A well-written About page is an excellent way to build trust and connection with your clients. But most small business About pages are a complete waste of the reader’s attention—and a huge missed opportunity for the business.
The most common mistake I see on About pages is believing it’s all about you, the business. It’s not. Even if it’s literally titled “About Us,” it’s really all about your customers—specifically making a genuine connection and making them feel good about being the kind of person who purchases from your business.
When advising my clients on building a good About page, I typically tell them to do five things.
1. Use first person I/we instead of third person.
While it may come off as more formal and professional to speak about your company in the third person, it certainly does not come off as relatable and human. You want to establish your company as a bunch of human beings that put their heart and soul into their work, and not corporate drones who only care about the bottom line.
Remember, this is your business, it’s not a big corporation. You’re not Amazon, and that’s a big part of why people want to shop and do business with you.
Your website should read the same way you talk. You’d never talk about yourself in third person.
2. Tell a story
Humans love stories. Stories have been around way before we have, and they’re going to be here long after we’re gone. So tell your story in your About page. Why did you start your business? What was your inspiration? What was the need in your industry that you sought to fulfill? How have you evolved since then?
This is all meant to build that human connection. Humans love stories, why else do we read or watch Netflix every single day? If you can tell a great story about your business, you will capture the hearts of your readers.
3. Tell us why
Don’t forget to specify why you do what you do. The rest of your site is largely devoted to what you do and how you do it. The About page is an excellent opportunity to tell us what drives you to do this work.
What are you passionate about? Why do you serve the clients that you’ve chosen? What’s the highlight of your work week?
People who are passionate about their work are fun to work with and reliable. I don’t want an accountant who hates doing taxes or a mechanic who thinks cars are boring.
If you communicate your genuine love for your craft and making your customers happy, you’ll earn their trust.
4. Be human. Be authentic.
Even though its important to create a great story and show your passion, what’s most important is being authentic. People love authenticity, because it really cuts through the B.S. detector people carry around with them all day.
So if your business doesn’t have an epic story behind it, that’s fine! Maybe you started your coffee shop because you just wanted to make quality coffee and talk with people in the neighborhood. It may seem mundane to you, but you may be surprised how much your genuine story resonates with your audience. Don’t be afraid to tell the real stories!
5. It’s all about you(r clients)
I really wanted to drive this one home because ego is really powerful. Listen, we all get a little caught up in ourselves and how great we are from time to time. It’s completely normal. But when you’re writing your about page, it’s really not a good time for that.
When writing your about page, you really should be thinking about your clients. What are they interested in? What do they want to know about your business? What do they love about your company that I really need to mention?
Here’s an example from my About page:
I love my work because of my clients. They represent a mix of nonprofits and small businesses that are driven by values, not just profit. They’re the kind of organizations that don’t just want to blend into the pack. They have unique goals and dreams and it brings me great joy to help to achieve them.
Because at the end of the day, we’re all in business to serve other people. To bring value to them and make their lives better. Everything in your business should be geared towards that aspect. Even your about page.
