When you start blogging, the first page you should think about adding to your site is the about page. Although it is one of the most important pages on your site (along with the contact page), it is often considered the most challenging when it comes to writing.
About pages are essential for your readers as they allow them to get a better insight into your blog’s mission, your personal style and history. It is a great way to allow your followers to get a better understanding of the person behind your blog, and is an opportunity to answer any questions your readers may have.
The about page is a tricky one to get right – it can feel awkward talking about yourself and often the words don’t come easily. Many bloggers confess to a friend writing their about page for them, but due to the personal nature of an about page, it’s important to give it a go yourself. After all, nobody knows you and your blog better than you.
Research.
Start off with researching what you have already written about your blog elsewhere. Review your Twitter and Pinterest profiles and your Facebook page description. Chances are, you have already written about yourself and your blog on them. Use these for a starting point to help frame your about page’s content.
Try to understand what questions your audience may want answered. If you use social media platforms such as Formspring, have a scroll through past questions you’ve answered. Look for questions asked in past emails, blog comments and on Twitter from your readers. Since your readers are already asking these questions, it would be appropriate to answer them on your about page.
Don’t be afraid to be inspired by your favourite blogger’s content. Research a range of other about pages, even ones from brands and companies you follow. How have they written theirs? What do you like about their page? What don’t you like? Jot these points down in a notepad to help inspire you to create your very own, personal about page.
What should you write about?
Make it shine full of personality, add interesting and quirky facts that make you “you”. Talk about your most proud moments, add any experiences you are proud of and stay upbeat. Below is a list of points you might want to start with.
Suggested points:
- Your name and location.
- When you started your blog.
- What encouraged you to first start blogging?
- What inspires you.
- Your personal style.
- What you blog about.
Open up a word document to draft your content for the about page. Paste in your summaries from your social networking profiles along with the notes you’ve taken from your research.
Start off with introducing yourself with your name and location. Write down some words to describe your personality. If you want to share your qualifications within the fashion industry, you could write about your education, career and experiences. Write down in bullet points all the facts you want to get across to your readers and then start to slowly build these into sentences.
Final Touches.
Now you have worked out the meat of your about page, it is time to add to the appearance. Add a nice, clear image of yourself at the top of the page. Pick a photo that shows off your personal style, your personality and reflects you well. This is the image your readers will connect your writing and blog’s voice to. You could highlight interesting points and quotes to make it more visually exciting. If you have any, try to add a couple of quotes from influential publications in which you’ve been mentioned.
Add your contact information at the end of your about page. Adding an email address will encourage your readers to email you if they have any further questions you haven’t answered about yourself or your blog. You could even add a link to your twitter profile as well for those who prefer a quicker response.
When you think you are finished with your page, get a friend or family member to proof-read it for you before you take it live. This is just to ensure you have spelled everything correctly and that the phrasing will make sense to your readers.
A few more basic tips:
- Make sure it is positive, engaging content which isn’t too long. Blog readers tend to have short attention spans and prefer to read small bulks of text at a time. Try breaking the content up with visuals such as images and bullet points.
- Never disclose personal details like your address or phone number for your own personal safety.
- Read it over and over again before posting to make sure what you are disclosing in your about page is information you are comfortable sharing with your readers.
Written by Sarah of Sarah Loves
For more about blog pages: Create & Update You About Page; Build Your Blog’s Framework with these 4 Pages
