About page design built around the people, the place and the reason
Visitors open an about page to decide whether they trust you. They're looking for three things: the people behind the business, the place it works from, and the reason it exists. Design the page around those, use photographs that show them, and finish with a clear next step, because people who read an about page are often close to getting in touch.
Who reads it, and what they want
About pages get two kinds of reader. One is checking legitimacy: is this a real business with real people, an address and a history? The other is checking fit: are these people like me, do they care about what I care about, will they be pleasant to deal with? A page of mission statements serves neither. A page with names, faces, a place and a few specific facts serves both.
A structure that works
- A one-line summary. What you do, for whom, and where. “A two-chair barbershop on Leith Walk, open since 2019.”
- The reason. Two or three short paragraphs on why the business exists: the gap you saw, the way you work, what you refuse to do. Stories beat values lists.
- The people. A photo, name and role for each person a customer might meet or deal with, with one line about each.
- The place. Photos of the shop, studio, kitchen or van; the address and how to get there if visitors come to you.
- Proof. Qualifications, memberships, years trading, notable clients or press, each one specific.
- The next step. A button to book, buy, get a quote or get in touch.
About page layout
Most strong about page layouts alternate between text and photographs rather than putting all the text first. A typical rhythm: a short heading and summary at the top with a wide photo of the place, then the story in a single readable column (60 to 75 characters per line), then the team as a grid of portraits, then a closing section with the action. Keep the page in the same type, spacing and colours as the rest of the site; an about page that suddenly looks like a magazine spread feels like a different company.
| Block | Layout | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Heading and one paragraph | Wide shot of the place or the work |
| Story | One column of short paragraphs, left-aligned | One or two candid images beside or between paragraphs |
| Team | Grid of portraits, two or three across on desktop, one or two on phones | Same crop, light and background for every portrait |
| Place | Image band plus address and directions | Inside and outside, so people recognise it on arrival |
| Next step | Short heading and one button | None needed |
Photography: show them
Stock photos are worse than none on an about page, because the whole point is that these are the real people. Shoot portraits in one session with the same light and framing, plus a few candid pictures of work in progress. For a one-person business, a single good portrait and two or three photos of the work are enough. Give every image alt text that says who or what it shows, such as “Marco Ruiz trimming a beard at the front chair”. The photography direction guide covers briefing a shoot cheaply.
What to leave out
- Mission statements that could belong to anyone. “We are passionate about delivering excellence” says nothing.
- A full company history in date order. Pick the two or three moments that explain the business today.
- Every staff member if customers only meet three of them.
- Superlatives about yourself. Let the specifics and the customers' words carry it.
- A dead end. Every about page needs a next step.
For writing the words themselves, see the guide on how to write an about page.
About pages in Anticode
About is one of Anticode's optional separate pages, alongside Work, Shop, Services, Pricing, FAQ, Book and Contact; ask for it in your request, or for a multi-page site, and it appears in the navigation. The About page opens with a Story section that sets the heading beside the text on wide screens, and includes the Team section when the build has team members, shown as a grid of square tiles with each person's initials, name and role that drops to one column on phones. If you want real portraits there, ask for them in a sentence and check the result.
The facts, names and photos have to come from you. Tell the Architect who runs the business, where it is and why it started, and decide how your photos will appear: a designed about page keeps library photos in its own sections and shows yours only in a CMS collection (premises or projects, say) whose image field holds hosted addresses, while an app build uses photos you upload, which the model sees, so it can place them sensibly. Edit any wording afterwards in the visual editor.
Questions people ask
What should I put on an about page?
Who runs the business, where it works, why it exists, photos of the people and place, specific proof such as qualifications, and a next step.
How long should an about page be?
Long enough to answer who, where and why with specifics: often 300 to 600 words plus photos. Cut anything that could appear on a competitor's page.
Should a one-person business write “we” or “I”?
“I”. Customers of a sole trader want to know who they'll deal with, and “we” can feel evasive.