ABOUT US Page Best Practices - 9 Tips to Sell Your Story
So, what’s your story? Your story shows that you’re human, and in today’s AI-driven world, that’s more important than ever!
Your customers want to do business with you, not a bot or a faceless company! Your About page is one way to tell your (human) story, so it’s important you do it right.
Keep reading to get our top 9 tips for writing an effective About page for your business website.
1. Tell a unique story on your ABOUT US Page
What’s your origin story? What circumstances or decisions led you to start this business? For most, your origin story is likely one of the following:
You fell on hard times and pulled yourself out (rags-to-riches story)
You saw a need in the marketplace, and you want to fill it
You had success with a product or consultant and want to offer it to others now.
You just need a job to make money
You’re following in your family’s footsteps
These are typical “about us” stories. But, they can sound melodramatic or fake if not shared authentically, undermining customer trust in your brand! We don’t want customers to think you’re making up a story to attract business.
Find a unique way to tell your origin story. It may be the tone you use or the details you share that make you stand out. What makes your story memorable and unique?
2. It’s not all about you!
Despite the page's name, your About page is not all about you!
A strategic “About Us” page is written with your target customer in mind, giving them the information they need to:
Know you’re real (and not a bot)
Resonate with your story and “why”
See if your style and values align
Begin the know-like-trust journey with you
Write your story, then go back and edit to:
Ensure you don’t use the words I or we too often (they shouldn’t start every sentence as it makes you sound self-centred and not customer-focused).
Explain how your story helps solve your customer’s problems.
Show that you’re likable and real.
Here are some common “About” sentences and how you can make them relevant to your customers:
About you | About the customer |
I have 30 years of experience in bookkeeping. | I have 30+ years of experience in bookkeeping, which means you get my advanced bookkeeping knowledge. |
I grew up poor but worked hard to grow a six-figure business. | Growing up impoverished taught me the value of hard work, a skill I use every day to help businesses like yours thrive. |
Our team values timely, honest communication. | We believe all businesses and vendors deserve honest and timely communication from us to stay informed. |
That said, sometimes your story is just a story, and you don’t need to link every fact to a customer's desire or need. But, wherever possible, look for opportunities to explicitly explain why certain aspects of your story or values are important to your customers or how you do business.
3. Build a connection
Most customers won’t buy from you if they don’t feel a connection. Your About Us page goes a long way to building your know-like-trust with your audience:
Know — By landing on your website, they know your company exists.
Like — As they learn more about and resonate with your story and values, you form a connection, and they start to like you.
Trust — By maintaining your relationship with prospective customers through engaging web content, social media, and other communication channels, you build their trust in your brand.
Once you’ve built a strong connection and earned their trust, they’re one step closer to buying from you. Use your About page to build this connection.
4. Don’t make bold claims (without backing them up)
Your About page is not traditionally the place to present your sales stats or make bold claims. If you do, provide proof of these claims.
For example, anyone can claim to be the world’s best latte art barista. But, if you truly are, prove it with a link to awards you’ve won. This third-party proof is key to establishing your credibility.
Your About page is a great place to brag about any awards you’ve won and share professional memberships or associations you belong to. These claims are easily supported by including the award or membership logo and linking to their site or other high-authority sites on this page.
5. Describe your values and beliefs
Your values and beliefs are important because they show your customers how you do business. Your About page is a great place to list your values and show how you apply them to meet your customer's needs and expectations.
Many companies only list their values without any explanation. In this situation, you can say anything you want. Like tip #4 above, don’t make bold claims unless you can back them up. Don’t say your company values “honesty” without showing how you’re honest in your business.
For example, don’t just say you value “honest communication.” Say, “We value honest communication with our customers, with weekly, easy-to-read reports on your project status.”
If you haven’t decided on your business values yet, here’s a great resource to create your core business values.
6. Include (real) pictures
Your About page's impact isn’t just about your written words and messaging. The design of this page and the images you choose will also send a powerful message. Choose real pictures of your workplace and team members rather than generic stock images when possible. Showing real pictures adds authenticity you can’t get with stock images.
We also suggest hiring a professional photographer for staff member headshots and team photos. While the “selfie” team photos at your company picnic are fun for social media, they don’t traditionally have a place on your About page.
(If you insist on using iPhone pictures or your own photography on your About page, show it in an image gallery further down the page or by embedding your Instagram feed on your page.)
7. Share social proof
Except in regulated industries, you can say anything you want about yourself and your business. You could say you’re the best at what you do, but who will believe it without social proof to back you up?
Your About page (like your homepage) is a great place to include testimonials and reviews of your business. If someone has publicly posted a review of your business on Google Reviews or Facebook (or similar sites), you can repurpose it for use on your website!
Depending on your website platform, look for a plugin that automatically pulls reviews from review sites and displays them on your About page. You can also curate your reviews and manually post only the ones that strongly speak to positive customer experiences with your brand.
8. Mention “personal” stuff too
For most businesses, it’s okay (and recommended) to get a bit personal on your About page. In personal bios, you can briefly share what you like outside of work, including family, hobbies, and favourite vacation spots. This shows you’re not a burned-out workaholic, and that you value work-life balance.
9. Link to (and from) this page
Your About Page can influence your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy. One factor search engines like Google look for when ranking a page or website is that it includes hyperlinks to other pages within the same domain and to reputable other websites.
Your homepage is a powerful tool for linking to your services within your text or to lead generation forms (free downloads and newsletter sign-ups). Also, by hyperlinking your credentials and membership logos to their respective websites, you gain more SEO points and customer credibility.
Is it hard to write about yourself?
Our expert copywriters have interviewed hundreds of business owners to write their bios and about pages. One typical concern entrepreneurs have is they don’t like or know how to talk about themselves.
That’s why you bring in knowledgeable copywriters who know what questions to ask when writing your About page. They know the tips we’ve shared in this blog post and will dive deep to understand what your customers are looking for in your bio and About page.
Writing an About page is a standard inclusion in most STGP website design and copywriting packages. Let our expert copywriters ask about your story and write an engaging About page for your business website.
Learn more about our website design and copywriting packages, or book a chat with me today.
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