Visitors rarely open an About page out of curiosity. They open it because they are close to a decision and one question is still unanswered: can I trust these people? They are about to pay a stranger, book a visit, hand over an address or wait for a delivery. The About page is where that doubt gets resolved, or where it becomes a reason to leave.
Most About pages miss the chance: a mission statement nobody can check, a long origin story and nothing about what the business does for the reader. Here is how to answer the doubt directly, with an outline you can fill in during an afternoon.
What an About page is really for
Think of your About page as a short conversation with a cautious customer. They are asking four things, usually in this order:
- Who are you? Real people, a real place, a real name.
- What do you do, and for whom? Is this the right kind of business for my problem?
- Why should I believe you? What is the evidence?
- What happens if I go ahead? How do I reach you, and what is the next step?
Everything on the page should serve one of those questions. The first screen should answer the first two on its own, because many visitors never scroll.
It also helps search. Clear, factual statements about who you are and where you work are what people, and the systems that summarise businesses for them, pick up when someone asks about you by name. Our guide to local SEO basics explains why those facts need to match everywhere you appear.
Start with who you help, not your life story
The most common mistake is opening with "Founded in 2009 by two friends who loved coffee." Nothing is wrong with the story, but it does not answer what is in this for me?
Open with one sentence that names the customer and the outcome:
We help families in Chugureti keep their homes dry through winter, with repairs done on the day we say.
Then add a second sentence about how you work, and a line that points to the next step. Compare the two openings:
- Weak: "Welcome to our About page. We are passionate about quality and customer satisfaction."
- Strong: "We repair and restore leather bags in Tbilisi. Most repairs take a week, and you get a quote before we start."
The strong version contains a place, a service, a time and a promise about the quote. A visitor can verify all four, and that is what makes it trustworthy. Save the origin story for lower down, where it adds colour to a page that has already answered the questions.
Show the real people
People trust people. A page with a stock-looking team photo and no names says we are hiding. A page with real faces and one honest line each says the opposite.
- Use real photos. A phone photo of the team at work beats a polished stock image. Take them in daylight, with permission, and keep the same style across the page.
- Give names and roles. First names are enough for most businesses. "Nino, owner and head baker" tells visitors who will answer the phone.
- Add one line that is specific. "Nino has baked since 2011 and trained in Lyon" is more useful than "Nino loves bread."
- Show the place. A photo of the shopfront, studio or van helps people recognise you when they arrive.
If you work alone, say that too. "It is just me, and I answer every message myself" is a strength for the right customer, as long as it is true and you describe how you cover busy weeks.
Prove it with specifics
Claims are cheap. Proof is a fact the visitor could check. Use whichever of these you honestly have:
- Years and volume of work. "Repairing bags since 2011" is better than "experienced." Use only numbers you can back up.
- Named customers or projects, with permission. A short quote with a first name and a town beats an anonymous five stars.
- Process. Three steps, from first message to finished work, show you have done this before.
- Credentials. Licences, registrations, training and memberships, linked to the issuing body where possible.
- Guarantees you actually keep. Spell out what happens if something goes wrong, then link your returns or warranty page.
What to avoid: invented counts, badges you have not earned, and testimonials you wrote yourself. They are easy to spot and cost you the trust you were building. If you have little proof to show, lead with your process and your people, and let honest reviews build up over time. Our reviews guide covers how to ask for them without nagging.
Explain how you work and what you stand for
Values only mean something when they show up as behaviour. "We care about customers" is a slogan. "We reply to every message within one working day and send a quote in writing" is a policy.
Turn each value into something a customer would notice:
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| Quality is our priority | Every repair is checked by a second person before it leaves |
| We are transparent | Prices are listed on the services page, with no extras after the quote |
| We love our community | Ten percent of one day's takings each month goes to the local school |
| Fast and reliable | Most orders ship the next working day, and we show the date at checkout |
Keep it to three to five items. If you cannot make a value concrete, drop it.
Add the facts that settle doubt
Near the bottom of the page, or in a plain box beside it, put the details that let a cautious customer check you exist:
- Business name, and the registered name if it differs
- Address, with a link to a map, and your opening hours
- Email and phone number, written as tappable links
- A short list of the policies people look for: delivery, returns, privacy
- A link to your contact page and your most important service page
When your site, business listing and social profiles show the same name, address and number, nothing looks off. If they differ, fix that first.
Write it so it is easy to read
A trustworthy page is also an easy one.
- Use plain words. Write the way you would speak to a customer across a counter. Avoid "solutions", "synergy" and "passionate".
- Break it up. Short paragraphs, clear headings and one idea per section. Many visitors scan before they read.
- Keep it a sensible length. Between 300 and 700 words is enough for most small businesses. Link to deeper pages for the rest.
- Check it on a phone. Most visitors will see it there. Read the first screen, tap every link and check that the photos do not push your key sentence off the page. Our guide to mobile-first design explains what to look for.
- Preview the share card. When someone sends your About page link to a friend, it appears with a title and picture. Check it with the link preview maker.
A fill-in outline
If you want a quick start, copy this structure and fill each part with true statements about your business:
- Headline: who you help and the outcome, in one line.
- Opening paragraph: what you do, where, and how you work, in two or three sentences.
- Primary button: the next step, such as "Get a quote" or "Book a visit".
- The people: photos, names, roles and one specific line each.
- Proof: years of work, process steps, permission-based quotes, credentials.
- How we work: three to five behaviours customers will notice.
- Your story: a short paragraph on why you do this, kept honest and brief.
- Facts: address, hours, contact details and policy links.
- Closing line and button: repeat the next step.
Mistakes that cost trust
- Opening with a mission statement instead of a customer and an outcome.
- Using stock photos of "the team" or an unnamed smiling person.
- Showing awards or badges that are not yours.
- Writing "we" for a business that is one person, or "I" for a business of twelve.
- Hiding contact details on a different page with no link.
- Leaving outdated details: a former colleague, an old address or last year's hours.
- Slow or broken pages. A page that takes five seconds to appear makes the story irrelevant. Our homepage mistakes guide shows what else to check.
If you want a page like this built for you, Belmo Studio makes websites for local businesses and shows you a free preview first.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an About page be?
Between 300 and 700 words suits most small businesses. Aim to answer who you are, what you do, why you can be trusted and how to reach you, then link to deeper pages for detail. If a section does not help a customer decide, cut it.
Should I write in the first person or the third?
Use "we" or "I", matching the real size of your business. First person sounds more human and is easier to read. Third person can feel distant, so reserve it for formal settings such as a press page.
Do I need photos of myself and my team?
Real photos help more than almost anything else on the page. They show that real people stand behind the business. If someone prefers not to appear, use a photo of their hands at work, or the workspace, and still give a name and role.
What if I have no reviews or awards to show?
Show what you do have: your process, your experience, the work itself and a clear way to reach you. Ask your happiest customers for a short comment, with permission to publish it. Do not invent proof; it is easy to spot and hard to recover from.
Should the About page include a call to action?
Yes. A visitor who has just decided to trust you needs a next step. Place one clear button near the top and repeat it at the end, using wording such as "Get a quote" or "Book a visit".
How often should I update it?
Review it every season and whenever something changes: staff, address, hours, services or credentials. An outdated About page does more harm than a short one, because it suggests the business is not paying attention.