Designing an ‘About’ Page

One of the main pages that visitors see after the main page and any sub-pages or single posts is the About page. Naturally, it is often displayed high in search results and is one of the main influences of how readers view your blog and you in relation to your brand. It can be difficult to determine how many people will never return to your blog if it contains the default text in place of what should be there – a clear, defined message that helps set the mood for what they, the reader, should be experiencing whenever they visit your blog.

The whole purpose of the About page is to inform your readers about your site. It doesn’t have to be complex, but again, it shouldn’t be default. There is a huge difference between the two.

The Default Page

Most likely, your blog platform will come with some type of option for creating pages. Typically, it’ll be within a separate area of your blog or through another method – dating the posts back in time so they don’t appear on the main page. Whatever method you must use, delete what is already there and don’t leave any blanks.

The traditional page will give instructions or contain filler text, which are both worse than creating a page that isn’t attractive and appealing to your readers.

The Ideal Page

Name some things that stick out in your mind when you visit a site for the first time. You want to read about the author/company behind the blog/site and background information on how the site was developed or founded and a brief biography of the people that publish content or work on the project/site. After this, you want to have access to stats or related information regarding how long the site has been in existence, traffic levels (if not already included on the Advertise page) and possibly links to the most frequently accessed pages, should you reference them or have a need to link to them on this page.

So, in outline form, these are musts when you create your about page. There may be a few cases that you don’t need them all (I, for one, have not included them all in my about page), but the ideal page contains them.

• Biography – A short biography of each writer of the blog, including the person or company that founded the site, if applicable. Often, more transparency is created when you publish an image to this area, but can also result in problems should you falter on your blog (however, this shouldn’t be a reason not to include one). You could create a mini résumé with past experiences or awards that you’ve received.
• An Objective – What is the purpose of your website? Do you sell products or do you try to inform your readers about what they are interested in? What are your goals and what direction do you want to take the site? When readers don’t know what your objective is, they think they are looking at a site that lacks focus and substance–core elements of every site.
• Inform – Not unlike the biography point, you have to elaborate on the topic you are hoping to address on your blog. If it is relatively unknown (i.e. something not talked about by the mass media on a regular basis), then you might want to provide background on how the niche was created, if at all  – some blogs are started with unique purposes.
• Contact Information – Keep this the shortest part of your About page, unless your blog lacks the Contact page. Include a simple email address and/or phone number so your readers can contact you without having to travel any further. It should be kept simple and intuitive for your readers to find these areas.

Other Goals

Starting with your About page right after starting your blog could be a great decision – you have little to lose by defining your goals right away. Here are a few more ways that this page can (and should) address common questions that readers may have:

1. Why your blog is better the next in the ever-growing list of blogs created in similar niches on the web.
2. How you will bring a unique touch to the blog and how you will be able to engage your readers on a daily basis.
3. State the experience that you have and bring to your blog (ties in with number one).
4. Cover your blog from multiple perspectives and angles with content that fills voids – links to your most popular content and statistics (mentioned above).

A Brief Message

Your entire About page could be as simple as a few words or could be a more complete collection of your work and a showcase of your blog.

This is a structure that is often used, answering various questions, written in third person.

1. State your name and your profession, if not a blogger.
2. Tell your readers how much experience you have and/or how you got started.
3. Signify at least one significant event, contribution, or accomplishment that you have attained since beginning to pursue your skill/occupation/hobby.
4. Name some of your personal characteristics, if you want to be this open on your blog.
5. Conclude with a statement to subscribe to your blog or view the most popular content featured on your blog.

Conclusion

Although the About page might be difficult to develop at firs,t it is an essential part of your blog and can be quite beneficial to the long-term success of your blog. Now, as your blog grows, you will want to change the appearance and direction that your About page is set in, although these should be gradual, not taking too much time from writing content.

Some of the best introductory pages are the simple ones, those that are straight to the point and can be outlined in a sentence or two, not those that include an entire history of the blog or its writers.