How To Write An Awesome “About” Page

by Philip on February 9, 2007

The “About” page is one of the most important pages you will ever create for your blog.

Think about the last time you happened on a blog. You either (1) found the site via Google (or Yahoo or MSN or whatever…) or, more likely, (2) found the blog because someone else linked to it. What did you do soon after you arrived at the blog? If you are like me, you likely read the post that got you interested and there in the first place and then you went straight to the “About” page to figure out what the blog was all about.

Your brain wants collaboration to what was said in the posting. Does this guy (or gal) know what he is talking about? What are his credentials? What’s his/her writing style? Should I become a subscriber and continue to read his/her blog? Why should I spend my scarce time on his site in the future? Did the person who sent me to the blog add value to my day?

All great questions that can only be directly addressed in your About page. Make no mistake about it–your About page promotes you. A permanent page to sell yourself to every potential visitor to your blog and to turn that visitor into a subscriber and/or repeat customer.

An awesome About page should:

Be witty (not dry or boring)
Convey expertise
Convey purpose (why are you blogging?)
Convey personality and writing style
Sell YOU!
Answer the questions above
Use pictures/visuals, if possible (but not too much!)

For inspiration, here are some awesome About pages:

Kottke
John Chow
Chris Pearson
NY Hotties (See the right column but Be Careful! NSFW!)

Ever hear the question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” My answer to that is, “Who cares if no one is there to hear it!” Don’t be that tree. Be heard. An awesome About page gets you off on the right foot to being heard.

{ 3 trackbacks }

He Really Does Help You Blog « John Chow dot Com: 02.28.07 at 7:41 pm
A little link love | Blog About Your Blog: 03.08.07 at 3:54 am
Remove the Post Author From One-Man Blogs: 08.23.07 at 6:26 pm

{ 9 comments }

1 Maki 03.08.07 at 12:29 pm: Thanks, Philip.

I’ve just added NY Hotties to my feed reader… just plain awesome.
2 Philip Liu 03.08.07 at 1:41 pm: I’ll be watching to see how her blog influences your posts!
3 Matthew 03.10.07 at 4:15 pm: Ive updated our about page using your ‘guide’ and a few critques, would you mind stopping by and having a look?
4 Philip Liu 03.18.07 at 2:12 pm: Hi Matthew,

First, sorry for being so tardy in my response. I’ve been underwater with my day job and could barely find the time to post on my own site!

Secondly, I took a look at your about page and thought it was off to a good start. I would add something about who is behind the site. It would be nice to know the experience of the webmasters, etc. I think it would be beneficial if you answered the question, “Who is ‘we’?”

Also, I’m not sure what the topic of your blog is? Is it about bloggers who blog about everything under the sun? Or something more specific? How about some examples of bloggers who blog on blogaboutyourblog? Who are these people and why should I read their blogs? What do they blog about generally?

Is there something that sets your blog apart from all the other blogs out there? What is your unique selling proposition?

One last thing. I found it difficult to locate your about page. I didn’t realize at first that it was buried in the “pages” menu. Consider setting it apart as a separate menu item.

Hope that helps! Thanks for visiting!
5 Britgirl 03.21.07 at 10:15 pm: Each to his own, however I like About pages that are different from the usual. And I love lists. For my About page I wrote “100 Things About Me.” My About page is still one of the most visited pages on my blog, and I still get comments about it.

Btw my inspiration came from seeing a blog that was “50 things about the owner..” I just went 50 better
6 Philip Liu 03.21.07 at 10:41 pm: I liked your list! Indirectly, I think you’ve addressed my goals above with your list:

http://thebritgirl.com/about/

Cool
7 Britgirl 04.07.07 at 9:13 pm: Thanks Phillip!
8 Karthik 08.22.07 at 9:16 am: Like I mentioned in one of my previous comments, I’m about to start a blog myself, I’ll keep these points in mind for my About page.
9 santosh 02.23.08 at 5:43 pm: Thanks again for a great post. Of course, the About page will will definitely be scanned by any good visitor who is impressed by the content. If he/she also likes the About page, then there will be an instant effect on him/her, and there will be repeat visits. The About page gives a “face” to the blog.

As I said elsewhere, you’re definitely a good tutor.