Your website’s About page may simply seem like a place to tell your business’s story, but an About page is so much more! This page is one of the most overlooked and underoptimized pages on websites, and it’s vital for engaging with customers, establishing rapport, and of course, it’s essential for SEO. A great place to start optimizing your About page is fixing the disastrous mistakes listed below!
Mistake #1: You Don’t Have an About Page
In a study done by KoMarketing, over half of the study’s respondents said that the first thing they want to see when they navigate to a website’s homepage is an About page. Given that so many people online are looking for an About page to learn about you and connect with your brand, an About page is absolutely necessary!
Not only can an About page help establish your authenticity and trustworthiness, but it can also increase your organic traffic, potential leads, and sales. In fact, a Blue Acorn study found that people that visited a business’s About page were 5 times more likely to make a purchase than people that didn’t visit the page.
When you build an About page, make sure it is clearly visible on the main navigation menu, so site visitors can see it on your homepage and wherever else they go on your site.
Mistake #2: Your About Page is ALL About You
Simply put, there is no room for your ego in an About page! The About page is for your customers and not for sharing your entire biography and every single business accomplishment you’ve ever had.
While you can share an appropriate personal story or experience, the focus of this page should be telling people about your business’s purpose, what your business does, and how it can help them. For example, if your business is dedicated to giving back to a local community, provide examples of how you do that and why this is beneficial to your customer.
Here is an example of a concise business background story in an About page written for a technical audience.
Mistake #3: Your About Page is Boring and Lacks Personality
An About page is useless if it isn’t engaging for site visitors, and dull content is a quick way to steer people away. People want to have a reason to like you, and showing some personality is a great way to make that connection. You can still tell people about your business and how it can help them without being boring!
Here are a few tips for adding personality to an About page:
- Avoid pretentious and unnecessary corporate jargon that clutters your message. Instead, use a lighter, conversational tone that makes it easy for site visitors to quickly read your page.
- Don’t be afraid to be a little quirky or unconventional with the copy or design of this page— it all helps to show you’re authentic and personable.
- Incorporate multimedia (see Mistake #4).
- Create meaningful headers.
Here is an example of a unique About page for a local business.
Mistake #4: Your About Page Doesn’t Include Multimedia
It’s safe to say that an About page that only includes text is not interesting. No one wants to just read about you, they want to see the person (or people) behind the business! Including images, videos, interactive graphics, and more will make your page stand out and help site visitors connect with you in different ways.
Mistake #5: Your About Page is Too Long
People have short attention spans and will likely not read an entire About page, especially if it is too long. Keep this page short and sweet so that if people skim your content, they’ll still understand your main message.
Mistake #6: Your About Page is Too Pushy
While an About page should talk about the purpose of your business and how it helps customers, it shouldn’t be used to directly promote a product or service. This can come across as pushy and aggressive, and it can hurt the trustworthy reputation you’re trying to build with site visitors.
Mistake #7: Your About Page Doesn’t Show Any Social Proof
If you’re unfamiliar with the term social proof, it’s essentially the idea that people modify their behavior based on what others are doing. Showing that other people chose your business encourages customers to choose you as well. Using the concept of social proof can help establish your business’s reputation and credibility among consumers.
Here are a few ideas to incorporate social proof in an About page:
- Include customer/client reviews or testimonials. If an expert in your industry recommends or endorses you, add their comments here as well.
- Display your Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram accounts if you have a large follower base on these platforms.
- Add awards, badges, certificates, TV interviews, newspaper clippings, and other examples of public recognition of your work, just as long as they are relevant.
Mistake #8: Your About Page is Missing a Call-to-Action
Not including a call-to-action in an About page is a major mistake! With a call-to-action, you can direct site visitors where you want them to go or what you want them to do next. One business, QualityStocks, took advantage of this opportunity and added a form to their About page. As a result, they saw a 158% increase in email subscriber growth!
Depending on your goals, your call-to-action could be a:
- Link to a giveaway on social media
- Link to a blog post
- Free download form
- Free trial form
- Contact us button
- Learn more about our services button
Here is an example of a call-to-action on a local franchise’s About page.
If you’re looking for more ways to optimize the content on your website, read more of our blog posts or contact Kite Media! We provide innovative and affordable Search Engine Optimization and Website Design services that transform your website and increase your site traffic!