Let’s talk about me.

Every website needs an “About” page. You may be resistant to this idea because you don’t like talking about yourself, or you think that it’s not relevant to the product or service that your site was built to promote. However, most site analytics show that the About page is one of the most visited pages. People want to know who they’re dealing with, especially for a significant purchase.

As if that weren’t enough, Google has also started using a metric known as Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness (EAT) that attempts to rate the credibility of site publishers. So your About page now accounts for some extra SEO juice, in addition to meeting your human visitors’ needs.

There are really two types of About pages: one for individuals (like consultants) and the other for businesses. For either type, there is one thing that I would avoid at all costs: the resume. Is there anything less interesting than a recitation of dates and places going back to the beginning of time? Instead, tell the story of why your business or practice exists and how it will help the reader accomplish their goals. If you really must include a resume, link to it as a separate PDF document.

Sonia Smith wrote in her Copyblogger article, Are You Making These 7 Mistakes with Your About Page?

What most site owners miss is that your About Page is actually about the person who clicks the link to see it.

Talk to that person about why they should bother reading your site.

Talk about the problems you solve.

Talk about how you can help.

Talk about what they’re interested in.

Yes, it’s a spot for you to talk about yourself — but only in the context of how you serve your readers.

If you absolutely can’t resist self-absorption, create a personal blog or social media account and throw in a link to that. You can put all the tedious details there, and warn people that’s where you talk about your struggles with your cat’s gluten sensitivity.

For your About Page, keep it about the reader — and how you help that reader.

For a business, I’d suggest telling the (short) story of why the business was founded and what problems it intends to solve. In addition, a paragraph or two about the founder and/or management team (with photos) will allow the reader to connect on a more personal level.

A few more tips from Sonia’s article:

• Call it your “About” or “About Us” page. Don’t try and be clever, you’ll just confuse people.
• Include your full name (unless it’s Madonna) and professional credentials.
• Include your photo or a team photo. This makes the entire page more memorable.
• Include links to public social media and provide personal contact information.
• For an individual, write in your own voice. For a business, write in some voice, avoiding corporate-speak. Industry jargon doesn’t belong on the About page.
• Keep your story short and interesting. And what do people find most interesting? Stories about themselves. Always write for the audience.

Do you have examples of favorite About pages, maybe your own? Send me links and I’ll pass them along in a future newsletter. Just click reply and I’ll get them.

Until next week.