Is your About Me page safe from these authority diminishing mistakes?

An About me page is THE most important page on your site. Before we discuss some of the most common myths and mistakes related to the About-me page, let me share some stats.

52% of the visitors who visit the homepage visit the About Page too.

And that’s not it.

Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) recently found that, while the usability of “About Us” pages has improved 9% over the past five years, paradoxically, user satisfaction has actually dropped from 5.2 to 4.6 (on a 1-7 scale). Why? Because nowadays people expect more.

So, you don’t need just an About page but the right about-me page.

Let’s find out the most common About Page mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. You Think it’s Not Necessary

You think having an about-me page is a cliche…

you find it a tough grind blabbering about yourself (you’ve never done that)… 

you are worried about coming across as too cheesy

 you think it’s a waste of a valuable page as you have some info about you on the contact page (this is epic! More on that below)

For any of the above or other reasons if you don’t have the right About-me page then my lovely you’re missing out the most important element on your site without which..

People will like your stuff but not love it, they will read your stuff but not imbibe it, they will come to your site but not engage with it…

And that is…

‘The connect!’

There are other ways to connect with your audience -’heart to heart’ but About Me page is the hands-down no.1 place to do that.

2. You Write a Little

Aah… you have a blog, you have oodles of things to share with your audience but nothing to say about yourself? 

You somehow overcame the last mistake and added a ceremonial about me page with almost no content. 

That’s the About Page of HuffPost India. 😷

Like I said before, bloggers are voluble people and if you love yourself (which you definitely do) your About Page cannot be summarised in a single-digit number of lines.

But..

This doesn’t mean you should write whatever you feel like here.

This brings me to the next About page mistake that we often (I mean almost everyone on the internet) make.

3. You Think it’s about You (only)

This one is BIG..

I have analyzed more than 70 about me pages (yes, in fact, more than that). One most common mistake was -people have written their autobiographies on their pages.

An about me page is a great place to tell your story, but an autobiography is not a story (unless your life is super inspirational or full of adventures).

I was surprised to see even some of the very famous sites have the worst About -me page.

They go on and on and on… talking about only themselves from when they blessed the earth with their birth to the trivial struggle of deciding what to eat in their next meal.

Please don’t do this to your About page.

It has to be a beautiful mix of you and me. See how Pat Flynn does it. It cannot be more beautifully amalgamated into one- you and I explained in a single line. Beautiful!

4. You Don’t Show the Real You

You think you don’t have a celebrity look..

or you’re scared of any kind of discrimination and turning prospects off

so you didn’t include a pic.

Hey lovely, you’re beautiful!! xoxoxo…

We all are if we think. Keep no doubt.

Just think it this way- would YOU like to do business with someone who judges your work on your skin and beauty?

You got the answer, right?

Not just a pic, consider having a video. why?

Think of your first date. You try to impress all the five senses

• A firm handshake (not bone-breaking)
• Fresh fragrance
• A gorgeous look
• Fruity voice
• Let’s not talk about the fifth sense here (high five if you got it ;))

But, virtually you can’t fascinate all their senses… make the best of you can. That’s why videos work.

If you don’t have a video or even a pic (in fact I would suggest have ⅔ candid shots) then they have no other option but to rely on your style of writing to judge if they like you or not. 

You know that’s the toughest part.

But…

look at the next about-me page mistake. It’s contradictory, right? Not really, check out yourself.

5. You think you should ALWAYS use a Personal Image

Yes, I said use your images and videos but it’s no law. See how Angela Vaz has done her About-page. She uses beautiful illustrations to add humor and make her blog more engaging. Her illustrations are so engaging and filled with life that when you see an illustrator image in her about page it still looks real and that completely goes with the brand she has created. She has used her real image as well on the page but many illustrators or graphic designers don’t show their real self still come out with flying colors.

6. There’s no Call To Action (CTA) 

This is one of the biggest missed opportunities on your About Page.

If your reader has reached the end of the page, then Congratulations!! on writing a great persuasive About Page.

But now what ?? 

 Now, that she is full of emotions and warmth, it is the right time for you to make a pitch.

 This is also the time when she’s open to hearing more from you, so don’t leave her hanging.

 But it’s important to have the RIGHT type of CTA- otherwise, you might turn them off at this point.

Most appropriate CTAs are:

• Fill in a form seeking more details
• Download a report
• Call or email you
• Read case studies
• Sign up for a free trial
• Subscribe for Newsletter

Read my About Page here.

What drives you mad about the About Pages that you browse around the web? What do you love on About Pages?

Lemme know in the comments.

PS: Furthermore, you may also want to learn how to write a Persuasive About Page (using the 5-Point Persuasion Method). You’ll know THE EXACT (step-by-step) method to write one that hooks the reader and makes them fall head over heels in L-O-V-E with you.