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By now, I believe you know you can’t do business successfully in today’s world without a website.

However, a website isn’t something you just slap together for the sake of having one. You must be intentional about your website and make it purposeful.

One of the ways to do so is ensuring all your web pages, especially the major ones, are compelling and well-written.

The purpose of this article is to help you nail one of the major pages on every website; the About Page. At the end of this post, you should be confident about creating/writing an About Page that works.

writing an about page

The About Page of a website seems like the simplest page on the entire site (since it’s about the business or the website owner, right?). However, writing an about page can be surprisingly not as easy to do as it looks.

Even the most professional copywriters and web writers sometimes have problems writing their own About Page – in a way that really talks to the prospect and attracts business.

The truth is; writing an About page is actually very easy. But in the same way, there are some pitfalls that are as easy to fall into when writing this delicate page.

Most times, we tend to keep going on and on without really considering the effect our copy has on those who it’s meant for; the reader.

The 2 major (and biggest) tips anyone can give you on writing an About page (which most About pages fall short of) are;

✓ Write as you’d actually introduce yourself to a stranger in person – talking physically;

✓ Focus more on the reader/prospect, even when the page is supposed to be about you.

Let’s just say the “About” page should contain information on how you are able to help your prospect solve a problem, through who you are. [Tweet that]

We’ll get back to all these in a bit.

Meanwhile, let’s take it one step after another, from the start to the finish of how a website’s About page should be written for it to rock – and not suck – in simple, non-technical lingo.

  1. Use the generic name: “About”

I understand how you might want to be clever, or want to stand out from the competition with every opportunity on your website, however, your navigation buttons isn’t the place to go that way. Simply use standard naming conventions that will prevent people from guessing – or thinking at all about – where to find you. In this case, “About”.

  1. Know who you’re talking to.

This is essential so you can give them what they want, or what they want to hear. Know their problems, their dreams, and desires, even other few personal things about them. Only then can you craft the right message for your audience.

  1. Have a powerful headline.

Even though I said earlier that you should use the generic “About” in naming the page, ensure you use a powerful headline on the page, which instantly grabs your audience’s attention and makes him feel at home.

This will not only help you increase conversions, but also help your About Page rank high in the search engines, especially when your headline is keyword-rich and benefit-oriented.

  1. Show your face.

Let your audience know you are a real human. Put your real picture, or that of your full company staff.

  1. Don’t forget SEO (search engine optimization).

Every page should be well-optimized for the search engines, including the About page. Don’t forget to include your keywords (ethically) within your content, and other on-page SEO factors of the page; title tags, meta description, etcetera.

  1. Include your name

Might sound like stating the obvious, but people neglect this often. Anyone that visits your About Page is really interested in who you are. So why not give them a name – or the names of members of your company – apart from showing your face.

  1. Include your contact information

Even when you have a Contact page, it’s still necessary to include your contact details in your About Page. This makes it easier for anyone to contact you without having to go many more clicks.

Also include a link to your Contact Page if you can. There’s no too much opportunities.

To be on a safer side, as I often advise my clients, especially in my Site Audits Report’s recommendations, to let every single page of your website have a footer with your contact info.

  1. Give visitors enough information

To help visitors understand who you are and what you do – and how you seek to solve their problems – you need to give them as much information as possible. There’s nothing like too much information when it comes to writing your about page, as long as it’s useful info. This also helps search engines identify your page as having enough information to help the searcher, and therefore rank your site high in search results.

  1. Use a friendly, conversational, and customer-focused language

Your tone and language should be friendly and conversational – and customer-focused – when explaining the unique benefits of your products and services. Explain how you solve their problems in a sales-focused manner (but not “hypey”). You want to avoid industry jargons or corporate speak.

Remember: focus more on the reader, even when the page is supposed to be about you.

Also remember that your About page should read the same way you’d sound when introducing yourself to a stranger one-on-one. Not rigid and boring, as writing that page naturally tends to go. One hack is to speak and record your story first, then transcribe the best parts.

Here are further tips from Copyblogger:

  • Be ruthless about pruning out any corporate-speak or hypey jargon.
  • Don’t be afraid to be a little funny, if you can pull it off.
  • Don’t be afraid to be a bit of a dork, either, if that’s part of who you are.

(Click here to read more, and to learn the 7 common mistakes people make in writing an About page.)

  1. Include a call-to-action at the end.

Always end your web pages and posts with a call-to-action, that is, something you want the reader to do next – after reading your content.

You can ask readers to hire you for your services or claim a discount voucher; check out your latest posts or your list of services; subscribe to your newsletter…or whatever action you’d prefer. Just ensure you include a call-to-action to encourage your visitors to stick around longer.

Now you have a simple guide for writing an About Page that works.

Go ahead, edit your current About Page in line with this guide, or put up a new one, and watch the page work harder for you. I’ll also head to my own About Page to do some so-much-needed adjustments too.

One more thing to note: write your About Page in first-person, unless you are writing about someone else.

Click here to see examples of About Pages that rock, and learn 10 cool rules for writing a compelling About Page.

What other tips do you have for writing a winning About Page? What pisses you off in the ones you’ve seen? Kindly share with me in the comments section. And don’t forget to share…there’s love in doing so 🙂

Photo credit: unbounce.com


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Oludami Yomi-Alliyu
Oludami Yomi-Alliyu

Oludami is the founder of RenegadeCommerce. He is certified as a digital marketing professional by DigitalMarketer HQ, Texas, and as a professional copywriter by American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI).

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