In my work as a freelance web writer, I get asked to write a lot of About pages, but in this post I thought Iād share what makes one good.
Put simply, an About page is your chance to tell a potential client why they should bother with you.
1. Why should they keep reading?
2. Why should they think about asking you to solve their web design problem?
Your About page needs to answer those questions.
Bloggers have it easy. All a blogger needs to tell his or her readers is this:
- I understand who you are.
- I understand what you were looking for when you found my article, because Iām like you.
- If you stick around and keep reading, youāll find even more interesting stuff.
Now you might believe that as a web pro you’ve got it harder, but if you think about it, what you need to do looks an awful lot like what bloggers do:
- Our web company understands you and your business.
- We have knowledge ofāand experience with solvingāthe business problem youāre struggling with.
- By choosing to work with us youāll be making a smart move.
Hereās the trick thoughā¦Notice how your About page is mostly all about your potential client?
Thatās the way it should be. Just like the best conversationalist at a party is the one who talks all about you, the best About pages are the ones that say āYou, you, youā¦yoooouuuu.ā
Here are the essential elements of an About page, adapted from (and with apologies to) Derek Halpern:
- Good headline that promises the benefits a business would get by working with you
- Introduction that gives the basics of what your company does
- Social proof, like testimonials or case studies, if you have them
- Company details, if sharing them is appropriateāand especially if sharing them will help B2B readers realize your company understands their details
- Call to actionāāsign up for our email series,ā ādownload a Getting Started guide,ā etc.
And thereāsee that? āCompany detailsā is in that list…
Go ahead and weave your information into the page, but remember: itāll help youāand win you more businessāif you focus your About page on your potential client.