Why Your About Page Might Be Talking About the Wrong Thing

You’ve stared at your About page so many times that the words have stopped making sense. You know it’s supposed to be good, you know it matters, but when you read it out loud, something feels… off. Like you’re reading someone else’s bio. Like there’s a version of you on that page that doesn’t quite match who you are anymore.

If that’s what you’re feeling right now, you’re not alone. I talk to a lot of business owners who feel this exact disconnect. They sit down to rewrite their About page and they get stuck because they’re trying to answer the wrong question.

Here’s what I see happening: your About page is probably telling visitors what you do and how long you’ve been doing it. It might have your credentials, your specialties, maybe a nice professional photo. It checks all the boxes. It sounds polished. And it doesn’t sound like you at all.

The biggest opportunity? Your About page isn’t there to list your resume. It’s there to answer the question that’s actually running through your visitor’s head: Can I trust this person to help me?

That’s a completely different conversation than what most About pages are having.

The Question Nobody’s Asking (But Everyone Wants Answered)

Let me walk you through what’s actually happening when someone lands on your About page.

They’re not thinking, “Tell me your certifications.” They’re thinking, “Do you get me? Have you worked with people like me? Will you actually understand what I’m dealing with?”

They’re not reading your credentials thinking, “Wow, impressive.” They’re reading them thinking, “Okay, but can you help me specifically with my situation?”

That’s the real job of your About page. It’s not a resume. It’s not a trophy case. It’s a conversation between you and someone who’s trying to figure out if you’re the right person to work with.

And here’s the thing that changes everything: that conversation works best when it’s personal.

Many women find that when they finally rewrite their About page to focus on the actual person behind the business, something clicks. Suddenly, the right clients start reaching out. Not because you changed anything about what you do, but because you finally told them the truth about why you do it.

What Your About Page Is Probably Doing Instead

Let me describe what I see a lot of the time, and I say this with nothing but warmth: your About page is probably structured like a professional biography. It goes something like this:

I have 20 years of experience in [field]. I’m certified in [thing], I graduated from [place], and I’ve worked with companies like [company]. I specialize in [specialty]. I’m passionate about [vague positive thing].

That page tells me what you’ve done. It doesn’t tell me why you do it or who you do it for or what makes you different from the twelve other people offering the same service.

More importantly, it doesn’t give me permission to think about myself. The whole page is you, you, you. And the person reading it is sitting there waiting for a mirror, not a spotlight.

The biggest opportunity here isn’t to add more credentials. It’s to change what your About page is actually for.

I think about it this way: a visitor landing on your About page is essentially asking, “Should I keep reading? Should I reach out? Is this for me?” Your current About page is answering, “Here’s what I’ve accomplished.” But what they’re asking is, “Can you help me?”

Those are not the same answer.

The Shift That Changes Everything

Here’s what starts happening when you reframe your About page from “here’s who I am” to “here’s why I do what I do, and here’s who it’s for”:

You stop sounding generic. A lot of solopreneurs realize that their About page could belong to literally anyone in their field. When you make it personal, when you talk about why you got into this work, when you acknowledge the specific people you love working with, you automatically become memorable. You stop blending in.

You give permission to the right people. When you say, “I work with coaches who are tired of undercharging themselves,” you’re giving permission to that exact person to keep reading. You’re also giving permission to everyone else to click away, which is a feature, not a bug. You don’t need everyone to think your About page is great. You need the right people to feel like it was written just for them.

You sound like you. This is the one that matters most to me. After 15 years of looking at websites, I can tell you that the About pages that actually convert interest into inquiry are the ones where you can hear the person’s actual voice. Not the polished version. The real one. The warm one. The one that says things like, “I used to do this thing and it drove me crazy, and now I help other people not do that thing.”

You build trust in the first 30 seconds. Trust doesn’t come from impressive credentials. Trust comes from feeling understood. When someone reads about your experience and your why, they’re not thinking about your certifications. They’re thinking, “Oh, she gets it. She’s been there. I can talk to this person.”

What This Actually Looks Like

I want to give you a sense of what I’m talking about, so let me paint two pictures.

Version One (what you probably have now):

“I’m a business coach with 15 years of experience helping women entrepreneurs grow their companies. I’m certified in [thing], I’ve worked with over 200 clients, and I specialize in strategy and implementation. I’m passionate about empowering women in business.”

Competent. Forgettable.

Version Two (the same coach, reframed):

“I spent years watching smart, talented women solopreneurs charge less than they were worth and work more hours than they wanted to. I was one of them. Then I figured out how to fix it, and now I help other women do the same thing. We focus on three things: getting clear on what you’re actually good at, pricing that feels good, and systems that don’t depend on you working 24/7. If you’re tired of undercharging yourself and overworking yourself, we should talk.”

Different energy, right? One sounds like a professional profile. The other sounds like someone you could actually have coffee with.

The second one tells me who it’s for. It tells me why you do it. It tells me you’ve been where I am. It sounds like you’re not reading from a script.

That’s the shift. That’s the opportunity.

The Three Things Your About Page Actually Needs to Do

If you’re going to rebuild your About page, keep these three things in front of you:

One: Tell me why you do this. Not “I’m passionate about helping people.” That’s too vague. Tell me the actual reason. Did you get frustrated watching other people struggle with something you’d figured out? Did you have an experience that changed everything for you? Do you have a burning belief about the way things should be? That’s the story. That’s the part that makes you different from everyone else offering the same service.

Two: Show me you understand the specific people you work with. Not “I work with entrepreneurs.” Which entrepreneurs? What are they struggling with? What’s the thing they’re trying to solve? Many women find that when they name the specific person they serve, the right clients suddenly recognize themselves on the page. “Oh, that’s me. That’s exactly me.”

Three: Let me hear your actual voice. Not the professional voice. The one you use when you’re talking to a friend. The one that uses contractions and short sentences sometimes. The one that’s warm without being fake. Your About page is a conversation, not a declaration.

That’s it. Those three things. Not your whole life story. Not your entire resume. Just those three things.

Making This Real on Your Website

Here’s what I want you to do with this information:

First, take a look at your current About page. Read it out loud. Does it sound like you? Does it make you feel proud when you read it, or does it make you feel like you’re pretending to be someone else?

If it’s the second one, you’ve got an opportunity.

Second, write down the answer to these three questions:

• Why did you start doing this work? What frustrated you or inspired you?
• Who do you love working with? What’s the one thing they all have in common?
• What would you tell a friend over coffee about what you do?

Now, take those three answers and use them as the skeleton for a new About page. Don’t worry about perfect. Just worry about honest.

Third, read it out loud again. Does it sound like you? If it does, you’re probably in the right direction.

The beauty of this approach is that it actually works better for the people who find you. It’s not trickery or manipulation. It’s just being honest about who you are and who you help. That clarity is magnetic. The right people recognize themselves on your page and they reach out.

Unlike a fairytale, the magic continues past midnight. It keeps working because you’re not performing. You’re just showing up as yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t an About page supposed to build credibility?

Yes, absolutely. But credibility doesn’t come from listing your credentials. It comes from being specific, being real, and showing that you understand the person who’s reading. If someone feels like you get them, they trust you. If they feel like you’re reading from a generic template, no amount of certifications will change that.

What if I’m worried my About page is too personal?

I hear this a lot. Here’s the thing: people don’t hire strangers. They hire people they feel like they know. Being personal isn’t oversharing your trauma or telling everyone your whole life story. It’s letting them see why you do what you do and that you understand where they are.

Should I still include my credentials and experience?

Yes, but weave them in naturally. If your degree is relevant to the person you’re serving, mention it. If you’ve worked with a type of client that the reader will recognize, mention it. But don’t make your About page about your credentials. Make it about what you can help someone else do.

How long should my About page actually be?

Long enough to tell the story. Short enough to hold attention. In my experience, that’s usually about 200 to 400 words. Longer than that and you’re probably overthinking it. Shorter than that and you probably haven’t answered the three real questions yet.

If your website no longer feels like you, let’s talk about it – Book a Free Website Clarity Call with Beth →