The purpose of an “About” page is to give credibility to your website. After reading your About page, people should know what you or your organization does or writes about and why you are someone worth listening to on the subject.
How can you create an effective About Page for your website?
Before you begin writing your About page you need to decide what the purpose of the page will be for you. Here are some possible purposes:
- Online Resume
- Biography
- Company History
- Link Page to your social network profiles
- Copyright Information
There are really a lot of “purposes” for an About page. You need to decide what you want to get out of having an About page. This is important because you have a limited amount of time that a new visitor to your website will hang around and give you a chance. You need to make sure that every page has a purpose and intended end result after someone reads it. You will have to make the decision on your own but her are my thoughts on the purpose of an About page:
I think the purpose of an about page is to give credibility to your website and get them to take that next “click” to go deeper. After reading your About page, someone should know what you generally do, what to expect from visiting your website on a regular basis, and why you are someone worth partnering with in on a given topic.
I don’t think your About page is the best place for the following things:
- Your Complete Online Resume
- You have a LinkedIn profile, link to it. You can create a personal or company page that will accomplish this goal.
- You have a LinkedIn profile, link to it. You can create a personal or company page that will accomplish this goal.
- All of your Interests
- What other things should not be on your About page? Leave a comment.
Once you have determined the purpose of your About page, I would focus on my writing being friendly and focused. You want people to get to know you but then quickly be able to get back to your blog or the area of your website where they can take action. Ultimately, your About page should further lead someone to interact with you, whether that means commenting on your blog or purchasing one of your products.
I would also include a list of your Top 4 or 5 posts/products/accomplishments. Pick the things that you are proud of and capture the gist of what you generally are about. Tell people how they can subscribe to your website and get updates on a regular basis. I would constantly link back to other places in my website to provide multiple opportunities for a new visitor to discover more content. I would also throw in a well organized list of the other places they can find you on the web. If you feel like you are putting to much content on one page, you probably are – create new pages and link to them.
What other best practices have you discovered for creating a great About page?