I was consulting with a small business owner over the weekend and providing some tips on setting up his business blog. I asked him if he has put any thought into his “about page”. I was a bit surprised by his reaction and it was clear to me through his reaction and response that he did not really think the about page was an important thing to focus on. I completely disagree and I can tell you from a blog readers perspective that if you do not have an about me page or if your about5 me page sucks, I will not be a regular reader of your blog. In every niche there are hundredsthousands of blogs to subscribe to. I like to read blogs that have an element of humanity. I like knowing who the blogger is, where they are from, what they look like and most importantly what their exerience is in their niche. In short, why the hell should I care about you and what you are writing!
About 18 months ago, I wrote a post entitled How to write a killer about me page for your blog . The post was pretty basic and in this post I wanted to offer some additional tips and ideas for your about me page.
- Get personal – People are interested in people. What is your name? Where are you from? What do you look like? You do not need to get into too much detail but the basics need to be there.
- Video – A great way to connect with your readers is to put a quick video up and let your readers see you and get a sense of your personality.
- Experience- This is vital for those bloggers that are blogging to enhance their business. If you are providing information to others then you need to tell others why you are qualified to dispense this advice.
- Connections- Most people use their blog to connect with others. With that in mind, your about me page is the perfect place to include links to other places where you hang out online, ie., Facebook, Twitter, etc…
- Email or Contact Form- Similar to the above point, make it easy for your readers to connect and follow up with you.
- List- If you are looking to build an email list (and you should be) this is a great spot to include a call to action and include your sign up form.
- Promote your about me page – This is an advanced tip that I picked up from Dennis Edell . Now that you have improved your about me page, start promoting it. Consider linking to it when you comment on other blogs and direct new visitors there as a starting point.
- Showcase your best content. Consider linking to your top posts so new readers get to see your best stuff.
I will be working on updating my about me page over the next week or so and will definitely be incorporating the above tips.
What would you add? What creative elements have you included in your about me page.
Love "How to write a Killer About Me Page!!" Very well constructed and great points, especially the video point.
Regarding my about me page, I leverage my "Secret Service Veteran" and "Two-time Author" angle when appropriate. To me, they are very special credentials. My hope is that readers consider me to be credible, but again all I can do is hope!!
I'm going to start utilizing video more on my About Me page. You definitely woke me up in that regard.
Also – in an About Me page, where do you draw that fine line between bragging and stating your credentials? Thanks, look forward to hearing back from you!!
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Thanks for your tips. I now definitively know that I should make my blog more personal.
I believe the most important thing you can do on your about me page is to simply tell a story. Tell a story of why you created that blog and what you think this blog is going to help people with.
I also liked the idea of promoting the about me page. I have to definitely try this out. Thanks for mentioning it.
My recent post Glimpses on Understanding Life
Getting personal is without a doubt an important element in blogging. The fact that you can get to know the person who's behind the blog, can help you trust his words better. At least it works that way by me.
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Really nice blog title Dan. I think that is the most catchy blog title that I have read today. =) And your blog has really nice content. Content wise, I think you are really an experienced blogger. =) Keep it up. Good work.
Great post I totally agree, the about me page is important, as you have to build up a good relationship with people before they trust you. I might have to think more about main.
Thanks for the reminder,
Cheers.
Wow, thanks for this opportunity, my blog is about High Yield Safe Investments, I did very hard work on my blog, hope everyone here will come to my blog, thanks Dan
I am relatively new to blogging and my about page is my personal story of why I am blogging in my chosen niche all about lavenders. I hadn't thought about using my about me page as a link to blog comments though. Thanks for the tip.
Patricia Perth Australia
My recent post Lavender Health-Embracing An Organic Lifestyle
The About Me page is hugely important. Especially once you stumble across a blog with good content in your niche, it is nice to learn more about whom you are learning from. Going to check out you other post referenced in the article.
Blessings,
Ron
This is a very profound point Dan! Honestly, I don't put enough information on the About Page before. For me, its like writing another boring article. But you stressed your point very clear and made me understand how important the about page is as well as its promotion and I thank you for it.
keep it up Dan
Hi Dan,
Nice post.
I am a novice blogger and once I have enough audience, i will write an about me.
What do you suggest?
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Hi Dan –
Saw El's tweet and followed. So glad I did. Of course, before leaving the comment I had to go look at my own about page. Hmmm. Could use some work, but might pass your test.
You have an excellent idea in promoting the about page. I link to it from my little bio on my home page, but I hadn't considered promoting elsewhere. Thanks for that great tip!
Oh! And I love your idea of putting "reader's favorites" there too!
Thanks for the awesome ideas!
Theresa
My recent post Asking Someone to Mentor You and Part II of the Joel Comm Project
Theresa, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I will stop by your place soon and check it out!
I have slapped up some very basic about me stuff on the page, it has been something I've been meaning to sort out properly fo ra while but something more imortant seems to raise their head. I'll certainly bookmark this post and your earlier one, about making a killer about me page, for reference.
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I totally agree with you… the internet is all about relationships, this is especially true for blogs. Your blog About Me page is like your resume, and where you make a connection with potential readers and subscribers. However, I can also understand why people are hesitant to divulge too much details about themselves online for fear of identity theft or whatever info that might be used against them…. Or, someone claiming to be an "expert" might out himself as not an "expert" at all after reading their nonsense About Me page, or the reason they don't have an About Me page is because they are not experts as they claim to be.
well said!
Using the about me page as the link for forum comments is a great idea. I always appreciate your tips Mr. Keller!
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