About pages have been a part of the web since the 90s, when frankly, many websites were one big About page (nod to GeoCities). The web has changed a lot since then, but the About page persists. For a small business website, it’s a crucial piece of the marketing puzzle. In this article, I’m going to give you some tips to make your small business About page sing.
Why have an About page?
On personal sites and blogs, an About page is typically full of references to pets, where they live, and how much coffee they drink in a day. For those sites, an About page is totally optional. It’s fun, but if you’re not trying to get lots of traffic, subscriptions, or sell anything, it’s 100% a personal choice. And what a nice position to be in.
However, if you are trying to get subscribers, be irresistibly shareable, or run a small business, you absolutely need an About page. Your visitors want to see a human behind your business. It’s particularly important in these days of AI, where visitors are so wary of anything that smells like AI slop. Your marketing copy may be on point, you may have a clear price list table or gorgeous photos of your products, but if visitors don’t see the human(s) behind your business, it’s going to be much harder to win their trust.
If they know you, and they like you, they’ll trust you. That’s the key to closing sales. So let’s check your About page.
Is your About page boring?
If you’re already onboard the About page train, then I salute you. But that’s only the first step. An About page that’s boring, off-putting, or devoid of all humanity may be worse than not having one at all.
I’m not suggesting that your About page should sound like it was written by Key & Peale. An About page doesn’t need to be super clever or entertaining — although if that’s your brand and it appeals to your target market, then absolutely do the comedy thing (just make sure it’s good). Your About page should reveal what’s behind your business. It’s like giving them a Golden Ticket to your big Wonka factory.
Let me share a recent boring example I found:
[Redacted] team is led by professionals with more than 8 years of experience in web industry. At [Redacted] we always strive to mix innovation with quality. We employ highly skilled professionals to ensure that all our products are top class. We have a wide range of robust web based solutions at affordable prices.
Our primary focus is on ensuring cent percent customer satisfaction and thereby building long term client relationships. Hence we have a dedicated support team to take care of any customer issues. We offer a variety of support mechanisms such as emails, social media, phone and chat.
That’s not a Golden Ticket, that’s a closed gate. Do you feel like you know this company a little better, like you can relate to them, like you can trust them? Or like me, do you feel that you still don’t know anything about them?
Why it’s boring
The above snippet is a perfect example of what to avoid in an About page. It tells you nothing about who is behind the company, but gives you a whole lot of buzzwords. It’s boring.
Website time is precious. Visitors are click-click-click, skim-skim-skim, and they don’t like having their time wasted. Show them something good, and don’t give them a link that tells them the same thing they just read on your home page. And by the way? Every company out there is “committed to customer satisfaction.” That kind of talk is just white noise.
What makes a great About page
Okay, that’s the bad stuff. So what makes an About page worth reading? When visitors click to your About page, you need to reward them. They want to see:
- Your story
- The people
- Photos
- Themselves
Let me explain.
Your Story
This doesn’t have to literally be your story, although that can be powerful. Visitors want to hear who you are and what you’re about beyond the marketing blah-blah. Why do you do what you do? What’s your process? People want to know how the donuts are made, which brings me to this perfect example of a great About page from Violet Crumb:
DONUTS FOR FOOD PEOPLE.
we make old-fashioneds
the way we wish they existed.
crispy edges.
tender centers.
glazes that crack.
toppings with personality.
food is art.
art is play.
and play is … kind of the whole point.
we rotate our menu weekly, obsess over texture, and refuse to do boring on purpose.
come early.
find a favorite.
try something weird.
repeat.
not a donut person?
perfect.
we’re donuts for food people.
xoxo,
abbey + the vc crew
It’s brilliant. It’s fun. It tells you that they care a whole lot about donuts (and suddenly, so do I). Your copy doesn’t need to be as clever as Violet Crumb. It helps, but it’s enough to tell people who you are and what you’re about — beyond your list of services.
The People
Your staff may rotate seasonally, and employees come and go. But knowing who the humans are behind your business does a lot for trust. In the example above, we know it’s “abbey + the vc crew.” I don’t know Abbey. I don’t know who their crew is. That’s okay, because someone (Abbey) took the time to sign their name to it. It’s a human.
You don’t need lengthy bios of everyone on your staff. You can just call out some key people. Adding something fun like, “Jordan loves espresso, a good spreadsheet, and her dog, Milo” gives it some pizzazz, but it depends on your brand. Another great example is Bone & Blossom Tattoo.
Photos
Pictures on your About page are optional, but they can give visitors an even better sense (and proof) that you’re human. If you don’t feel like you’re photogenic, then offer up some photos of your shop, your process, or even your building if you have a brick and mortar store. People like photos. Your About page can also be the perfect place to link to your Instagram account if you have one.
Themselves
How can you tell someone about themselves if you don’t know who’s visiting your page? Admittedly, that would be a neat trick, albeit a little creepy. What I mean is that your visitors should see a bit of themselves reflected in your About page. In my Violet Crumb example, I see myself reflected in the idea that I like really good food (ahem, donuts) and I appreciate people who put care into it. It’s also fun. I like fun, so I like that a lot.
If your target market is web developers who are uber serious about clean code, then your About page copy should reflect them. Visitors should see themselves in your page and think, “Yeah, these are my people.”
Change your About page, change your life
At this point if I haven’t prompted you to peek at your About page and make some edits, I haven’t done my job very well. Unless you’re Violet Crumb, in which case I have no notes.
I empathize the hate in making an About page, and I don’t know anyone who enjoys making their own, even savvy copywriters who can write anyone else’s as easy as making toast (that’s me, by the way). You may cringe at writing your About page. But it’s not very complicated when you understand what people are looking for when they click that link in your nav menu.
I’ll say it again: If they know you, and they like you, they’ll trust you. That’s the key to closing sales.
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