Your About Page Revamp

 

How To Re-Engineer Your About Page For More Sales

Introduction

Almost every website has an About page.  That’s a given.   But the question should be: Is it effective?

When you consider that a big percentage of visitors to your website will look at your About page, then it becomes imperative to make the page as effective as possible.

When visitors take a peek at your About page they’re often wanting to know more about the people behind the site and the business that underpins it.

This is why the best About pages tell a story that involves the reader.  So, there’s the first clue – stories sell by building trust, credibility, and warmth.

The best About pages are personal – they help people get to know you a little bit.  And if they like what they see they are much more inclined to do business with you.

Do you remember this golden rule of marketing?

  • Know, like, and trust

Your About page can be a powerful and potent way to increase your conversions because it tells the story of YOU and your business.  Done correctly, the ‘know like and trust factor’ will be working in your favor, thanks to a properly conceived, formulated and optimized About page.

Your About page should be like a welcoming hug, a warm and non-threatening place that connects visitors to you, your story, and the story of your business.  The best About pages will convey your philosophy in a customer-centric way.

Your About Page Is An Opportunity to Strut Your Stuff

Say it loud, say it proud.  Or to put it another way – ‘it’s showtime!’  But be careful – if you overdo it your audience might bite you in the ass!

Seriously though, your About page gives you a license to promote yourself, your business and your products (not in a detailed way but you can highlight your products’ point of difference).

If you’ve already got a company culture thing happening, you should also weave it into your copy.

If you have qualifications mention them, but don’t kid yourself that it’s going to overly impress customers.  You have to move beyond the standard About page content and really involve your customer in the story you’re telling.

Your About Page Is An Opportunity to Sell

Rather than the boring ‘me too’ About pages that pervade the internet, it’s time to step up to a page that effectively promotes you without it appearing to be a crass sales pitch.  The best way to do that is to ‘educate, don’t sell’.  By educating your audience about your business and its products and services you will automatically build a desire for your products or services.

Knowing your market is key – know the problems and aspirations of your ideal customer is critical.  Then you can fashion a message that hits the spot with people who visit your site.

Objectives For Your About Page

Your About page’s primary objective is to secure a lead for your email list or in the parlance of the online world – an opt-in.  If you run a traditional main street business your objective might also be to have visitors phone in, request a quote, or book an appointment.  It’s not about branding (although branding can be a side benefit), it’s not about feel-good blather – it’s about getting a lead or an inbound inquiry, and doing business.

Tune Into WII-FM

Have you heard of WII-FM?  It’s a radio station that all of your potential customers know very well.  In fact, it’s all they think about.  What is it?  ‘What’s In It For Me’.  You’ve heard it before, right?  Of course, everyone has heard those words before.  But here’s a question for you:

Why do so many business owners and marketers have no idea what turns their customers on?  Often they spend too much time telling visitors how wonderful they are, without showing them the benefits they’re going to enjoy as a customer.

Questions

To help you create a better About page, I’ve listed here 4 simple questions.  Take a look:

Why Should People Do Business With You?

Another way of putting it is this: what sets you apart from your competitors?  If you can answer these questions with clarity, congratulations!   When pondering this question please avoid the temptation to answer with the standard tired old clichés that many use.

Examples of cliches abound like quality service, best products, reliable delivery, etc.  Words like these mean nothing to customers because all your competitors use the same words.

What Are the Key Frustrations Experienced By Your Market?

Customers often experience frustrations when dealing with many businesses.  Can you identify what those frustrations are for your industry and your type of business?

How Can You Solve These Frustrations?

Once you’ve figured it out you can create a statement such as Why We’re Different, then show people why your business is indeed different.

What Turns Your Customers On?

If you can get some clarity about this question (and the answers to it) jump for joy.  It could be a game-changer for you.

About Page Structure

 

A Potent Opening Statement

First impressions count, in all things.  Offline or online people will often make a snap judgment about you and your business as soon as they land on your site.

Open with a benefit statement or a pain point, but whatever you do always use personal language – people love to hear the YOU word – so use it often.  Do NOT use formal language or copy that is expressed in the third person – a real turn off.

An example of an opening statement could be something like this:

“Is this you?  You’re confused, frustrated and at a dead end.  Well today I have good news for you etc etc”

Who You Are and What You Do

For example:

Unlike some internet marketing experts, I acquired my foundational knowledge and experience at the offline coalface – face to face, belly to belly. I sold millions of dollars worth of products offline before I generated a single lead (or sale) online.

Fast forward to today and I’ve now sold millions of dollars worth of products online using a skillful mix of online strategies and timeless offline strategies.

Promote Your Primary Benefit

Example:

Persuasion Pursuit helps you get more from less. We help you increase your sales conversions without spending more money on advertising.  Indeed you may spend less.

When you have a continual flow of high-quality customers who pay you top dollar for your products or services, you can choose to grow your business further or simply take a lifestyle dividend.

Life is too short to be just grinding it out in a business.  So let us help you turn your business into something that serves you – not the reverse.

More sales and more income for you – so you can have a better life

Like it?

Your Journey

If you’re building a coaching, consulting, blogging, make money online, or personal development type of business you need to be a little more personal with your visitors.

People love stories especially if they are told in a personal way.  Share your setbacks, your challenges, and of course, your successes.  Triumph over adversity stories work a treat!

On the other hand, if you have a traditional ‘main street’ type of business you may want to hold back a little on the hard-luck stories.  That said, you must always avoid the temptation to revert to impersonal corporate-speak – it’s a huge turn off for your visitors.

Your Mission

What is your mission?  Do you have a vision for your customers that is so compelling that your readers will be salivating when they read it?

You do?

Great – let’s see it!

Promises and Guarantees

If you have a potent guarantee, showcase it on your About page.  But avoid the standard ‘we guarantee you’ll be happy’ type of guarantee.  It doesn’t work very well.  So beef it up a little – give them a specific guarantee with a self-imposed penalty if you don’t deliver on your promise.

Top 16 Ways to Ramp Up Your About Page

Here is my definitive list of tactics and ideas you can use to really make your About page stand out from the crowd.  Pick the ones you like, then start implementing them today! Try these for size:

  1. Use the ‘You’ Word Often
  2. Bring Out the Pain
  3. Offer Conceptual Solutions
  4. Benefits of Doing Business With You
  5. Tell a Story
  6. Answer Questions
  7. Let Visitors Know Who You’re Looking For
  8. Offer Commitments
  9. Make It Personal
  10. Bring On Your Endorsers
  11. Showcase Your Team
  12. Include Design Elements
  13. Try Video
  14. Include Links
  15. Provoke Curiosity
  16. Call to Action

1. Use the ‘You’ Word Often

I covered this one earlier in this post but I include it here again to drive the message home – it’s that important.

What’s the most important word in the English language?  It has to be the ‘you’ word, right?  People are selfish despite their protestations.  So give them what they want – lots of stuff about them, which must include the ‘you’ word often.  Effective use of the ‘you’ word really connects with your visitors like no other.

2. Bring Out the Pain

Although I alluded to this point earlier in this article, let’s ponder it a little more – it will be a good test for you.  Do you REALLY know your audience?  Say yes, then answer these questions:

  • What are their concerns?
  • What annoys them about your type of business?
  • What problems are they trying to solve?

Once you’re clear on the answers you can highlights the issues then show them why you are different from your competitors.

3.  Offer Conceptual Solutions

If appropriate, when talking about solutions to the problems discussed above, talk about concepts first before you go into the detail of your product or service.

4. Benefits of Doing Business With You

When you list the benefits of becoming a customer, do it in a benefit laden way.  Here is an example:

persuasion pursuit - about kw

5. Answer Questions

People often have questions about buying from a business like yours so it makes sense to list some of the typical questions, then answer them.  Here is an example:

persuasion pursuit - q&a

6. Tell Your Story

If your story includes a professional bio and you think it will add and not subtract from your story, include it as well.

Amy Porterfield is a popular blogger and has a terrific About page.  She has created an engaging narrative that connects with the reader early and keeps them riveted until the last word.

A nice touch is the inclusion of a ‘My Values’ box.  Take a look:

About page - Amy Porterfield (my values)

Yaro Starak who owns the highly successful Entrepreneurs-Journey blog site has a cool About page too.  Here is his story:

About Me Page - Yaro Starak

7. Your Ideal Customer – Let Visitors Know Who You’re Looking For

Customers are looking for a home.  They want to align themselves with businesses that speak their language and offer solutions to problems that resonate.  Yes, price is important but if you are to maximize your sales and income you have to go much further than trying to just compete on price. 

8. Offer Commitments

Some businesses use a Customer Commitment form or statement.  These can work well because it conveys intent to the reader.  People like that, they like the fact that you nail your colors to the mast upfront.  A variation on this is to use humor, such as with this example:

About Me page- commitment statement

9. Make It Personal

I already mentioned the ‘you’ word, but to take things to the next level you want people to have warm thoughts about you and your business.  There are different ways to do it, but getting a little personal with people works well.  This is especially so if you have a coaching, personal development or consulting style business, or similar.

So tell your story.  Let people know a little about your journey, including some of the setbacks you have experienced along the way.  People love this sort of stuff.

Some business owners may feel uncomfortable about using this technique, particularly if they run a traditional local business.  But if you can overcome your hesitation and employ this idea you’ll likely find that customers will bond to you like glue to a piece of timber.

10. Bring On Your Endorsers

This tip is about testimonials and case histories.  If you’re just starting out you may need to do some work gratis (or at a greatly discounted rate) for a few people, in return for a glowing testimonial.

If you have a separate testimonial page it may still be a good idea to feature a couple of them on your About page.  Please note that there is a right and wrong way to present a testimonial because most testimonials have not been packaged properly.  Although beyond the scope of this article I can say that at the very least you should include a pic of your customer and include their full name – avoid initials like the plague.

Bernadette Jiwa runs The Story of Telling blog (great title, eh?).  If you go to her About page you will see an almost endless stream of testimonials and endorsements.  Here are two of them:About page - the story of telling (testimonials)

An important point about the above example is the inclusion of a pic.  The potency of a testimonial is greatly enhanced by including an image of your endorser, as stated.

For more information on this topic, read my blog post:

How to Use Enhanced Testimonials and Mini Case Studies to Mesmerize Your Prospects.

11. Showcase Your Team

It makes sense to introduce your visitors to other team members.  Here is an example:

About Me Page - Team

12. Include Links

 If you have an active blog, include a few links to your most popular blog posts.  A simple technique like this will boost your credibility and involve your visitor from the outset.  A no brainer.  Please Note.  Visitors will NOT be impressed if you send them to a blog that hasn’t been updated with new content for 3 months or more.

13. Try Video

 Now that YouTube is the second most trafficked platform in the world, it’s quite clear that video is a very powerful medium.  Yet few site owners use it, especially on their About page.  John Lee Dumas and his Eofire blog has one of the few About pages that includes video content (note the brilliant graphic): 

About page- EO fire

14. Provoke Curiosity

Remember the saying ‘curiosity kills the cat’?  Well, it’s true, and the best way to start is with the headline.  The headline will pique your reader’s interest and entice them to read the body copy.  ‘Nuff said.  Here’s an example: About Me Page - Provoke Curiosity

15. Call to Action

Call it the close, call it the call to action – it doesn’t matter.  The main thing is to give people leadership by telling them what they need to do next.  The next step will vary according to the business, but your call to action could be one of the following:

  • Get a quote
  • Buy a product
  • Make an inquiry
  • Join your email newsletter list

Darren Rowse runs the hugely successful Digital Photography School.  He includes a call to action in his story.  Take a look:

About Me Page - Darren Rowse (DPS)

Do you like this post?  Great.  Now here is what you must do: share it with others and leave a nice comment.  Thankin’ ya!

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26 thoughts on “Your About Page Revamp”

  1. Hi
    How To Re-Engineer Your About Page For More Sales Introduction Almost every website has an About page. That’s a given. But the question should be: Is it effective? When you consider that a big percentage of visitors to your website will look at your About page, then it becomes imperative to make the page as …

    Thanks
    BSS STAFF

    1. How To Re-Engineer Your About Page For More Sales Introduction Almost every website has an About page. That’s a given. But the question should be: Is it effective? When you consider that a big percentage of visitors to your website will look at your About page, then it becomes imperative to make the page as … How To Re-Engineer Your About Page For More Sales Introduction Almost every website has an About page. That’s a given. But the question should be: Is it effective? When you consider that a big percentage of visitors to your website will look at your About page, then it becomes imperative to make the page as …

  2. Wow..this sure has made me re -think things on my About Me page. I frequently update it, but after reading this, mine is too casual.

    I had saved this post as an outline of what I need to do to be more effective. I can also see why some people are getting confused as to what I do. I’m not promoting myself there.

    As I read through I can see the mistakes I’ve made and want to thank you for directing me to do my about page with more gusto!

    -Donna

  3. Hi Kim,

    What a nice blog you have here. You visited my site and I thought I would return the favor.

    You post was right on track for me as I need to revamp my about me page. This is the third time I’ve heard to use it as a business page. I will have to take care of that issue as soon as possible. I have some time tomorrow to work on it. I have booked marked your post to use it as a guide to follow.

    Thanks for sharing, Kim and you have a wonderful weekend

    Linda

    1. Thanks so much for dropping by Linda!

      Yes the About page represents a good opportunity to educate people about you and what you do, and how you can add value to their lives.

      I am really happy to have been referred to your blog and look forward to seeing more of your excellent content in the hear future

      Take care

      Kim

  4. Hey Kim,

    Like the new site and this post was pretty good I must say.

    I’ve revamped my About Me page so many times. I’ve heard everything from everyone about how it should be set up. I think it’s like anything else though. We all have to do what’s best for our audience and until you test this out then you won’t know.

    When I first wrote mine it was very personal and people enjoyed it. Then I took some courses and learned people weren’t that interested in knowing about me so I changed it. I get the same amount of traffic to it that I always have really so I can’t tell the difference as to whether the change benefited me or not.

    I test out my calls to action on that page so that’s always changing.

    You’ve given me a few more things to think about though so thank you for that.

    You have a great week and I’m off to share your post.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Thanks Adrienne!

      Yes it’s a matter of tweaking and testing until you know you’re on a winner.

      For me Version 2 of my new About page is in the works, because there are certain elements I’m not happy with.

      And certainly the style and content of an About page will vary according to the type of business, the industry etc. For instance if the niche is personal development the style will be more personal compared to say a more traditional ‘main street’ type of business

      Thanks again Adrienne!

      Kim

  5. You did a nice work with this post, you showed very creative examples and made it easy to model after these examples.

    Thanks for sharing, I’m happy I read this post as I’ve learned how to better structure my about page.

    Cheers.

    Dan

    1. Hi Dan

      Thanks for your kind words.

      Yes well i included a variety of ideas! Readers should really just select some of them and try them out. Then in time they can refine and modify as they become clearer as to what works and what doesn’t.

      I’m still tweaking my page and I guess that will continue for the foreseeable future

      Thanks again Dan

      Kim

  6. Hi Kim,
    It’s indeed a great joy to land here today, I am here via one of your comments at Linda Schrier’s page, Oh, though i have a about page, I never thought of revamping it, This is a wonderful guide and am sure it’s a must do thing, to get more mileage and other various benefits.

    Thank you for sharing such a lot of information from different other pages. Indeed, this is a good guide to bookmark. I am bookmarking it for my further use.

    Yes, I need to do some homework on this! Thank you once again for this guidance. 🙂

    May you have a great week ahead

    Best Regards

    ~Philip

    1. Hey Philip,

      Thanks for dropping by!

      And thanks also for your kind comments – they mean a lot to me

      Yes a good revamp of an About page can translate to higher conversions – so would love to hear of your progress

      Cheers,

      Kim

  7. Hey Kim,
    Its cool stumbling upon this post. I am beginning to reconsider the structure of my about page!

    Surely this excerpt is fine with me “By educating your audience about your business and its products and services you will automatically build desire for your products or services.”

    It sure would be interesting to incorporate the details into building an appealing About Page.

    I have bookmarked this for future reference!

    I found this post in kingged.com where I also shared the above comment

    1. Hi Sunny

      Thanks for dropping by!

      And I am happy you got value from my post. Thanks for sharing too!

      It sure is important to have a compelling and persuasive About page. So keep me in the loop as to your progress with your own page

      Kim

  8. Hi!

    What a valuable post on the ‘About’ Page here!

    I have learned some new knowledge here – no doubt about that! 🙂

    I agree with everything said here.

    The About Page should start with the focus on the WII-FM concept. What is in it for the Visitor?

    Why should the visitor trust your site, and what your site shares and recommends?

    I think these are very important questions – that should be the starting point when you are working on your About page for your website.

    I think, the main reason why someone would go to the About Page on your site – it is because they want to trust your site and you, they just need one last push to do so! hehee

    Right?

    So, it is important to work on that About Page. I gotta admit, I still have to work on mine and improve it.

    Thank you for the valuable and awesome tips here!

    Keep up the great work!

    Have a great weekend!

    Cheers! 😀

    1. Hey thanks Freddy!

      The About page needs to a work in progress. For instance I am about to replace much of the copy in my own About page – to make it more relevent and potent for my target audience.

      Like in most things in life and business, constant improvement is the name of the game

      Thanks again

      Kim

  9. As we all know, a well-built website will generate new business at an exponential rate. Your About Page is one of the most important pages on your website to put investment because it can generate leads, sales and so much more.

    There are best practices in creating a trustworthy, lead generator, sales generator and customers magnet kind of About Me page. One example is using a big photograph, a large photograph of yourself. Why? Because in doing so, you can leave a lasting impression on your users mind if it is done well. It should be well organized, making the page and information easily digestible.

    You have a list of great ideas here in your article and I cannot agree more. All are essential to make your page easy to digest.

    One of the insights you share here caught my attention. “How Can You Solve These Frustrations?” WE ARE DIFFERENT. Spot on.

    Thanks for this! Awesome!

    I left the same comment on Kingged.com.

    1. Hi Metz

      Thanks for your wonderful comments. I’m glad you enjoyed my post on About pages.

      Yes you are right about the pic. A large photo can make a difference, providing it is the right one. Whilst on the topic of photos, many sites have a testimonial page or at least a space allocated for testimonials on another page. So my question is this: why do so few testimonials feature a pic of the happy customer? To me a testimonial without a pic weakens the testimonial.

      So yes, imagery is important

      Thanks again

      Kim

  10. Hello Kim, The about page is first page I go to on my first visit to someones blog and of course Loved yours LOL.

    You did an awesome job with this post Wowsy I have taken a whole page of notes. Time for this girl to revamp her about page.
    Thanks for sharing
    Chery :))

  11. What a great idea for a post. As said, the about me page is one of those pages we probably don’t take as much time crafting as we should. Guessing many don’t think it’s that important. Can’t say I’ve given it that much thought.

    Of course you have me thinking about my own about pages. Had to take a look at one of my and it’s been a while, it needs some work. Think I am using “I” way to much. Bad Habit.

    But thanks to your post and ideas, time to re-work the page and hopefully make it better.

    Enjoyed the read Kim, thanks for sharing. 🙂

    1. Hi Ron

      Great to have you here. Actually I was looking at your plr store site the other day!

      Yes, many people underestimate the potential value that comes from having a good About page. And because of that they just cobble together some cliche ridden rubbish and think it will be good enough.

      Possibly one of the shifts that people need to make is to see their site as a sales tool, rather than it just being a branding exercise. Some websites look gorgeous but they fail to persuade.

      Thanks again Ron

      Kim

      1. Good to be here Kim. Don’t know why I haven’t been here before. Maybe because the “sphere” is so big? Or because you visited the store and it was put out in the universe 🙂

        I like how you say we should use our about page as a sales tool, well what your post said, and it makes sense.

        For me, it’s like you mentioned, it’s a way for people to get to know you and see there is a real person behind the site. Rather than a faceless corp or marketer. Too many people get ripped off or have bad to no customer service, so we need to do everything we can build that trust.

  12. First time on your blog – got served with freshly baked pie !

    Thanks for this awesome post, Kim. This is much a premium guide you give out free to ME. Yes, I got it.

    An about me page is a killer page when internet market is concern.I’ve got many bloggers proclaiming how they got connection and jobs from their about me page. – Am not an exception though.

    Thanks bro.

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed my pie, Joeseph!

      Great to hear that others benefit from the About page too

      thanks for dropping by

      Kim

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