It’s as true of medical websites as it is of fashion blogs and news outlets—one of the first places a new visitor will look for information on your site is your About page. People who come to your website are potential future patients, and your About page is where they’ll go to find out who you are, where you are, what your doctors are like. Then, they’ll use that information to determine whether or not they will come to your practice. How can you draw them to your office before they click away? What information should your About page include? What matters most?

Here are some tips to get you started on the path of a winning practice About page!

Approach: Know Your Audience(s)

Not everyone who comes to your website is alike. Some are completely new to your practice; some are existing patients; some are your employees. By understanding what each of these audiences is after, you will become better able to meet their needs. Take time to outline who it is you’re trying to reach with your website and what your goals are for them (example: you might want new visitors to call or to schedule an appointment)—this will guide your website approach. When you know what you’re aiming for, it’s easier to hit it.

Content: Answer Questions

Whoever the visitor, he or she probably wants to know something about you and/or what you do. Use your About page to give answers. If you’re not sure where to start, think through these typical questions that new or existing patients might have:

• Who are you?
• What do you do?
• When did you start?
• Where are you located?
• Why should someone come to your practice?
• What do you offer?

In addition to answering these questions, anything that will enrich visitors’ understanding of your practice is helpful.

Style: Be Concise

A strong About page will be concise—usually between one and two paragraphs, says Six Revisions.–in order to grab readers’ attention quickly. When you drone on and on about nuanced details of your practice history or perspectives, you’ll lose readers. Instead, start with the most important, attention-grabbing information first and work your way down to the more detailed, specific info that many readers will find less interesting—and keep it brief. Likewise, make it easy for readers to scan your content and still come away with a sense of your main message.

Value: Tell the Truth

Don’t oversell your strengths in a way that will seem disingenuous. Stay away from superlatives, exaggerations and sweeping statements, and opt instead for objective facts, statistics and truth. Whether you’re just starting out or are fairly established, there’s always a temptation to want to make your practice seem bigger and more successful than it is, but try to resist it.  Show your readers who you really are and let them come to you with expectations you can make good on.

Based on these tips, how’s your practice’s About page looking? Could a few simple changes help you turn new readers into new patients?