What Should You Include on Your About Me Page?
Your “About Me” page is often one of the most frequently trafficked pages on your blog. Human beings are curious by nature, and they want to know who the person is behind the blog! If your reader takes the time to read your entire About Me page, chances are they like what they see and are likely to come back for more or follow you on your social media platforms! Keep reading to find out exactly what you should include on your page and how to get more traffic to it!
Headshot/Photo
In my opinion, a photo is a must-have for your About Me page. You can be the best writer on the planet, but people still want to see what you look like! I always advise budgeting some money for a headshot when you start your blog. Many photographers do headshots and will offer you 1 or 2 edited images for a flat fee. Trust me– it’s SO WORTH it to get a professional looking picture. If it’s not in the budget though, find a friend or family member with good photography skills to take one for you. If you can, take the photo in natural light, it makes a HUGE difference.
Smile for your picture and make sure you are dressed nicely. It’s okay to show your personal fashion style, but remember this is the picture you are putting out for the world to see! Brandon Gaille has a great post on how to get the perfect profile pic/headshot based on research. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle photos throughout the post. It helps to break up the text and you can show yourself in different outfits, on different trips, with family, etc.!
Give a Short Bio About Who You Are
Make sure you let your readers know who you are and where you’re from. It helps make you more “real” to your reader. You don’t have to go into a lot of detail, but you want to give them a glimpse into your life. You can include information about where you’ve lived, jobs or fields you’ve worked in, what you like to do in your spare time. Think of it as if you were introducing yourself to someone at a party. What would you tell them about yourself?
Share Your Reason for Writing
The answer to why we write is different for everyone, and it’s what gives you a unique perspective. Don’t be afraid to let your readers know why you started blogging– it makes you so much more relatable! It’s okay if your reasons change and you can always go back and give your About Me page an update. For example, I started blogging over six years ago as a way to connect with the outside world after having my second child (you can read more about it HERE). That’s the reason I started writing, but now my reason for writing is to provide additional income for my family. I still LOVE it, but the best part is that I get paid to blog too!
Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Challenges or Obstacles– It Makes it Easier for Your Reader to Relate!
There’s a reason why every great book, movie or television show has a similar plot: the main characters struggle to overcome an obstacle or fight an enemy or win someone back. Whatever it is, we as humans love to see a good comeback story! We can all relate to challenges and sharing yours helps you to form a strong connection with your reader. It’s important to share the bad with the good and not be afraid to do it!
Show Your Reader How You Can Help Them
One of the best ways to create a loyal blog reader is to show them how you can HELP them. Of course, you want to share information about yourself, but you should also show them how reading your blog can help them solve a problem they might have. For example, if I was a food blogger, I might share why I write about food and how my blog can help you get delicious, healthy meals on the table during the week. It comes back to thinking about your reader as an individual and what they might be struggling with their life and how your blog posts can help.
Let Your Personality and Writing Style Shine Through
Your writing style is what separates you from all of the other bloggers out there, so embrace it! If you’re sarcastic (like me!), bring it into your writing. Writing is just like your voice and you want to make sure that it reflects who you are– that’s what your reader really wants to see! It helps to think of your ideal reader when you write. What does this person do? What do they love? What are their challenges in life? Write like you are talking specifically to them to give your writing more of a conversational feel– you want your readers to feel as if you were talking directly to them!
How to Get More Traffic to Your About Me Page
I mentioned above that your About Me page is often one of the most trafficked pages on your blog, but it doesn’t hurt to send even more traffic to it! A while back I decided to change up my profile widget in the sidebar on my homepage. Instead of just putting my picture there with a few sentences under it, I created a “hook” to make the reader want to click through to my About Me page. The goal is to give them a little sneak peek and end with a sentence that they can’t help but click! 🙂
Always Have a Call to Action on Your About Me Page
It’s a good idea to put a call to action at the end of your About Me page. If a reader gets to the end of the page, they are engaged and would probably like to see more. Let them know where you would like them to go next (maybe it’s a sign-up form for your mailing list)! You can check out the call to action at the end of my page HERE. It’s a great way to get people on your page and reduce your bounce rate too!
These are such helpful tips! I’m definitely going to update my About Page this week based on all of your suggestions.
I’m so glad they could help! 🙂
Sooooo helpful! Thank you for writing it!
Great info! Thank you!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Thank you for this!
I always get stumped by the about page… It’s a tough place and a little intimidating since so many people make it their first/second stop when they visit!
With your advice, I think I finally had it click on what needs to happen. Appreciate it! ?
I’m so happy you found it helpful– it’s a very important page for sure! 🙂