People read an About page to decide whether you are a real, reachable business that does what it says. They are not looking for your life story. A short page with checkable facts does more for trust than a long page of adjectives, and it cannot be undone by one doubtful claim.
This note covers what to include, how to check each fact before it goes live, and what to leave out. It is general guidance, not legal advice.
What visitors are looking for
Usability research published in 2019 on how people use About pages found that the questions they bring are basic: what does the company do, where is it, what is its mission and history, and how do I contact it. Participants disliked jargon and corporate-sounding language, liked photos of real employees and products, and counted stock photography against a page. They also did not rely on the company's own site alone. They compared it with third-party reviews and other channels, and consistent information across channels mattered.
Two practical points follow. Write the way you would explain the business to a new neighbour. And make every fact on the page agree with what appears on your other listings, since visitors will check.
A structure that works
Keep it to six short parts:
- What you do and for whom, in one or two plain sentences.
- Who is behind it. Real names and roles, if the people involved agree to be named. Google's guidance for content says to be clear about who created it and to avoid deceptive authorship information, such as invented profiles.
- Where you work. The area you serve, and the town or city if you want it known.
- How you work. What happens after someone gets in touch: first reply, quote, scheduling. If you state a response time, meet it. Usability guidance on contact pages makes the same point.
- How to reach you, with more than a form. That guidance recommends at least a phone number and an email address, shown where people can find them, and forms only as an addition.
- Last reviewed, with a date, so a visitor knows the page is maintained.
A checklist of verifiable facts
Before a fact goes on the page, you should be able to point to where it comes from. Use this list:
- Name. The business name matches your invoices and your contact page.
- Location and service area. It matches your listings and your contact details.
- Start date. Give a start year only if a record backs it up, such as your registration or first invoice. Otherwise leave it out.
- Services. Each one is something you currently offer, in your own words.
- Prices or how you price. Current, or described honestly as "quoted per job."
- People. Each named person has agreed to be named and the role is accurate.
- Photos. They show your real work, premises or team, taken with permission.
- Credentials, memberships, insurance. Only those you currently hold, named exactly, with a document you could show if asked.
- Reviews and testimonials. Real, attributable to a real customer, used with permission, and quoted without editing the meaning.
- Contact details. Every phone number, address and email works today. Test them.
If you cannot tick a line, either find the proof or remove the claim.
What to leave out
- Invented proof. Prizes you did not win, "trusted by thousands," client logos you do not have permission to show, or fake review counts.
- Superlatives you cannot support. "The best in the city" gives the reader nothing to check.
- Stock photos presented as your team. Use a real photo or no photo.
- Testimonials you wrote yourself, or edited to say more than the customer did. Canada's Competition Bureau states that representations "in any form whatsoever" that are false or misleading in a material respect fall under the Competition Act. It also says testimonials usually do not amount to adequate proof, and that businesses need permission to use them and must not distort their scope.
- Unexplained jargon and filler. If a sentence would fit any business, delete it.
- Anything you would not want read aloud by a stranger. Home addresses and family details are not required to build trust.
A fictional example
The paragraphs below are for a made-up cleaning business, shown before and after.
Before: "We are the city's number one cleaning experts, trusted by thousands of happy customers, with prize-winning service."
After: "Harbour Lane Cleaning cleans homes and small offices in the east end. Mira Santos runs the business and does the first walk-through herself. We confirm quotes in writing, usually within two working days. Call, email or use the form below. Page last reviewed October 2026."
The second version is shorter, makes claims a customer can test, and gives the visitor a next step. (Fictional example: the business, person and details are invented.)
A final test
Print the page and put a line next to every sentence: "Where is the proof?" Any sentence with no answer is a candidate to cut. Then ask someone outside the business what they think you do and how they would contact you. If their answer is wrong, the page is not finished.
Sources
Prepared with AI assistance. Examples are fictional unless stated.