5 Elements Every About Page Must Have
One of the hardest things to do is talk about yourself. Usually, when someone asks about you in a professional setting, you rattle off your credentials and experience. You talk about where you got your degree, the companies you’ve worked with, and how you ended up in your current role. When you’re done, how does the other person respond?
In many cases, the response is lukewarm. Nothing you said is relatable. Unless you have the same alma mater, nothing is tangible to the other person in the conversation. They might be impressed but they won’t have the answer to the most important question: “What’s in it for me?”
Your about page often takes the same shape. This is your chance to talk about yourself to your website visitor so you go into credential and experience touting mode. *Yawn*. This approach is even less effective online because your website viewer can easily “walk away” from the conversation by hitting the back button.
How do you make your about page excite your reader and get her invested in your business? By incorporating these five elements:
1. Your Client’s Story
Wait, shouldn’t that say “my story?” No.
Everything on your website should tell a story that reflects your client’s point of view. There are elements of your story and reason for being in business, that your client can relate to. It’s called your client’s worldview. How do they see the world? How does that relate to your business?
Seth Godin described this worldview the best when he said, “It’s our worldview (the way we acted and believed and judged before we encountered you) and your story (the narrative we tell ourselves about who you are and what you do) that drive human behavior.”
Infuse shared elements of your client’s worldview throughout your website. This is the best way o resonate with your audience and let your reader know you get her.
2. Your Mission
If you’re not on a mission to change your client’s world, you’re working on a hope and a prayer.
Share your mission with your reader. Why are you in business? What gets you fired up? What gets you going each morning? Why are you different than any other Joe Schmo in your industry?
Your mission is what sets you apart from the competition. More than that, it’s what makes people remember you and want to work with you. Make it loud and clear on your business page so there is no doubt in your reader’s mind what your business is all about.
3. Your Purpose
What do you do? How do you fulfill your mission?
Highlight your purpose on your about page by describing how you help your clients. Don’t get into the nitty gritty of the specifics you deliver. Chances are that’ll change for each client. Instead, focus on the general outcome of what you provide.
For example, I’m a copywriter. My purpose is to help my clients attract a larger audience with the writing on their website. It’s not to give them SEO-rich text and five headlines to test. It’s to give them whatever they need to grow their business through their copy. Keep this big picture and focus on the outcome of what your clients can expect when working with your business.
4. Your Dream Clients
No one will work with you if they’re not sure they’re in your target market. Make it clear which group of people you help the most.
If you have several target markets, that’s okay but it’ll take a little bit of finesse to address each of them in the same copy. One way to do this is to highlight some of your past projects with clients in each industry.
For example, if you’re a pet supply company working with both dog groomers and veterinarians, you might share case studies from each target audience. It’s a passive, yet strong, way to show the various audiences you work with.
5. YOU!
People want to work with people. When a person lands on your website, she wants to see that there is a real person behind the other side of the screen. She wants to know that when she emails you, a real person will respond.
Post your brief bio on your about page and bring out your human side. But remember, use this opportunity to drive the connection home by relating your story with your reader’s worldview.
For example, if your target market is stay-at-home-mom’s, show your reader that you understand the difficulty of her role by telling your own story. How can you relate to that struggle? Are you a stay-at-home-mom yourself? Was your mom a stay-at-home-mom? Pull out your client’s worldview in your bio.
What other attributes do you think are must haves on your about page?
Image: Photospin
