When someone is deciding whether to hire a local business, the About page is often where they go to find out who they would actually be dealing with. It is rarely the page people land on first, but it is frequently the page they check right before they get in touch. That makes it one of the most valuable pages on a small business website, and one of the most commonly wasted.
Many About pages read like a company brochure: a paragraph about being passionate, a list of values that could belong to any business, and a stock phrase about quality service. Visitors skim it and leave without learning anything. A better About page answers a few simple questions honestly and then makes the next step easy.
Remember who the page is really for
The page is called "About", but the reader is not there to hear your life story. They are there to decide whether you are the right fit for their problem. Every section should quietly answer the question, "Can I trust these people with this job?" You can still talk about yourself, your history, and your team. The trick is to choose the details that help a customer feel confident, and to frame them in terms of what that means for the person reading.
Start with a clear opening statement
Open with one or two sentences that say what you do, who you do it for, and where you are based. A visitor who arrives from a search result or a social media profile may not have seen your home page, so do not assume they know. A line like "We are a family-run roofing company serving Halifax and the surrounding communities" does more work than three paragraphs of general enthusiasm. If you serve a specific area, name it. Local readers want to see that you are genuinely part of their community.
Tell the real story, briefly
Most small businesses have a genuine reason they exist. Maybe you spent years working for someone else and saw a better way to do the job. Maybe you grew up in the trade, or moved to Nova Scotia and noticed a gap. A short, honest origin story gives the reader something to remember and sets you apart from competitors who all say they care about quality.
Keep it concrete and short. A few sentences are usually enough. Avoid dramatic claims you cannot back up, and skip the long timeline unless it genuinely helps the reader. If your story is not especially unusual, that is fine. A plain, truthful description of how you got started is more believable than a polished one.
Show the people behind the business
People prefer to hire people. A page that shows who answers the phone, who turns up at the job, or who designs the product builds familiarity before the first conversation. Include real photos of your team and your work, since generic imagery does little to build confidence. If you are not sure about the difference real photography can make, our post on original photos versus stock photos covers it in more detail.
Add a name, a role, and one line about each person that is relevant to the customer, such as years in the field, a specialty, or a certification they hold. If you are a one-person business, say so proudly. Many customers actively prefer working directly with the owner.
Back up your claims with evidence you actually have
Trust grows when claims are specific and checkable. Instead of "we deliver exceptional results", describe how you work: how quickly you reply to enquiries, how you quote, what a customer can expect at each stage. If you hold a licence, insurance, a professional membership, or a trade certification, say so and name it. Only include credentials you genuinely hold, and keep them current.
Customer reviews can also help, but they should be real and attributable. Link to or quote reviews that exist on your Google Business Profile or another public place, rather than writing testimonials yourself. If you do not yet have many reviews, our guide to getting more Google reviews is a good place to start.
Explain what you stand for in plain language
Values statements are only useful if they describe something the customer will actually notice. "Integrity" on its own means little. "We give you a written quote before any work begins and call you if anything changes" is a value expressed as behaviour. Pick two or three things that genuinely guide how you work, and describe each in a sentence or two of ordinary language.
Write the way you would speak to a customer
The tone of your About page should match the way you talk to customers in person. If you are friendly and direct on the phone, the page should be too. Use "we" or "I" naturally, keep sentences short, and avoid jargon. Read the page aloud when you finish. Anything that sounds stiff or like marketing copy is worth rewriting. Our guide to website copywriting tips goes deeper on this.
Finish with a clear next step
The end of an About page is a moment of high interest, so do not leave it as a dead end. Add a short sentence inviting the reader to get in touch, and a button or link to your contact page. Make sure your phone number, email, and service area are easy to find. A reader who has just learned about you is more likely to enquire than someone who has only skimmed a services list.
Common About page mistakes to avoid
A few patterns appear again and again on small business sites. The first is writing entirely about the business without ever mentioning the customer. The second is using vague superlatives like "best", "leading", or "premier" without evidence. The third is hiding the page: if it is buried deep in a menu or called something clever like "Our Journey", visitors may never find it. Keep the label simple and place it in the main navigation. The last is letting the page go stale. If your team, services, or story has changed, update it. An About page mentioning staff who left years ago quietly undermines trust.
A simple structure you can follow
If you are starting from a blank page, a straightforward order works well for most businesses: an opening statement, a short origin story, the people, how you work, credentials and proof, and a closing invitation to get in touch. Add photos throughout rather than saving them for one block at the bottom. This structure is easy to scan on a phone, where most visitors will read it.
If you would like a second opinion on how your About page reads, or want help planning a website where every page earns its place, you are welcome to get in touch for a free conversation.
