December 2024
Make your About Page convert with these 5 elements
Your customers want to know who (not what) is behind the brand.
It seems there’s an AI application for everything now.
Sometimes, it even feels like there are AI capabilities for thinking. As in, we don’t have to think for ourselves anymore. We can just ask the robots to do it for us, right?
Except there’s one thing robots will never be able to replace…
Human connection.
People – your customers included – crave that connection to be reassured that there are living, breathing, sentient beings who care about them, their needs, and their challenges.
Your customers want to know who (not what) is behind the brand.
Your About Page is the perfect place on your website to give them what they want. To explain who you are and why you’re the right fit to work with them.
When you write your About Page correctly – and not like an extension of your CV or resume (something AI can definitely put together for you) – you make it so your About Page isn’t just a throwaway page where you write a few generic words about your expertise.
The following 5 elements will help you show off your personality so your About Page converts visitors into paying customers.
Your customers want to know who (not what) is behind the brand.
1. Tell them who you are in sparking detail
The problem with most About Pages is that they’re filled with boring, generic pieces of information that could apply to just about anyone in the same industry.
While you do have to include facts, they 1) shouldn’t be the main point of your About Page and 2) don’t have to be dull.
Your About Page is permission to show there’s no one else like you! (Especially because showing people who you are is a much better way to compete than on price or deliverables.)
You can pump more personality into this page than anywhere else, so go for it.
If you’ve got your brand voice and archetype sorted out, use it on your About Page. (And if you don’t, that should probably be step one!)
This way, if you want to include facts about your expertise you know whether you should make it casual, fun, quirky, interesting, etc.
Basically, it’s whatever suits your brand, turned up to 10.
For example:
“Jo is an expert with many years of experience in graphic design.”
Becomes →
“After filling eleventy billion sketchbooks (that’s about 12 years worth), you can bet I’ve got a knack for bringing your design to life.”
The second option is a fun and whimsical way to say Jo has a load of relevant experience in the design department.
Also, note that we swapped out 3rd person for 1st person.
Talking about yourself in the 1st will always create a stronger connection and make you much more approachable than if you sound like you think you’re the King of England.
Your About Page is permission to show there’s no one else like you!
2. Let your passion shine through your “why”
Why do you do what you do?
Maybe you’re thinking, “I do it for the money.” And while I’m sure that’s partially true (none of us are out here trying to work for free), most business owners have a deeper reason for doing what they do.
It would be pretty hard to stay driven if there wasn’t passion behind your purpose.
So share your passion on your About Page by talking about why you do what you do (or why you serve who you serve).
If you have a mission or vision statement or strong values, this is a great place to share it, but make sure it’s clear how it benefits your customers.
Help them feel aligned with your purpose.
So share your passion on your About Page by talking about why you do what you do (or why you serve who you serve).
3. Tie it all into how you help
Make your audience a part of your story by clearly explaining on your About Page how your personality helps you focus on their needs.
For example:
If you’re a perfectionist, you might say, “The over-achiever in me is allergic to letting anything slip through the cracks.”
Or if you’re a bit anxious (who isn’t?!), you might include a cute aside like, “When I’m not working you can find me…wide awake at 3 am having a breakthrough on your project.”
Definitely use the positive parts of your personality to show how that benefits the deliverables you provide to customers/clients.
But even if something feels negative from your perspective, you can make yourself incredibly relatable by sharing how even those parts of your personality tie into the killer service or offer only you can provide.
Make your audience a part of your story by clearly explaining on your About Page how your personality helps you focus on their needs.
4. Give them a heads-up on what to expect
Everyone loves a little peek behind the scenes.
(Seriously, think about your favorite social media influencer or a celebrity you follow – they probably give you insights into their “inner workings” all the time, right?)
Walking people through what it’s like to work with you is a great way to include more personality while also giving important insights any potential buyer will appreciate.
You could simply include a step-by-step of your process. But another way to do this without coming across as salesy is to use snippets of stories from testimonials or reviews.
(And there are always bonus points for sprinkling in customer quotes throughout to help build trust.)
You can also use this section to set expectations (sometimes with a cheeky list like, “You shouldn’t work with me if…you hate giving feedback”) and give a glimpse of your working style to build anticipation and help your audience decide if working with you is right for them.
So share your passion on your About Page by talking about why you do what you do (or why you serve who you serve).
5. Be clear about what’s next
As much as your About Page is meant to show who you are and “sell” yourself without invoking hard sales tactics…
Don’t leave your readers hanging.
Give clear direction about what someone should do once they’ve read your About Page that’s dripping with personality.
Whether you want them to schedule a consultation, book a service, or download a freebie, guide readers to what they should do next.
Since you’ve made yourself so enticing with everything that came before this section, make it easy for someone to take that first step toward working with you so they leave feeling warm and fuzzy, not confused and unsure.
Don’t leave your readers hanging.
Does your About Page convert?
A good About Page that helps you convert visitors into action-takers will be filled with your personality and include:
- 1. Sparking detail about who you are
- 2. Your passionate “why”
- 3. Specifics about how you help
- 4. Behind-the-scenes glimpse into your working style
- 5. A clear call to action
Your About Page is typically one of the most visited pages on your website.
People who land on it want to know who they’re buying from because they’ll buy from someone they connect with, who they feel understands them, and who gives them good vibes.
You want your About Page to convert, so I’d invite you to revisit it now and see how well it aligns with the 5 elements above.
Does it check all the boxes? If not, decide what one step you could take today to make a difference.
Or get in touch to chat about how we can help you with your branding and website projects.