In this article we’re going to cover Why you need an about me page, the most common Mistakes to avoid, give you a Bulletproof List of action items, show you Examples of killer About Me pages, and provide an Infographic that makes building your page easy as pie.

When was the last time you logged into your analytics account to check your most visited website pages?

If you take a data-driven approach (like 77% of other confident marketers) and monitor your website traffic:

You’ll find that the “About Me” page is one of the most critical pages for your website.

My about me page is #9 on the list

Most likely this page is among your 10 most visited website pages. It is the judgement spot where a new visitor will form an opinion about you. And decide if your website is worth their time.

So whether you’re a blogger, designer, marketing consultant or a multi-million dollar company – you need to carefully craft your website’s about page.

It’ll directly affect your personal brand. So the page will either help you win new fans. Or it’ll lead to a drop in those precious leads and potential customers.

So you already might have an about page where you’ve penned ‘a few lines about your life’.

That’s where most people stop.

They don’t think about using their About Me page to sell their brand.

Derek Halpern is using his About Page to get email signups.

You’ll need a different kind of mindset to approach writing an about page that lifts your brand. And it’s got to be more than a couple of lines about your life.

Later in this article, I’ll show you live examples of spectacular about me pages written with this different writing mindset.

I’ll also share the key elements of an amazing about page and dispel a few myths surrounding the about pages.

But first I want to motivate you to put the necessary effort for designing your about page. So let’s get started with ‘the why.’

Why You Need a Compelling About Me Page

You might already have a vague picture about the importance of the about page. But here are 4 specific reasons why you need to devote time for creating or optimizing your about page:

• You need to prove yourself to be an authority in your industry
• It’s an opportunity to strike a conversation and show your personality
• It will Inspire your readers to take action with your ‘why’
• Your About Me page will help move the needle up and to the right
• You will be able to close deals with ‘warm leads’ searching for you

1. You need to prove yourself to be an authority in your industry –

What is the number one reason you stick around on a website after your first visit?

It’s trust.

You want to be assured that the blogger (or the website owner) knows what he is talking about.

That he (or she) has a track record of adding value in the industry.

Once the trust is built, you’re much more likely to engage with the organization or the individual.

So use the about page to craft a compelling brand image and increase your website’s returning visitors.

One simple strategy to establish your credibility and expertise is by showing your client testimonials.

Or by showing your subscribers count.

Or in my case, I showed how one of my blogs generated 2,600,000 visitors in a single year.

I’ll show you more strategies to build trust later in the article.

2. It’s an opportunity to strike a conversation and show your personality – Once you’ve got them on your website, you want the visitors to hang around longer.

Don’t you?

Because the more the time spent by a user on a website, the higher is his propensity to return.

The about page is most likely the first page for a visitor to judge your writing style.

Prove to your audience that you’re a valuable resource touching their pain points and you have just won them over.

Promote positivity as part of your personality.

Some of us are just plain rude when it comes to emails, and even daily interactions at work.

I just had an email exchange that highlights this point perfectly.

In the process of promoting our infographic, I reached out to a designer to get their feedback (and hopefully share it).

This designer is an independent contractor, and any contact is a potential client.

I asked him to checkout the infographic and let me know if he thinks his readers would want to see it.

His response:

ah ok.. when I have a free 3 hours, i might get around to reading your 4,000 word blog post.

But it’s not his fault..

In fact, due to stress, 40% of female workers claim that the reason they behave uncivilly towards their colleagues is because of stress.

Since stress isn’t going away any time soon, use this moment of clarity to inject warmth into your about me page, and at least project an image of happiness and civility 🙂

For building a loyal audience through your about page:

You need to show your personality i.e. write in your conversation style on your about page.

I do this by breaking up my longer sentences.

..into easier to digest blurbs.

That allow you to skim.

Much, much faster.

It’s easy, and you should be doing it.

3. It will Inspire your readers to take action with your ‘why’ – Why are they on your site to begin with?

Why is your audience on your site? Are they there to be passive and just lurk.

Or are they there to be an actively engaged reader that learns along with you and helps in creating a thriving community.

To dive deeper, you need to understand the science behind motivation.

It starts with the ‘why.’ Not the what or how.

The why is how great leaders like Steve Jobs inspired innovation in Apple and built a loyal customer base.

Watch Simon Sinek’s TED Talk below in which he demonstrates this concept of ‘why.’

The about page is the perfect place to share your vision for your community. A persuasive value proposition will help you to get past the mere 1% of visitor engagement on the internet.

On my about page, the reason Why I started this blog, and Why you are reading it is because you want to start kicking life’s ass by starting and running your own blog (and your future business).

4. Your About Me page will help move the needle up and to the right – Remember I told you that the about page is one of the most visited pages on your website.

That means it is one of the most important pages for achieving your business goals (more sales, readers, donations, etc.)

For Derek from Social Triggers, it’s the fifth highest visited page on his website.

So how can you leverage a high traffic page on your website that people love to visit?

By treating it as a landing page.

The visitors who just read about you have warmed up for your value offerings. If you’ve got any products to share or a service to offer, then you can subtly mention them.

Look at James Chartrand’s about page. Note how she subtly includes key phrases to the services she offers.

If driving sales at the end of your about page sounds pushy, you can always put a email subscription box.

Once you get their email, they become a part of your community. And after warming them with a free eBook (or an autoresponder email course or a video series), you can offer your products to them.

Self-Improvement blogger James Clear uses a subscription box along with a welcome gift to lure his about page visitors.

5. You will be able to close deals with ‘warm leads’ searching for you – A potential client loved your comment on a popular blog in your niche.

Now it’s your opportunity to close!

Remember why people might be going to your About page.

• They may have seen your comment you left on another site
• They may have watched a video of yours
• They may have seen a great retweet, regram, or Liked post you put up on social media

These people have only heard your name, were intrigued, and now want to learn more about you.

This is your opportunity to sell them.

They will most likely find your about page in the search results. Then  click on your about page and read your life story.

Now they want to read some of your work. You’ve already done the legwork to put your best work on the about page.

Or have you?

Take this opportunity to add your most popular or best pieces of content on your about page.

Rob Orr, from (fittingly) RobOrr.net, has included his top blog posts on the bottom of his about page.

Now that you’ve added your top content to your About Me page…

• You now have a user who has searched for your site
• …feels emotionally connected to you and is
• …flattered by the value you offer (by reading some of your best posts)

Now either he’ll look around for a relevant product/service on your website and directly make a purchase.

Or he’ll contact you (so you also need to share your contact details or social presence on the about page) in case of any queries or objections.

Hurray!

Now let’s reverse engineer the buyer’s journey…

And think about the elements that made this purchase possible.

And how we can repeat it over and over again.

Obviously you needed to land a guest post opportunity or a similar exposure at a high traffic website. We like this guide from SumoMe.

But the about page was your landing page you used to close the deal.

Ultimately people buy from you not just because they crave the value you provide. But also feel emotionally connected to you.

For an example look at the results when you Google for passive income blogger ‘Pat Flynn.’ You find his about page at the number 2 spot.

After you have a glimpse of his life story and his commitment to help you reach your online business goals:

You can’t help but enter your details and opt-in for his newsletter.

Pat’s major earnings come from affiliate marketing. So growing his email list will probably be his cornerstone business goal.

4 Mistakes You’re Making on Your About Me Page

I hope you now feel motivated to create an amazing about page for your website. Before you start, I want to shield you from committing the most common mistakes.

1. You’re using complex phrases and industry jargon will prove your expertise – Do you like to utilize shiny locution in your script?

Yuck.

That sentence is annoying to read, right?

The same happens when you use business jargon to persuade your readers.

You do not sound like an expert. Rather a pretentious freak who doesn’t care about his audience’s time.

The NNGroup did a study and found that, unsurprisingly, people prefer numbers written in number form.

In addition to numbers, offering relevant and interesting information to your user (in a concise manner) is a great way to establish interest and start a relationship with your audience.

And stick with simpler sentences and words while sharing this info. Instead of using the term ‘revolutionary’ you can use data to prove your expertise and tell the number of lives you’ve touched.

Eyetracking study conducted by NNGroup shows that users like factually rich actionable content rather than blah-blah text.

For example: Look at Google’s about page. You are met with a smiling photo of their founders. The title of the page is their mission ‘to organize world’s information and make it accessible.’

And they start their introduction with fact that they ‘have served millions of people around the world.’

Aren’t you floored by Google, already?

They also display facts like their inception year and initial public offering in a snippet.

Another brilliant example is Waveapps.com. On their about page, they don’t use marketing mumbo-jumbo to show they are ‘industry leaders.’

Instead they give you exact numbers.

Aren’t you impressed?

2. You’re using a funky about page name that will ‘WOW’ your audience – I get it. You’re smart.

You want to show that you’re the creative types.

So you came with a cool name for all your website pages.

You named the about page as “The Expose.”

I am sorry to break it to you.

But a funky name like the above one isn’t going to work.

Why?

Because internet users have formed nonconscious mental processes for recognizing information on websites. It’s called cognitive schema.

In an unfamiliar event (like visiting a website for the first time), they’ll fall back to this controlled framework.

So a first time visitor will look for an about page named “about [your name]” or a similar term. That’s where he has previously found information about companies and bloggers while browsing websites.

3. Your About Page is not actually about you: It’s actually about selling to your audience and addressing their pain points.

This makes sense on its head.

Your whole website is really just about selling something to your users.

But.. your About Me page is still about you, your company, and your brand.

People buy from people.

Let’s think of your most recent purchase.

Or rather, the decision to vote for a candidate.

Politicians know better than anyone that People buy (and vote) from People. That’s why he’s doing everything he can to hoist his kid into the picture.

Politics aside, think about your expectations from a person when you meet them for the first time.

You will judge them based on how interesting their stories and conversations are.

If they drone on about work, you’ll get bored and think they’re a boring person.

If they tell you about their recent awesome vacation to Thailand, you’ll remember that vacation, and think of them more positively.

The same rules applies to the Internet.

Your audience wants to know the real you. They want to hear about your life struggles (all humans are suckers for stories).

So sprinkling your about page with a bit of your likes/dislikes shouldn’t hurt. Rather it shows your human side.

Be careful not to cross the line and share irrelevant stories. Just like you will get annoyed by a self-indulgent stranger who keeps on blabbering in your first meeting with him.

You need to balance your about page with a hook (addressing your audience’s pain points). And relevant life stories that led to the start of your blog or website.

Look at Neil Patel’s about me page.

He has a nice little cartoon at the top that shows his likes/dislikes as well as overall personality.

Then he shares his childhood story of getting surrounded by entrepreneurs. And his first money making stint by selling black boxes.

He goes into great detail later mentioning his life phases ‘The Corporate Life’, ‘The Mad Man Life’, ‘The Simple Lifestyle’ and more.

Did his audience loathe over his detailed life synopsis?

Nope.

Rather people feel so inspired that he has received 1000+ comments (at the time of writing this post) on the page after publishing it in 2008.

And people keep commenting on Neil’s About Page till date.

That’s the power of storytelling.

You don’t know how inspiring your story might be for your audience. Nonetheless your journey is unique.

So share relevant life stories and your struggles that have made you what you are. Just ensure that there are actionable takeaways for your visitors from your story.

You can consider starting your about me page centered with your audience’s pain points before divulging into your life story. Just like Derek from Social Triggers does.

4. You’re using a fake persona and never revealing your true identity – You need to have a charismatic personality to pull this one off.

But it’s possible.

As humans, we’re fascinated by secrecy and mysteries.

So how about not disclosing your name and face to your audience.

Sounds scary, right?

Wait But Why (a popular self-improvement blog) attempted this at their launch.

Their team didn’t reveal the identities behind the blog initially. Rather, they had an FAQ page on their website.

Doesn’t the FAQ page pique your curiosity?

You want to close the open loop in your head. And that leads you to spend more time at Wait But Why.

Similarly you can also use a picture that suits your brand image rather than your personal image.

Like Marcus Sheridan from the Sales Lion does this on his about page.

For a multi-author blog, you can also use your brand’s logo. You don’t always need to reveal your identity if it’s a part of your marketing strategy.

Just to recap, here’s what we learned:

Why You Need an About Me Page

• You need to prove yourself to be an authority in your industry
• It’s an opportunity to strike a conversation and show your personality
• It will Inspire your readers to take action with your ‘why’
• Your About Me page will help move the needle up and to the right
• You will be able to close deals with ‘warm leads’ searching for you

Top Mistakes You’re Making on Your About Me Page

• You’re using complex phrases and industry jargon will prove your expertise
• You’re using a funky about page name that will ‘WOW’ your audience
• Your About Page is not actually about you
• You’re using a fake persona and never revealing your true identity

Next steps

I have created a 5-point checklist to create a flattering about me page (with one bonus element).

The first 5 elements are good to have. And the last bonus one will make your page stand out. By no means do you need all of them at your first about me page creation shot.

Ready?

Let’s get started.

6 Action Items to Build a Killer About Me Page

1. Create an irresistible hook that addresses the objections of your audience – Have you defined your target audience?

If you haven’t, I highly recommend you to create a marketing persona at least.

Having such a persona will ensure that you’re writing and attracting the right people. The ones who appreciate your value offerings and show interest in buying from you.

How?

The persona will present your audience’s challenges and pain points.

And using them you can start your about page on the right tone.

With a benefit-driven headline like arment dierich.

You can also use a sub-headline like Help Scout to show your commitment to your audience.

In the first few sentences, you can consider answering these questions.

If you’re wondering why starting on the right tone is important, it’s because of our continuous shrinking attention spans.

The first few pixels on your page (above the fold) are extremely important to engage a visitor.

2. Social proof that builds trust – The number one motto of your about page is to authenticate your brand. What’s a better way to do it than testimonials?

If you can get an industry influencer to vouch for you, that’s the strongest form of proof.

Like Brian Dean.

He has got likes of Neil Patel and John Jantsch to vouch for his skills.

Or you can include quotes from your readers/subscribers.

Like James Clear.

You can also display logos of companies you’ve worked with. Or mention the esteemed platforms where you’ve been published, featured or spoken.

Like Chris Brogan.

You can even hook a visitor by starting your page with a testimonial. It’s a great way to pull off third person writing.

Look how Tim Ferris flatters you at the start of his about page.

3. A high-resolution photo or another visual element – It’s no longer 2006. Plain text can only do so much.

As the internet gets mobile and visual, you need compelling imagery on your about page.

Like I mentioned in the myth section, you don’t necessarily need your own professional photo. Your company logo or a representative picture can also do a decent job. But it’s worth noting that web users like seeing human faces.

Ramsay from Blog Tyrant goes the extra mile and has a video to welcome the visitors to his about page.

And Neil Patel takes a creative design route. He has a custom cartoon that shows his personality.

4. A conversational and friendly tone with a dash of your personality –  Do you like to read a fabricated formal tone business letter?

Thought so.

Similarly you also need to start off your relationship with your audience on a warm and friendly note.

Tell them a few interesting stories about your upbringing. And any noteworthy achievements that you’ve to your credit.

You can also share your motivation behind starting the blog (like I told you great leaders always start with ‘the why’ to inspire action).

If you share your skills, then also tell them how it can help your readers.

Overall your about page text should sound like your voice and show your personality.

Use swear words on your about page, if you do so in real life.

Crack jokes if your friends appreciate you for having a good sense of humor.

Making yourself familiar with your audience will help in establishing trust. And since people like to buy from websites they like, it might be a ticket to higher sales.

Look how Amy’s Kitchen about page connects with its readers by sharing their family history.

5. Ends with a compelling CTA and your contact information – How many times have you read this advice already?

Don’t end your about page abruptly assuming your audience knows the next step.

Human beings like directions.

After you’ve educated a visitor, he is primed to start a relationship with you. Don’t lose this golden opportunity.

So add a subscription box and ask your readers to join your weekly newsletter. Or just plainly request their opinion on your blog in the comments box.

You can also share your social media profiles where you’re available to chat. And if you like email conversations, add a contact form or share your email.

At the end of their about page, Sofa.com directs you to give them a call or visit their stores. And they do so playfully.

Bonus Element: Offer freebies

Freebies are a great strategy to make your first time visitors feel special. You’re adding value at early stages of your relationship.

An example is Write to Done. Mary Jaksch offers the first chapter (30 pages) of their popular eBook for free on their about page.

Warning: Don’t put all of of these elements at the end of your about page – newsletter subscription box, your popular posts and contact form. It’ll lead to decision paralysis and chances of visitor to take action decrease.

5 spectacular about me pages to draw inspiration

So you now know the compelling elements in an about page. Will you start creating it already?

Still can’t get into your creative zone?

Not a problem.
There’s nothing more inspiring than live examples. Here are 5 great about page examples with their distinguishing features.
Hopefully these pages will get your creative juices flowing by the end of this section.

1. Carol Tice

Carol is a freelance writer and a writing coach.

Her about page of her blog “Make a Living Writing” is geared towards freelance writers.

She starts off with a simple introduction along with her smiling photo on the side, Then shares ‘why’ she started the blog. And tells her readers that she is passionate and committed to help freelance writers succeed.

She also shares the accolades her blog has won, her subscriber count and tweet reviews of her readers.

She even has a section on ‘why you should subscribe to her blog.’

And finally, she ends the about page with a list of her favourite posts from her blog. Mind you they’re visual links and not the usual text-links.

2. Gummi Sig

Gummi is a web designer and consultant.

His about page stands out for its creative design. In particular, the careful mix of bigger fonts and his 3D looking face (right at ya).

He starts on a playful note “Dude, myth or mega designer” and shares a summary of his work.

Then shifts to first person and establishes credibility by sharing his design experience. He also shares his personal life details like name of his sons (with links to their Facebook photos, which by the way are really funny).

He ends with 3 bullet points on how he can help you and a call to action to get in touch with him.

3. Andrew Reifman

So we’ve another designer in our list.

This time around a graphic designer and art director.

Andrew’s about page keeps things simple and catches your attention above the fold.

He mentions that he has worked with companies of all sizes and asks you to get in touch for working on your next project.

If you choose to scroll down, you’re presented some fun facts about him.

The awards he has won.

And where you can find him on social media.

4. Forty One Twenty

They’re video artists based out of Washington. And their about page is brilliant example of how you can establish trust.

The title of the page is a testimonial by musician Jek’Ob.

After a brief on their work, you’re treated with testimonials by more of their high-profile clients.

And a section with logo of companies that trust them.

They end with their social media account details and an invite to join their newsletter (they could have done better with the CTA).

But overall, the page is a good example of how to design an elegant looking minimalist about page with less copy. Just let your raving customers do the talking.

5. Moz

How can the wizards of SEO not rock their about page?

They start on a passionate note stating they are ‘making the web a better place and loving every second of it.’

Then you get a brief textual story about their company. But what follows is a brilliant example of visual storytelling.

It’s a delightful to see their evolution from SEOMoz in 2004 to the current state. The design is clean with little blurbs and graphics that break the text.

If you want, you can also explore details about their team and contact Moz by clicking on appropriate buttons.

Guess where you will find them?

That’s right – Above the fold.

Conclusion

Don’t let the opportunity to drive leads slip through your hands.

Start creating (or editing) your about page by using one or more of the above strategies I shared in the article. Add an email subscription box. Or ask your visitors to get in touch with feedback about your work.

You can get playful with the copy. And you can get creative with the design. But don’t fork around with the about page’s name.

Keep your about page simple with relevant details about your website and interesting stories about you.

If you’re the complicated types, then let that show on your about page. Your visitors will appreciate your honesty and transparency.

I would love to hear from you.

What is your favorite about me page? And does your about page generate considerable business for you?

Add this infographic to your site using the code below:

<img src=”https://wisestartupblo.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/about-me-page-infographic.png” alt=”About Me Page Infographic” width=”600″><br />Infographic by <a href=”https://wisestartupblo.wpengine.com”>Wise Startup Blog</a>

Learn how to use infographics to build relationships with influencers, plus high-quality inbound links.

Here’s an email I just received using this strategy. It’s an email from a guest post I did, and the subsequent email from one of her readers.