While it might seem strange or even vain to write an entire page about who you are and what your blog stands for, an About page is actually one of the most important pages on your site. It's often one of the most popular pages on your site.
Thankfully, learning how to write an About me page isn’t rocket science. In fact, the process can be quite enjoyable and help give your blog the voice it might be missing.
The key is to talk about yourself in a way that still focuses on the reader. It's not a biography – it's a way for the reader to get to know you and how your site can help them .
What Is An About Me Page?
An About me page explains to readers who you are and what your website is about.
This page isn’t exclusively for bloggers either; small businesses, ecommerce stores, and massive online publications should all have an About page that clearly explains the story behind the brand and why readers should care.
Why Are About Pages Useful?
You might think an About page is just a chance for bloggers to brag about their website and that readers don’t actually care.
However, there are numerous benefits to creating a robust About page.
1. Build Trust
According to a 2018 study by the Harvard Business Review, consumers rely on their intuition more than deliberation when making risk-based decisions online, like making a purchase.
Psychological jargon aside, this means that consumers often rely on their gut feeling when making purchases or giving up something of value online.
If you’ve ever not purchased something from a website or signed up for a newsletter because the website just feels off somehow, you’ll understand this behavior.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter if you’re selling something or trying to build an audience; if people don’t trust you or struggle to put a face to a brand, getting people to part with their money and time is challenging.
An About page helps solve this issue.
It lets you put a face to your website, explain your story, and ultimately makes your website more trustworthy than a cookie-cutter website with no visible author.
2. Useful for Readers
Unless you run a blog with an incredibly explanatory name, like Best Vacuum Reviews, new readers stumbling across your blog might not understand your site immediately.
If you run a lifestyle blog or cover several sub-categories within your blogging niche, this is even more important.
Your About page gives you an opportunity to spell out what people can expect to get from your site and why you are the person for the job. You can also describe the type of person you’re targeting with your content and how you can help them.
Finally, many About pages drive readers to the first posts they should read next or the top posts of all time, almost serving as a directory for newer readers.
3. Branding
There’s nothing wrong with running a purely informational blog that just focuses on content and nothing else.
However, if you want to turn your blog into a business, you’ll likely have to consider branding at some point.
Connecting yourself to your blog has several benefits. It can let you branch into new opportunities like:
- Consulting
- Paid coaching
- Freelancing
- Public and online speaking events
- Starting a podcast or YouTube channel
- Networking with other bloggers
An About page is a critical element of branding since it gives you an opportunity to explain your story.
4. SEO
When you think of search engine optimization, you probably think of things like using the right keywords and making sure your website loads quickly.
However, did you also know that having a strong About page can also do wonders for your SEO efforts?
Google has hundreds of ranking factors – and one of those is EAT, which stands for:
- Expertise: Provide in-depth content that helps people solve their problems
- Authority: Back-up your content claims with credentials and proof you’re an expert
- Trust: Don’t mislead readers with false claims and build a foundation of trust
Your About page caters to these three elements. After all, you can literally explain why you’re an expert, what your credentials are, and why readers should trust you.
Related: Trouble Ranking? Here's the Part of SEO You're Probably Missing
About Page Template – What You Need To Include
Sounds great… but where should you start? Sitting at a blank screen with the prospect of writing a few thousand words about yourself is probably pretty daunting.
By following this simple About page template, you can create a comprehensive About page that helps solidify your blog’s identity.
1. Credentials
Starting off with your credentials is a smart move for your About page because it immediately captures attention and shows people you’re serious.
For example, my About page starts off with: “Hi, my name is Ashley Barnett, and I’m the most famous personal finance blogger you’ve probably never met.”
It also explains a few of the websites I’ve helped grow and how they amassed over 24 million collective pageviews per year.
It doesn’t matter what your niche is. Explain what makes you knowledgeable and include credentials if possible so people (and Google) trust your content.
My hope is that when you read that you believe that I do know what I'm talking about. I didn't start doing this last year. I have experience.
2. Why You Started
Another important part of your About page is to tell the story of why you started the site. Why is this topic important to you? How do you want to change the world?
Now, the easiest way to accomplish this is to explain your story.
Describing who you are and why you started blogging about your particular niche ultimately helps readers relate to you. It also helps define your target audience.
For example, check out The Healthy Foodie for an example of how to weave your personal story into connecting to readers.
This isn’t just a simple healthy vegan blog. Once you read Sonia’s About page, you understand that she’s a busy mother, struggled with weight for much of her life, tried multiple diets, and eventually found that veganism was right for her.
This is far more relatable for readers compared to just writing a vegan brownie recipe and not having an About page or author bio anywhere.
Once you explain your story, recap with a short summary of who your target reader is.
3. How You Help Your Reader
Once you've told your story – and hopefully connected with your reader it's time to turn the attention back to them. Highlight the value people gain by sticking around.
One way to do this is to list some of your best and most helpful posts in a bulleted list, show off your freebie, or highlight your other channels such as YouTube or Instagram.
Whatever the case, ensure readers know the different ways following your blog can make a positive impact on their life.
Related: 6 Pages Every Blog Needs Even if it's Brand New
4. A Call-To-Action (CTA)
A lack of a CTA is probably one of the most common About page mistakes.
If you think about it, readers who reach the end of your About page are incredibly engaged. After all, they just read through an entire page about you and what you stand for.
So, if you don’t funnel these readers somewhere, your About page isn’t pulling its weight.
You can use CTAs like:
- A list of relevant blog posts to read
- A course you offer
- Your product page
- A “schedule a call” button if you do consulting or coaching
- An email grab
In fact, you can even do a few of these things at the end of your About page and it’s alright.
If you want an excellent example of this, checkout Ryan Robinson’s About page:
The page quickly explains what RyRob.com is all about and where Ryan has been featured.
However, after sharing his story, Ryan does an excellent job at promoting his podcast, his top blog posts, a blogging course, and his hire me page.
Summary
While it might feel strange to talk about yourself on the internet, the reality is that many successful bloggers incorporate their story and personalities into their blogs.
An About page is just one tool to do this, albeit an important one.
You don’t have to turn your About page into a novel, or to make it an endless wall of text about your every accomplishment. Rather, view your About page as a chance to share your story and to connect with readers on a more personal level.
Besides, you might be surprised at some of the heartwarming comments your About page receives after readers discover who the author behind their new favorite blog is.
