The best About pages answer three questions fast: who are you, what do you do for people like me, and why should I trust you with my money? Below are the patterns that work, a template you can fill in this afternoon, and the mistakes we see on small business sites every week.
Most owners treat the About page as an afterthought. It gets written in a rush, usually starting with “Founded in 2009…”, and then forgotten. Yet it is often the page a nervous buyer checks before they pick up the phone.
TL;DR
- Lead with what you do, who for and where, in two sentences at the top. Visitors skim, so the basics must come first.
- Use real photos of you and your team, plus one or two pieces of proof such as reviews, accreditations or years trading.
- Tell a short story with a reason behind it, not a company timeline.
- End with one calm next step, like “Get in touch”, not a hard sell.
- Keep legal footers and contact boilerplate out of the story. They belong in the footer.
Table of Contents
- What an About page is really for
- What to include, in the order it matters
- Three About page patterns that work
- About us page ideas that make it feel real
- An About page template you can fill in
- What to leave off
- Mistakes we see most often
- Perspective: why we think your About page is a business tool
- Want a hand getting it right?
- A quick checklist before you publish
- FAQ
- Sources
What an About page is really for
Think of it as the page where a visitor decides whether you are a real, reliable person or just another website. Nielsen Norman Group’s usability research found that people skim top-level pages and only engage more deeply once they have decided an organisation is worth their effort. Their advice is to answer the foundational questions briefly and prominently at the top of the page.
That changes how you write it. The page is not a biography. It is a short, honest answer to “can I trust these people?”, with enough personality that someone can picture working with you.
It also does a different job from a service page. A service page sells a thing. The About page sells the people behind the thing. If you want to see how the two fit together, our guide to what a good small business website looks like walks through the whole site.
What to include, in the order it matters
There is no single correct layout, but this order works for nearly every small business we speak to.
1. A plain summary at the top
Two sentences: what you do, who you do it for, where. “We repair and service boilers for homes across Chesterfield and north Derbyshire” beats “Passionate about excellence since day one” every time. A good mission line explains what you do, who the customer is and why you do it. Keep it to one or two sentences so a visitor can tell quickly whether you are right for them.
2. The reason you started
One short paragraph on why the business exists. What annoyed you about how things were done? What did you see customers put up with? This is where the human part lives, and it is the part people remember.
3. Faces and names
Show the owner and, if you have one, the team. First names, a job title and one line each about what they do or what they are like to work with. Real photographs matter here. Generic stock images are an obvious signal that nobody wants to be seen. If you are not sure how to get good ones, we wrote about why professional photography matters for websites.
4. Proof
A few reviews, accreditations, trade body memberships, awards or press mentions. Keep it to what is true and checkable. Three genuine customer comments are worth more than a page of adjectives.
5. How you work
Short and practical: what happens after someone gets in touch, how quickly you reply, what a first job looks like. Being open about how the business runs, including how you charge, reassures new customers because it removes the fear of surprises.
6. One next step
A button or line that says “Get in touch” or “Book a call”, with a phone number or form close by. Do not shout. Your visitor has just read about you and is deciding, so make the next move easy and low pressure. For more ideas on wording, see our website call-to-action examples.
Three About page patterns that work
The patterns below describe approaches, not rules. Pick the one that matches how your customers buy.
The founder letter
The page is written in the first person, like a note to a friend. It suits sole traders, consultants, makers and any business where the customer is really buying you. It works because it sounds like a person speaking, and it makes writing easier because you simply say what you would say across a table.
A quick sketch of how one might open, using an invented tradesperson: “I’m Dan. I started fixing roofs in Matlock after watching a neighbour wait three weeks for a quote that never came. So now I reply the same day, even if it’s only to say when I can visit.” Notice there is a place, a reason and a promise, all in about forty words.
The mission-led brand page
Some businesses are built around a cause, and the page says so. Yellow Leaf Hammocks, for instance, tells visitors that its hammocks are made to empower artisan mums to build a brighter future, and the founders, Joe and Rachel, are named as having started it in 2011. The lesson for a small business: if you have a genuine reason beyond profit, state it plainly and tie it to what the customer is buying. If you do not have one, do not invent one. Honest and practical beats grand and hollow.
The portfolio-first page
Creative and design businesses often let the work do the talking. Eight Hour Day, a studio whose portfolio covers packaging, murals, illustration, branding and signage, keeps the words minimal and the path to getting in touch short. This suits anyone whose proof is visual: photographers, joiners, landscapers, designers. The trick is to add a few lines about who you are, so the work has a face attached.
About us page ideas that make it feel real
If your draft feels flat, try one or two of these.
- Show the workspace. A photo of your van, workshop, desk or the pub where you hold meetings. It proves you are a real business in a real place.
- Pair a quote with a face. A short line from the founder next to a proper photo humanises the story better than any paragraph.
- Keep the timeline short. If you use one, limit it to milestones your customer cares about, such as the year you opened, the year you moved to bigger premises, the day you hit a hundred customers. Skip the rest.
- Mention the obstacle. One honest sentence about something that went wrong and what you changed shows maturity. People trust businesses that admit mistakes.
- Name the area you serve. For local firms this helps customers and search engines at the same time. “Based in Belper, working across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire” tells both what they need to know.
- Add a fun fact. A dog in the office, a favourite biscuit, a hobby. Small, harmless, memorable.
- Make it easy to read on a phone. Short paragraphs, clear subheadings, images that load quickly. Most visitors will see it on a small screen. If your page crawls, our piece on page speed and conversions explains why that costs you enquiries.
An About page template you can fill in
Copy this skeleton and replace each line with your own details. It will take about an hour.
| Section | What to write | Rough length |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | What you do, for whom, where | One line |
| Summary | Two sentences expanding the headline | 30 to 50 words |
| Our story | Why you started, what you saw wrong, what you do differently | 100 to 150 words |
| Who you will meet | Photo, first name, role and one human detail for each person | 30 words each |
| How we work | What happens after someone contacts you | 80 to 120 words |
| Proof | Two or three reviews, accreditations, years trading | A few lines |
| Next step | One button and a phone number | One line |
Write the story section first, because it is the hardest and the rest follows. Then write the summary last, once you know what the page actually says. Read it aloud. If you would not say a sentence to a customer in your kitchen, cut it.
A worked example
Here is a fictional plumber’s page assembled from the template, to show the shape:
Family-run plumbing and heating for homes in Sheffield and Rotherham. We fix leaks, service boilers and fit new bathrooms, and we turn up when we say we will.
Priya started the business after ten years working for a large firm where customers were passed between call handlers. Now she and her two engineers, Tom and Callum, answer their own phones.
[Photo of the three of them by the van] [Three short customer comments] [Gas Safe registration number] “Get in touch for a free quote.”
It is short, specific and clearly written by people. The names and details are invented for illustration, but the structure is the point.
What to leave off
Some content weakens the page, however well meant.
- Company boilerplate. “We are a leading provider of innovative solutions” says nothing. Delete it.
- A full history. The customer wants your story, not your archive. Tell the journey and the obstacles you overcame, not every date.
- Legal and contact boilerplate. Company registration details, privacy policy links and similar notices belong in the footer, where people expect to find them. Leave the About page for the story.
- Hard selling. An About page is about who you are. Aggressive calls like “BUY NOW” feel out of place. A gentle “Get in touch” does the job.
- Stock photos of handshakes. Use the real thing, even if it is a phone photo in good light.
- Long blocks of text. Break it up with subheadings and images so people can skim.
Mistakes we see most often
- Writing about yourself, not the customer. Every paragraph should connect back to a problem the visitor has.
- Hiding the owner. If you run a small firm, your face is your biggest asset. Put it up.
- No proof. Claims without reviews, accreditations or examples are just claims.
- No next step. The visitor finishes reading and has nowhere to go. Add the button.
- Letting it go stale. If your About page mentions a team member who left two years ago, it undermines everything else. Check it twice a year.
Perspective: why we think your About page is a business tool
We build websites for small business owners every week, and the About page is the one almost everybody apologises for. “I hate writing about myself,” people tell us. We get it. Nobody enjoys it.
But here is what we see. When someone lands on your homepage, they are checking you out. When they click About, they are nearly ready to call. That page is doing real work, and a vague one costs you enquiries you will never know you lost.
Our advice is simple. Write it like you speak. Use real photos. Say where you are based. For us that is Derbyshire, and being a local team who can sit down with you in person is part of why clients stay. Then make the next step obvious.
We also think the About page should never be a one-off job. As your business grows, the page should change with it, and that is why our plans include unlimited content changes. Updating a team photo or adding a new review should take minutes, not an invoice.
Chris
Want a hand getting it right?
If you would rather have the page designed, written into a site that works on mobile and kept up to date for you, that is what we do. Our web design plans start at £120 a month for Starter, with Growth at £170 a month and Smart at £560 a month, and each includes the About page alongside the rest of your site. If you want the wider picture first, our guide to homepage hero design patterns shows how the first screen and your About page support each other.
A quick checklist before you publish
- Does the first screen say what you do, for whom and where?
- Is there a real photo of you or your team?
- Can a visitor find at least two pieces of proof?
- Is the story under 200 words and written in plain English?
- Is there one clear next step?
- Does it read well on a phone?
- Are legal details in the footer rather than the story?
If you can tick all seven, you are ahead of most competitors’ pages already.
FAQ
How long should an About page be?
As long as it takes to answer the key questions and no longer. For most small businesses that is 300 to 500 words, broken up with photos and subheadings. Put the summary first so skimmers get the answer straight away.
Should I write in the first person or the third person?
For small businesses, first person usually sounds warmer and more honest. “I” suits a sole trader and “we” suits a team. Third person can feel stiff, as if someone else is describing you, so use it only if your sector expects a formal tone.
Do I need photos of the team?
Yes, if you can. Real photos of you, your team and your workplace build trust faster than generic images, because they show a visitor that actual people stand behind the business. A decent phone photo in natural light is a good start, and professional shots are worth it when you can.
What should I put on an About page if I am a sole trader?
You. Say who you are, what got you into the work, how long you have been doing it and what customers can expect. Add your area, any accreditations and a few reviews. A sole trader’s page works well as a short founder letter.
How often should I update it?
Check it at least twice a year. Update photos when your team changes, add new reviews and accreditations, and refresh any facts that have moved on. A small tweak keeps it accurate and shows the business is active.
Sources
- Great Summaries on ‘About Us’ Pages Engage Users and Build Credibility, Nielsen Norman Group
- Yellow Leaf Hammocks
- Eight Hour Day
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