified in a specific technique or method—mention it! Or, if you are a solopreneur, you might point to specific transformations you've helped your clients achieve.
Kim Valente of Brick + Beam Studio is a skilled interior designer. When crafting the copy for her design studio’s About Page, we knew we needed to incorporate her credentials, experience, and commitment to making the process of residential design excellent for her clients:
“After graduating from Endicott College with a degree in interior design, I worked for several design studios and architectural firms in Rhode Island and San Diego, California. I was primarily working on commercial interiors. It was challenging and required rigorous attention to detail, but after almost ten years, I was ready for a change.
I established Brick + Beam Studio in 2014, knowing that residential design was my calling. Home design is personal, collaborative, and creative—all the things that make the result particularly meaningful.
With Brick + Beam Studio as your partner, you can be sure that every detail will build toward a unified design that:
• makes day-to-day life easier
• maximizes your space
• helps you relax and feel your best
• reflects your personal style."
How to answer “What drives them?” (Ex: Faucher Direct Care)
It matters that your potential customers LIKE you, too. According to a Harris Poll commissioned by Google Cloud, 82% of shoppers want a consumer brand's values to align with their own. Use your About Page to share your origin story, illuminate your "why," and communicate the core values guiding your business.
Dr. Jarrod Faucher, DO, was at a crossroads before opening his new direct primary care practice, Faucher Direct Care. He loved practicing medicine and helping his patients, but the bureaucracy of the traditional healthcare system was keeping him from serving in the way he wanted to. He decided to either leave medicine altogether or find a better way. On his About Page, we captured the "why" behind his new practice with these words:
“I treated hundreds of people and honed my skills as a practitioner. But, I became more and more frustrated with how the healthcare system let patients and doctors down.
My patient load grew. Visit times shrank. I felt constant pressure to sacrifice time with my patients to keep up with the requirements of the fee-for-service system.
I became a doctor because I wanted to practice medicine and make a difference in my patients' lives. Instead, I was burdened by hours of paperwork, coding, and billing that got in the way of patient care.
I decided I needed to leave medicine entirely or find a better way. Then, I discovered direct primary care. After careful research, I found this innovative healthcare model would enable me to focus on what's most important: you.”
About Page Tips & Elements Checklist
With this three-question framework in mind, you may still wonder what elements to include on your About Page.
Because every business is different, not every About Page requires the same format. Here are the elements to consider when deciding how to build a bridge between you and your audience on the page:
Your Origin Story
How did you get here? Is the story of your business founding one worth sharing? Often, it is! Check out this post for more about how to craft your origin story. Remember, you'll want to keep it brief for this page—ideally, just a sentence or two.
Your Why
Summarize your core mission and what drives you to do your work. Your "why" story often blends into your origin story, especially if you have a purpose-driven brand.
Your What
Include mention of the overarching services or products you offer in case your About Page is the first page a reader encounters on your site.
Awards and Credentials
Sometimes, it works to weave these into the narrative copy; in other instances, you can use icons, trust badges, or callouts.
Testimonials
Be sure to include at least one testimonial on your About Page to reinforce the value you bring.
Core Values
Some brands, like my client Emerald Eye Photography, include their core values or guiding principles on their About Page.
Photos
Definitely include a smiling headshot or a team photo, depending on the size of your business. You might also have brief bios, either on the page or as pop-ups when you click on each team member's photo.
Video
If you have a video business card, your homepage and about page are my favorite places to incorporate it into your site. According to Forbes Advisor, video increases the average time spent on a page by 88%.
Call-To-Action
Don't miss the chance to invite web visitors to reach out and work with you—directly from your About Page!
Fun Facts
There is an opportunity to get a little fun or personal, depending on your team size. For ShowIt web designer Kelsey Christine of Launch Your Daydream, we carefully chose facts that offer a clear sense of her personality and pique the interest of her dream clients.
Your entire site should be in alignment with your brand voice and personality. Still, there are some places where you can let your personality shine more brightly (like your Homepage, About Page, and Blog) and others where clarity is the top priority (like your Service, Content, and Cart pages).
For most small businesses, I recommend writing the About Page in the first person (using “I” or “We” pronouns) to achieve a more conversational tone and personal feel.
I suggest visually breaking things up using sub-headings, bullets, bold text, pull quotes, icons, and page sections. Doing so will make the page more scannable for readers (and search engines!).
Taking it beyond your About Page
Once you've nailed your About Page, check out my Write the Perfect Copy for Your Homepage post to craft a homepage that helps web visitors find you, love you, and say yes to your offer.