How To Write A High-Converting About Page That Still Feels Authentic
Now you know why About Pages are so important. Let’s dive into writing a high-converting one.
Most business owners find writing their About Page actually quite difficult (and if they don’t… chances are they’re not doing it right). “Do I talk about myself? Should my credentials be the main focus? Where do I put my mission? What about my favourite type of tea?”
While all of those are valid questions, let’s not overthink this.
Your About Page is a great opportunity to both have your potential clients get to know you, and also for them to get to know if they fit into your world. Contrary to popular belief, your About page isn’t just a place for you to spend ten minutes talking about just yourself.
Of course, they want to learn who you are and what you’re all about. But the bottom line is, they want to know what you do and what makes you different. They’re scouting why they should buy from you in particular.
So, let’s design you a high-converting About Page.
What a high-converting About Page Really Does.
Spoiler: It’s not just about you.
Yes, of course, they need to learn about who you are, what you do, and why you’re uniquely qualified to do it, but they really need to learn if this is the right place for them.
Stories will always be the best copy, no matter what you’re writing (yes, I made that bold statement). Your About Page should be about how your story and experience serve your ‘right fit’ customer/reader. If what they’re reading is boring, then they’ll leave…. That means spending three paragraphs describing all your credentials is not the way to grab their attention.
Stories are used to persuade, to enhance your points, to entertain, to connect, etc. So, in order for your About Page to be high-converting, it should include these three key things:
Personal Connection–This includes your story and values.
Write this in a way that your customers learn something and get value from. Make your values known so your reader/customer can figure out if you share values. Nowadays, sales isn’t just about, “Do you have the thing I’m looking for?’ Sales is about, “If I’m buying from you, do we share values?”
Make it really clear and allow your customers to self-select if they’re in the right place and if they’re a good fit (that way, they become stronger leads).
2. Professional Credibility–Why you’re uniquely qualified to help them
Remember, it’s not just about listing off your boring credentials. You want your reader/customer to learn more about themselves and about why you specifically can help them. Discuss your credentials or relevant experiences in a way that demonstrates why these are beneficial to them. Make this interesting and enticing.
3. Clear Positioning–What you do, who you do it for, and why it matters
This is where you really drive home and get those for sure yes’s from your reader/customer. Tell them exactly who you help and how. Once again, get them to self-select. The clearer you are with this, the more likely someone is to say, “That’s me, and that’s exactly what I want/need!”
Section-By-Section Breakdown
1.Start with a Reader-focused hook
Please or please do not start with “Hi, my name is…”—open with something your reader will relate to. Something inspiring, poetic, interesting. I don’t say “Hi, I’m Sarah” until halfway down my page.
The first words on my About Page are “Welcome To Your New Favourite Corner Of the Internet: Content writing, copywriting and editing can be designed specifically for the quiet, sensitive soul introvert.” It’s interesting, grabs their attention right away, is completely focused on them, and qualifies them before they have to do any work.
The key here is to show empathy before you show expertise. Start with something that shows that you ‘see’ them.
Other examples could be:
“You’re here because you want to launch your thing—but the words won’t come.”
”If today’s the day you decided it’s time to change your lifestyle… Then you’re the MVP of the day.”
”You’ve been burned by bland, bloated online coaching programs before. Been there.”
There’s so much you can do with this. Make it your own.
2. Connection piece, mission and values
Make it well known that you understand what they’re going through, what they want, and ultimately who they are. When you use language that they understand and that connects with them and makes them feel seen, you start to build their buy-in.
You also want to help your readers understand what you stand for and how you work. You don’t need to write boring copy and explicitly list your missions and values, but find a way to showcase this in a way that is engaging and makes them say yes!
Keep this grounded in how it benefits them. Not all of your values need to be written out if it doesn’t pertain to them. You don’t need to discuss your politics or religion, etc., unless that is relevant to your business and how you help clients. For example, if you’re working with LGBTQIA+ folks, then it’s a great idea to talk about why this is an important value to you.
The ultimate goal of this section is to help your readers/customers know that they’re in the right place (or not; not everyone is a good fit). Find a way to showcase your mission and values in an authentic and natural way.
3. Your Story and professional credibility—but with purpose (and not boring!)
This is where you share your personal journey or backstory… But just the pieces that are relevant to what you do, how you do it, and that will connect the most with your potential customers. You want to make sure you turn on the filter of “Why does this matter to my potential customers?”
You can also mix your credentials in here. Combining your credentials with your story is a great way to ensure you get the information across, without being super boring. No one wants to read a giant list of all of the certifications you got. They’re really here to learn more about you as a person and if/how you can help them. What parts of your story showcase this the best? What experiences have you had that are most important to someone hovering over that buy-now button? What can your credentials do to help them?
The best thing to do here is to show a transformation that is applicable to your readers/customers. Tie your story and transformation into the transformation they’re looking for. They’re not going to be enticed by your 4-year business degree, but they might be enticed by the fact that after feeling lost and unsure of who you were, you ultimately ended up in a traumatic car accident that pushed you to start a business from scratch, and so can they! (And your degree and other certifications support your ability to help them do the same thing.)
Don’t ramble a huge life story. Don’t write a giant list of every course you’ve ever taken. Keep it relevant. Simplify your story and only include the most important details. Hone your storytelling skills and always bring it back to the person you’re trying to convince to buy your product or service.
4. Who you help and how
Drive this point home. You should have done this throughout your entire page, but here you want to really spell it out. Be clear about what you offer and who it’s for. If people have to guess about what you do, they’ll move on. If they’re not sure if your product or service is for them, they’ll move on. Write like you’re trying to convince a child, without being patronizing. This is a great place to build their hope up. Encourage them; if I can, then you can.
You can get a lot more detailed here about how you help people than you can on the homepage. But don’t bore them. I know that you’re incredibly passionate about what you do, but don’t go wild here and write in a super technical way. Instead, let them know they’re in the right place by specifically saying who you help, and then by letting them in on the process.
I also like to put why this is important here. We often, incorrectly, assume that if they’re on our website then they’re specifically looking for our services. This is not always the case. They might have stumbled upon your site for a multitude of reasons. But by demonstrating clearly what you do, who you do it for, and why this is so important, you can sometimes persuade people who are just scrolling and exploring.
5. Call to Action
We want to finish off with a strong call to action (CTA). This can make or break the effectiveness of your page. Tell them exactly where you want them to go or what you want them to do. This is not a place to be clever because clever can be confusing, and a confused customer doesn’t buy.
You can try:
Book a call to…
Contact me if you want…
Check out my services if…
Download my free guide for….
Make it feel like an invitation instead of a demand. Be clear but inviting. They’re still learning about who you are and if this is the right fit for them, so don’t scare them away here.
How do you keep things authentic and not salesy or stiff?
Write like you talk—Keep things conversational. Things are way more effective if they feel like they’re having a chat with you. You’re not talking at them, you’re talking with them. Show that you’re a real person, with real passion.
Add fun, quirky or grounding pieces—It’s okay to share some funny personal anecdotes about yourself that aren’t necessarily related to your business. This shows that there is a human behind the screen. You never know, your deep love of dragons and fae might be the connection piece that helps your customer choose you over someone else.
Use real language and a warm tone—You never know what someone is going through. The last thing you want is to scare them off or offend them because you write with a cold or impersonal tone. Keep things light and inviting.
Avoid “buzzwords” that only someone in your industry would understand—Know your audience. Do they know all of your industry buzzwords? Does using the technical terms enhance the clarity of your writing? Ultimately, everything you write is a communication tool. Make sure you’re communicating with your potential clients the way they understand.
Use short paragraphs and lots of white space—Make it really easy for them to find the information they’re looking for or the important parts. Short paragraphs, headers, bolded text and white space mean your reader/customer doesn’t have to search for things. The harder they have to work, the less likely they are to buy.
If writing your About page still feels like pulling teeth, I can help.
I work with quiet, sensitive soul introverted entrepreneurs who want their words to connect without trying to sound like someone they’re not. Reach out if you'd like support refining your message.
Check out my About Page for an example
Let me know about your project and if I’m a right fit for writing it.
