βIf weβre gonna be friends, you should know that I re-heat my coffee as many times as it takes to burn my tongue, I only watch horror movies through my fingers and I seriously dislike elephants, although I wish them all the best.β
Thatβs the most-commented-on line from my About Me page. Itβs the very last sentence and the sixth paragraph of 275 words, which means that people read all the way down to it, including one scroll. They then feel compelled to email me to ask about it. (βYou reheat your coffee? Like, in the microwave? And whatβs with the elephant thing??? Who doesnβt love elephants!β) In a world where itβs hard to keep anyoneβs attention for more than a second, I say thatβs a success.
As far as About Me examples go, though, I make a lot of mistakes on my page. I focus too little on the business of my business, I havenβt added any testimonials and I donβt have a CTA at the end. While itβs engaging enough for strangers to contact me, itβs unfinished. I know how many people Iβve caught with it, but Iβll never know how many people I lost because itβs missing some must-have points.
Donβt be me. Be you, the person with the high-performing, perfectly-executed About page. Hereβs how.
Do I need an About page?
Yes. Next question?
The About page is essential to any and every website, whether youβre an individual sharing your personal thoughts or a full-blown business with countless landing pages. Your About page isnβt necessarily what gets people to your website, but it is where a number of visitors are going to click over to.
Okay, but does the writing actually matter?
Yup. A well-designed website will attract people, but the content is what keeps them there. Having a poorly-written About page is worse than not having one at all. Keep it simple, even if your industry is jargon-filled. Use the Hemingway app if youβre wordy, and check out our article about creating content with high readability.
Also, name your About page something obvious: About, About Me, About Us. Donβt get creative here β people are going to look for an About page, and they need to find it without trying to figure out what the βOur Essenceβ page could be about.
Look, this is hard!
Thereβs a reason businesses hire writers: writing is hard. Writing an About page is particularly hard because you have to give people enough information to maintain their interest, but you canβt get longwinded. I limit About pages to 500 words, and Mozβs About page, one of the best About Me examples Iβve seen, is right around there. That word count may not sound intimidating, but writing 500 excellent words is a lot more difficult than writing a 1,000-word blog post. You have to squeeze a lot of information into an About page, which means every sentence counts. Itβs sort of like an elongated elevator pitch.
What an About Page is Not
1. An autobiography.
2. The best outlet for sharing a long brand story or company history, even if itβs wildly interesting. Write a blog post about it instead.
3. Boring. You may be enthralled by the backstory of how your company was founded a century ago, but if itβs going to make your reader fall asleep, leave it out. Cherry pick the most relevant and interesting information that enhances your brand image.
4. About you. It may say βAbout Meβ or βAbout Us,β but itβs really βAbout the Reader.β What youβre saying about yourself is for the purpose of relating to the reader; itβs not for an ego boost. Unless youβre already a celebrity or an influencer, people donβt really care about your story unless it improves their life.
Elements of a Great βAboutβ Page
I listed these elements in a way that makes the most sense to me, but you can absolutely play with the layout to determine the right flow for your About page.
The Hook
Just like with a blog post, you have to hook the reader. Start with something odd or unusual, something most other people donβt say or are afraid to say. If you want to make it stand out more, bold it to turn it into a headline.
In this section, and throughout your About page, you have to keep three things in mind:
- Who you are
- What you do
- Why you do it
Whatever you do, donβt reiterate that this is your About page. The reader already knows that β they clicked on the link.
The Basics
Start with your name, job title and location, and maybe add in your βthing.β
Hey, Iβm Lindsay, a freelance writer in New York. And Iβm totally obsessed with true crime podcasts.
Brag a Little
Give yourself some props, but relate it to the person youβre speaking to. What is it about your experience that connects with your visitorβs biggest concern? Whatβs keep them up at night, and how has that same thing kept you up at night?
Iβve been a full-time freelancer for 10 years, and Iβve talked to a lot of marketing agencies during that time. I know how tough it can be to hire freelancers β they donβt know what you want and you donβt know what they need.
Help Some More
They know what youβre able to help with, but not how you do it. Donβt go into crazy detail here. People are still mostly concerned with results β your process can be completely pared down and still effective.
I act as the middleman between agencies and writers so that you can both get what you need without any delays, surprises or unexpected expenses.
Testimonials
You can put testimonials at the beginning or end of the About page, but I placed them here in this outline because it feels like the natural best place β youβve told the reader how you can help them and now youβre showing how youβve helped others. If possible, include testimonials from influencers and impressive publications as well as real people.
Consider these testimonial plugins or use the Divi testimonial slider module to display yours.
Give Some Background
Youβve got their interest, so thereβs some leeway to talk about how you got started or how your company was founded. Include this information:
- Founding year
- Location
- Number of employees
- Why you started the business
- Business vision and goals
- Most impressive achievement(s)
This is your chance to empathize some more. Let them know you shared the same struggles or questions theyβre experiencing. Put into words whatβs going through their head.
Additional Media
Always include one picture of yourself β recent, crisp, and inoffensive. A photo of your face will make you more likable and trustworthy.
Consider adding a video, especially if you want to explain a process or product. You can also embed one of your popular YouTube videos, which will link to your account and help drive traffic there.
Be Human
What makes you offbeat, interesting, different from the rest? What makes you human? List three things.
You can either do a brief βlook, Iβm just a weird human sectionβ at the end like I did, or you can scatter humanized details throughout β your choice.
Call-to-Action
If people are heading over to your About page often, then there should be a CTA there. This should be one of your more broad offerings β the About page isnβt about one specific part of your business, and the CTA doesnβt need to be, either. What action should people take next in order to reap the biggest benefit from your website?
Check out the rest of Sarahβs About page, too. In terms of About Me examples, this is one of my favorites β the content flows naturally like youβre having a conversation with her. Sarah speaks right to you and manages to tell you what she does while still making it all about you.
Contact Information
Give the visitor ways to connect with you β email address and phone number, your address if you have a physical store or office, and your social media links. While this should be at the end of the page, experiment with placing it in the center of your page as well, right after the most actionable paragraph, like the βHelp Some Moreβ section.
Thereβs an exception to this, though. If youβre growing quickly and getting inundated with emails and calls, you can remove your personal contact information. Keep your social media links, of course, and consider if and how you want people to be able to get in touch, like live chat on your website or Facebook Messenger. That is easily done with a WordPress chat plugin.
3 About Me Examples
Letβs go over three popular About Me examples to explore what they did right and where they went wrong.
Mirasee
What They Got Wrong
The About Us page for Mirasee doesnβt immediately convey what this company does. Thereβs a guy wearing a βBe More Curiousβ shirt, a tagline that says βReimagine Businessβ and a buzzword-heavy description of what Mirasee means, but what do they do? I have no idea. Itβs great to give your business a tagline, but it needs to be clear.
What They Got Right
Everything is on one page. Thereβs no reason to keep your About Us information separate from your vision or your team. It all falls under the βAboutβ umbrella, and youβll get more traction out of the page if itβs all nestled together.
Moz
What They Got Wrong
Nothing.
What They Got Right
- Mozβs About page gets right to it. Their copy is equal parts straightforward and punchy, and you know exactly what their expertise is from the get-go: SEO.
- Moz puts their βwhere the name comes fromβ section at the end β itβs there, but they know itβs the least important part of their About story.
- They keep everything on one page, and the copy is short overall despite there being seven sections.
P.S. Backlinko is another website that hits all the right marks with their about page: clarity, social proof, CTA.
Niche Hacks
Okay. Youβll need a fresh cup of coffee for this one. Thereβs a lot going on with the Niche Hacks About Me page.
What They Got Wrong
Thereβs a ton of text, and splitting it up into mini-paragraphs isnβt helping. That first above-the-fold section is an eyesore. This could all be condensed into one or two great paragraphs that strongly convey who they are and how they can help you. Shorter content is confident content.
Theyβve also buried the lead. The βHow This Blog Will Help You Succeed Onlineβ section has one bit of information that should be at the top of the page: βI publish epic resources, give away trade secrets, and post information for free that most other internet marketers charge big bucks for.β
What They Got Right
If you continue scrolling, youβll come to a βWhat We Hope To Achieve Over The Next 5 Yearsβ section. Whether or not you think this information is important enough to include here, itβs broken down much better than the copy above. Itβs neatly sorted into three bullet points and easier on the eyes.
There are also links to βawesome contentβ on the bottom. Having the links here gives the reader somewhere else to go when theyβre done with this page. Youβre more likely to click on a link here than go back up to the top, find the blog, etc.
What They Got Sorta Right
Theyβve included testimonials from real readers as well as industry influencers. Unfortunately, they have a ton of testimonials, and some are stronger than others. Iβd pick the top five, put them closer to the top of the page and let them work their social proof magic. You can always include more on a dedicated testimonials page.
Wrapping Up
Thereβs a lot to think about here, and it didnβt help that I stressed that these 500 words will be the most important of your website. Hereβs the good news: you already know all of this information. All of it. You know who you are, what your business is about, who you serve, why you do itβ¦ Take your time to put it together in a way thatβs clear. Donβt worry about being creative, just be honest and transparent β readers will respect you for that while learning about whatβs in it for them.
Rocked your About page? Now create a cool Twitter bio to land more clients.
Thank you! This article has really helped me. The About section of my website has always scared me. I have always been conflicted with trying to sound too formal and boring businessy; with being more engaging and personal (being myself). I’m not very good at writing, but you have given me the confidence to just get on and do it!
Great Share.Thanks for sharing the great study.
Great article. Thank you.
Thanks Karen!
It’s one of the first things I do when looking at a companies online website. I look at the “about us” page. You can really get inside the mindset of the company by reading this page. Obviously their are other ways too like social media but the about us/me page is one of the most important. Great article.
Thanks so much, Damien, and I agree about the importance of an About Us page! I check them out all the time, too.
Thanks a lot. It was really helpful. I love the way you teach, it really easy to understand. Thanks
Thanks so much, Rahul π
About me page is so important for personal blogs. Your creative ideas are very helpful. Thanks.
Thank YOU!
Great read! This is always the hardest page to write, and the most difficult to finally hit publish on. We’re off to find our “coffee” moment! ?
Excellent! I’d love to see the final result!