The Top 3 Mistakes Brands Make on Their About Page
About Pages are the second most visited page on a website, and with good reason! Your About Page helps us understand what your business does, how you’re different, and what you stand for. But… they can be the hardest page to write on your website.
I get it. Last year my most requested copywriting service was About Pages. Pfft, even writing my own took me a little over 7 months. As we write it a lot of questions come up. Where do I start? What should I include? What should I keep out? How should I organize it? Is it too long? Is it too short? And then once you have something together, it might still feel off.
If you can relate to this, you might have made one of the following mistakes…
But first! Let’s review the purpose of an About Page.
What is the purpose of an About Page?
The About Page humanizes your business. It gives your website visitors the information they need to decide if your business offers the solution they need and if you align with their values. That information can include your mission, story, values, and that special thing that makes you different. Your “unique value proposition” if we use marketing jargon.
Ultimately, an About Page is for your ideal customer, not for you.
If your About Page fits in one of the following categories, don’t get discouraged. I’m going to tell you what to do so you so it’s a better reflection of your business and connects with the right people.
Ok! Let’s carry on to the top three mistakes I see in About Pages as a Beauty Copywriter.
(Little disclaimer: This is for product-based businesses, personal brands are a whole different animal)
It’s just a bio of the founder
I’ve seen many About Pages that are a detailed account of the business’ founder and their accolades. From where they went to school, what they did before starting their business, to what inspired that launch and their dog’s name.
Don’t get me wrong, you should include your founder’s story on your website. It helps put a face to the brand and lets the world know you know your stuff! But, it just shouldn’t be the ONLY thing on your About Page.
The thing is… people will probably not care (sorry). They’re on your website to learn what your products can do for them and decide whether to buy or not. A bio isn’t going to do that.
Instead, try this:
Bring your ideal customer to the forefront. Start your About Page by telling the reader how your business’s point of difference will help them solve a specific problem. Show them you get them. After all, your brand is for them.
Let’s look at Honest Beauty’s About Page. Instead of giving us Jessica Alba’s biography, it tells us right away that they make “clean, sustainable, well-designed products that work.” We know their target audience is health-conscious and has struggled to find products that are good for them, but also provide the results they’re looking for. If you’re someone who obsessively reads labels and avoids controversial ingredients, you know this brand aligns with you just by reading the first few lines.
Keep your founder bio short and sweet, focusing on the key elements that contribute to your brand’s story, and move it lower on the page.
2. It overexplains everything that happened
You know your story better than everyone. Every experience lived brought you to where you are today and to building the business you have. This is probably one of the hardest parts of writing your About Page—knowing what to leave out.
When narrating the story of our business, we get caught up in the details, from getting the idea to finding a lab, developing the prototype, testing it, bringing it to the market, and so on.
This creates two problems:
You’ll end up with a long block of text no one wants to read.
Your story will get watered down.
Your readers don’t need to know everything.
Instead, try this:
Edit, edit, edit. Cut to the main parts of your story and remove the fluff.
Ask yourself the following questions: Is this event pivotal to the outcome of your story? Is this a relatable moment for your target audience? Does it help communicate your values?
I love how Otherland married their Founder's Story with their Origin Story turning it into a cute, bite-sized bio that tells us how they came to be. There were definitely a thousand more steps between her career as a buyer and starting her candle business, however, we’re only getting the most relevant aspects. By reading this we know three things: 1)We can relate to Abigail (who doesn’t have a candle obsession?)1) Abigail knows her stuff, and 3) these are not your typical vanilla-scented candles.
Deciding what to keep and what to cut is hard to do on your own. You’re too close to it. If you’re struggling, get a second set of eyes, someone who is a little more removed from your story to give you an opinion.
3. You’re not telling us what makes you different
Your story creates an emotional connection, but we need to know how your brand is different from others out there. At the end of the day, this should help your readers decide whether to shop from you or your closest competitor.
Instead, try this:
Think about your technology, values, sustainability initiatives, ingredients… That one thing you can do better than anyone else. Tell us your unique value proposition and, most importantly, how it relates to what your target audience wants or needs.
Three Ships’ About Page tells the reader they’re not just a “natural” or “clean” skincare brand, they create intentional and responsible products that work—without greenwashing. On top of that, we can see how they reflect their values by talking about transparency and the ingredients they use.
Why did they choose to mention “Thousands of 5-star Reviews and Counting?” In their About Page, Three Ships is trying to communicate three things: natural, effective and transparent. Their choice of headline backs up all three claims. They’re saying you don’t have to take their word for it, thousands of people agree that their natural products are effective. Clever!
Writing your About Page can be extremely personal. Remember to keep your audience in mind, bring to the forefront your unique value proposition, and keep what’s relevant to your dream customers.
If you’ve written your About Page but it still doesn’t feel right, check out my Copy Mini Makeover package. If you don’t have an About Page and know that you don’t have the patience or time to work on it, let me take it off your backburner. Let’s talk!
