7 lead-boosting tricks to improve your About page

Imagine with me for a moment the feeling you have when you walk into your favorite coffee shop…

The bell above the door chimes familiarly as you cross the threshold. The scratched and worn wood floors creak beneath your feet as you deeply inhale the smell of freshly ground Sumatra espresso…Your favorite. That blend of comforting senses causes a surge of belonging and warmth, like returning home after a long vacation.

Your About page—that oft-overlooked website page—is a powerful community-builder and opportunity to connect memorably with site visitors. It’s your chance to answer the ‘why’ questions on your reader’s mind: 

• Why shop with you? 
• Why schedule a call with you?
• Why sign up to receive your emails? 
• Why work with you over someone else?

Your About page is a key part of your sales funnel, designed to move your prospects from cold and on the fence to warm and ready to engage.  

Your About page—that oft-overlooked website page—is a powerful community-builder and opportunity to connect memorably with site visitors. It’s your chance to answer the ‘why’ questions on your reader’s mind.

Using these strategic trust builders will help you form lasting connections with your prospects and move them one step closer to purchase. 

1. Be yourself

A common mistake entrepreneurs make on their About pages is using overly technical or formal language to demonstrate authority. In fact, it has the opposite effect. 

One study showed that switching from jargon-heavy technical language to a friendlier and more casual tone led to a 13% increase in conversion on the overall site. Your prospects want to know you, the person behind the brand, not a resumé of your accomplishments.

2. Help your prospect feel seen

Even though your About page is technically about you, it’s also about your reader. Try switching your “I’ statements to “you” statements. 

Think about reframing your headline to a more reader-friendly statement. For example, if your headline is about what you do—“I write clear and memorable website copy for female entrepreneurs with a mission”—try making it about the outcome your clients want after working with you:

”You’re on a mission to tell your story. Let your website do the talking.” 

3. Include your why

We all have a reason for being in business, and that reason is powerful because it’s a reflection of us as individuals, rather than as a corporate entity or brand. Including a why statement or your unique value proposition (UVP) on your About page clues your prospects in to what makes you different…but also what makes you human.  

4. Tell your story

An old adage in fiction writing is to “show, not tell” and the same can be said for your About page. Rather than listing out the benefits of working with you or why you’re a good choice, show your readers the journey you’ve taken that got you from then to now. That transformation—the process and strategies that you applied to reach success—is the same transformation your readers will see in themselves when they work with you. 

There are a couple of techniques that will help you do this well:

PAS (Pain > Agitate > Solution)

Lead with a problem or tension your reader is experiencing that you can help with, and then slightly agitate that feeling by including examples of what it feels like when you’re in it. Finally, provide your solution to this problem so that your readers see how you will help them in their own journey.

Tell a story

Tell a short story about what you’ve overcome in your business (ideally the same solution or process you apply to your own clients), and take them through the hero’s journey.

From your original state (the ordinary world), to the point of highest tension, to the resolution or outcome.  

5. Offer great value…for free 

Demonstrate your knowledge and generosity by providing free upfront value your prospects need. This can be a lead magnet like a whitepaper, e-book, quiz, or checklist. It can also be links to popular blog content, or a carousel of your most recent Instagram posts. Wherever you’re showing up to provide value with free content, include it on this page for your prospects to check out and benefit from.

6. Use social proof

What better way to show off your past accomplishments than by letting others do the bragging for you! Include testimonials (video and/or written), links to case studies, and a list of brands you’ve worked with in the past. Link to a portfolio of your best work so your prospects can see your amazing expertise for themselves. 

7. Explain the next step

The reality is that most About page visitors won’t be ready to purchase once they leave the page. They’re still getting to know you and your style. But, they should be ready to take a small next step toward working with you, so make sure to include a call to action (CTA) that shows them where to go next:

• Subscribing to your list
• Following you on social media
• Reading your blog
• Scheduling a free call or consult 

Whatever small step you want your reader to take, make it clear and be consistent throughout your website.  

Looking objectively at your About page

Of course, if you’re like most business owners, your About page ranks in importance somewhere between updating your privacy policy and scheduling a dentist appointment. We tend to see our About pages as filler content, there because we know deep down we should have one, but not because it’s providing actual value to our readers. Maybe you used the same format you saw on a website you like. Maybe you just threw some words up there and called it a day.

Likely whatever you had at launch has remained because it’s hard to write about yourself, and it’s hard to view your own work objectively.  

If you’re looking for a definitive guide to giving your current About page a conversion- and brand-building boost from a professional copywriter, grab a copy of my free About page guide. I’ll walk you through the custom PASTS framework I use when writing for my own clients, and give you a page builder template to brainstorm your own copy. 

Grab the guide here.