How to Write an About Us Page That Visitors Trust

What an About Us page is for

An About Us page answers one question for a stranger: can I trust this business with my problem? This guide shows what to put on it, in what order, and what to leave out.

An About Us page should say who runs the business, what it does, who it is for, why it exists and how to reach it, in plain words. Add real names, photographs and evidence a visitor can check, then finish with one next step. Leave out slogans and claims you cannot back up. Most good pages take a couple of minutes to read.

An About Us page exists to reduce doubt. A visitor who is ready to call, send an enquiry or pay often opens it first, to check that the business is real, that it does what the visitor needs and that there are people behind it. It is not a company diary, and it is not the place for your whole history.

Visitors usually arrive with a few questions, spoken or not.

• Is this a real business, and where is it?
• Does it do what I need, for people like me?
• Who will I be dealing with?
• Is there any proof I can check?
• How do I get in touch?

Build the page around those answers. Google's guidance on people-first content points the same way. It asks whether a reader can learn who is behind the content, and it names a site's About page as one place to find background on the site. Treat that as a reason to be clear and honest, not as a search trick.

What should an About Us page include?

Six elements cover most small business sites. Use them in this order and drop any that do not apply.

A plain opening line

Say what the business does, for whom and where, in one or two sentences, before any story. A stranger who reads only that line should be able to say what you sell. "A two-person firm that repairs home appliances for households nearby" does the job. "We deliver best-in-class solutions" does not.

Why the business exists

Give the reason in a few specific sentences: the problem you noticed, what you did about it and what you learned. Specific details make it believable, such as the kind of customer who came first or the thing other suppliers got wrong. Skip the childhood and the full career unless they bear on the work. If the honest story is that you saw demand and started, say that.

What you do, and what you do not

Summarise the main services or products in plain terms and link to their pages. Add the limits where they help the reader, such as the kinds of job you do not take or the areas you do not cover. This saves both sides time and makes the rest of the page easier to believe.

The people

Name the founders and the people customers will meet. Give each person's role and one line of background that matters to the work, such as training, a trade or a past job. A small business may need only two or three entries. A larger one can show its leaders and link to a separate team page.

Proof a visitor can check

Use evidence that someone could verify: named customers who have agreed to be mentioned, photographs of real work, registrations or memberships you actually hold, a street address and the details buyers in your trade expect to see. If you have no proof yet, say what stage you are at.

A way to take the next step

End the page with one action, such as call, send an enquiry, view the work or visit. A visitor who has just decided to trust you should not have to search for the contact route. Copy the contact details from your contact page exactly, so the two never disagree.

About us page examples: weak lines and better ones

The lines below are invented to show the difference. Each weak line could describe any business. Each better line could only describe one.

The better lines share one feature: each holds a name, a detail you could check or a limit. When a line on your own page feels general, ask what a competitor would write. If the same sentence would fit them, replace it with a fact about you.

How long should an About page be?

Long enough to answer the five visitor questions and no longer. For a solo professional or a small local business that is often a few short paragraphs and a photograph. A larger team may need more, with headings so a visitor can jump to the part they want.

Put the gist on the first screen, so a visitor who reads nothing else still leaves with the main message. Add detail below for the reader who wants it. A useful test is to read the page aloud and cut every sentence that would not help a stranger decide. The website content plan guide explains how length should follow the job of each page, and where an About page sits in the order of writing.

Should I put photos of the team on the About Us page?

Yes, if they are real photographs of the people who work there. A face and a name make a business easier to check, and they tell a visitor who will answer the phone. For a small team a photograph of each person works well. For a larger one, show the founders and the people customers deal with.

• Use photographs taken for the purpose, in one consistent style and decent light. A phone camera in daylight is enough.
• Ask each person before publishing, and let anyone opt out. Show their name and role without a picture instead.
• Write each person's name and role as the image description, so people who use screen readers get the same information.
• Include at least one photograph of the real workplace or real work, as well as portraits.
• Avoid stock photographs of people who do not work for you. Visitors often recognise them, and a team that does not exist defeats the point of the page.

Google's guidance on people-first content describes fabricated creator profiles, such as made-up names, false credentials or generated headshots, as deceptive. The same advice applies to a team page: show only people who exist.

What to avoid writing on an About Us page

• Filler praise such as "passionate", "dedicated" and "innovative" with nothing behind it. Say what you do instead.
• Claims you cannot back up, such as awards, rankings, customer numbers, how long you have been trading or certifications. Include one only if you can show the evidence. If you cannot, leave it out.
• Claims to be the biggest or the best. Visitors cannot check them, and they make the page sound like every other.
• Text copied from a competitor, a template or an unchecked writing tool. It will not describe your business, and a careful visitor will notice.
• Invented testimonials or team members.
• A long company history before the visitor learns what you do.
• Jargon and acronyms that only your industry uses.
• Out-of-date details, such as people who have left, an old address or a retired phone number.
• A dead end with no contact route or next step.

Rules on what a business may say about itself, for example about its qualifications or in advertising, differ by country and trade and change over time. If you are unsure whether a statement is allowed, ask a lawyer or the official body for your trade.

How to write your About Us page, step by step

1. Collect raw material: emails in which customers explained why they chose you, old proposals, and the founder telling the story aloud while someone records it.
2. Write the opening line first, then test it on a person outside the business.
3. Draft the origin story from the recording, keeping the specific details and cutting the rest.
4. Gather the proof and the permissions: photographs, names, project details and consent to be mentioned.
5. Check every claim against a document or a person, and remove any that cannot be checked.
6. Ask one stranger to read the page and say what the business does and whether they would get in touch.
7. Set a review date and name the person who owns the page.

About pages for different kinds of business

The six elements stay the same, but the emphasis shifts with the kind of business.

Where the About page fits on the site

Link to it from the main menu and the footer, and from pages where doubt runs highest, such as a product page, a quote form or a checkout. Give it a clear page title and heading so that a search for your business name brings it up. The page needs no keyword tricks.

For search, Google's documentation says Organization structured data can sit on the home page or on a single page that describes the organisation, such as the About page. Google describes it as a way to share details such as the organisation's address and contact information. It does not claim a ranking effect, so add it for clarity and not as a shortcut. Keep the business name, address, phone number and email identical across the site and any business profiles. If the About page is part of a new site or a rebuild, the website development service page describes the work Liftup does.

Keeping the page current

An About page goes stale quietly. Review it twice a year and whenever something changes: a person joins or leaves, the address or contact details change, you add or stop a service, or you can show new proof. Check that the names, roles and photographs match the people who work there now. Remove statements you can no longer support. A short, accurate page is better than a long one that is partly out of date.

Questions and answers

What should an About Us page include?

It should include a plain line on what the business does and for whom, why it exists, what you do and do not offer, the people behind it, proof a visitor can check and a next step. Use real names and photographs. Leave out claims you cannot support.

How long should an About page be?

Long enough to say who you are, what you do, who it is for and how to reach you. For a small business that is often a few short paragraphs and a photograph. Put the main message at the top and add detail below for readers who want it.

Should I put photos of the team on the page?

Yes, if they are real photographs of people who work there and each person has agreed. Add names and roles. If someone prefers not to appear, show their name and role without a picture, and avoid stock photographs of people who are not on your team.

What do visitors look for on an About page?

They want to know that the business is real, that it does what they need, who they will deal with, whether there is proof and how to make contact. Build the page around those answers. Visitors who are ready to buy or enquire often check it first.

What should I avoid writing?

Avoid empty praise, awards or numbers you cannot show evidence for, claims to be the best, copied or unchecked text and invented people. Also avoid out-of-date details and a page with no contact route. Plain facts about what you do convince more than big claims.

Does an About Us page help SEO?

It helps visitors and gives Google background on who runs the site, which Google's content guidance values. Organization structured data can sit on the About page to share business details with Google. Google does not describe the page as a ranking lever, so write it for people.

Should I write in the first person singular or plural?

Use "I" for a solo professional and "we" for a team, and keep to one throughout. Write about the reader's problem as well as your own story. Plain, direct sentences work better than formal ones.