A Cheat Sheet to Write Better ‘About’ Pages

The About web page (or About section, if you’re using a one-page layout) is very misunderstood.

The perspective and tone you take will speak volumes louder than the actual words you choose to say. The following questions can be used to create a worksheet that will help you choose the right message that you want to send.

Do you want to say “I’m a big company and it’s okay to be boring”?

For a large corporation that deals with an audience who will genuinely be turned off by a lack of technical jargon or feather fluffing, it’s okay to choose the classic “About” or “About Us” page title and cover the following information in your page content:

• Quick Facts (can usually be expressed visually to highlight impressive statistics)
• A Mission Statement
• Company History
• Awards / Certifications
• Franchise / Career Opportunities
• Media / Newsroom
• Information for Investors

Do you want your audience to know that you are a passionate expert in your industry?

For most independent service providers, you have a much more personal brand which means you should avoid the cliché ‘About’ page title and choose “Our Story” (or, “My Story” if your brand is you). The message here is that your brand is more solution-oriented than it is profit driven, and that you are about building personal relationships because you are personally invested in what you do.

The information you may want to include covers:

• What obstacles or situations led to the idea behind your business?
• What other background or experience is relevant to the idea behind your business?
• What story can you tell that best explains: who you are, what you do, why you do it, how your solution/approach is different, and identifies who can best relate to the problems that you solve

Do you want to highlight your uniqueness?

If you are dealing with a saturated industry, the best title might be “Why Us” (or “Our Difference” / “The {Brand} Difference”) and the message isn’t about being better than your competitors… it’s about how you are different. It’s about why people should pick you.

• Identify who your best customers are, and communicate directly to the decision maker.
• What are some flaws or challenges that relevant service providers fail to overcome?
• How do you address those challenges?
• What promise(s) can you make that will convince potential customers to choose your brand over other options?
• How will you keep that promise, consistently?