So, you have a business website? Nice.
How’s the About Us page? Boring? Nonexistent?
I see it all the time: a bold, innovative company launches a gorgeous site to showcase its products or services… with web copy that’s as dull as ditch water.
Fact: If no one is reading your site, then no one is converting.
Also fact: Nobody is born knowing how to write an About Us page for a business website that’s both informative and interesting to read.
One last fact: It’s not that hard. I promise.
Here’s what I learned from writing web copy for Em Dash’s clients across multiple industries:
First, tell the world what you do
When our clients ask for advice about what to say in an About Me page, I always recommend starting with what a company does and expressing it as simply as possible. Think of it like a 15 second elevator pitch—what’s your business all about?
Ever found yourself scrolling a page that’s full of catchy text and jazzy graphics and you can’t for the life of you figure out why the site even exists? Yeah, don’t do that. Your visitors should never, ever have to hunt around your website to figure out what it’s for.
Whether you handmake shoes for elves, help star cross’d lovers find each other, or run a chocolate factory, start with the basics.
Example:
Magic Feet makes shoes for elves by hand.
Of course, learning how to write an About Me page for a business isn’t just about the what—the why is even more important.
Second, tell the world why you do it
Businesses are launched for a billion reasons: the local cafe owner has a passion for craft coffee, Lucid hopes to reduce greenhouse gases, Amazon wants to run the world.
If you really want to learn how to write a compelling About Me page, commit to digging deep. What motivates you? What gets you riled up and red-faced as you climb onto the soapbox? Your friends and family are sick of hearing about it already.
That’s the mission that powers your business. Articulating that mission and the emotion that drives it will make your copy both vital and authentic.
Example:
Magic Feet makes shoes for elves by hand.
We believe that every elf everywhere deserves to have a pair of shoes with tiny, tinkling bells.
Third, don’t be cliché
One of the most grievous sins web copy can commit? Being too predictable. You’ve seen it a thousand times: sites that use stock phrases and trot out the same old story. We’re company X and we’re “innovative” and “revolutionary” and “disruptive.”
Sure, you might be all of those things, but guess what? That’s what everyone says. It’s predictable. It’s boring. It’s corporate.
If you’re really doing something fresh and original that nobody else is doing, prove it by using fresh and original language that nobody else is using. Not only will it surprise your visitors, but they’ll be much more likely to remember you.
Mastering the art of how to write an About Us page for a business website comes down to clearly communicating what you do in a fresh and catchy way.
Example:
Magic Feet makes shoes for elves by hand.
We believe that every elf everywhere deserves to have a pair of shoes with tiny, tinkling bells.
Elf shoes—it’s our thing.
Fourth, don’t be wordy
If the About page is longer than 500 words, here’s my advice: Stop. Talking.
Nobody is listening, anyway.
If you’ve ever landed on a website with an intimidating wall of rhetoric that went on and on with no tl;dr in sight, you probably hit that back button fast.
When you sit down to write an about me page, remember that you aren’t penning the sequel to War and Peace. Nor is it an opportunity to deliver a long-winded monologue about the many virtues of your company. The about page has just one purpose: to introduce your business and what it stands for.
To sum up what we’ve covered so far:
- get clear with your business purpose
- get creative with your language
- get to the point.
Finally, have a voice
Being creative is one thing. Being creatively yourself is another.
The surest way to stand out as a thought leader in your industry? Develop a distinctive voice and use it to express your point of view. When you’re figuring out how to write an About Us page for a business, it’s easy to forget that part of what makes a company unique is its willingness to take a stand. That’s true even if—especially if—that stand is a little controversial.
For example, Meta claims that “the future is private” while Zapier submits that the web ought to be completely customizable and open. Both perspectives can—and should—be argued against. That’s a good thing. It means that people will have strong opinions and take sides.
As you’re preparing what to say in an about me page, ask yourself: what’s your unusual take on a hot topic that gets your audience really excited? What can you say that your competitors are too conventional—or too chicken—to say?
Sure, you can run with a safe and cautious point of view that everyone can get behind, and your visitors will nod along. But as they’re nodding, they’ll also be yawning.
Moral of the story: It’s better to be edgy and memorable than bland and forgettable.
Example:
Magic Feet makes shoes for elves by hand.
We believe that every elf everywhere deserves to have a pair of shoes with tiny, tinkling bells.
Elf shoes—it’s our thing.
Because elves are real.