Why the "about" section matters more than you think
When someone lands on your website, they are nervous. They are letting a stranger into their home or trusting you with an expensive job, and they want to know you are real, reliable and not going to disappear. Your "about" section is where that decision gets made. Get it right and a cautious visitor turns into an enquiry; get it wrong and they bounce to the next tradesperson.
It is one of the most-read parts of any trade website, and one of the most wasted, because most are filled with the same empty phrases. A bit of honesty and a few real details will put you ahead of nearly every competitor on this one page alone. (For the bigger picture, see what makes a good trade website.)
What a trust-building about section must answer
Picture the customer reading it and silently asking five questions. Answer all five and you have done the job:
- Who are you? A name and a face. "Run by Dave Miller" beats "established firm".
- What do you actually do? The specific work, "boiler repairs, bathrooms and general plumbing", not "all plumbing work covered".
- How long have you done it? Years in the trade is the fastest trust signal there is.
- Where do you work? Name the towns and postcodes you cover, not a vague "the local area".
- Why should they pick you? Qualifications, accreditations, guarantees, or simply how you treat people.
Cut the phrases every trade website already uses
"Quality workmanship." "Competitive prices." "No job too big or too small." "Customer satisfaction is our priority." Every one of these appears on thousands of trade websites, which means they prove nothing, the customer's eyes slide straight past them. Worse, they make you sound identical to everyone else.
The fix is to replace each empty claim with a specific fact. Instead of "quality workmanship", write "Gas Safe registered since 2009". Instead of "competitive prices", write "free written quotes with no call-out charge". Specifics are believable; slogans are not.
A simple about-section template you can copy
Fill in the blanks and you will have a solid first draft in minutes:
"Hi, I'm [name], a [trade] based in [town], covering [areas]. I've been [doing the trade] for [number] years and [qualification / accreditation, e.g. I'm fully insured and Gas Safe registered]. I handle everything from [common small job] to [bigger job], and I'm known for [the genuine thing customers thank you for, turning up on time, tidying up, clear pricing]. If you need a [trade] you can rely on, send me a message and I'll get straight back to you."
That is around 70 words, hits all five trust questions, and sounds like a real person. Tweak the wording until it sounds like how you actually talk.
What does a weak about section look like next to a strong one?
Here is the same made up electrician written two ways. Neither is a real business. Read them as a customer would, on a phone, deciding who to ring.
| Weak (what most trade sites say) | Strong (same person, real details) |
|---|---|
| "We are a professional, reliable electrical company offering quality workmanship at competitive prices." | "I'm Sam, an electrician based in Welling. I've been qualified since 2014 and I'm registered with NICEIC, so every job comes with the right certificate." |
| "We cover all areas." | "I cover Welling, Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Eltham (DA16, DA6, DA15, SE9)." |
| "No job too big or too small." | "Most of my work is fuse board upgrades, rewires and EICRs for landlords." |
| "Customer satisfaction is our number one priority." | "Free written quotes, and I tell you the price before I start." |
The strong version is barely longer, but every sentence can be checked or pictured. That is what makes it believable. If you copy the structure, only use facts that are true for you: a registration you do not hold is not a small fib, it is something a customer can look up in a minute.
What if your business is new, or you have no accreditations?
Plenty of good tradespeople are newly self employed, or work in a trade with no registration scheme. You do not need to hide that, and you should never fill the gap with vague claims. Swap the missing thing for something true:
| If you do not have... | Say this instead (if true) |
|---|---|
| Years trading under your own name | Years in the trade overall, for example "10 years as a plasterer, the last 2 running my own business" |
| A trade association or registration | Your qualifications (NVQ level, City & Guilds) and that you carry public liability insurance |
| Many reviews yet | The kind of jobs you have done recently, with real photos, and a link to your Google reviews as they come in |
| A team | That the customer deals with you from quote to finish, which many people prefer |
Being upfront about being small or new reads as honest. Being caught exaggerating ends the enquiry.
Back it up with proof
Words are stronger when something nearby proves them. Sit your about section next to a real photo of you, your van or your team, a face does more for trust than any sentence. Add a couple of genuine reviews close by, and any logos you are entitled to display (Gas Safe, NICEIC, City & Guilds, a trade association). If you want a steady supply of reviews to feature, here is how to get more 5-star reviews for your trade business.
Consistency matters too: the business name, areas and details on your website should match your Google Business Profile exactly. Mismatched details quietly chip away at trust and at your local ranking.
"I" or "we", and staying honest
If you are a one-person business, write as "I". Most customers actively prefer dealing with the actual tradesperson rather than a faceless "team", and honesty reads as confidence. If you genuinely have staff, "we" is right. What loses trust is pretending, using "we" and "our team of experts" to look bigger than you are. Customers can usually sense it, and if they turn up expecting a firm and get a sole trader, you have started the relationship on the back foot.
Where it goes on a one page site
On a single-page trade website, the about section sits naturally after your services and before (or beside) your reviews, close to a contact button so a convinced reader can act immediately. It does not need its own page. The whole point of a clean one page website is that everything a customer needs to trust you and contact you lives in one quick scroll. The Tradewebsite.uk builder lays it out this way for every trade, from plumbers to electricians and builders.
Not sure a website is worth it yet? Read do tradespeople need a website and how much a trade website should cost before you decide.
The short version
Your about section is a trust test, not an essay. Answer the five questions, who, what, how long, where, why you, in plain English, drop the slogans everyone else uses, add a real photo and a couple of reviews, and keep it honest about your size. Do that and one short paragraph will quietly win you more work than the rest of your site put together.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a trade business about section be?
Short. Aim for roughly 80 to 150 words, three or four tight paragraphs at most. Customers are skim-reading on a phone to decide whether to trust you, not reading a life story. Say who you are, what you do, how long you have done it and where you work, then point them to a contact button. If you have more to say, put it on the page lower down, not in the opening lines.
Should I write the about section as "I" or "we"?
Write it however your business actually is. If you are a sole trader, "I" is honest and friendly and most customers prefer dealing with the actual person. If you have a team or want to look like a larger outfit, "we" is fine. The mistake is switching between the two on the same page, or using "we" to pretend you are bigger than you are, customers can usually tell, and it costs you trust.
What should I leave out of my about section?
Leave out empty phrases like "quality workmanship", "competitive prices" and "customer satisfaction is our priority", every trade website says them, so they prove nothing. Cut jargon, mission statements and anything you cannot back up. Replace them with specifics: years in the trade, the towns you cover, your qualifications or accreditations, and the kind of jobs you do most. Concrete beats vague every time.
What should I write in my about section if my business is new?
Write what is true and specific: your years in the trade overall (not just under your own name), your qualifications, that you carry public liability insurance, the towns you cover and the jobs you do most. Add real photos of recent work. Never claim an accreditation or a number of years you do not have, because customers can check, and being honest about being new reads as confidence.
Do I need a photo in my about section?
Yes, ideally a real one. A clear photo of you, your van or your team builds more trust than any sentence, because it shows there is a real, accountable person behind the business. A stock photo of a stranger in a hard hat does the opposite. If you only have one photo, a friendly headshot or a shot of you on a job is the one to use.
Want somewhere to put your about section?
The Tradewebsite.uk builder gives you a one page website with an about section, your services, areas and a contact button, ready in about 2 minutes. Free for 1 month, then £299 once if you keep it, no monthly fee, no card up front.
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