It’s might seem obvious what or who your about page should be about – but many sites either miss the opportunity on their about page or don’t want to be the “center of attention”.
Not having an about page at all is inexcusable for any business online – you simply must have one.
Having an “about page” that doesn’t really tell visitors much of anything about the real people behind the business is a huge missed opportunity.
The old saying people don’t buy products, people buy people is true and never more so for unique, local & independent businesses …
You are most likely the thing that gets your business the sale rather than the Amazon’s or the Costa Coffee’s of the world. They have the technology, the money, the delivery sytems, the data and the branding to outsell and undercut you time and time again …
So your biggest asset is the uniqueness of YOU in your business – the unique, the unrepeatable, the un-scaleable you is what you need to be selling on your website and particularly on your “about me” or “about us” page.
If you are a family business with a long history people want to know about it, they want the heritage story, they want the provenance, they want all the backstory and they value the unique. If you have a team of passionate people making your business talk about them, introduce them and create that honest narrative around being a real business run by real and passionate people.
Talk about what makes you and your team unique, highlight ways you differ from others that provide the same product or service. This is how you create value and a preference of buying or working with you rather than just comparing prices and buying from a faceless corporate machine.
Who are “we” ?
This might not seem obvious when you write your own about page but using the Royal “we” isn’t really very informative and a bit standoffish if it’s not already apparent who the “we” is …
So don’t write “We are the leading makers of xyz etc” if you haven’t already told the reader who the we is of the the business … eg. “The business was started by John and Jane Doe in 1973 … and we are the leading makers of xyz etc”
The last thing you want to do is write your about page in the same way as the faceless corporates.
I’ve lost track of how many sites use just their trade name and then keep using “we” do this “we” offer that, endlessly in their about page without any mention of who the “we” really is and who the business is owned and run by.
Your about page is not really about you
This might sound strange but your about page isn’t strictly speaking all about you … it should be all about what your visitors will want to know about you … there is a subtle but important difference.
Talk about what is in it for the visitor and why they will want to spend time on your site, why they should want to learn more about your business. Talk about their problems that you solve, their needs you can satisfy and how you and your business can help them.
Don’t make your about page an afterthought – it’s important
The danger with about pages is that most businesses don’t give them the attention they deserve. Your about page should not be an afterthought, don’t just chuck a couple of paragraphs down without really bothering. Your about page is one of the 9 most important pages on your website.
More than just words
Words are important, vital in fact but you can definitely improve your about page with relevant pictures of you and your team, an exterior view of your business and maybe even a talking heads type video introducing you … When it comes to about pages – more is better.