Personal About page template for independent experts

An About page should make it easier for the right person to understand whether to contact you. It does not need to tell your entire career story or prove that you are the best person in a field.

The useful version answers ordinary questions: What do you do? Who is it for? What kind of work do you take on? Why should a reader trust the description? How do they take the next step?

This template is for an individual who sells expertise directly. Use it to draft a page in your own words, then remove every sentence you cannot support. A clear, modest page is more useful than an impressive-sounding one that a client cannot verify.

You can download the fill-in version if you want to work on it offline.

Gather the facts before you write

Open a blank document and collect only material that belongs on a public page. That might include your service description, a public talk, a published article, an accurate professional qualification, or a permissioned description of work you have done.

Do not start with a generic list of strengths. Start with the work a client could actually ask you to do. If you help a specific type of person with a specific problem, say that. If your location, language, or working format affects whether an enquiry is a fit, include it where it helps the reader decide.

Before using an example, check three things:

• You can describe your own contribution accurately.
• You are allowed to name the client, project, or result.
• You can link to the original work or explain the evidence in a factual way.

If the work is confidential, write at the level your agreement permits. For example, “I helped a subscription business map its onboarding handoffs” is more honest than an invented case study. Leave out numbers you cannot substantiate.

Fill in the core description

Start with this paragraph. Brackets are prompts, not text to leave on the page.

[Your name] helps [specific people, teams, or organisations] with [specific problem or work]. [Pronoun or name] works through [method, format, or scope that is true for you]. This is useful for [situation in which someone should consider contacting you].

Here is a fictional example:

Mina Patel helps independent architecture studios make their first client onboarding process easier to run. She maps the steps between an enquiry and a signed project, then works with the studio to document the emails, forms, and handoffs involved. Her work is useful when a studio has grown past an informal process but does not need a new sales system.

The example explains the audience, work, and boundary. It does not claim a result, a famous client, or a credential that has not been shown.

If your first sentence feels too broad, make the problem more concrete. “I help businesses grow” could become “I help small retail teams plan an accessible customer-research project.” The right wording is the wording you could repeat in a first call without adding a qualification afterward.

Explain how you work

Readers do not need every step of your process. They do need a rough sense of the engagement. Add a short section such as this:

How I work

I usually begin with [an honest first step, such as a review, workshop, interview, or audit]. We then [brief description of the work you do]. A typical engagement is [format, length, or involvement only if you can state it accurately]. I work [remotely, in a named location, or through a stated channel] when that is relevant.

For a professional whose work changes from project to project, it is fine to say that scope is agreed after an initial conversation. Do not invent a turnaround time or package just because a template has a place for one.

Add an explicit boundary if it prevents a poor-fit enquiry:

I can help with [work you do]. I do not provide [work you do not provide].

This can be useful for regulated work, specialist services, or a solo practice with a deliberately narrow offer.

Add evidence a reader can inspect

Make a small selection. Two or three specific pieces of evidence are easier to understand than a long list of logos or vague claims.

Relevant work and background

My background includes [verifiable role, training, or type of work]. You can read or view [title of public article, talk, project, or profile] at [link]. [Optional permissioned factual example of work, without confidential detail].

Good evidence is specific and attributable. A byline with your name, a conference page, a public report that credits your contribution, or a profile on a professional body can help a reader check a claim.

Do not turn every mention into proof of authority. A citation to an article and a recommendation to hire you are different observations. Read the guide to citations and recommendations before using an AI answer as evidence about your public presence.

If you have no public portfolio yet, say less and make the service description accurate. You can add material when you have work you are allowed to share.

Give the reader a next step

End with a small, direct invitation:

If you are dealing with [specific problem or situation], you can [contact route]. Please include [one useful detail that helps you assess fit, if appropriate].

Make the link work. A contact form, calendar, email address, or services page is enough. Do not pretend to have a team response process if you work alone.

Final page template

Copy this section into your editor and replace the brackets.

# [Your name] [Your name] helps [specific people or organisations] with [specific problem or work]. [Pronoun or name] works through [truthful method, format, or scope]. This is useful for [relevant situation]. ## How I work I begin with [first step]. Then I [description of your work]. [Optional factual detail about format, location, or scope.] I help with [work you do] and do not provide [optional boundary]. ## Relevant work and background My background includes [verifiable role, qualification, or type of work]. You can explore [public work] at [link]. [Optional permissioned factual example.] ## Get in touch If you need help with [specific situation], [contact route]. [Optional instruction for a useful enquiry.]

Read it once as a potential client. Can they say what you do without inferring it? Can you support each public claim? Are your links current? Then ask someone unfamiliar with your work to read the first paragraph. If they cannot tell what you offer, clarify the language before adding more credentials.

Once the page is live, use the same saved discovery questions to check whether later AI answers change. That gives you a comparison, not proof that the page caused the result. Measure a comparable rescan after you have preserved your baseline.