If your ideal customer is anything like me, the first page they will visit after landing at your site will be your “About” page. And if you are anything like me, it is the page you will find hardest to write.
These days, customers are looking for the person (or people) behind the business. They want to feel a connection, to place their trust in you and then hopefully hit the “buy now” button – or at least contact you. The last thing you need is an about page that sends potential customers running.
Which is why writing an about page that captures attention is so very important for your business.  But it is also the page that most business owners struggle with. Yes, even those of us who write for a living.
These five about page no-nos will help you figure out if your about page needs to be voted off the island.

Stock photos

Trust me, you and your staff can’t possibly that hideous that they need to hide behind bland stock photos of people in blue button-down shirts sitting around a table. Or standing with their arms crossed. Or standing around a computer. We have seen them all and they are DULL.
So put on your best business face, shove any shyness or self-doubt in the bottom drawer and just smile for the camera. Customers like to see the REAL people behind your business. Not the fake people used in stock images – with the straight white teeth, perfect hairdos and wrinkle-free foreheads.

Vague information

Take this example from a real website: XXXX is a global network service provider that has redefined enterprise wide-area networking by consistently offering superior service performance, the most satisfying adhka madhkjksdfui sdfkjnfgu sdjdkkor tn,sesdrisf njknmm, (oops, I think I feel asleep at the keyboard, but you get the idea).

People visit your about page seeking basic answers to five simple questions: Who are you? Where are you (or where do you service)? What do you do? How do you do it? and When did you start? So give them what they are looking for, and do it by way of your business story. And don’t forget your contact details and call to action.

Bragging

While you do need to tell customers about you, please refrain from bragging. Especially when your claims can’t be back up by real evidence. “Most innovative software company”; “Best coffee in town”; “World-leading fertilizers”.
And if you do have something worth bragging about – say you’ve won the Nobel Peace Prize or something – then make sure your readers know how that benefits them.

Boring

See number 2.
Quite often if an about page is vague, it is also dull. Your about page is your chance to tell your story. To show some personality and be a little clever (or irreverent, or cheeky – whatever suits your brand personality) It shouldn’t just be about facts and figures and awards.
And it should never contain overused – but somewhat meaningless – superlatives like “best”, “unsurpassed” “exceptional” “innovative”, “unique” (the page quote above actually used the phrase “uniquely innovative”).

WIIFM

Although your about page is kind of about you. It’s kind of not. It needs to answer the reader’s biggest barrier to purchase, which is “What’s in it for me?”. Similar to the bragging above, keep your about page content relevant to your audience. It helps to think of it like speaking to one person at a time (a neat business marketing trick is to develop a persona for your ideal customer and just speak to her or him. So instead of proclaiming “I know everything there is to know about my thing”, write “My extensive knowledge will help your thing”.

Any good about page will avoid these five common mistakes. Why not have a look at yours now and see how you fare? And if you know of any great (or terrible) about pages, please comment with a link.