How to Write an About Page That Wins Business

In my work as a freelance web writer, I get asked to write a lot of About pages, but in this post I thought I’d 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 I’m like you.
• If you stick around and keep reading, you’ll 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 of—and experience with solving—the business problem you’re struggling with.
• By choosing to work with us you’ll be making a smart move.

Here’s the trick though…Notice how your About page is mostly all about your potential client?

That’s 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 “You, you, you…yoooouuuu.”

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 appropriate—and especially if sharing them will help B2B readers realize your company understands their details
• Call to action—“sign up for our email series,” “download a Getting Started guide,” etc.

And there—see that? “Company details” is in that list…

Go ahead and weave your information into the page, but remember: it’ll help you—and win you more business—if you focus your About page on your potential client.