There isn’t a de facto standard for creating any page on your website, let alone the About page. The About page can be a powerhouse for converting customers as it gives you the opportunity to really show them what you’re all “about.” Get it?

Website About pages are often the most overlooked

Creating an About page serves many different purposes for web design. Not only can it help you close a deal, it can help your SEO by providing more content that is related to you or your business.

To create a compelling About page, think about your or your company’s unique identity. What do you bring to the table? What makes you different from other people or businesses in your industry? What kind of customers or clients do you want? These are all valid questions to ask when creating an awesome About page. You can also think to yourself, “What do my customers (or clients) want to know about me that will help them trust me (or my business)?”

Here are six tips to optimize your website’s About page and help make customers feel safe and happy to have found you.

1. Set up a mission statement.

This one is easy. Why are you (or your business) here? Why did you start? The mission statement tells visitors why they found you in the first place – they’re visiting because you have something they want or need. You can choose to write this in detail, but we’ve found a shorter mission statement usually resonates more. Think about it – would you rather read a plumbing company’s entire history at the top of the page, or instead read a sentence or two about who they are, why they do what they do, and how they can help? Most likely, it’s the latter choice!

When writing a mission statement, try to make it as concise and succinct as possible without too many frills. The next step is for building out your story! Here are a few examples of excellent mission statements:

• Google: “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
• Feeding America: “Our mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.”
• TED: “Spread ideas.”

And here’s our favorite mission statement (*wink emoji*):

• IntoClicks has a simple mission – to be phenomenal!

All of these describe what the company set out to do in this world, and they’ve done it minimally to save the visitor some time.

2. Share your company history.

Now we get to the flesh and bones. This is arguably the easiest part as no one knows you or your business better than you! Try and flex your creative brain as much as possible here since it’s your opportunity to really tell people what you’re all about: how you got started, how long you’ve been doing this work, your future plans, and anything else you can come up with.

You can isolate milestones for you or your business and expand on those to give visitors a solid backstory. When we say flex your creative brain here, we mean it! Use humor, make it relatable, use variety, know your audience, use relevant data, and most important – keep it professional.

3. Let everyone know how you’ve changed since starting the company.

This can go together with your/your company history and can help you build out the story. Maybe you’ve been running your business for 20 years… maybe you just started last year. Either way, starting and running a business, no matter for how long, will change you. Your plans and strategies will also change, and there’s no shame in admitting that. Keep in mind that customers will change, the world will change, technology changes, and the economy changes – constantly.

“In business, it’s easy to convince ourselves that what we’re chasing is stability and predictability, but the truth is a lot more exciting: Without disruptive changes, we can’t grow as people and our companies can’t realize their full potential.”

~ William Craig, founder of WebFX

Tell your visitors about what it was like when you started and why, how you’ve grown or are continuing to grow, and anything else that has helped you/your business come into its own. This shows people you’re adaptable and willing to change to accommodate. After all, not everyone is the same and there is no doubt you’ll work with customers and clients who are complete opposites of others.

4. Explain what you’re looking for in a customer/client.

Usually, you’ll want as many people viewing your website as possible. That doesn’t mean you’re going to do business with each and every one of them, and that’s not a bad thing! It’s important to mention your core customer (or client). Why do they care that your business exists? Who do you want viewing your website the most?

A plumber doesn’t want people viewing their site looking for a roofer; an artist doesn’t want people viewing their site looking for a plumber (well, maybe in rare circumstances). It just wouldn’t serve any purpose for either party – you or the visitor. You can’t always please everyone but making sure this is mentioned will ensure there is no confusion, and the visitor is in the right place.

5. Tell them what you’re offering.

Something that many people and businesses fail to do is clearly state exactly what they’re offering, whether it’s a specific product or a provided service. If you generalize what you’re selling or doing, it can make it very hard for the visitor to understand what it is they’re paying for. Some people or businesses are afraid of sounding too technical and that their wording might not be interesting enough, which is completely understandable; you don’t need to go overboard here – add a sentence or two telling visitors exactly what they’ll be receiving. This alone can keep viewers on your website for longer periods of time, piquing interest in learning more about you and/or your business.

Make sure your language is simple yet polished, something that effectively communicates what you’re offering yet still allowing the Average Joe/Jane to easily understand. Short, punchy sentences that are empathetic are your best friend here; try not to patronize.

WP Engine has a great example of an awesome About Us page: eye-catching, straight-to-the-point headings, with a few sentences below explaining further. They also use relevant data for their product/service (see #2) such as recent awards and statistics about their family of employees. The more a visitor can learn about what you do, the more comfortable they will feel with your product/service and brand.

6. Outline and describe your values.

Our final tip falls in line with #2, in that you know yourself (or your business) more than anyone else. By sharing your values, you give important insight into what kind of person or business you are and what you’re looking to accomplish. While writing your values, try to make sure it sounds human; not only do people want to be treated like human beings, they want to feel they’re being treated by human beings. Not only can this target your desired audience, it can also help gain future employees.

Some questions to ask yourself about your values include:

• What bigger picture drives you?
• How do you want to change the world?
• What is your company culture like?
• Do you participate in any philanthropic or charitable causes?

We’re going to bring up the plumber one last time; a plumber will offer plumbing services, but in a sea of plumbers and plumbing companies, how do they stand out? Maybe they’re never late for appointments… but everyone looking for a plumber wants that. Let’s say this plumber or plumbing company was founded because they noticed other plumbers and companies weren’t as green for the environment as they could be, so they’ve developed new methods or products to help with their commitment to environmental protection. Perfect, that sure is different!

Optimize your website About page and watch your conversions improve

Have you ever visited a website and it didn’t have anything about the person or business? What did you end up doing? If you’re like us, that was the end of your search. If visitors can’t find relevant information about what you do and who you are, chances are they won’t want to do business with you. The About page is, as we’ve been explaining, the perfect place to tell everyone why they should work with you or purchase your products and/or services.

If you’re ready to tell the world what you’re all about, contact IntoClicks today – we know websites (and About pages)!