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Why an about page is not about you

This is a guest post by creative business coach and copywriter Nina Eggens


Did you know the About Us page is one of the most visited pages on a website? In fact, you cannot afford not to have one!


Having a poorly written one will ultimately cost you clients, so you’d better give it some attention. How do you write a good About Us page?


If you don’t mind writing and know how to structure a text and make it flow, then creating an About Us page is not that hard.


Yet in my work as a copywriter and creative business coach, I come across so many people who have difficulty putting their thoughts onto paper, especially when it comes to themselves and their business.


As an entrepreneur, you are often so intimate with the details of your work, that writing a clear customer-focused story for your website is not that easy.


After all, all aspects are important to you. Many business owners are very good at delivering their work or offer, but that doesn’t automatically make them a writer.

The basic rules of an About Us page


So where do we go from here?


An About Us page is crucial when building relationships with your customers. Your unique story is what sets you apart from the competition and your About Page is the ideal place to highlight this.


An About Us page full of jargon or a boring page-long company history, will make a customer click away within seconds, without buying or booking anything.


So, what’s the secret?


Keep it short


Do you know the autobiography type page? Those very long About Us pages of more than 1000 words, with the history of the company since 1984, where they come from, who it was founded by, and oh yes, also a bit about what they offer the customer.


It’s more like a CV, and definitely not a text that converts.


Website visitors have the attention span of a goldfish, and if they don’t find what they’re looking for within a few lines, you’ve lost them.


Keep it short and be to the point. Less is more, and choose your words wisely. Keep the reader’s attention!

Think of it as an elevator pitch


You’re in the elevator with someone asking you what kind of work you do. You have 1 minute.


What are you going to tell this person? What do you leave out? Just give it a try.


Tricky, isn’t it?


As an exercise, go and list your main sales points. You want to promote yourself in a few sentences. What information is vital in that one minute?


Find your unique selling points and draw attention to them by building your About Us page around it.

An About page is not a Biography


Of course, the About Us page is about you, but not in the way you think.


What I mean by this is that it should relate to the customer.


The fact that you have an MBA, and were born in the suburbs of Birmingham, is of secondary importance. If you want to put this somewhere, add a biography or your CV somewhere.


An About Us is about the business and why you do what you do.


The person who ended up on your website wants to know if they are in the right place

They are here because they are looking for something you can hopefully offer. Make that problem the main topic and tap into the world of the customer.


Highlight the problem, explain your solution, and add your big ‘WHY’ on the About Page.


Problem, Solution and Passion are the three main ingredients that really need to stand out.


Provide a clean layout with plenty of space


When I see a piece of text on screen without any white lines, my eyes get tired very quickly.


Nobody wants to read a long article in a small font with no spaces. Break up your text, therefore into several paragraphs.


Short pieces of text with a maximum of five sentences is rule of thumb. Then a space, and some bold sub headers to gently lead the reader through the text.


Include a good photo of yourself or something that sums up your company and what you do well in a strong image.


End with a Call-to-Action


If the customer has read all the way to the end, congratulations!


Make it easy for them and conclude with a Call-to-Action, or an incentive to get in touch or to place an order.


If you have a webshop, add a button or link that takes the visitor directly to the product page. If you are a therapist or coach, tempt your new client to book a discovery call.


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Nina Eggens helps creative entrepreneurs become better at marketing and social media, so they attract more clients. You can find her Facebook group here: Nina’s Creative Business Bootcamp.



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