Most businesses have an “About Us” or “About Me” page on their website, but not all understand the potential power of this page, and why it’s SO important to get it right. So why is this page such a big deal, and what do you need to do to get yours right? Read on!
The About page is one of the most visited pages on a website — some say it comes second only to the Home page. This is pretty mind-blowing when you consider that most users will, by default, land on the homepage when looking at a site for the first time.
So after perusing “Home” a very good majority of people are then choosing to click on “About”. It therefore goes without saying that this page is nothing short of damn good real estate.
Why are your potential customers so interested in your About Page?
There are many reasons. Perhaps first and foremost is that your customer wants to know that you are real — that you and your business are legitimate and not a scam, particularly if they’re considering handing money your way.
Think about the last time you landed on a website that you’d never previously visited, weighing up whether or not to proceed further — to buy, sign-up or even just spend precious time going deeper into the site. Chances are, after a quick peruse of the homepage, you headed over to the About page.
It is the same for most of us. As potential customers, we want to know what a business does, their reasons for doing it, and who they do it for. This is where the “know, like, trust” factor comes into play — people generally (and very naturally) want to build a connection before making the commitment to buy, sign-up or become a committed reader or fan.
The About page — more than any other page — is used by people to evaluate if they are in the right place for what they need at that time. If there is no About page, or if the About page fails to convince the potential customer to stay, they will likely click away and very swiftly forget the site ever existed. This of course spells bad news for the owner of the site!
For all of these reasons, your About page needs to be more than an afterthought. It also needs to be more than a spiel about where you grew up, your favourite colour and what you like to do in your spare time. These things may be interesting and lovely, but they’re not going to be enough to convince your customer to stay and buy.
Customers want to know what’s in your site for THEM. They want to know how your thing benefits THEM.
So, now you know why you need a stellar About page, let’s discuss how to make it stellar — how to make it stand out from the crowd.
How to make YOUR About page stand out
OK, so we’ve discerned that when constructing your About page, you need to go a little deeper than your personal story. A lot of About pages fall short for this very reason — they don’t go much deeper than this.
As with every page of your site (and indeed everything in your business), the customer and their needs must be at the forefront. Talk about yourself only to the extent that it relates to your business, and how it all comes together to benefit your potential customer.
Think about:
What you do for your customers, and how it benefits them
What it is that sets you apart from OTHER businesses doing a similar thing, and why they should choose you over them
Your About page is the perfect place for your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Your USP is the thing that sets you (your business, your product or service) apart from your competitors' product or service. If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend putting some time into contemplating your USP.
Treat your About page almost as a sales page. A page that highlights the best selling points of your unique brand. Leave your potential customer with little doubt as to who they want to do business with — YOU!
Now, all of this is not to say that you need to be “flashy” or “salesy” when selling yourself and your business on the page. If you’re a small business or solopreneur it is perfectly fine (and better!) to let your natural personality shine through.
Have a look at my About page — I am in no way a flashy person, yet I’ve still managed to highlight my best selling points. I’ve also included a short paragraph at the end telling potential clients a little about me as a person. This in no way detracts from what I do for my clients — it just gives a little more info into the type of gal I am, and adds a bit of fun and colour to the page.
In short, your About page is the place to:
Tell the STORY of your business — what it is, who it serves and why you started it
Describe how what you do BENEFITS your potential customers
Communicate your USP
An added bonus: being the second most visited page of your site, your About page is a great place to incorporate important SEO keywords and phrases.
Don’t let the valuable piece of real estate that is your About page go to waste! Put it to work today, and allow it to help your beautiful business grow.
If you would like some professional help writing your About page, or if you have any questions on the topic, CONTACT ME to schedule a free chat!