What to put on an about page for a small business

The about page is really a trust page

The about page is one of the most visited pages on any small business site, and one of the most wasted. People click it because they are deciding whether to trust you, not because they want your autobiography. So the job is not to list everything about you, it is to answer the quiet question in the visitor's head: are these the right people for what I need?

Lead with who you help, not when you were founded

The classic mistake is opening with "Established in 2015, we are a family-run company committed to excellence." It says nothing a customer can use. Open instead with who you are and who you help: "I am Chris, and I build websites for small South African businesses that need to be found and taken seriously." A stranger should know within one line whether they are in the right place.

Tell the story, but keep it useful

People do connect with a bit of background, so a short origin story helps, as long as it earns its place. Why you started, what you care about in the work, what makes you different in practice. Keep it human and keep it brief. A sentence or two on how the business began builds more warmth than a timeline of milestones nobody asked about.

The test for every line is simple: does this help the customer decide, or is it just here to flatter me? If it is the second, cut it.

Show you can be relied on

This is where the page does its real work. Weave in the things that quietly answer "can I trust these people?":

• Relevant experience. How long you have done this, and the kind of work you take on. Specific beats grand: "eight years wiring homes around the East Rand" lands better than "industry-leading electrical solutions".
• Real photos. You, your team, your premises, your actual work. A genuine face does more than any amount of polished copy.
• Location and area. Where you are based and who you serve. Local customers want to know you are actually near them.
• Values that touch the customer. Not "we value integrity", but the concrete version: you turn up when you say you will, you quote before you start, you clean up after yourself.

Keep it human

Write in the first person and in a normal voice, the way you would talk to a customer standing in front of you. "I" and "we" beat "the company". A small business trades on being personal and reachable, and stiff corporate language throws that advantage away. It should sound like a real person, because that is exactly the reassurance a nervous first-time customer is looking for.

Do not let it become a dead end

An about page that wins someone over and then just stops is a missed chance. Once a visitor is nodding along, give them somewhere to go: a line pointing to your work, or a clear button through to the contact page. You have just built a little trust, so put the next step right there while it counts.

A quick shape to follow

If you are staring at a blank page, this order works for most small businesses:

1. One line on who you are and who you help.
2. A short paragraph on the story and what drives the work.
3. The proof: experience, photos, area, and how you actually operate.
4. A friendly nudge to get in touch.

That is enough. An about page does not need to be long, it needs to be honest and specific. Four tight paragraphs that sound like you will always beat a page of polished filler that could belong to anyone.

If the rest of your site needs the same treatment, that often comes up in a Fix and Upgrade, and you are welcome to get in touch if you want a second pair of eyes on yours.