Part of what I do for my clients is review their websites to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. The page I most often identify as an ‘opportunity’ is the About Page. It seems like a no-brainer, but it is totally the most important page for a potential customer or client to learn about you and what your small business offers. It’s where you share your story and enamour them to your brand. Here are five things to focus on when creating or updating your website’s about page.
1. A good quality photo of yourself!
So often, owners of small businesses don’t want to put up a photo of themselves and default to a “brand” image instead. If someone is supporting a small business, it’s because they want to support the person and their family instead of a huge corporation. Your photo can be a headshot taken by a photographer or just a casual one you like. Make sure it’s appropriate to what you’re showcasing and captures your personality and brand. Remember, you can be “doing” something (like a photo of you planting if you’re a landscape designer) so it won’t look to be too posed or a typical headshot if you don’t like those types of images. When in doubt, check out pinterest for inspiration.
2. A bio that tells your story
Share your story! I cannot stress this enough. You don’t have to share your whole life story, but tell people who you are currently and how you got to where you are (if it’s relevant to your current business). Product-based businesses are great ones to give some context to why you started your business or came up with this new product idea.
Depending on how old (or new!) your business is, you may have a brand-new story that’s just beginning or a longer story that needs to get condensed. If you’re not sure if it’s too long or short, try showing it to some friends for feedback. You want to get people excited about what you do without creating a novel.
3. Think About: Brand vs. Individual
Sometimes your brand is you as a person. Sometimes your brand is separate. If you’re the same (Sophie Smith, Graphic Designer), your about section can be all in one—a single, short paragraph will do the job. If you’re not the same (Sophie Smith, Founder of Helping Hands), you can have two parts. Talk about who you are and your history as a Graphic Designer and also talk about the company you have built and what you and your team offer. Customers are interested in both!
4. Some other information you can include within the bio…
If you have some specific information about your business you think is relevant or helps to share your story, incorporate it too!
Are you part of a minority group? (Women, LGBTQi+, BIPOC, etc.) Include this information if you feel comfortable. People (including me!) want to support all types of brands, so let us know who you are and embrace what makes you, you!
What year did you found your business? Let us know how long you’ve been around!
Share your team with us too (if you have one). These can be photos and cutesy phrases to describe people or short bios and titles for every person.
Or is it just you? Let us know you’re a one-person shop and how you’re doing this all by yourself!
Is there something that makes your business or services unique? Share it here, even if you’ve shared it other places on your site (ethical sourcing, everything made in Canada, fair trade practices, certified by a certain agency, etc.).
5. Contact page
While this should be its own link and page separate from the bio, this is a reminder of how important this page is, too! List the basics like your email, phone number (if you use a business number). If you have a contact form, also list your email separately, so that people can contact you directly, too. Forms often seem like they go into an abyss!
What else do you love to see on brands’ About Pages? Let me know what you love to read about, or if you have something special on your page I should check out!