7 Common About Page Mistakes that are Killing your Conversions

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About pages are one of the main and most common sections of any website or blog. It is there that you tell the world who you are, or what your company is, what you are doing online, and why your customers should care about what you are saying. And yet, several content writers neglect the importance of this page and add to it very few or irrelevant information.

The problem is that, for the reasons you will see below, these and other mistakes might be killing your conversions without you even noticing it. So, with no more delay, let’s start listing what you might be doing wrong on your About page and then explaining how it can affect your sales and minimize your chances to achieve your goals.

1. You don’t have an About page

For starters, the worst mistake that you can make is not having an About page on your website or blog.

Despite the fact that many visitors are eager to know who is creating content behind the scenes, many content writers will leave out valuable information about the business and many bloggers will just ignore themselves.

And this isn’t because they are shy or think that the product is more important than the business. This is more likely to be caused by a mix of misinformation or misunderstanding of what should go on an About page (topics that will be discussed below).

The point here is that you can put a large number of customers off only by not having an About page. And this is because they won’t know who is responsible for the product or service, why they should trust them, and who they should contact if they have a problem.

So make sure that you do have an About page on your website and blog, no matter how simple it will be.

2. Your name isn’t visible

Yes, some websites and blogs like to play “Where is Wally/Waldo?” when it comes to finding their names. They might even have an About page, but there is so much content there, that you can find anything but their name or the company’s name.

Others think that, because they have the logo there, that it should be enough. But this is also not true as most of the logos’ design can make very hard to figure out the brand’s name. Plus, if you don’t refer to yourself in the texts, how do you expect that your audience connects with you?

When we get to know someone new, the first thing that we ask is their names. This is one of the ways that our brain has found to create a label for that person and to store it somewhere, along with facial features and tone of voice. But when we are reading just text, we won’t have anything but words, and missing your name will mean a death sentence to your conversions.

3. Your contact details aren’t visible

OK, so now you have an About page, and it even has your name on it. But where are your contact details?

Many people think that their e-mail, social media links, and any other channels they might have should be listed on your Contact Us page. And while it is a great idea to have that kind of page as well, you shouldn’t keep such valuable information only there.

You need to understand that your customer might be very busy (as we all are) and that you need to make thing easier for them all the time. So if you can also add a link to your contact form and buttons to your social media networks right there, on your About page, just do it.

4. You don’t have a photo (or its quality is bad)

Your About page must have a photo. If this is a personal website or blog, it should be your own picture. If this is a business page, it should be a picture of your team, facilities, product or services. But what can’t be is having no picture at all.

You should also never use a stock image picture here. If what you want is to create connection and engagement, a pre-made image that has nothing to do with you or your company won’t make it happen no matter how beautiful it is.

So look for a professional photographer and get some high-quality pictures done. Also, check some visual content applications that might help you on it. It will cost you a bit, but the results will be much better than you expect.

5. It is all too much about you

I guess now you are completely lost. If this is an About page, it should be all about you, right? Wrong.

Despite the fact that you are writing about yourself, you still should remember that your target audience is who you want to please, not your ego.

So cut the “I” down and replace them with “You” by letting them know things about you that are valuable to them. To achieve it, you will have to understand your audience very well, from needs to expectations, so you can tell what you should add here.

It will be more about what you have to offer than your academic background and list of certifications if you understand what it is being said here – if this kind of information becomes necessary, you can always add a link to your LinkedIn profile instead.

6. It lacks personality

So, this is an About page. You are writing about yourself without obsessing about yourself, and showing what you can do to make your customer life easier, and this is good.

But now you should also check your tone of voice. Does your writing show the person that you are or which kind of company you have (humanizing it as much as possible), or does it sound like a robot talking?

In the same way, that nobody will connect with a person without a name, nobody will spend much time talking to a cold machine – needless to say why Google and Apple are so eager to make their virtual assistants’ something that will sound more friendly to its users.

This way, make sure that your writing shows some personality, talking about your values and beliefs. And don’t be afraid of defending your viewpoint, as long you based your ideas on facts and that you don’t become unnecessarily controversial.

7. It is addressed to a general audience

And least but not last, you should always keep your target audience in mind. It is to them that you are writing your About page, not to the entire web. Your choice of topics, words, colors, background, titles, everything, should take them into consideration first.

Having said that, maybe you should add a video, instead of writing away, for example. Or make it even more visual with an infographic. Anything here can work as long it meets the standards of your target audience. If you don’t do it, it will just like throwing darts away without aiming anywhere: you might hit the target eventually, but the percentage of mistakes you will probably make can be too high for you to afford.

About Page Mistakes: Wrapping it up

If your goal is conversion, you should know that your About page can be a crucial tool on your journey. It is there that you will start building your credibility, increase the engagement of your clients with your brand, and let them know more about your expertise and personality.

On the other hand, your About page should also be the place where you will ensure your customers that they are your top priority. You will give them valuable information about how you can help them and why they should buy your product or service instead of your competitor’s.

And in order to make them understand it, you will make their life as easy as possible by letting your name, contact details, social media network links, and photo visible for them to see and click on, just for starters.

So these are the seven common About page mistakes that you should avoid. Stay away from them and your conversions will thank you very much from now on.

This article is written by Michael Harred. He is a writer, who contributes to the national Florida Review and the university magazine Cypress Dome. He also writes for 15 Views of Orlando. To find more about Michael – check his website. Follow him: Twitter | Facebook.