Your About Page Gets More Traffic Than You Think
People land on your about page all the time. A customer finds you through Google, reads a service page, then clicks 'About Us' before deciding whether to call. A potential vendor wants to know if you're legit. Someone's thinking about hiring you and needs to feel like they know who they're working with.
Most small business owners spend 20 minutes on their about page and move on. That's a mistake. This page is where skeptical visitors decide if you're worth their money.
The good news: you don't need corporate copywriting skills. You need honesty and specificity. That's it.
Start With Your Real Story, Not Your Mission Statement
Skip the polished narrative. People can smell that from a mile away. Instead, tell them why you started the business in the first place. Was it frustration? Necessity? A skill you couldn't not share?
Let's say you run a plumbing business. Don't write: 'We provide premium plumbing solutions to residential and commercial clients.' Write something closer to: 'My dad was a plumber and dragged me into jobs on Saturdays when I was twelve. I hated it. Twenty years later, I realized he taught me something valuable: when you show up on time, fix it right the first time, and treat someone's home with respect, you build a business that doesn't need marketing.'
That second version tells a customer what they actually need to know. It shows you understand the work. It hints at your values without listing them.
What made you start your business? Write that down in two or three sentences. Then ask yourself: what about that reason still drives what you do today? That's your about page opening.
Show What Makes You Different (Concretely)
Every business owner thinks they're different. Most about pages prove it by listing credentials or claiming to be 'customer-focused.' Nobody believes that anymore.
Instead, show the difference through specifics. If you're a restaurant owner, don't say your food is 'authentic.' Say: 'We close every Sunday to restock from three farms within five miles. Most restaurants can't do that. We can, and it's why our specials actually taste different week to week.'
If you run an HVAC company, don't claim to be 'the most reliable.' Say: 'We don't hire seasonal workers. Every technician has been with us at least three years. That means the person who installs your system in October is the same person who'll service it in July if something goes wrong.'
What can your business do that your competitors either won't do or can't do? Write that down. One or two concrete examples is enough. If you have actual numbers, use them. 'We've installed 240 systems in this zip code since 2015' beats 'serving the community for nearly a decade.'
Add Photos of Real People and Real Work
Your customers are buying from humans, not logos. A photo of you (or your team) doing actual work matters more than you'd think.
This doesn't mean professional headshots or studio lighting. It means real photos. You at a job site. Your team in the shop. You with a customer (with permission). These don't have to be polished. They have to be genuine.
Skip the stock photos entirely. You've seen them: the impossibly attractive person in business casual smiling at a laptop. Your customers have seen them too, on 50 other websites. They make you look like every other business trying to hide something.
Include a photo of each team member if you have one. Write their name and one sentence about why they matter. 'Sarah handles scheduling and knows your preferences better than you do.' 'Mike's been fixing these systems since before they were called smart homes.' That's enough. Real context beats manufactured warmth.
Include Credentials That Actually Matter
If you're licensed or certified, mention it. If you're bonded, say so. If you've won an award, include it. But frame these things in customer language, not credential language.
Wrong: 'EPA Section 608 Type I, II, and III Certified.' Right: 'EPA certified for all refrigeration work, meaning we handle hazardous materials safely and legally on every job.'
How many customers know what Section 608 means? Zero. How many customers care that you won't poison their family or face legal trouble? All of them.
List your licenses and memberships only if they answer this question: 'Does this make me more trustworthy?' If the answer is yes, include it. If you're including it because it sounds impressive, cut it.
What to Delete From Your About Page
Corporate jargon has no place here. Neither do stock photos or vague claims about excellence. Cut anything that could be copy-pasted onto a competitor's website and still make sense.
Your values statement probably needs to go. Most values statements ('integrity, quality, innovation') read like someone generated them with a business Mad Libs template. If you actually have values that shape your work, show them through your story and decisions instead of listing them.
Long paragraphs don't work. People skim about pages. Keep sentences short. Use line breaks. Make it readable on a phone. If you want to see what actually works, check out examples of websites that convert.
One last thing: update your about page once a year. As your business changes, your story should reflect that. New team member? Add them. Moved to a new location? Update it. Stopped doing something you used to do? Say so. An about page that feels stale signals a stale business.
If you haven't built a website yet or your current one doesn't showcase your story properly, that's worth fixing sooner rather than later. OutsourceIQ can set up a site with a real about page template for $99 a month, no upfront cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should my about page be?
250 to 400 words is ideal. Long enough to tell your story, short enough that people actually read it. Three or four short paragraphs beats one wall of text.
Should I mention my competitors on my about page?
No. Focus on what you do and why you do it. If your difference is obvious from your story, you don't need to name-drop competitors.
What if my business partner and I have different stories?
Tell both. 'Sarah comes from construction management. Tom's been in the trade since high school.' Brief, different backgrounds, and it reinforces that you have real experience covered from multiple angles.
Can my about page be funny?
Yes, if humor is part of how you actually talk to customers. Don't force jokes. But if you naturally have a dry sense of humor or run a casual business, that should show in your writing.