About pages are typically the most dreaded website page to create among creatives.
And it’s not that surprising. Most people don’t enjoy writing about themselves, not to mention that everyone’s About page looks so different.
How do you decide what’s important to include? How do you know if you’re accidentally missing something you just can’t see from your perspective?
As your resident website designer, I want to make this process WAY easier on you. About pages don’t need to feel like a mystery.
With my simple approach, you’ll be able to fit everything you need to have on your About page while leaving some room for creativity.
So where do you start? Let’s dig in to what you must have on your About page!
On-brand headshot of you
Okay, this may seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many entrepreneurs don’t think about putting a picture of themselves on their About page. Even if your company isn’t named after you, it’s still important for you to show the face of your company (aka you!).
It’s easier for visitors to make a connection with your business if they know who is working behind it.
Along with giving your brand a face and name to connect with, you’ll also:
- build trust with your audience by showing you confidently stand behind your projects
- create a connection before you jump on a phone or video call with leads
- show that you are a human first, not a business, because people want to work with humans
- increase your visibility as a noticeable expert in your field
What if you have a team of people? No problem! If you have a team, you can also represent who they are on your About page by sharing short bios and photos of everyone involved. We can talk more about how this will work best when we work together on your Showit website design.
Also, be sure that your headshot is on-brand. This means that you are following your color palette (which we go over in the branding process) and show a similar personality in your photo. If your signature color is blush pink but you show a headshot of you wearing a deep red, there will be an obvious disconnect with your visual branding.
Your mission statement
Now that you have a headshot on your About page, you can focus on the copy that goes on the page to aid in telling your story. One of the most important things to highlight on your About page is your mission statement.
You’ve probably heard the term mission statement before, but what does it actually mean?
It refers to concise message, usually one to three sentences long, that describes:
- who you are
- who you serve
- what you offer
- why you offer it
Here’s an example from my own brand:
At Digital Grace Design, I create bespoke brands and websites for wedding professionals, photographers, and creatives who want to elevate their brand presence.
You can see that all of the elements of a strong mission statement are there. Now it’s your turn to create a mission statement that clearly defines your “who”, “what”, and “why”!
Don’t worry if this takes a little bit of time to create. Although it may be only a few sentences long, it is one of your most important pieces of brand copy so it deserves extra attention. I’m happy to give you my feedback in the process too!
Personal details and fun facts about you
Have you ever read an About page with so much jargon packed into it that you could hardly tell what it was saying? This often happens when companies are focused on “sounding professional” but then come off really stuffy. I don’t want the same to happen for you!
Your About page is the perfect place to show off your brand personality, no matter if you are a solo entrepreneur or have a team of contractors or employees you work with.
As you introduce yourself, add in some fun facts with your personal introduction. You can do this by creating a list of your favorite things (like I have at the bottom of my About page), creating a quiz with personal answers (like Jenna Kutcher), or adding a timeline of your most notable highlights. Get creative!
Your professional experience and expertise
Along with your personal introduction, you’ll also want to add any of your relevant professional experience or expertise in your About page.
This is the perfect place to talk about:
- your college degree (if it feels relevant to what you do)
- any specific certifications that you’ve earned
- any awards you’ve received or have been nominated for
- your specific skills
Just make sure it doesn’t come off like a resume. If you stick to sharing the most relevant experience you have along with how many clients or customers you’ve served, then you’ll be good to go. As long as it fits the overall storyline of your website, you’ll be good.
Final call-to-action (CTA)
I can’t tell you how many people forget this when they DIY their website! Put yourself in the shoes of a first time visitor. They just found your website and are interested in learning more about who you are and what you do.
They click your About page in the top navigation bar and scroll through your page. They learn more about what you offer, who you are passionate about working with, and what you value. They are primed and ready to go wherever you want to take them next….
Only they have no idea where to go if there’s no call-to-action.
Is your About page missing a CTA at the bottom of the page? If so, don’t worry! It’s an easy fix that will help you decrease your bounce rate and increase trust with your audience.
When choosing your CTA, think about what action is most important for your customers to take. If you have an online shop, you probably want to direct them to the shop landing page. If you have a wedding photography business, you probably want them to learn more about your services so you’ll direct them to the Services page.
You can add this CTA as a button (which I recommend) or a link so visitors can clearly see where you want them to go next. You can also use this as a place to collect email addresses if your email list is your most important CTA.
How could these five About page changes transform your website?
Let’s find out! I’d love to hear in the comment section below if you are thinking about making any tweaks to your About page. This gives you a great place to start!
