Like you, I’ve read hundreds of “about pages” — I’m talking about the bio pages on personal and business websites.
I’ve written scores of them too.
For companies, they tend to follow this format:
- List of client categories, scope of services and value proposition
- Founders blurb (if applicable)
- Obligatory mentions of highest quality, premier service and customer satisfaction
- Number of countries, states and/or clients served
- Total years of management team experience
- Mission, vision and values
For personal brands, they tend to follow this format:
- Name and a general list of job descriptors (like manager, strategist, writer, advisor)
- Current title, company and tenure (or list of authored books)
- Laundry list of past roles, companies and accolades
- Degrees and colleges
- Oddball factoids
The 3Ws of Your About Page
About pages are among the most visited pages on many websites (with the exception of commerce sites like Amazon).
Your about page should answer three important questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Why do you do what you do?
And, by the way, too many websites ignore that third question. Why you do what you do is what connects people to you.
One Thing to Remember
The most common mistake I see professionals and organizations make on their about page is this: They believe their about page is supposed to be about them.
In reality, your about page is for your prospective readers, clients or customers.
It is a connective agent. A key point of engagement. And it shouldn’t be an also-ran description of you or your company.
As we read your about page, we’re asking ourselves whether you or company is credible and worth getting to know.
Each time I stumble upon a new article, video or content piece that grabs me, I immediately check out the about page of the site. Or, if it’s a guest piece, I read the author bio and link over to their about page.
Far too often, I’ve found myself reading the same boring bio I’ve read over and over. But, occasionally, someone’s story captivates me. And compels me to learn more and want to stay in touch.
In a recent post, David Meerman Scott wrote about how social CEOs drive business for their company. In it he spotlights HubSpot’s CEO, Brian Halligan.
Twenty percent of HubSpot’s new customers since 2011 were influenced in the sales process by visiting Brian’s bio page on HubSpot. It’s nothing cutting edge or unusual. But it gets the job done — it connects with those who matter most to HubSpot.
Can you imagine what percent HubSpot’s about page generates in new conversions?
Other Tips for Your About Page
- Write your about page and/or bio in a way that makes people want to learn more and get to know you or your company
- Keep it true to your brand’s personality and voice
- Speak as if you were meeting someone for the first time (i.e. be respectful and don’t talk about yourself too much)
- Try to keep the focus on what you’re trying to accomplish and why it matters
- Invite the reader to take the next step — something that helps them more than you
What advice do you have on about pages? Which about pages have captured your attention and trust?
Please share in the comments. I collect examples of great about page and would appreciate some new ones.
You may also like this post: Try This Next Time Someone Asks, “So What Do You Do?”