Tips for Writing a Killer ‘About’ Page

An “About” page is your website’s equivalent to a handshake, elevator pitch or opening act. It’s more than just how you present yourself and your brand to new visitors and customers – it’s how you establish a personal connection through a virtual medium. About pages are in no way cut and dry. They can be as formal or informal as needed in order to make a positive and lasting impression. But as the second most visited page on average across the Web, it’s of utmost importance that it convey all of the necessary information in a way that makes sense to you and what your website is trying to achieve.

This past Thursday, Philly PR Girl hosted the PHL Bloggers group at our office to share some knowledge regarding best practices in creating an impactful About Me/Us page. Here are the key takeaways from our discussion:

Format & Style

The possibilities in formatting are endless! We highly recommend browsing around sites similar to yours to get the creative juices flowing, as there are so many great ideas out there. How you style your page will depend largely on your online business; whether you’re blogging for fun, creating a digital portfolio, or offering goods or services. Here are just a few examples of potential styles:

• Resume
• Mini biography
• Timeline
• Personal story
• Interview questions/FAQ

When offering goods and services through your website, be sure to always include who you are as a person and as a professional.

 

Page Title

What you decide to call the actual About Me/Us page can be determined before or after writing the content on the page itself. Just be sure that it echoes the same tone and narrative POV as your introduction (i.e. if you’re writing your About paragraphs in the third person, you wouldn’t title the page “About Me”). More general and widely used labels include the following:

• Your first name or full name
• About Us / About Me
• Meet the Team

However, the page title can also be a great space for innovation. More casual and fun titles might include:

• Who’s the Boss?
• The Girl/Guy Behind the Blog
• Get to Know Me

What to Include

Because readers want to be able to put a face to the content, photos are an absolute necessity. They make you seem more personable and legitimize your website as a whole. You can include a single professional headshot or fun profile picture if it’s just you; if you’re introducing the whole team, include at least one group shot or photos of every member. If your layout has the space, feel free to include multiple pictures, a collage or even slideshow. Online, there’s no such thing as too many pictures!

When wrapping up your About Me/Us page, include some kind of call to action. Give the reader something to do once they’ve finished learning about you. Ask them to leave a comment introducing themselves; to shoot you a quick email; to follow you on your social media accounts or browse the goods in your online store. Just don’t leave them hanging!

Along with the actual content about you or your peers, these are the two essentials you must include in order to build a successful About page. Once you’ve got the basics covered, here are some other out-of-the-box ideas for components to include:

• Quotes and testimonials from clients and peers (once again, photos will help to make these appear more legitimate)
• A favorite personal quote
• “As scene on” or press hits, which may include links or even digital press clippings
• Industry-related awards
• A video of yourself introducing you and your website
• Animated GIFs of you or the team

Above all, keep in mind that your About page should be about what you do; not about what your blog or company does. It might feel weird, but it’s a wise idea to ask trusted friends, family and peers for their opinions of your About page. Doing so may just give you some invaluable insights into how your website and digital persona are received!

What do you like best about your current About page? Is there anything you’d like to change? Tell us in the comments!