We’ve been trained to not “toot your own horn.” But would it shock you to know that the lowly “About” page is one of the most important on your site? People want to hear you about you.
It’s true.
Most people, when visiting a website for the first time, will click through to your About page to find out:
- Who you are
- What the site is about
- Learn if there is a real person or company behind the scenes
- Find contact information
- And basically see if your personality and philosophy is in line with theirs
These are all important things to consider when visiting a new site. After all, we want to know – and quickly – if we should delve further or move on. You’ve probably looked at your share of About pages, too, so this likely does not come as a surprise.
And that’s true whether the site is selling coffee cups or books or coaching programs.
Even though we know how important the About page is, it’s still one of the most difficult pages to write. We’ve been taught from an early age that bragging is rude, and your About page might feel like you’re showing off.
Many of us have trouble talking about ourselves at all, we struggle to decide between first person or third, and including a picture? No way! Yet all of those things must be tackled if you want your About page to attract your ideal reader and encourage them to investigate your site – and services and products offers – more fully.
The Real Purpose of Your About Page
Since it’s called the “About” page, you might think a visitor clicks through to learn more about, well, YOU. That is the case, to some extent, but it’s not the real reason they’re compelled to click.
A visitor reads your About page to learn more about what you can do for them.
So while your About page definitely needs to show who you are and why you’re in business, it also needs to encourage visitors to read more, contact you, and maybe even make a purchase.
That’s a lot to expect from a single page, but with a little planning, it’s absolutely doable. So, go ahead, be a little “extra,” it’s OK.
