Writing the content for your website is one of the toughest things to do. What do you say? How much or little do you include? How do you know if the content will rank on search engines?
You don’t want to be like those people at the grocery store who you just meet and somehow they ramble on and on about their life story. You know those ones that you’re mid-conversation with and all of a sudden, you’re thinking, “How did we get here and why are they sharing all this information with me?” We all know someone like this, and they have no focus when telling their stories. The content on the About page of your website shouldn’t feel like that.
Writing and designing an about page for your website should be a well-thought-out page highlighting your business so that it pulls people into the conversation — not having them back away slowly. It should effectively communicate your team’s values and how they or their solutions will be beneficial to your customers reading the information. It shouldn’t be a hard sell though. It’s an opportunity to introduce yourself, your business, your team, and your brand to potential customers. The About page of your website is more like a company bio if you will.
Whether you’re starting from scratch to build a new website or you’re working on a few updates below are our top tips and tricks explaining how to write effective content for your About page.
Tip #1: Keep your about page length at 600 – 1000 words.
Google loves this magic number and tends to push website pages further at the front of search engines when they have 600 – 1000 words of text on the page. BUT, people have a limited attention span when it comes to reading online content. Long blocks of text can be intimidating and may deter visitors from reading the content. Keeping the page between 600-1000 words broken up by scannable headlines makes it more digestible and easier to read while improving the user experience.
Tip #2: Use relevant keywords and phrases
Keywords and phrases are what search engines use to understand what your content is about. By including relevant keywords and phrases that you want to strategically rank for, you increase the chances of your content appearing in search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for those keywords. This can help drive traffic to your website.
For example, if you’re a real estate agent, you want to include keywords like…
- Buying Real Estate
- Selling Real Estate
- Investing In Real Estate
- Buying A Home
- Selling A Home
Before you get to writing, brainstorm a list of keywords that you want your website to rank for and then choose 1-2 to focus your content around. If you include too many Google won’t know what you’re trying to focus on and won’t know where to rank you either.
Tip #3: Think about the 5 W’s – Who, What, Where, When, Why, How
We all learned about the 5 Ws early on in school, but it’s still relevant for any type of writing you do today. Let’s brainstorm what your business is about using the 5 Ws.
Who: Who are you or your team members?
What: What do you do? What products do you make? What brought you into business? What is your message to your customers? What is your origin story?
Where: Where is your business based? Where do you live? Where did you start your business? Where did you originally live? Where are your products made? Where do your products get shipped from? Where did you study for your education?
When: When did you launch your company? When did you come up with the idea? When did you expand your business to a new area? When did you decide that this company is something that would help your customers?
Why: Why do you continue to provide service to your customers? Why did you launch your business? Why do you love your job?
How: How did you start your business? How did you become successful? How did you get certified?
Tip #4: Start with a hook
Begin with a statement that captures the reader’s attention and draws them in. This could be a statement about your mission, your unique value proposition, or your personal story. If a stranger asked you to explain your company in just one sentence what would that be? And, would it make sense as a headline?
Tip #5: Introduce yourself
Be personable. Tell your readers who you are, what you do, and why you are passionate about it. Include some personal details to make a connection with your audience but don’t go overboard. While your other pages are dedicated to your products and services, this page is all about what makes your business special.
Tip #6: Share your story
People love stories. In fact, we learn more from storytelling than we do from many other forms of education so share your personal story or the story behind your business. Talk about your journey, your challenges, and your successes. This can help create a personal connection with your readers and helps to attract the right people.
Tip #7: Highlight your achievements
If you have any notable achievements, such as awards or recognition, include them on your About page. This can help build credibility and trust with your audience.
Tip #8: You don’t necessarily need a bunch of call-to-actions on your About page
The idea of an About Page is to educate your customers about your story. This pulls them in to learn more about your brand but, it’s not meant to sell them on anything but you and your company. It’s not product or solution specific. People want to support a brand that has similar values and want to know where their products are coming from.
For example, if someone is searching for a doctor’s office, they want to know that their doctors are properly certified and really care about their clients. If their about page is all about booking a consultation, that doesn’t tell the customer what the office is really about.
Once you’ve introduced yourself and your business, encourage your readers to take action. This could be signing up for a newsletter, following you on social media, or contacting you for more information.
A time when multiple call-to-actions are acceptable is when you have a large business with multiple individual employees. For example, a real estate agent should have an About page highlighting their realtors and their bios. Most will have a short bio that has a read more button. Under their name, it can include their phone number or email. Again, the call-to-action isn’t a large button, but it’s still there to provide more information to customers interested after learning about the realtors on the About page.
Tip #9: Be authentic
Above all, be yourself and be authentic. People want to connect with real people, not generic corporate messages. Use your own voice and personality to create a genuine connection with your audience. The more this page reads as friendly and real, the more effective it will be in connecting with visitors.
Tip #10: Share your written about page with your co-workers & get their honest feedback.
Having a second, third, or fourth opinion will help you focus your thoughts better. You might even read, re-read, and re-read is again with a bit of time in between each so that you have time to process as you edit. Remember that your About page is a chance to make a strong first impression and build trust with your audience. Tweak your written copy as your brand develops and keep in mind the target audience you are trying to reach. If you switch your packaging to more eco-friendly products and you did so because your brand is all about being eco-conscious include a bit about that in your about page! If you hire a new employee, add them in! If you change your target audience from a younger generation to an older generation, change the tone of your voice in your writing. Your About page shouldn’t be written, then instantly put on the back burner, it needs to evolve as your business does.
If you need help writing the copy for your website, give our team a call. We can coach you through creating a story that will resonate with your audience or we can write for you after a thorough discussion. Our team is here to answer any questions or assist with any bumps in the road when writing and designing your website pages. All you have to do is ask.
