When it comes to organizing their online presence, the “About” or “About Us” page is usually something of an afterthought for most people. It’s usually regarded as a dull detail that needs to be filled out for completion’s sake. Many people just toss some random tidbits on there, so that you can get to work on more important parts of your website.

Unfortunately, this way of thinking about your About page is as widespread as it is counterproductive. People tend not to pay all that much attention to their About page. Logic dictates that, surely, their work, the services they offer, or the art they produce would be more important for building up a web presence than an About page. Right?

Wrong. Well, not completely, but at least in part. It is certainly important that you present a slick and polished appearance in every aspect of your web presence that builds up your brand. However, you also need to keep in mind that About Us pages tend to pop up in web searches a lot.

This means that, for many people, the first interactions they have with your online presence are likely going to be through your About Us page. This, in turn, means that if your About Us page is unconvincing, you could lose a lot of traction with those people – and that’s certainly something you’d want to avoid.

Luckily, building a good About Us page is secretly easy. Here’s how you do it right.

Make Sure You About Us Page Works Well

First things first. In order to construct the best About Us page possible, you need to make sure that you have an About Us page that actually functions properly. 

Few things are as frustrating to Internet users as error messages. With this in mind, it should be your top priority to ensure that no one who is trying to navigate to your About Us page ever has to see one of those.

Furthermore, you should make sure your About page loads as quickly as possible. People tend to take a dismal view of your web presence if they have to wait too long for your page to load. Make sure that you avoid this at all costs. 

Sort Your Presentation Out

There are a couple of things you need to take into consideration when designing your About page.

When building an online presence, names are everything. Names are crucial for branding, which is why you should definitely attach an appropriate one to your About page.

Whether you should use your real name on an About page or use a pseudonym is up to you. There are some instances when the nature of the business you run automatically precludes the possibility of anonymity. However, there are also cases when people would rather avoid putting their real name online and link it with a particular website.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to choose which of those two paths you want to take. However, regardless of whichever one you choose, make sure you give a name to your readers – and make it one they could remember. 

If there’s one thing that you want people to remember from their visit to your About Us page, it’s your name. That’s what internet users are likely going to remember you by and use to look you up, and recommend you to other people. So if you have a generic-sounding name – use your full name, or add a nickname that’s punchy and easy to remember.

Besides a distinctive name, all well-put-together About pages include visual cues. While these are not necessarily always photos of the person in question, they tend to be, for a very simple reason. Knowing someone’s name and appearance is usually the first step towards getting someone’s measure. Getting an impression of someone makes them more memorable – which is exactly the effect you’re after. 

Apply The Golden Rule of the “About Us” Page

This may seem a bit counter-intuitive, but the About Us page isn’t really about you. 

This isn’t a web-based autobiography. Realistically, very few of the people who end up on that page would really be interested in your personal life experiences. Putting personal details in there, even ones that may seem significant to you is more often than not unproductive. 

What you should actually focus on is the product you offer, and details that emphasize your expertise as a professional in the field related to it.

The very first thing you should do after introducing yourself is linking your name to your product, whatever it happens to be. You need to establish without a shadow of a doubt that this product is your doing, and that you are very passionate about it. It needs to be immediately obvious to anyone coming to the About Us page that this project is your pride and joy, and that you have a passion for it and dedication to it.

After you’ve emphasized the link between your person and the product, you can sprinkle a few relevant personal details. What set you on this path? What achievements do you have to date, and what challenges did you overcome along the way?

Polish Your Content

Once you establish what you want to write on your About Us page, it is time to polish your content and trim the fat. 

You should carefully review your content and remove all the corporate-speak and industry jargon from it. When you’re done with it, the text should be plain, easy to read and understand – but not boring. Don’t feel obligated to crack jokes, be try to be original, or try to show off your vocabulary.

Moreover, your About Us page should be concise and to the point. As compelling as your story may be, people tend to not like running into walls of text. Do not wax lyrically. Endeavor to keep the content of your About Us page as short and sweet as possible.