Does Google use the About page to judge whether a site can be trusted?

Google's helpful content page names a site's About page as one way readers learn the background of the site that publishes content, and asks owners to judge their own pages by that test. Its SEO Starter Guide also says E-E-A-T, its name for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, is not a ranking factor. The About page helps by giving readers and machines checkable facts.

Should Organization structured data go on my About page or my homepage?

Put it on one of the two. Google's Organization guide recommends placing it on the home page or on a single page that describes the organization, for example the about us page, and says you don't need it on every page. If you choose the About page, keep the WebSite markup for the site name on the homepage, where Google requires it.

What is AboutPage markup, and does Google use it?

AboutPage is a Schema.org type defined as "Web page type: About page." It labels the page as an About page. Google's list of supported structured data features, updated on 16 October 2026, has no AboutPage feature, so Google shows nothing special for it. The Organization markup and the visible facts on the page carry the information that matters.

Should I show photos of my team on the About page?

Yes, real photos of the real team, with names and roles. Google's helpful content page encourages accurate authorship information and calls fabricated profiles, such as AI-generated headshots and made-up names, a form of deception. Apple's guidelines for Apple Business reject stock photos and AI-generated content on place cards. True photos let a customer recognise the person who comes to the door.

Can I use AI-generated photos of people on my About page?

Do not present them as your team. Google's helpful content page names AI-generated headshots used to make content appear to come from real experts as a form of deception, and says any deception makes a page untrustworthy to users and to Google's systems. If you have no team photos yet, show your work, your vehicles or your premises until you do.

Which outside profiles should my About page link to?

Link to the profiles that you control and that describe the same business: your Google Business Profile, your Apple Business place card, your main social media pages and any public register entry. Google's Organization guide describes the sameAs property as a page on another website with more information about your organization, so list the same links in the markup.

Should my About page show my licence or registration number?

Yes, when a public body issued it and a customer can look it up. Google's helpful content page asks whether content has easily-verified factual errors, and its Organization guide calls a VAT number an important trust signal because users can look it up in public registries. Name the issuing body and say where to check the number.

Should the About page tell the founder's story?

Yes, after the facts, and with dates, places and numbers. A story such as when and how the business started, what it did first and what changed since gives a reader first-hand information that no other site has, which Google's AI guide describes as a unique point of view. Keep the opening lines for the facts an assistant would quote.

What if my business changed its name?

Say so on the About page, with the year of the change and the old name, so that readers who know the old name find you. In the Organization markup, use the current name as the name and the old or short name as the alternateName, which Google describes as another common name that your organization goes by. Update every profile to the new name.

Should my About page list awards and memberships?

List only those that the awarding body or the association confirms on its own website, and link to that page so that readers can check your name on the list. A claim that a reader cannot confirm adds nothing, and one that the body contradicts harms trust. Google's helpful content page asks whether a page has easily-verified factual errors.

What should a small business About page say so that Google and AI assistants use it as the answer about you?

The questions an About page answers, the facts that go in its first lines, the details a reader can check, where the Organization structured data goes, how to show the real team, and how the page agrees with your profiles elsewhere.

See if customers can find you

Your About page becomes the answer about your business when its first lines state the facts a person or an assistant would look for: the trading name and the legal name, who owns and runs it, when and where it started, what it does and where it works, followed by real names and photos of real people, registration or licence numbers a reader can check, and links to your official profiles elsewhere. Google's helpful content guide names a site's About page as one place where readers learn who stands behind a site, and Google allows the Organization structured data (labels in the page code, also called markup, that describe the business) to sit on that page in place of the homepage.

Which questions does an About page answer?

An About page answers the questions a careful customer asks before trusting a business they do not know: who owns this company, how long has it existed, where is it based, who will do the work, and can I check any of this? The same questions arrive in search boxes and assistants, in forms such as "who owns Harbour Cycles" or "is Northside Exteriors a real company" (both names are invented for this guide). The page that answers them in plain sentences gives Google and the assistants a source to quote.

Google ties the About page to trust in its own words. Its page on helpful content, updated on 5 October 2026, asks whether content presents information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, and background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site's About page. It also asks: if someone researched the site producing the content, would they come away with an impression that it is well-trusted?

It must be said, to be precise, that this is a question for owners to ask themselves. Google's SEO Starter Guide answers the question of whether E-E-A-T, its name for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, is a ranking factor with "No, it's not." The About page helps because it gives readers and machines checkable facts about you.

What should the first lines of the About page say?

Open with the facts, and keep the story for later in the page. The first two or three sentences should answer who, what, where and since when, so that each one is true when quoted alone. Microsoft's post of 8 October 2025 on the Microsoft Advertising blog explains why vague words fail here: terms like innovative or eco mean little without specifics, and it asks writers to state measurable facts.

The table shows the opening of an About page before and after. The business and its facts are invented for the example; write the ones that are true for yours, and use only numbers you can prove.

About page opening before and after: written by Licheo on 17 October 2026 as an illustration. The business, the people and the numbers are invented.
Part of the page	Before	After
Main heading	Our story	About Northside Exteriors
First sentence	We are passionate about quality and customer care.	Northside Exteriors is a gutter and roof repair company in Surrey, British Columbia, founded in 2009 by Daniel Okafor, who still runs it.
Second sentence	Our team goes above and beyond.	Our crew of six has cleaned and repaired gutters on more than 4,000 houses in Surrey, Langley and Delta.
Checkable facts	None	Business registration number, insurance provider and WorkSafeBC account status, each with where to check it
People	A stock photo of a handshake	Photos and names of the owner and the crew, each with a role and the year they joined
Contact	A form only	Address, phone and email as text, the same as on the homepage and the Business Profile

Which facts should a reader be able to check?

A fact that a reader can check can be confirmed by someone with no interest in the answer. Google's helpful content page asks whether content has any easily-verified factual errors: a correct registration number that matches the public register passes that test, and a wrong one fails it. Google's Organization guide makes the point about tax numbers: it calls a VAT number an important trust signal for users, because users can look up your business in public VAT registries.

So list the numbers that a public body issues and that a customer can look up: a business registration, a trade licence, a professional membership with a public directory, an insurance certificate. Name the body that issued each one, so that the reader knows where to look. If you mention an award or a membership, link to the page of the body that gave it, so that the reader sees the list with your name on it. And leave out anything the issuing body would not confirm.

Should the Organization structured data sit on the About page or the homepage?

Either page works, and one is enough. Google's Organization guide, updated on 8 September 2026, says: We recommend placing this information on your home page, or a single page that describes your organization, for example the about us page. You don't need to include it on every page of your site. A small site can keep it on the homepage, because the WebSite markup for the site name must go there anyway, as our homepage guide explains. If the homepage is busy, the About page is the natural place, and the facts there are the fullest.

Schema.org, the shared vocabulary of structured data types, also has an AboutPage type, defined only as "Web page type: About page." Google's list of supported features, updated on 16 October 2026, has no feature for it, so it labels the page without any Google display. The table lists the Organization properties that suit an About page, from Google's guide, with what a small business puts in each. Google says there are no required properties and recommends adding the ones that apply.

Organization properties for an About page. Sources: Google Search Central, Organization structured data (updated 2026-09-08, accessed 16 October 2026); Schema.org, Organization (accessed 17 October 2026) for founder.
Property	What the source says it is	What a small business puts in it
name	The name of your organization; use the same name as your site name	Northside Exteriors
legalName	The registered, legal name, if different from the name	Northside Exteriors Ltd.
alternateName	Another common name that your organization goes by	A short name or an old name customers still use
foundingDate	The date your organization was founded	2009
founder	A person or organization who founded this organization (Schema.org)	Daniel Okafor
address, telephone, email	Where and how to reach the business	The same address, phone and email shown on the page
logo	A logo of at least 112 x 112 pixels	Your square logo file
sameAs	A page on another website with more information about your organization, such as a social media or review profile	Your Business Profile, Apple Business place card and social profiles

How should the people behind the business be shown?

Show real people with their real names, roles and photos. Google's helpful content page says it strongly encourages accurate authorship information, and it names what to avoid: fabricating creator profiles, such as by using AI-generated headshots, made-up names, or false credentials, is a form of deception that makes a page untrustworthy to users and to Google's automated systems.

Apple has a similar rule for its own listings. Apple's photo guidelines for Apple Business, published on 14 August 2026, say photos for the place card can't be stock photos, illustrations or clip art and can't contain any AI-generated content. If a staff member writes posts or gives advice on the site, give that person a short page of their own. Google's profile page guide lists an employee page on a company website among valid uses of ProfilePage markup, as long as the page is mainly about that one person, and our guide to blog posts explains how the byline of each post links to it.

How do the About page and your profiles elsewhere agree?

Your business appears in several places besides your website, so the About page should say what those places say. Bing's post of 10 February 2026 on its AI Performance report asks owners to align text, images, and video so they consistently represent the same entities, products, or concepts. Apple's brand guide for Apple Business, published on 14 April 2026, says a brand added there lets customers find it in Maps, Apple Wallet, Siri, and more, and asks for the website, which must use https.

The sameAs property in the Organization markup connects the About page to those profiles: Google describes it as the address of a page on another website with additional information about your organization, for example a social media or review profile. Use the same business name, address, phone number and founding year everywhere. When one of them changes, change it on the About page, the homepage, the Business Profile and the Apple Business listing on the same day. Our guide to knowledge panels explains how these details reach the information box that Google shows for a business.

What should the history part of the page say?

After the facts comes the story, and it should be as concrete as the rest. Why did the founder start the business, what did it do first, what has changed since, and what does it do differently today? Dates, places and numbers turn a story into information. "Daniel started with one ladder and a van in 2009" tells the reader more than three sentences about passion.

Google's AI guide, updated on 10 July 2026, gives advice that fits this part of the page: create the content yourself based on what you know about the topic, and consider what in-depth experience you can bring to your content. An About page is the one page where only you can write the content. In the end, a reader should leave knowing who you are, how long you have done this work, and why you are the right people to call.

What should an About page avoid?

Each item below makes the page harder to quote or harder to believe, and each one comes from a source cited on this page.

Opening lines with no facts, such as statements about passion and excellence.
Stock photos or AI-generated pictures of people presented as your team.
Awards, memberships or licences that the issuing body would not confirm.
A business name, address or founding year that differs from your profiles elsewhere.
Contact details only inside an image, which Microsoft's October 2025 post advises against for key information.
Organization structured data with facts the page does not show.

Part of a larger guide

This page is one part of AEO page by page. The other parts:

Questions people ask

Does Google use the About page to judge whether a site can be trusted?: Google's helpful content page names a site's About page as one way readers learn the background of the site that publishes content, and asks owners to judge their own pages by that test. Its SEO Starter Guide also says E-E-A-T, its name for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, is not a ranking factor. The About page helps by giving readers and machines checkable facts.
Should Organization structured data go on my About page or my homepage?: Put it on one of the two. Google's Organization guide recommends placing it on the home page or on a single page that describes the organization, for example the about us page, and says you don't need it on every page. If you choose the About page, keep the WebSite markup for the site name on the homepage, where Google requires it.
What is AboutPage markup, and does Google use it?: AboutPage is a Schema.org type defined as "Web page type: About page." It labels the page as an About page. Google's list of supported structured data features, updated on 16 October 2026, has no AboutPage feature, so Google shows nothing special for it. The Organization markup and the visible facts on the page carry the information that matters.
Should I show photos of my team on the About page?: Yes, real photos of the real team, with names and roles. Google's helpful content page encourages accurate authorship information and calls fabricated profiles, such as AI-generated headshots and made-up names, a form of deception. Apple's guidelines for Apple Business reject stock photos and AI-generated content on place cards. True photos let a customer recognise the person who comes to the door.
Can I use AI-generated photos of people on my About page?: Do not present them as your team. Google's helpful content page names AI-generated headshots used to make content appear to come from real experts as a form of deception, and says any deception makes a page untrustworthy to users and to Google's systems. If you have no team photos yet, show your work, your vehicles or your premises until you do.
Which outside profiles should my About page link to?: Link to the profiles that you control and that describe the same business: your Google Business Profile, your Apple Business place card, your main social media pages and any public register entry. Google's Organization guide describes the sameAs property as a page on another website with more information about your organization, so list the same links in the markup.
Should my About page show my licence or registration number?: Yes, when a public body issued it and a customer can look it up. Google's helpful content page asks whether content has easily-verified factual errors, and its Organization guide calls a VAT number an important trust signal because users can look it up in public registries. Name the issuing body and say where to check the number.
Should the About page tell the founder's story?: Yes, after the facts, and with dates, places and numbers. A story such as when and how the business started, what it did first and what changed since gives a reader first-hand information that no other site has, which Google's AI guide describes as a unique point of view. Keep the opening lines for the facts an assistant would quote.
What if my business changed its name?: Say so on the About page, with the year of the change and the old name, so that readers who know the old name find you. In the Organization markup, use the current name as the name and the old or short name as the alternateName, which Google describes as another common name that your organization goes by. Update every profile to the new name.
Should my About page list awards and memberships?: List only those that the awarding body or the association confirms on its own website, and link to that page so that readers can check your name on the list. A claim that a reader cannot confirm adds nothing, and one that the body contradicts harms trust. Google's helpful content page asks whether a page has easily-verified factual errors.

Sources

Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-10-05, accessed 16 October 2026.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, Google Search Central. Updated 2025-12-10, accessed 16 October 2026.
Optimizing Your Content for Inclusion in AI Search Answers, Microsoft Advertising blog (Krishna Madhavan, Microsoft Bing). Posted 8 October 2025, accessed 17 October 2026.
Organization (Organization) structured data, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-09-08, accessed 16 October 2026.
Organization, Schema.org. Accessed 17 October 2026.
AboutPage, Schema.org. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Structured data markup that Google Search supports, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-10-16, accessed 16 October 2026.
Profile page (ProfilePage) structured data, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-09-08, accessed 17 October 2026.
Photo and text standards and guidelines for Apple Business, Apple Support. Published 2026-08-14, accessed 17 October 2026.
Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools Public Preview, Bing Webmaster Blog, Microsoft. Posted 10 February 2026, accessed 17 October 2026.
Brand identity attributes in Apple Business, Apple Support. Published 2026-04-14, accessed 17 October 2026.
Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-07-10, accessed 16 October 2026.
General structured data guidelines, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-07-10, accessed 16 October 2026.

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