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What to Put on Your About Page So It Actually Wins Clients
What to put on an About page so it actually wins clients: the right order to build trust, what to cut, and two quick tests to see if yours is working.
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Your About page should build trust in a set order. Open with the reader and their situation, say what you believe, tell the real story rather than your CV, show proof close to that story, explain how you work, and finish with one clear next step. It is a trust page, not a history page.
Have a look at your analytics. I will bet money the About page is in your top three most visited pages.
Now have a look at what is actually on it.
Probably a paragraph that starts with "Founded in 2016..." A bit about your qualifications. Something about being passionate. Maybe a photo of you from four years ago squinting into the sun.
Here is the problem. Everybody visits the About page, and almost nobody writes it for the person visiting. It gets written for the founder, by the founder, in a rush, at the end of the website project when everyone is tired.
And that matters more than you think, because the people landing on your About page are the ones closest to enquiring. They liked what they read on the homepage. Now they want to know if they can trust you with something that matters. What you put on an about page decides whether that trust lands or leaks away.
Why people go to your About page in the first place
Nobody visits an About page because they are curious about your company history. They visit for one reason: to work out whether you are the real deal.
They are asking three things without realising it. Do these people understand my situation? Have they done this before, for someone like me? Am I going to feel like an idiot on the first call?
That last one is bigger than people admit. Especially for established business owners who are quietly embarrassed that their brand does not match their level. They are looking for evidence that you will not make them feel judged.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Most About pages answer a question nobody asked: "who are we?" The page that wins clients answers a different one: "why should I trust you with this?" Same information, completely different order and emphasis.
What to put on an about page, in order
Here is the structure I use on every About page I write. It works because it leads with them and earns the right to talk about you.
Open with them, not you
Your first line should describe the person reading it, not your founding date. Something like: "You are good at what you do. The problem is that your website makes you look like you are still starting out."
If they see themselves in the first two lines, they keep reading. If they see a company timeline, they scroll or leave.
Say what you believe
This is the part that separates you from the other six people they are considering. Not what you do, what you think. A point of view someone could disagree with.
Mine is that most businesses do not have a website problem, they have a perception problem: a gap between how good they are and how good they look. That belief tells you instantly whether I am your kind of person. It also filters out the people who just want someone to make it pretty, which is exactly what a good About page should do.
Tell the real story, not the CV
A story has a turning point. A CV has a list.
"Eight years in a sign shop, then nearly seven running ads for a university, then made redundant and treated it as a gift" is a story. "Experienced marketing professional with a background in design and digital advertising" is a list. Same facts. One makes you a person, the other makes you a LinkedIn profile.
Include the bit that is slightly awkward. The thing that did not go to plan. That is where trust actually gets built, because it is the part nobody makes up.
Show proof close to the story
Right after you have been human, be credible. Named clients. Specific outcomes. A line from a client in their own words. Not "we have helped hundreds of businesses" but "Beneath the Palms Midwifery was booked out for the rest of the year and added two new services."
Link out to your case studies so the people who want more detail can go and get it without you cluttering the page.
Explain how you work
People are not just buying the outcome, they are buying the experience of getting there. A short, plain description of your process removes the fear of the unknown. Three or four steps, no jargon, no framework names that mean nothing to an outsider.
Be a human being on the page
A real, current photo of you. Not a stock photo of a team high-fiving. Where you are based. One or two things that are true about you outside work. This sounds soft and it is the thing people mention most on discovery calls.
Finish with one clear next step
The About page is the last stop before an enquiry for a lot of people. Do not let it be a dead-end. One button, one action, right at the bottom.
Not sure what your website is actually costing you?
Four Questions. Two minutes
What to leave off
Just as important. Cut the mission and vision statements that could belong to any business. Cut "we are passionate about delivering excellence." Cut the wall of logos of software you use. Cut the timeline of your company milestones, which is interesting to exactly one person and it is you.
If a sentence would still be true for your competitor, it is doing no work. Delete it.
What should you put on an about page?
Open by describing the reader and their problem, not your history. Then share what you believe, the real story behind why you do this, specific client results, and a plain explanation of how you work. Add a current photo and one clear next step. Leave out generic mission statements and anything a competitor could also say.
How to tell if your About page is pulling its weight
Two quick tests.
First, the competitor test. Copy your About page text into a document and swap your business name for a competitor's. If it still reads fine, your page is saying nothing.
Second, the first-line test. Read only the first two sentences out loud. Would the person you most want to work with feel like it was written for them? If it starts with your founding year, the answer is no.
If both tests fail, the About page is not your only problem, it is a symptom. Usually the whole site is speaking about the business rather than to the client, which is exactly what a brand & web audit is built to find. Related reading: when your website no longer matches how good you've become.
Your About page is a trust page, not a history page
The businesses winning the work you want are not necessarily better than you. They are just easier to believe. Their About page does the quiet work of removing doubt before anyone gets on a call.
Yours can do the same. Lead with the reader, say something you actually believe, tell the real story, show the proof, and make the next step obvious. That is it. No clever copywriting required, just the discipline to stop writing about yourself and start writing for the person deciding whether to trust you.
How long should an About page be?
Long enough to build trust and no longer, usually 500 to 900 words for a service business. Length matters less than order. Lead with the reader, then your belief, story, proof and process. If a section could be cut without losing trust, cut it.
Should I write my About page in first person or third person?
First person for solo consultants and small teams. It reads like a real human and matches the conversation a client will have with you. Third person can suit larger firms, but it creates distance. If in doubt, write the way you would speak on a discovery call.
Do I need a professional photo on my About page?
Yes, and it needs to be current. A recent, well lit photo of you is one of the strongest trust signals on the page. Avoid stock imagery of generic teams. People are deciding whether they want to work with you personally, so let them see you.
