Why Your ‘About’ Page Is an AI Search Ranking Signal (And How to Fix Yours)

Quick question: when was the last time you read your own About page?

If your answer is “I don’t know” or “the day I built my website,” you’re not alone. The About page is one of the most ignored pages on the internet.

It’s also one of the most important for AI search.

When ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews decide whether to recommend your business, they’re looking for signals of who you are, how experienced you are, and whether you can be trusted. Your About page is one of the clearest places they look.

Here’s how to fix yours.

What Makes an About Page an AI Ranking Signal?

AI tools don’t just scan your website for keywords. They read it like a human would. They’re trying to figure out who’s behind the business and whether that person or team has the experience to deserve a recommendation.

Your About page is the single best place to show this. It answers questions like:

• Who started this business and why?
• How long have they been doing this?
• What makes them qualified?
• Who’s on the team?
• Where are they located?
• What do they actually stand for?

This is straight E-E-A-T territory — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. And your About page is where you prove all four.

Common About Page Mistakes

Mistake 1: It’s all about the business, not the people

Most About pages read like a brochure. “Founded in 2010, we are passionate about delivering quality service to our valued clients.”

Nobody cares. AI tools don’t either. Real people with real names and real stories are what build trust. A page that says “Joe Martinez started this plumbing company after 15 years at his uncle’s shop” is ten times stronger than one that just says “we’ve been in business since 2008.”

Mistake 2: Stock photos everywhere

Stock photos are the fastest way to signal “this business isn’t real.” Generic shots of people in suits shaking hands tell AI tools and customers nothing. Replace them with actual photos of your team, your storefront, and your work.

Mistake 3: No credentials or proof

Claiming you’re experienced isn’t the same as showing it. Your About page should include:

• Specific licences and certifications (with issuing body and number where possible)
• Years in business (not vague — actual year founded)
• Number of customers served, projects completed, or jobs done
• Any awards, recognitions, or media mentions
• Professional memberships and associations

Mistake 4: No location signals

AI tools are trying to recommend local businesses to local customers. If your About page doesn’t clearly state where you’re located and what areas you serve, you’re making the AI’s job harder.

Don’t just list your city. Be specific: “We’re based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and serve the greater Phoenix metro area including Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert.”

Mistake 5: It was written once and never updated

Your About page should reflect your business today, not your business when you launched your website. Update it when you hit significant milestones, add team members, earn new credentials, or expand your services.

What a Strong About Page Includes

The origin story

Why did you start this business? What problem were you solving? What experience or background led you here? A genuine origin story is one of the most powerful trust signals you can have.

Keep it honest and specific. “I started this bakery because I couldn’t find a decent gluten-free sourdough anywhere in town” is more compelling — and more trustworthy — than “I’ve always been passionate about baking.”

Real photos of real people

At minimum: a photo of you. Ideally: photos of your whole team, your workspace, and your work in action.

Faces build trust in a way that words can’t. AI tools are trained on human content, and humans trust faces. Show yours.

Credentials and qualifications

List them all. Licences, certifications, degrees, professional memberships, awards. If you’ve been in business for 20 years, say so. If you’ve served 3,000 customers, say so. If you trained under a recognised expert in your field, say so.

Specificity is the key. “Certified by the National Institute of Building Inspectors (NABI), Licence #12345” is worth ten times more than “certified and licensed.”

What you actually do and for whom

Be clear about your services and your ideal customer. AI tools use this to match your business to customer queries. “We specialise in residential electrical work for homeowners in older properties” is much more useful than “we do all types of electrical work.”

Location and service area

Your city, your neighbourhood, and the areas you cover. Make it easy for the AI to match you to local searches.

How to contact you

Phone number, email address, and a link to your contact page. Don’t make customers hunt for this.

A Simple About Page Template

Here’s a structure you can follow:

• Opening paragraph: Who you are, what you do, and who you do it for
• Origin story: Why you started the business and what experience you brought to it
• Credentials: Licences, certifications, years of experience, notable achievements
• Team section: Photos and brief bios of key team members
• Service area: Where you’re located and where you serve
• Values or approach: What makes you different and what customers can expect
• Call to action: How to get in touch or what to do next

How to Check If Your About Page Is Working

Once you’ve updated your About page, test it with AI tools directly:

• Open ChatGPT and ask: “Tell me about [your business name]”
• Ask Perplexity: “Who runs [your business name] and what do they do?”
• Ask Google’s AI Overview: “What is [your business name] and who owns it?”

If the AI can answer these questions accurately and completely, your About page is doing its job. If it gives vague or wrong answers, your page needs more work.

Compare what the AI says about you to what it says about your top competitors. Where do they have more detail? More credibility signals? That’s your gap.

The Bottom Line

Your About page isn’t a formality. It’s one of the most important trust signals your website has — for both human visitors and AI tools that decide whether to recommend you.

The fix isn’t complicated. Real photos. Real names. Real credentials. A real story. Location signals that make clear where you serve.

Most of your competitors’ About pages are terrible. That’s your opportunity.

Spend an hour on yours this week. It’s one of the highest-return improvements you can make to your AI search visibility right now.