Writing the perfect About page for your company website is crucial to creating a positive impression on potential customers. Not only does it give you the opportunity to tell your story, but it’s also the place to really let your business personality shine through.
Getting it right, however, can be a bit of a challenging balancing act.
Too much ‘me, me, me’ will have your customers eyerolling and bored, but not enough will leave them feeling conned out of getting to know the person behind the business.
So, how do you strike the perfect balance?
The Purpose of an About Page
There’s a bit of a misconception that the purpose of an About page is to simply tell your customers about you and your business. Right? Does what it says on the tin. Quick life story, simple timeline of your business from startup to successful and job done.
And while there is an element of that, it really only scratches the surface.
Think about it.
Why do you click on About pages?
Is it because you’re so intrigued about the exact date that business opened its doors? Or because you simply can’t go on living without knowing where the owner was born?
Wild guess, but I’m assuming that’s not the case.
In fact, I’m also assuming it’s probably something more along the lines of wanting to get a feel for the business. Checking their values and priorities align with yours. Is this person genuine? Are they passionate about their business and how it will benefit me? Could I see myself doing business with them?
Put simply, your About page should be written with the intention of bringing your website to life. It should focus on allowing your potential customers to feel the humanity pouring out through the screen. It should foster connections that will turn potential customers into loyal ones and your business into a credible, trustworthy resource for them.
Once that concept is clear in your mind, you’ll find it much easier to begin developing the perfect about page. And, to help you on your merry way, we’ve popped some of our favourite tips below…
Tips for Writing the Perfect About Page
Tell your Story
Now, here’s what we definitely don’t mean when we say ‘tell your story’:
‘The business was founded in 1999 by me and has continued to go from strength to strength ever since. In 2009, we expanded, and now serve our customers from The Boring Store on 123 Yawn Street.’
Nope. No thanks. No one wants a timeline of your business. And the same goes for your life story.
Instead, what you need to do is find a way to make snippets of your business and life story feel relevant to your target audience.
Check out this example from a floristry business:
‘I grew up in the flower shop my nana owned. Saturdays were spent squelching knives through soaked oasis, afternoons spent sitting on upturned buckets carefully stripping thorns from roses. At sunrise, we’d be at the flower market, trailing fingers through clouds of gypsophila. At sunset, we’d be selling off the last of our bouquets for fifty pence at the door.
Flowers were the language I spoke.
They were how I learned to say I love you, I’m thinking of you, I’m so very sorry.
I forgot it for a while – growing up does that, I’ve found.
But not all that long ago, someone special dropped off some peonies at my door with a note that said, ‘Saw these and thought of you’, and that was it.
The language of flowers flooded back and I knew I had to share it in any way I could. Hence, The Flower Shop.’
It’s stories like this that strike a chord on your About page. Not only does it tell the customer everything they need to know (this person knows their stuff and is incredibly passionate about their business), but it also lets their personality shine through.
It’s memorable, it’s human, and it’s going to create a great first impression (it certainly did when we read it!)
Be Concise
With all the information we could possibly want ready and waiting at our fingertips at any one time, we seem to have become an incredibly impatient species.
This means your About page can’t go on for paragraphs and paragraphs. But neither can it be a few lines and over and done with.
You need to strike a balance between saying enough that customers can get a solid feel for your business while not saying so much that it becomes boring. In our opinion, 300 words is about your limit. Any longer than this, and people’s minds may start to wonder.
To break it down even further, try splitting down the sections or adding in digestible chunks of information in bullet pointed lists.
This helps you to communicate your message clearly while ensuring your potential customers aren’t overwhelmed by huge blocks of information.
Keep in mind that consumers want information, and they want it quickly. Say what you need to say to get your message across, and then leave it at that.
Showcase your Personality
We’ve already touched on this in the ‘tell your story’ section, but it really is the most important part of any About page.
This page is your opportunity to let your guard down and really allow your potential customers to get to know the person behind the business. The idea here is to use your personality to make your business stand out from the crowd. The last thing people want to read is a generic About page that could’ve been written by just about anyone.
Tale your favourite parts of your personality and let them infuse everything you write. Here’s how to do it:
- Write in a conversational tone – remember, you’re one human trying to connect with another human. Ditch the formalities and write like you’re chatting to a friend.
- Write in first person – as far as we’re concerned, there’s nothing worse than an About page written in third person. Firstly, we all know it was written by you – stop pretending! Secondly, it puts up those connection barriers again that we’ve been trying to break down. First person is 100% the way to go.
- Don’t be afraid to use colloquialisms – the way we speak is a big part of our personality. Don’t feel like you have to stick to professional language and jargon to be taken seriously.
- Use humour – similarly, don’t shy away from humour, puns or the odd bit of sarcasm. When we tell stories in real life, we embellish them with these features in order to engage our listeners. Don’t be afraid to do the same on your About page.
Your About page is your opportunity to show your potential customers what you’re all about. Whether you believe it or not, your personality underpins everything about your business and, in the end, it’s you who will be responsible for its success, not the products or services themselves.
Write your Perfect About Page with The Edwards Company
If your About page is feeling a little lacklustre and needs an update or if you’re looking to start one from scratch, we can help.
We work with our clients to create About pages that tell stories, allow human connections to form and really shine a spotlight on the person behind the business.
For help with your About page, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our brilliant copywriting team.