If you’re a service provider who relies on the internet for client acquisition, you need a well-crafted about page. Your about page tells your ideal client who you are, where you’ve been, and why you’re the person to offer them this service. While beautiful branding and design can certainly help, you really can’t build that trust without solid about page copywriting.
I know, I know, you’ve been avoiding it for months, maybe even years.
I’m willing to bet that’s because one of the following:
- You cringe at the thought of talking about yourself.
- The bulk of your educational and professional experience doesn’t relate to what you’re doing now, and you’re scared of people thinking you’re an unqualified imposter.
- You’ve read some pretty corny about pages, and you definitely don’t want to sound like that.
- You’ve started writing, but it’s always ended up sounding a bit like a LinkedIn bio
- You’re not even sure what to include because you’re not a corporation with a big team!
- You’ve Googled “best about page examples,” and none of them resonated with you.
Hey—that’s totally valid. And as a values-heavy business owner critical of online business norms, you’re not interested in following a formula.
Pull up a cushion because I’m breaking down the purpose of an about page and why your world-changing services deserve one. We’ll review the introducing-yourself-online basics and about page copywriting tips to inspire your DIY process.
What’s the purpose of your About page?
If we think of your home page as the first impression, your about page would be the 1-on-1 side convo you have with a stranger at a party. It’s the intimate, beyond-the-surface interaction where someone really gets to know you, what you’re about, and what you have in common. It’s the fertile soil for real, long-term connections.
If the home page is where you plant the seed, the about page is where the seed sprouts.
So, how do you make sure that the seed sprouts?
1. Use your about page copy to build trust with your audience
As a service provider, trust is foundational to your business success. I wish being a trustworthy person was enough. I wish people could just telepathically connect to the brands and professionals who are aligned with our values. Until we get there, we’ve got to use our about page copywriting to do the heavy lifting.
By featuring who you are and what you stand for, your about page helps you establish credibility and trust with your readers. There are different ways to do this, based on your industry, offer, and brand. We’ll get to that in the next section.
Tip: Think about what makes you trust the service providers in your life. Think about the service providers who you instantly clicked with online—what was it that turned you from a “maybe” to a full-body “yes”?
2. Connect on a personal level
Listen, we all know that you are *not* your brand (because business boundaries forever!). But you are the face of your brand. And you bet your personality is going to be a huge determining factor for folks to work with you.
There are literally so many ways to do this. Many of them feel cringe. Many feel unaligned.
Guess what? That’s amazing. All that means is that you are firmly tapped into your brand’s energy. You’re discerning of what type of about page copywriting you resonate with. Staying true to that is going to help you attract all the people who need your services.
If there’s one thing you take away from this about page copywriting guide (or my website in general), it’s this:
Don’t ever force anything. Don’t implement something just because someone told you that you have to. The more you make your about page copywriting your own, the more you will stand out in your industry.
I sincerely hope that by breaking down what your about page should do, you understand the why first. From there, you can craft your own beautiful recipe of about page jazz that resonates, making sure it builds trust and fosters a personal connection with your dream clients.
The most important thing is to find the way that aligns with you.
Can’t I just use my landing page as my about page?
Your landing page (or home page) is a great place for a mini About you that gives visitors a taste of who you are. However, skipping the about page could cost your service-based business in the long run. Folks are more discerning with their dollars than ever before, and if they’re going to make a sizeable investment, you can bet they’ll be vetting the pro.
Whether you’re offering 1-on-1 or 1-to-many services, you’ve got to write an about page that establishes you as:
- A qualified professional
- Someone who is personally invested in offering this service
- Someone who shares the same values as your clients
Now let’s get into the elements that actually help you achieve this—without sounding totally contrived.
2. Five key elements of about page copywriting
So, what makes a good about page? Here are five must-have sections that even the most minimal about section should include to maximize impact.
1. About page copy is where you establish a connection between you, your offer, and your reader.
Pssst…this is how you make sure that your about page isn’t just you talking about yourself for many paragraphs. This is also the key to your about page feeling less icky.
Because you’re not just bragging about yourself like someone applying for a C-suite position at a finance firm. You’re talking about how your unique experience connects to your clients’ struggles and serves their needs.
By focusing on speaking to your reader, you are bridging the gap between your expertise and your clients’ struggles/challenges. You’re saying, “I see you” (something I say verbatim in my about page intro), and I’m here to support you.
You’re saying, “I’ve been there, I empathize, and that’s exactly why I created this offer.”
And, my friend, it doesn’t get any more clear than that!
Why is this effective?
I don’t know about you, but I tend to put a lot of trust in folks who are so passionate about something that they invest their lives into creating a solution.
And I’m much more likely to invest in a service provider who acknowledges me rather than just talking about themselves at me.
2. What you do
Yes, hi, I know this is basic AF, but I have to say it. Because believe it or not, I have seen about pages for service providers that don’t tell me what they do.
So please, for the love of your brand, make sure there is a clear sentence somewhere on your site that says:
- What you do
- Who you do it for
- BONUS: What’s funky about how you do it? How is it different from others in your industry doing the same thing?
If it’s too long, break it up into two sentences. The important this is for folks to easily understand whether you can help them or not.
3. How you got here
AKA “your story”.—my favorite part!
I always think back to how much I loathed learning “history” until I started learning it through fiction. I was never interested or engaged. How do you expect me to remember these random “important” facts? Then I would digest all the same facts in a fiction novel and magically…remember them?! That’s because presenting information in a story format makes it easier for humans to integrate.
Stories are how we relate to the world. They’re how we understand people, places, and events, and they have a huge impact on how much we remember something, or in this case, someone.
I’ve worked with many people who don’t believe that they have a “story” or that their story isn’t very interesting, or that it’s embarrassing, etc., etc.
Believe me, you most definitely have a story, and it’s much more relatable than you think.
Even if it’s not, or it’s weird and not as glamorous as your peers, it’s a place to let your personality shine.
The main point of this section is to bridge your experience, your passions, and your skills with where you are today, in a way that inspires confidence in your readers.
It can be as short as a paragraph, and as long as 3-4, as long as it’s valuable and relevant to your services
I fricken LOVE piecing the pieces of my clients’ stories together, so if this is something that you struggle with, contact me, cause I would love to help you rewrite yours.
4. Your why
If you feel turned off by traditional “mission” and “vision” statements, have no fear—this doesn’t have to be a section on its own. But it is a must.
People need to know why you’re committed to offering your services in your unique way. They want to know that you’re personally invested in something beyond sales.
This can even be integrated into your “how I got here” section, or you could literally have a section titled “my why”.
5. Your values
But let’s be clear about one thing—we’re not listing our values without explaining how they manifest in our business.
Because anyone can list off a bunch of values to make themselves sound legit. Your clients aren’t just anyone, though.
Like you, they see through the smoke and mirrors. They know what’s up.
So instead of saying that one of your values is “transparency”, be transparent by sharing something others in your industry don’t.
Instead of saying, “I value integrity,” tell us what you do to stay in integrity.
Instead of listing “sustainability,”, show us how you go out of your way to choose sustainable options.
Trust me, this additional context can go a long way in building trust.
3. A drizzle of about page copywriting tips
Now that you’ve got the basics, I’ll leave you with a few extra guidelines for how to write an about page that doesn’t sound like Girl Boss Becky next door.
1. Maintain a consistent tone
This goes for every page of your website copy, your email copy, and your social messaging. But if you’re starting with your about page, this is a great place to lay the foundations.
An easy way to make sure you’re staying consistent is to read everything out loud. If it sounds like 3 different voices in your head trying to throw a party, go back to see what sticks out.
If you’ve been struggling with finding your brand voice for a while, you might need a Brand Voice Kit to give you the clarity you need to write your about page.
2. Ensure a coherent flow
Make sure that whatever you say makes sense to someone who knows nothing about you. Provide the reader with all the context necessary to understand. In general, try to organize your about page in this order:
- Connect to your reader
- What you do
- How you got here
- Your why
3. Keep it fluff-free
No two about pages will look the same. The length of your about page will depend on your industry, your personality, and your experience. Just make sure that you review everything before publishing. Remove any words, sentences, or phrases that don’t tie back to your offers, your clients, or your values.
4. Be your weird, freaky self.
This is not a LinkedIn bio. I repeat, this is not a LinkedIn bio.
Remember that you started your business to be of service to people, and so that you could be yourself for a living. Your about page is the digital embodiment of that!
Be free, weird little service provider, be free.
4. Jumpstart your about page copywriting journey with an About Page Checklist that’s got your back.
I know you’re feeling 365 x more confident in your ability to be yourself on your website, and tackle this thang on your own.
I also know you’re still secretly dreading the thing. You wish you could hop into a time machine that takes you to the time and place where you have a finished about page that rocks your clients’ socks.
Here’s the thing: I don’t have a time machine. I do have an about page checklist for values-led service providers like yourself whose brains get overwhelmed with the copywriting of it all.
It gets into even more detail about specific sections you can integrate to build trust, create a personal connection, and tell people everything they need to know to feel that full-body YES.
Also: it’s not a formula. It’s got all my favorite features, plenty of ideas and prompts for each section, and a pre-publishing checklist. It’s backed by 3+ years of writing 100+ web pages for service providers and a fierce passion for small, ethical business success.
Download it here. <3
Ready to DIY your about page copywriting, but can’t quite *nail* your brand voice?
I’d love to create a Brand Voice Kit for you! Get more info here.
Wish you could skip all this and get professional, effective website copy with integrity? Get in touch to plan your copywriting journey.
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