The About page is the second or third most visited page on most small business websites. People go there specifically because they want to understand who they're dealing with before they make a call or fill out a contact form. And most About pages waste that moment completely.
The problem with most About pages
The typical small business About page either says too little ("We are a family-owned business dedicated to quality service") or too much (a rambling company history that starts in 1987 and works chronologically to the present). Neither version gives visitors what they actually came for.
What someone visiting your About page really wants to know is: Can I trust this person or business with my problem? That's the real question. Everything on the page should answer it.
What actually belongs on an About page
Who you are, in plain language
Not your mission statement. Not "a team of passionate professionals." Actual information: who runs this business, what their background is, and why they specifically are equipped to help. If it's a solo operation, say so. That's often a trust signal, not a weakness — it means the person you contact is the person doing the work.
Why you do this
The most compelling About pages include a real reason. Not "we love helping customers" but a specific moment, observation, or gap that explains why this business exists. For immigrant-owned businesses, local community shops, or service businesses started out of genuine experience with a problem — that story is exactly what builds trust with the right customers.
You don't need to write a novel. Two or three sentences that are specific and true work better than a paragraph of generic language.
Something real and verifiable
Years in business. Number of clients served. A specific location. A real photo. Any of these make the page feel like a real business rather than a website template. Vague claims ("decades of experience," "hundreds of satisfied clients") without specifics don't build trust the way real numbers do.
A next step
Your About page should end with something actionable. A link to your contact page, your services, or an application. The visitor came to evaluate you — give them a clear path to take the next step once they've decided you're trustworthy.
What to leave out
Leave out anything that's about you internally rather than relevant to the customer. Your complete business history, every certification you've ever earned, your entire staff's LinkedIn bios — unless it directly helps someone decide whether to work with you, it's clutter. Every sentence on an About page should earn its place by answering the visitor's real question: can I trust this?
A simple structure that works
If you're starting from scratch, here's a structure that works for most small businesses:
- One sentence that states who you are and what you do — immediate orientation for anyone landing on the page
- Two or three sentences on your background — relevant experience, credentials, or the story behind why you started
- One or two sentences on why you do it — the real reason, specific to your situation
- Something real and verifiable — a number, a location, a photo
- A clear next step — contact link, services page, or application
That's it. A good About page doesn't need to be long. It needs to be honest, specific, and useful.
One last thing
Read your current About page out loud. If it sounds like something that could apply to any business in your industry, rewrite it. The goal is to write something that only you could have written — because only you have your specific background, your specific reason for starting, your specific situation. That specificity is what actually builds trust.