Why Your About Page Might Be Talking About the Wrong Thing

Your About page is the most-read page on your website. Not your homepage. Not your services page. Your About page.

People land on your website because they found you, or someone recommended you, or they’re curious. And the first thing they want to know is simple: who are you, and can I trust you?

But here’s what I see a lot, and I’m guessing you might recognize this feeling: you look at your About page and something feels off. It reads like a resume. Or it’s stuck in an old version of you. Or it’s so focused on credentials and accomplishments that it doesn’t actually sound like a human being wrote it. You read it and think, “That’s not… me.”

That feeling is completely valid. And it’s a massive opportunity.

Because your About page isn’t there to list every certification you’ve ever earned, or to chronicle your entire career path, or to convince someone you’re impressive. Your About page is there to answer one question your potential clients are actually asking: can I work with this person?

That’s it. That’s the job.

The Credential Trap

I see this pattern constantly, and it usually starts with good intentions. You worked hard for those degrees. You’ve been doing this for 15, 20, 30 years. You have real expertise. So naturally, when you sit down to write your About page, you think: I need to prove my credibility.

And you end up with a professional biography. You list where you went to school. You name your certifications. You describe your years of experience in the industry. You talk about the companies you’ve worked for, the positions you’ve held, the things you’ve accomplished.

All of that is true. All of it matters. But here’s what I’ve learned from 15 years of website design and 30+ years in sales: credentials don’t make someone hire you. Trust makes someone hire you.

Many women find that their About pages have become a shrine to their accomplishments instead of an invitation to a relationship. It reads like you’re trying to convince someone you’re good enough, when what they actually need is to know you’re real, you understand them, and they won’t regret working with you.

That’s a completely different conversation.

What Your About Page Should Actually Do

Your About page needs to do three things, and if it’s not doing these things, that’s the opportunity we need to address.

First, it needs to let people see you as a human. Not a role. Not a title. You. The person they’re about to potentially work with. What do you care about? What drives you? What kind of problems do you actually love solving? What’s your philosophy about how you work with clients?

When someone reads your About page, they should get a sense of what it’s like to be in a room with you. Are you funny? Direct? Thoughtful? Practical? Do you have a strong point of view, or are you flexible? Are you the type to hold someone’s hand through a process, or do you expect people to do the heavy lifting?

This is the stuff that builds trust, because it helps someone decide if you’re their person.

Second, it needs to bridge from their problem to your solution. A lot of About pages talk about the journey to get where you are, but they don’t actually connect that journey to the specific struggle your ideal client is having right now. Why does your story matter to them?

For example, a coach’s About page might say: “I spent 20 years in corporate marketing before I burned out.” Okay, that’s a fact. But what makes that relevant to someone reading it is: “I spent 20 years in corporate marketing before I burned out, so I understand exactly what it feels like when you’re successful on paper but miserable in reality. That’s why I help women transition out of careers that no longer serve them.”

See the difference? The first one is about you. The second one is about them, using your story as proof that you get it.

Third, it needs to make it clear why you do what you do now. Not just what you do, but why. Because people want to hire people who are actually committed to their work, not just cashing a check. They want to know that you chose this path for a reason. That it means something to you.

In my experience, when an About page feels disconnected from a client’s needs, it’s usually because it’s focused entirely on credentials and career history instead of connecting those things to actual human values and real understanding.

The Opportunity in Your About Page

Here’s what excites me about revisiting your About page: it’s the one place on your entire website where you get to show, not tell, what it’s like to work with you.

Your services page describes what you do. Your About page shows who you are while you’re doing it.

When your About page finally feels like you, something shifts. Potential clients read it and think, “Yes. This is my person.” They don’t just think you’re qualified. They think you get them. And they think they’d actually enjoy working with you.

That’s the relief I hear about, again and again. A woman comes back and says, “I completely rewrote my About page, and now people are asking me questions that show they actually read it and understood what I’m about.” They’re not just impressed. They’re connected.

The opportunity here is to take everything that makes you actually good at what you do, all the experience and the hard-won wisdom and the values that guide your work, and present it in a way that sounds like you talking to someone over coffee, not like a resume submitted to a hiring committee.

What’s Actually Getting in the Way

If your About page doesn’t feel like you yet, I want to name a few things that might be happening.

You’re trying to sound “professional.” And in your mind, professional sounds formal. Polished. A little distant. So you use language you wouldn’t use in real life. You write things you would never actually say. And it reads as inauthentic, even though you don’t quite understand why.

Here’s the thing: confidence and competence don’t require stiffness. In fact, the people I know who are genuinely confident in their expertise tend to be more relaxed about how they talk about it. They don’t need the formality to prove they know what they’re doing.

You think every credential needs to be listed. It doesn’t. You don’t need to list every single thing you’ve ever learned or accomplished. You need to list the things that matter to the people you work with. A therapist’s Master’s degree in clinical psychology matters. A therapist’s high school debate club award doesn’t. Be selective. Be intentional.

You’re worried about leaving things out. Or you’re trying to appeal to everyone, so you talk about all the different things you can do, all the different types of clients you work with, all the different problems you can solve. And it dilutes your message.

Your About page doesn’t need to cover every single thing you’re capable of. It needs to clearly explain why someone would want to work with you, specifically, on the thing you’re known for.

You haven’t actually figured out what your point of view is yet. And that’s okay. But it means your About page is probably fuzzy too. If I asked you right now, “What do you believe about how your work should happen?” or “What’s the one thing you’d want people to understand before they hire you?” could you answer it in one sentence? If not, that’s the thing to solve first.

How to Start Rewriting

Here’s a simple framework that works, and I’ve seen it transform About pages from “impressive on paper” to “actually compelling.”

Start with this: Why did you start doing what you do? Not the moment you got the certification. Not the job you had. The actual reason. What problem were you facing? What did you notice wasn’t being solved? What did you get frustrated about?

Write that down. This becomes the bridge between their world and yours.

Then, answer this: What do you believe about how your work should happen? Not what you do. How you do it. What’s your philosophy? What matters to you in how you work with clients?

Write that down too.

Finally, zoom in on this: Who do you work best with, and what does that person usually come to you struggling with? Be specific. It doesn’t have to be everyone. It’s actually better if it’s someone specific.

If you can answer those three things clearly, you have the skeleton of an About page that will actually work. Everything else is just arranging those pieces so they sound like you.

The Marketing Lens

I always say: marketing first, beauty second. And that applies here too.

Your About page has a job to do. That job is to help someone decide if they want to work with you. So before you worry about how it reads or how it sounds, make sure it’s actually doing that job.

That means: Does someone reading this page understand what problem you solve? Do they understand why you specifically are the right person to solve it for them? Do they get a sense of what you’re actually like to work with?

If the answer to any of those questions is “I’m not sure,” that’s the rewrite opportunity.

The beauty, the layout, the perfect photos, the elegant prose, all of that matters. But not if the actual message isn’t clear. I make it easy, and I always start with what’s actually being communicated before we worry about how it looks.

Your About Page Is an Invitation

The best About pages I’ve ever seen read like an invitation. Not a job application. Not a business card. An invitation.

They say: This is what I believe. This is the way I work. This is what I can help you with. And if that sounds like what you need, come talk to me.

There’s warmth in that. There’s clarity. There’s the sense that the person writing it is genuinely interested in whether you’re a fit, not just trying to impress you.

And here’s what I love: when your About page finally does that, it changes everything. Suddenly the inquiries you’re getting are from people who actually get what you do. They’ve already self-selected. They’ve already decided you might be their person. They’re not asking if you’re qualified. They’re asking when you have availability.

That’s the relief. That’s the shift.

Your About page doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to list everything. It just has to be true, and it has to sound like you.

If yours doesn’t feel like you yet, that’s not a problem. That’s just information telling you exactly where to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I include all my credentials and certifications on my About page?

Not necessarily all of them. Include the ones that matter most to the people you work with. If you’re a therapist, your license matters. If you’re a business coach, that 20-year career in the field matters. But not every workshop you’ve attended needs to be listed. Be intentional and selective. Quality over quantity.

How long should my About page be?

Anywhere from 300 to 800 words. Long enough to actually say something meaningful, short enough that someone will actually read it. I’d rather see a shorter About page that sounds like a real human than a long one that reads like a resume. Write until you’ve answered the three core questions, then stop.

Should I talk about my personal life on my About page?

Yes, but strategically. The goal is to help someone understand you as a person and why you do what you do. If your personal life clarifies that (a health struggle that inspired your work as a wellness coach, a bad experience that led you to fix a problem), include it. If it’s just random personal trivia, save it for your newsletter or blog.

What if I’ve had a lot of different careers before landing on this one?

That’s actually an opportunity. Talk about that journey, but frame it around what you learned and why it all points to what you’re doing now. Don’t just list the jobs. Explain how each one prepared you to be better at what you do now. That shows evolution and intention, not flakiness.

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