How to write the perfect “About” page for your website

Written by Anastasia Kurmakaeva

Ah, the “cursed” and –frequently– forgotten section by so many businesses. Even though you probably have a little corner on your website dedicated to “About”, “About us”, “About me”, “Who we are”, “What we do”, etcetera, etcetera (it doesn’t matter which type you are); we are pretty sure you’ve never given it a second thought, or never given it as much attention as it deserves.

My goal with this post is to encourage you to address this deficiency on your website. Why? Because if you think this content is boring and dispensable, well, I can only say to you that you couldn’t be more wrong. It all depends on how you decide to approach it. And I can assure you that users visit the “About” page much more often than we usually think. At the very least, there will always be someone, who searches for additional assurance and reliability when looking to hire a service or buy a product online. And this, here, is why the image you project through this little section of your site can have an enormous impact on your business’ conversion power.

Why is it so important to show closeness when introducing ourselves to our prospective customers?

There are thousands of ways of showing ourselves to the world, and to narrate our business’ origin and story, in a way that it captivates our users’ attention. We are all people. Don’t be so robotic-y, as though you are writing a Wikipedia bio, or a CV. Bring something else to the table, other than data and more data. Put some sentiment and authenticity into it! In other words, connect to your readers. Use this opportunity to display a more human side of your company, demystify yourself and show what’s behind your logo: your team, your values, your philosophy, aspirations, motivations… Use a natural language, and don’t get carried away with empty words. Tell your story as it is, without decorating it too much. In the end, what your customers want to know aren’t the things you do so well (that should be obvious), but the reason that drives you to do this every day, how you can help them with their needs, and why your company is perfect for them.

Your customers want to know where their money is going to end up. Prove to them that your job is your passion, and you’ll earn more than a few loyal followers.

What kind of information you should include on your “About” page?

1. Make sure to include your physical address. One of the core elements that will help you to build trust among your clients is to provide your business’ real physical address. It doesn’t matter whether the facilities are open to the public or to receiving visitors. The simple fact of displaying a location from which you and your team work is already a trust generating factor in and of itself.
2. Integrate a Google Maps module with your business’ location. Visual prompts are key. Besides indicating your address in text, you can also add a Google Maps widget for better usability, which will show your exact location in a map. This way, users can even create a personalised route from their location to yours, and reach your facilities much more easily.
3. Include pictures of your facilities and your team members. It’s important to show real pictures, not some artificially created appearances to try and pretend to be something that we are not. You can even make a short video to show what your work day is like.
4. Match your staff’s faces to all the work you carry out. Introduce your workers, their role, and tell your users why they are a vital member of your team. Your customers will love to know that you value your employees’ effort, and the value they bring to your business.
5. Include a handy “Contact us” form. You’ll prove to be accessible and open to converse with your customers to solve any of their questions and/or help them with anything they need.
6. Provide other alternatives for reaching out to you. For example, by telephone or a messaging app like WhatsApp. There are customers who require a more personal and immediate treatment, whilst others prefer text-based communication. Adapting our ways to their various needs and always having a genuine person prepared “on the other side” to help our customers is a great plus.
7. Include real reviews and testimonials. We’re certain you’ve had plenty of clients who were super happy with the service they received. Ask them to write a couple of lines about their experience! It won’t take much effort for them, but it will mean the world for your business and future users who’ll visit your site.
8. Prepare a small timeline. You don’t have to describe every step or hardship endured throughout your trajectory, but it’s always interesting to sum up the most important events your business has been through. Just think about the most significant moments and encapsulate them in a timeline, all the way up to where you are now.
9. Add your social profiles. It’s always good to link your social media profiles on platforms where you’re regularly present, so that your customers can get to know your business from a slightly different and more direct perspective.

Don’t be so robotic-y, as though you are writing a Wikipedia bio or a CV, instead of an “About” page. Contribute to your brand image with more than simple data.

What kind of information you shouldn’t include on your “About” page

1. Never-ending blocks of texts. Learn to tell your story in a concise manner, emphasising details worth telling, without beating about the bush. Yes, this page is about your company, but focus more on “What would my customers want to know about me?” and not “They must know this about me”.
2. Occupational jargon your clients are not familiar with. When speaking to ordinary people –customers– avoid use of technical vocabulary and unintelligible jargon. Otherwise, you will create unnecessary barriers between them and you, an additional distance difficult to close. Nevertheless, if your business belongs to the B2B type, and your clientele is comprised of industry professionals, then it’s perfectly suitable, and even necessary, to use more technical terms. It’s all about knowing who your audience is beforehand.
3. Prefabricated or copied information. Don’t fall into the cliche trap or get carried away with repetitive formulas, thinking the customer won’t notice. And don’t copy your competitor’s new and shiny “About” page. While yes, it’s always a good thing to observe and note how other people do things, you should learn to create your own original way of telling your story.
4. Obsolete information. However static our “About” page is, this doesn’t mean that once we’ve published it on our website, we can just forget about it and move on. It’s important that we update it periodically, including relevant information from time to time, using the ideas suggested in this article; and removing other data we no longer deem important.

To summarise…

All businesses have a story to tell, which often begins with a simple idea that gets rolling, and after all the hard work becomes something much bigger, much more brilliant and polished. Why not start there? You don’t need to have a track record the size of a company like Apple or IKEA to create an attractive and inspiring “About” page to show how proud you are of what you have. Use all resources –graphical, visual or any other kind– you need to talk about how you’ve ended up where you are now. Step into your customers’ shoes to gain a better grasp of what they might want to know about you. Ask a copywriter’s help if inventiveness and creative writing are not your forte.

Just remember: an “About” page has a huge impact on your conversion. Don’t neglect it, and don’t hide behind your website’s front. Human beings are naturally curious, so the more “real” and down to earth you are, the better image you’ll manage to broadcast to your visitors online.