Conversion Rate Optimization 5 min read
21 Jul 2021

Eight Common About Page Mistakes That Are Killing Your Conversions

Eight Common About Page Mistakes That Are Killing Your Conversions

You have an amazing product to sell.

You have your marketing all set.

You're driving tons of traffic on your perfectly optimized pages, and your paid ads are showing promising results.

So, what's stopping you from converting?

Sure, optimizing your product and checkout pages is critical.

But ignoring your other website pages, such as the About page, can take all your other marketing and SEO efforts down the drain. 

According to HubSpot research, more than 55% of visitors spend not more than 15 seconds on a website before hitting the back button.

So you have a 15-second time window to lure visitors...

Give them a reason to stay on your pages and spend more time on your website. 

After your homepage, the second most visited page on your website is the About page, as it will give your visitors a better idea of your vision, mission, and policies. 

Continue reading if you want to know about the eight common Ecommerce About page mistakes every ecommerce store owner makes at some point that kill conversions.

We're also going to highlight a few essentials you can include on your About page to improve ecommerce conversions.

So let's begin. 

Reasons Why About Page On Your Ecommerce Website Is Essential

As they say, first impressions last.

So, when someone clicks on your Google link and lands on your website, your landing pages should provide them with a clear picture of what your brand does.

And what you have in store for your ideal customers. 

If they find your home page interesting, they might want to know more about your brand and possibly consider doing business with you. 

There are three most common landing pages your visitors usually visit to know more about who you are and how they can get in touch with you to proceed with the process - The home page, the Contact page, and your About page. 

While the About page is such an essential part of your website design, most businesses use it to tell more about themselves. 

But people who click on the About page are least interested in knowing about your history.

What they are more interested in is how your brand can solve their problems. 

Here are a few reasons why every ecommerce business should use the About page cleverly to boost ecommerce conversions.

Tells Your Brand Story

Customers love stories.

In fact, many people pay for the story rather than the product.

And your About page provides you with a perfect spot where you can tell your brand story to your ideal customers.

What if you have been asked to choose between a local brand and Adidas?

If you answered Adidas, you're not alone. That's because Adidas is the brand, and you know their story. 

But as mentioned above, people want to know facts about your brand instead of a 2-page history or a story.

So, build a compelling brand story that revolves around different facts and figures, along with what challenges you have faced in the past and what barriers you had to overcome to become who you're today. 

Aside from that, it also...

Highlights Your Achievements

Did you know you can also use your About page to build trust?

How? Let me explain.

Tell your customers about how and what you achieved in the past...

Talk about your collaboration with other successful brands, any awards or certifications you received, or any industry event that your brand has participated in earlier. 

By doing this, you can win customers for life.

Your About page can also...

Help You Introduce Your Brand To Your Target Audience

If you have just started or want to strengthen your online presence or create brand awareness, you can use your About page to introduce your business and its offers to your target customers.

Remember, people who have clicked your paid ads and visited your store don't know anything about your business. 

Use your About page to introduce your brand and attract potential suppliers.

The supplier may want to collaborate with other like-minded businesses over the web.

Another use of the About page is that it...

Highlights Technical Details About Your Brand

The About page also allows your company to show what your daily business operations look like. 

You can also include some technical details on your About page to answer the frequently asked questions that your visitors might ask.

Now, let's have a quick look at some About page essentials you can use today to make your brand look the best.

Engage your visitors and turn them into paying customers using the top converting Shopify theme - Debutify.

CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE!

About Us Page Essentials

An Introductory Blurb

Before we talk in detail about this headline, we'd suggest you take a minute or two and check out the About pages of a few random websites working in your niche. 

Sadly, most of them lack the essential pieces of information. 

Ideally, your About page should answer the who, what, why, when, and how of your business. Visitors usually visit your About page to find answers to these basic questions:

  • What do you offer? What's your company's mission?
  • Who are you? Who're the people behind your business?
  • Where is your business located? 
  • When did you launch your company?
  • How does your product work?

You don't really have to write a book to answer these questions.

In fact, a well-written paragraph or a short introductory summary is enough to answer these fundamental questions. 

Relevant Photos And Videos

The About page is the perfect spot where you can showcase your creativity and build a brand image.

The best way to convey your brand's purpose is by demonstrating it with the help of relevant imagery and videos. 

You can embed your latest promo videos or images clicked in your company headquarters to explain to your visitors what your brand is all about. 

If you have just launched your ecommerce store and don't have any images or videos to prove your expertise, you can also include stock photos to add a fun touch to your About page. 

Storied History

Telling your visitors about when and how your company started will leave an ever-lasting impression on them.

It shows your prospects that you're a reputable and reliable company they can trust for their current and future purchases.

You don't really have to go overboard with this section.

Just a brief intro about your history will do.  

People Behind Your Brand

Behind every successful business is a team that devotes its time and energy to make a brand what it is today. 

Including your team on your About page speaks volumes about your professionalism and your attitude towards your employees.

It also lets you show that you're proud of your team and willing to share the limelight with them openly and proudly. 

Partners

Just like your staff, your collaborators also deserve a spot on your About page.

Doing so will improve your business reputation and show how much you value your partners. 

Customer Reviews/Testimonials

Customer testimonials are another critical element you must add to your About page to build trust and boost ecommerce conversions.

You can either display them in the form of quoted text or include links to third-party websites where these reviews are published. 

Achievements

Displaying your accomplishments can be a great way to increase visitors' confidence and trust in your offers. 

Whether it's an industry-specific award or a quality certification, make sure you flaunt it on your About page to distinguish your brand and get an edge over your competitors. 

Contact Details

So you have successfully captured the interest of your visitors through your About page?

What's next?

Contact information is one of the essential elements of your About page that shows the direction to your prospects regarding how they can reach you.

Eight Common About Page Mistakes That Are Killing Conversions

1. Not Having Opt-In Forms

The main goal of your About page is to gain your visitor's attention.

The information given on the About page should be so engaging that it should encourage your prospects to share their personal information with your brand.

Not having an opt-in form on your About page is the biggest blunder that could ruin your chance of having more subscribed visitors to your website.

If you have an opt-in form available on your About page, but you're asking for too much personal information, then it may also cause your visitors to leave your website without taking any action. 

2. Lack Of Clear And Action-Driven CTAs

Another common About page mistake many ecommerce businesses make is they don't provide their visitors a clear guideline about where they should go next to proceed with the process.

Having clear and action-driven CTAs on your About page will improve ecommerce conversions and help your customers move down the funnel without the hassle. 

Here are a few things you should consider when creating CTAs for your About page:

  • Use power words, such as 'Buy,' 'get,' 'Try,' etc.
  • Always craft your copy in the second person
  • Highlight benefits

3. Slow Pages And Poor Mobile Experience

There is no denying that you can use your About page to drive conversions for your e-store, but what if your page takes forever to download?

Or it fails to provide the same experience to your web and mobile users?

Like any other landing page on your website, optimizing your About page for speed is also critical.

Do not add too many heavy elements to your About page.

Even if you're adding videos and images, make sure you use compressed files to save space.

Here are the landing page mistakes you want to avoid.

4. Poorly Written Copy

There is nothing more important for your About page than a well-written, compelling copy. 

The content on your About page should be a perfect mix of your brand story and facts you want to share with your customers. 

A poorly written copy with spelling and grammar errors will reflect the unprofessional image of your business.

And even cause your visitors to leave your store without even exploring other internal pages on your website.

Because this step is so critical, it is a good idea to hire a proficient and experienced copywriter who can help you prepare a perfectly balanced and engaging About page for your brand. 

5. Using Low-Quality Images

The internet is quickly turning into a visual space.

Not having high-quality and relevant images or videos on your About page is another mistake that could impact your chances of having more conversions and sales.

Do not add generic or distracting images, as they can cause more harm than good.

Having one or two relevant HD images is enough to improve ecommerce conversions.

6. You’re Not Linking To Landing Pages

What would you want your visitors to do once they finish reading your About page?

Hit the back button and leave your store. No, right?

You would want them to dig deeper into your pages, know more about your brand, and go down the funnel where they finally turn into paying customers. 

So make sure you include links to your inner landing pages in your About page to help visitors explore and know more about your offers. 

7. Not Leveraging Live Chat

Every landing page on your website should include a live chat option.

And your About page is definitely not an exception.

Modern customers have many questions.

So, if you don't have a live assistance option on your landing pages, your customers might shut your site down even if they have the intention to approach you via email later on (and that happens not too often).

8. Using Multiple Call-To-Actions

About pages are designed to serve a single purpose only - to provide information about your brand to your customers. 

Having too many CTAs on your About page may distract your visitors and even cause them to leave your website without taking any action.

We don't want that to happen.

So, make sure you stick to a single CTA that makes your customer journey clear and intuitive.  

Ricky Hayes
Author

Ricky Hayes

Ricky Hayes is the CEO at Debutify. He is a passionate entrepreneur running multiple businesses, marketing agencies, and mentoring programs.

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