What Should You Put on Your Business About Page?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

Your About page should show who runs the business, what experience and qualifications they really have, and how you work with customers. Use real names, real photos, and facts you can prove. People go to this page when they want to know who they’re letting into their home or trusting with their money.

What this means

An About page answers “Who are these people, and can I trust them?” It’s not a mission statement in fancy words. It’s a plain story with facts.

For a made-up house cleaning company, Brightway Home Cleaning, a good About page might include:

Who: Owner Maria Lopez, with a real photo, and a short line about each team lead
How it started: A few sentences on when and why she started the business
Experience: How long the business has been operating and the kinds of homes it cleans
Qualifications: Proof of insurance and bonding, and any training, with a note that proof is available on request
How we work: The products used, how cleaners are screened, and what happens if something isn’t right
Where: The service area
Next step: A button to request a quote

Why it matters

Trust is the hurdle. For service businesses, people are deciding whether to let you in their home, near their kids, or into their finances. Faces and facts help.
Google looks for who is behind a site. Google’s helpful content guidance suggests making it clear who created content and pointing to an About page or author page for background. It says trust is the most important part of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EEAT).
AI tools need facts to describe you. When an artificial intelligence (AI) tool summarizes your business, a clear About page with consistent facts gives it something accurate to work from (see 19.13.4 Brand and Entity Signals for AI).
Overstated claims backfire. Saying you’re licensed when you’re not, or inflating years in business, can mislead customers and break advertising rules (see 11.3.1 Truthful Advertising Claims).

Who this applies to

Every business with a website. It matters most for businesses where trust is a big part of the buying decision: home services, health and wellness, financial and legal services, child or pet care, and any business that goes into people’s homes.

How to do it

Gather your facts first. Legal name, public brand name, year started, owner names, licenses, insurance, certifications, and memberships. Pull them from your Master Business Record (see 5 Master Business Record and 14.1.10 Credentials).
Write the opening in two or three sentences. Who you are, what you do, who you serve, and where. This is the part people and AI tools quote.
Show the real people. Use real photos of the owner and team, with their permission (see 11.1.12 Photo Permission). Give each person a short line about their role and experience.
Tell the short story. When and why the business started, in your own voice. Keep it to a few sentences (see 8.5.5 Voice and Tone).
List qualifications you can prove. Licenses with numbers where your state shows them, insurance, bonding, certifications, and training. Link to the official lookup page for a license if one exists. Only list what’s current.
Explain how you work. Your standards, your process, and what happens if something goes wrong. This is where your brand promise shows up in plain terms (see 8.5.1 Brand Purpose and Promise).
Add community ties if they’re real. Local groups, sponsorships, or volunteer work you actually do.
Keep the name and facts consistent. Your business name, address, and phone should match your Google Business Profile (GBP) and other listings (see 19.7 Entity Consistency).
End with a next step. Point to your services or your contact page.
Put a review date in your records. Licenses expire and team members change. Check the page every few months.

What proof to keep

Copies of every license, certificate, and insurance document mentioned on the page, with expiration dates
Written permission from each person whose photo or name appears
A screenshot of the About page at launch and after each update

Store these in your website records folder, with license and insurance copies in your legal records folder.

Common mistakes

“We” with no names. A page that never says who runs the business feels like it’s hiding something.
Stock photos posing as the team. If a customer later meets someone who doesn’t match the photo, trust drops fast.
Expired credentials. A license or certification that lapsed but still shows on the site is a real problem. Track renewal dates (see 9.5.6 License and Permit Renewals).
Copying another company’s story. Write your own. Copied text is easy to spot and adds nothing.
Too much about you, nothing about the customer. Tie your story to what it means for the person hiring you.
Former employees still listed. Remove people when they leave.
Sharing too much personal info. You don’t need your home address, your kids’ names, or your personal cell number on the page.

When to get help from a pro

A copywriter or brand writer: if you know your story but struggle to write it plainly. Ask:

What part of my story matters most to customers?
Which claims on this page need proof?
Does this sound like me?

Your state licensing board: if you’re unsure how to show a license number or what you’re allowed to call yourself.

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, why you started SiteSmarty, what you chose to share about yourself on your own About page, or a client whose About page with real photos changed how customers responded.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty plans and builds websites for local businesses.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: what I included on the SiteSmarty About page and what I left off]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: the SiteSmarty About page with my photo and credentials section]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

Should I put my photo on my About page? Yes, if you’re comfortable with it. A real photo of the owner and team builds more trust than stock images.

Should I list my licenses on my About page? List any current license, insurance, or certification you can prove. Link to the official lookup if your state has one.

How long should an About page be? Long enough to cover who, why, qualifications, how you work, and a next step. A few short sections is plenty for most small businesses.

Does an About page help with Google? Google’s guidance points to About pages as a way to show who is behind a site. That supports trust, which Google says matters most.

What should I leave off? Personal details customers don’t need, expired credentials, and any claim you can’t back up.

Audit check

Question: Does the About page name the real people behind the business and list only current, provable qualifications?
Pass looks like: Real names and photos, with permission. A short, true story. Current licenses, insurance, and certifications with proof on file. A plain explanation of how the business works. Business facts match GBP and listings. A next step.
Fail looks like: No names. Stock photos. Expired or unprovable credentials. Copied text. Former staff still shown.
Evidence to collect: A screenshot of the About page, copies of each credential with expiration dates, and photo permission records.

Where this fits

Do this first: 8.5.1 Brand Purpose and Promise, 13.3.6 Trust Content, 14.1.10 Credentials

Do this next: 13.4.4 Contact Page

Sources

Google Search Central, "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.