About us: the most read and most poorly made page
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
The “about us” page answers six questions in order: who you are, what you do, for whom, since when, where, and who responds. With a real photo and the responder’s name. No mission, vision, and values, no “born from a dream,” no solemn third person. Visitors open it to decide whether to trust you; they want people, place, and time in the business, not a manifesto.
On small-business websites, the About page is usually among the most visited and least cared for. Usually written last, copied from a template, it says the same as competitors’. Visitors read, find nobody, and compare prices because that is all remaining to compare.
What must the “about us” page answer?
| Question | Example answer | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are | “I’m Carlos, an electrician, and Elétrica Carlos is me plus two technicians” | “We are a company committed to excellence” |
| What you do | “Residential and commercial electrical installation and maintenance” | A list of 15 services nobody asked for |
| For whom | “Homes and businesses in Rio Preto and neighboring cities” | “Clients from the most diverse industries” |
| Since when | “Since 2014, initially alone, with a team since 2020” | Omitting it, or “years of experience” without a number |
| Where | “Workshop on this street; on-site service” | Address only in the footer, or none |
| Who responds | Photos and names of all three, with each person’s role | Stock photo of people in hard hats |
“Since when” deserves an exact number. “More than 10 years” smells of rounding; “since 2014” is a fact. If the business is one year old, say so and explain what came before: “opened in 2026 after 12 years working at the distributor.” A short period with history beats vague time.
What should you cut from the “about us” page?
- Mission, vision, and values. No customer decides based on these, and every company writes the same thing.
- “Our story” in an epic tone. Three sentences suffice: when it began, what changed, where it is.
- Self-descriptive adjectives: committed, modern, a reference. If true, facts show it; if not, adjectives expose it.
- Stock photos replacing the team. See https://avilaops.com/guias/foto-de-gente-real-x-banco-de-imagem/.
- Third person for one- or two-person businesses. “The company values” on a one-person website sounds imaginary.
One section worth adding: what you do not do. “We do not handle high-voltage design; we refer a partner.” A clear limit is one of the strongest signs the rest is true.
How do you write without getting stuck?
Answer the six questions by voice as if explaining to a customer at the door. Transcribe. Cut anything you would not say aloud. Add the photo. The final text has 200 to 400 words; longer becomes a report.
Page order: a photo of the service team at the top, six answers in short paragraphs, the limit (“what we do not do”), and a path at the end: “talk to us” with WhatsApp. About ends at the contact page, which must measure up: A contact page that builds trust.
Example: an accounting firm’s About page had mission, vision, values, and a handshake photo. It replaced these with a photo of the two partners in the office and “we’re Ana and Rafael, accountants since 2011, managing 80 companies in Rio Preto, mostly retail and service providers; we do not serve industry or businesses outside Simples.” The text ended at 180 words. The first new customer’s comment was “I saw you don’t handle industry, so you know what you’re doing.”
What to do now
Record the six answers today, transcribe, and replace the current text tomorrow. Without a team photo, take one with your phone at the business entrance in daylight. If the whole website needs the same treatment, see a free prototype in 48h, with the About page written from a conversation with you: avilaops.com/criacao-de-site-profissional or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Does a one-person business need an About page?
More than others. Customers are hiring you and want to know who you are, since when, and where. A photo and 150 first-person words do it.
Should I include the number of customers served?
Only if real and countable. “More than 500 customers” without a basis is a disguised adjective. “80 active companies in our portfolio,” based on your system, is a fact.
Does the About page help on Google?
Indirectly: it is where Google and AI find who the company is, where it is, and what it does in clear text. An empty About page means a company the search engine cannot describe.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
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