What to Put on the About Page of a Local Business

The about page of a local business answers one question: who is going to show up, and can I trust them? Put the owner's name and photo first. Then your licenses and insurance, with details someone can check, how long you've been in business only if the number is real, photos of your actual team, trucks or storefront, and the area you serve. Leave off the mission statement, the stock photos and any claim you can't back up.

People tend to open it late, when they're close to deciding and comparing two or three names.

What people look for on it

The Nielsen Norman Group studied how people read about pages and summed it up this way: "Users expect About Us sections to be clear, authentic, and transparent." Their participants liked photos of real employees and products, and the researchers found that people "see right through complex corporate speak, jargon, and stock photography."

Google looks at the same thing from its side. Its guide to creating helpful, reliable content asks whether a site gives "background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site's About page." For a local business, that background is you.

What to include

The owner, by name

Your name, a photo of you, and two or three sentences in your own words: what you do, where you learned it, and why you run the business the way you do. Something like: "I'm [your name]. I started as an apprentice in [year] and opened my own shop in [year]. I still answer most of the calls myself." Write it the way you'd say it to a customer in their driveway.

If there are two owners, show both. People like knowing whether the person on the phone is the person who'll do the work.

Licenses, with numbers people can check

Write out the license type, the number, and which state, county or city issued it. If your state has an online license lookup, link to it. A customer who checks and finds your name there trusts you more than one who reads "fully licensed" and can't confirm it.

Rules differ by trade and by state. Plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors are licensed in many places, and so are cosmetologists and barbers. List what applies to you, and nothing you don't hold. Check once a year that the numbers on the page are current.

Insurance, in plain words

Name the coverage you actually carry, such as general liability, and workers' compensation if you have employees. Add a line saying you'll send a certificate of insurance on request. You don't need to publish policy numbers or limits. Say "bonded" only if you are.

Years in business, only if they're real

"Serving families since 1985" is a claim, and so is "20 years of experience." The FTC's advertising guide for small businesses is clear that "Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive," that advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims, and that "Ad claims on the Internet must be truthful and substantiated." Your website counts.

The honest version usually works just as well:

If your father started the business, say so: "My dad opened the shop in [year], and I took it over in [year]."
If you're new on your own but not new to the trade, say both: "[number] years in the trade, [number] on our own."
If you're new, skip the number and lead with your license, your photos and your reviews.

Your team, trucks and place

Show the people a customer will actually meet: techs, crew leads, the person at the front desk. First names and roles are enough. Show the trucks with your name on the side, the shop, the dining room, the stations in the salon. Photos taken on a phone are fine. Our guide to job photos that win work covers how to take them.

Keep them current. When someone leaves, take their photo down. A customer who's told "Mike will be out tomorrow" and then sees Mike on your site three years after he left starts to wonder what else is out of date.

Where you work and how

Your service area or address, your hours, and how a typical job goes. If someone on your team speaks Spanish or another language, say so, but only if they're there to take those calls.

Proof from outside

NN/g found that people compare what a company says about itself with what others say about it. Link to your Google reviews so people can read them in the original place, and quote a few word for word. If you need more of them, here's how to get more Google reviews within the rules.

Manufacturer certifications and trade association memberships belong here too, as long as you really hold them and they're current. Link to the listing that shows your name, if there is one.

What to skip

Mission statements. "We are committed to excellence in everything we do" could be on any website in any trade.
Stock photos of people who don't work for you. NN/g's research is blunt about how people read them.
"Family owned," "#1" or "best in town," unless they're true and you can show why.
Awards you can't name the source of. If you list one, say who gave it and when.
A long life story. NN/g suggests starting the main about page with one or two short, scannable paragraphs. Put the longer version further down, if you want it at all.
Personal details you'd rather strangers didn't have: your home address if customers never come to you, your kids' names, your personal cell if it isn't the business line.
Promises you can't keep every time, like "we're never late."

How it changes by business

Plumber, HVAC or electrician: license first, then the people who'll come to the house, with photos.
Contractor: license, insurance and warranty near the top, then the crew and who runs each job. Our page on websites for contractors shows how those details sit on a real site.
Restaurant: who cooks and who runs the room, where the recipes come from if there's a true story behind them, and the space for private events.
Salon or barber: each stylist with a photo, what they're best at, and how to book with them.
Shop: who runs it, what you stock and why, and how long you've been at this address, if that's something to be proud of.

Keep it findable

Put "About" in your menu, and a short version on your homepage with a link to the full page. Give the page its own title, like "About [Your Company], Plumber in Joliet, IL," not just "About." Then read it once a year: licenses, team photos, years and service area all go stale.

If your about page is the hardest part to write, that's normal. On a 15 minute call we go through what you do, your prices and how customers reach you. Then we build the first version of your site free in 2 days, about page included, so you can read it on your own phone before you decide. Get your free preview.