My embarrassing ‘About’ page: best practice fails

You know the expression about the cobbler’s son having no shoes? Well, it really hit home this week when I looked at my current ‘About’ page copy. This copywriter’s ‘About’ page is suffering from an embarrassing lack of good writing.

I’ve been preparing for a completely new moflow.ca by reviewing existing copy and writing new copy for the redesigned site. And I was dismayed by what I saw on my current ‘About’ page. If you want to have a look, do so now before the new site goes live (in July 2014). And if you’re reading this after my site redesign, well, the past is the past!

The copy on my current ‘About’ page is a result of my having revised and tweaked the original copy (first written in 2008) over and over again, without properly revisiting it.

Seven ‘About’ page best practices

Here are the ‘About’ page best practices that I failed to apply and which you can use to write better copy:

• Write in a conversational tone, avoiding the third person.
• Write benefit-oriented copy with the reader in mind.
• Describe the problem you are solving for the reader.
• Explain why you/your organization is equipped to solve that problem.
• Tell a story that explains how you can help and that connects emotionally.
• Include belief builders such as testimonials, press mentions or awards.
• Include an opt-in form for email subscribers (to take advantage of the high traffic on this page).

Now my page isn’t all bad, and in some ways I started to touch on those best practices, but not nearly enough.

The good news: I’m starting from scratch and will apply all of these ‘About’ page best practices on my new site. Check back in about a month to see if I’ve hit all of the necessary marks!

What about you? Do you have ‘About’ page content confessions? Please share in the comments along with which best practice you’ll apply to improve your copy.