After the homepage, the About page is often the next place people go. They want to know who is behind the business, and whether they would be comfortable letting you into their home or trusting you with their money.
Most owners find it the hardest page to write. It feels like bragging. It doesn't have to be: a good About page is mostly a short, honest story.
- Write about your customers' worries as much as about yourself.
- Use a simple structure: who, why, how, proof.
- Add a real photo of you or your team.
- End with an easy next step.
A simple structure that works
You don't need to be a writer. Answer these four questions in a few sentences each, and you'll have a good About page.
The order matters. People decide quickly whether they feel comfortable with you, so lead with who you are, then explain why and how you work, and finish with proof. Each answer can be just two or three sentences. Short and genuine beats long and polished.
Who are you?
Your name, your role and how long you've been doing this. Keep it human.
For example: "I'm Maria, and I've run this bakery with my sister since 2014."
Why do you do it?
The reason you started, or what you care about in your work.
For example: "We wanted the kind of bread our grandmother used to make."
How do you work?
What a customer can expect: how you quote, who shows up, how you treat their home.
For example: "I walk every job myself and give you an itemized price."
Why trust you?
Proof, not adjectives: years in business, licenses, reviews, the area you serve.
For example: "Licensed and insured, serving Katy and Cypress since 2016."
Write about your customers, too
The best About pages talk about the customer as much as the owner. Think about what worries people before they hire someone like you, and answer it. A painter might mention protecting furniture. An insurance agent might mention explaining things in plain words.
A simple way to find these worries is to think about the questions people ask on the first call. "Will you protect my floors?" "Who will actually be in my house?" "Do I have to understand insurance jargon?" Every one of those questions is a sentence your About page can answer before anyone has to ask.
- "We've painted over 400 homes in Cypress."
- "My dad started this business and I still use his ladder."
- "You'll always talk to me, not a call center."
- "We are committed to excellence."
- "Customer satisfaction is our top priority."
- "A leading provider of quality solutions."
Add a real photo
A photo of you, your team or your truck does more than any paragraph. It doesn't need to be professional. A friendly, well-lit photo taken with a phone is enough, as long as it's really you.
If you have a team, show them. Customers like knowing who will show up at their door, and a group photo in front of your truck or shop says "real business" instantly. Update it when people join or leave, so the faces customers meet match the ones on your website.
End with a next step
Someone who reads your About page to the end is interested. Don't leave them hanging: finish with a short invitation to call, ask for a quote or see your work.
Keep it to one clear action, the same one you use on the rest of your website. A short line like "Want to see if we're a good fit? Book a free estimate" turns a page about you into the first step of working together.
How long should it be?
Long enough to answer the four questions, short enough to read on a phone in a minute or two. For most small businesses that means three to six short paragraphs, a photo and a few facts.
If you have more to say, like a family history or a story about how you started, that's fine. Just keep the most important part, who you are and why people can trust you, near the top. Many visitors will only read the first screen.
Common mistakes
Most weak About pages fail in one of a few predictable ways. They're easy to spot once you know what to look for.
The good news is that all of these are easy to fix once you see them. Read your About page with one question in mind: would a nervous first-time customer feel more comfortable after reading this? If the answer is no, the cards below show where to start.
It's all about the company, never the customer
A list of achievements tells people what you think of yourself, not what it's like to work with you.
Instead: Mention what customers can expect, and the worries you take off their plate.
It sounds like a brochure
Words like "solutions", "excellence" and "leading" make every business sound the same.
Instead: Write it the way you'd explain your business to a neighbor.
There's no person behind it
A business with no names and no faces feels anonymous, especially for jobs in someone's home.
Instead: Your name, your photo, and the names of the people customers will meet.
It never changes
"We have 10 years of experience" written in 2018 is now wrong.
Instead: Use the year you started instead, and check the page once a year.
Where to use it beyond your website
Once you have a good About page, reuse it. A shorter version works for your Google Business Profile description, your Facebook "About" section and your quotes or proposals. Keeping the same story everywhere helps people recognize you.
Over time, small differences creep in: a different founding year here, an old team photo there. Every year or so, read the versions side by side and bring them back in line. Consistency is quietly reassuring, both to customers and to Google.
