There’s no one way to write an about page, as you may have seen in my previous post about the Great About Page Debate. However, there are few steps you can take to cover the essentials.

Step 1: Describe your business in one sentence and then again in one paragraph.

We ask all clients to do this exercise. It’s tough, but it will change the direction of your content. The goal here is to be as succinct as possible. You want a new visitor to figure out what you do in a few seconds.  This is similar to an elevator speech, but it’s fit for the web, and it will appear at the top of your about page. Think inverted pyramid.

Step 2 and 3: Decide between an about page or an about section. Then make an outline.

Some businesses have a single about page, and other businesses create a series of pages to fall under the main about page.

Before you start writing, create an outline for your about content. Here are some of the components you can include on either one page or as part of a series of pages.

• History
• Bios
• Mission/Vision/Philosophy
• Partners
• Testimonials
• Clients
• Why Work With Us/What Makes Us Different/ The XYZ Company Advantage
• Portfolio (Although if you’ve got the space in the nav bar, this makes sense as a stand alone page.)
• Press
• Careers
• Contact (A link to the contact page should appear in the nav bar as well.)
• Memberships
• Awards and accomplishments

A couple of caveats. First, if you decide to create an about section, you still need to have one about page that focuses on the nitty-gritty of what you do. This will be the parent page for the section.

Second, you do not have to include all of these pieces of content listed above to have an effective about page or section. Include what applies to your business and what will help you make the sale.

Step 4: Profile your company leaders and/or staff. It’s about the people, man.

Depending on the size and set up of your business you may not want a bio for everyone on the team. If that’s the case, I highly recommend you either create bios for the company leaders or describe the personality of the team in general. Use real names, real pictures, and real examples of how you all bring your business to life.

Step 5: Explain what makes you different.

Do you have a unique company name or logo? This is the place to explain all the things that make your company unique. Describe how you differ from your competitors. Explain why someone would want to hire you.

Step 6: Don’t forget the details.

• Don’t get too creative with how you name your about page, because you want people to be able to find the page quick. We’re talking within a few seconds. Web users are most accustomed to looking for a link to an about, about us, and our story page in the header.
• Put the about page link close to the beginning of the nav bar and within the home page text if it makes sense.
• Remove all jargon from your about page copy. It’s never needed.
• Consider adding a video, timeline, graphics with interesting stats, or other visual elements to your about page. Remember, most people scan content.
• Step away from the content for a few days and then come back to edit over and over again. Ask a couple of other people to review the content as well.

What have I missed? What steps do you take to write about page web content?

About Sara Lancaster

Sara is The Condiment Marketing Co.’s founder and creative director. She oversees client relationships, strategic marketing plans, as well as a bit of copywriting and social media management.