With the hustle and bustle of setting up your blog it is easy to forget all about the importance of your “about” page. Don’t underestimate the effect your about page can have on your readers. I have been absolutely amazed by the number of blogs I have visited that hadn’t done a thing with their about page, it still have the WordPress default wording!
The about page is one of the first things I check out when visiting a new blog. I want to know who the reader is what kind of experience they have and what they are about. The following is a list of things I believe you should have on your about page:
Your Personal Picture - Most people are visual and it’s disappointing not knowing the author looks like. If you are running a professional blog and want to be viewed as a professional, then use a professional picture of yourself. It could be a big turn off to your readers if you have a goofy picture of yourself on there.
Tell Them About Who You Are And What Your Experience Is - Tell them about your background, proving that you are an authority in your niche. Tell them about your specialties, if you are a blog designer, let them know. You can also give them a peak into your personal life, if you are married, have kids, live in Cali, etc. Once again, I don’t recommend telling them information about yourself that will give them the wrong impression of you. The goal here is to come across as an expert in your field, not a lazy bum! 
Give Them Your Contact Information - Now how much info you give them is up to you. You may only want to give out an email and maybe your skype info, or maybe you will want to give out your physical phone number. Do it at your own risk.
Welcome Them To Your Blog and Let Them Know What They Will Find In It. - You will want to give your new readers an idea of all the different topics you cover in your blog. Do you give training, product reviews, tips, news on upcoming events? Let’em know!
Give Them A Call To Action - This is not something most think of when it comes to their about page. But this is a perfect time to let your readers know how they can subscribe to your RSS feed or optin to receive your awesome Free Report or weekly/monthly newsletter. If you have a discussion forum, now would be a good time to invite them to join it.
Invite them to anything else you have going on – If you hold any kind of webinars, podcasts or radio shows, invite them to join you LIVE. People really seem to enjoy being apart of a live event. I would also push the fact that if they sign up for your mailing list the will stay notified of any special events that might take place.
Add Graphics – This is up to you, but you can add different graphics that will lead your readers to different social sites that they can follow you on. Such as, Twitter, Friendfeed, Myspace, Facebook, Stumbleupon, etc.
Final Thoughts – This is where you wrap up your about page and give them a little message. This could consist of giving them a guarantee that you will only provide them with the best content out there. Or it could be where you tell them how much you look forward to getting to know them.
Add You Signature – I don’t recommend just typing your name at the end of your about page or any other post for that matter. To add a little more personality to your page, you can go to My Live Signature and design your own signature graphic for free.
You may want to change the order you do these is, but I hope you see how much you can do with your about page. Have fun as you take your About page to the max!
Click Here To Watch A LIVE Webinar We did Discussion Our Blog’s About Page
Keep moving forward!
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I found your blog thanks to Zemanta suggesting one of my posts. You have covered what every blogger or Web site should consider adding to their about page. Your suggestions ARE what most will recommend.
I do want to suggest that people give careful consideration to what they decide to include or keep private. Once published you can never know for certain that copies do not exist elsewhere.
While I once would have agreed with you, after much research and thought I concluded that some people might want to consider NOT using their photos or personal information online. There is a privacy section in my blog that explains why I personally no longer use my photo or name on the Internet.
That is a decision each person must make for themselves. While many will insist that you can not run a business without sharing that information I assure you that you can. I have worked with clients for years who have never met me in person, send cash in advance via PayPal and did not even have a site dedicated to my consulting when I first started.
I am curious why you choose to use Thank Me Later instead of (or in addition to) providing a way to subscribe to comments. I shared some great plugins in a post about that very subject. Personally I feel that using CommentLuv and subscribe to comments are the most effective way to increase comments and interactivity in any blog.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
I agree that there should be much thought that goes into what you should and should not share on your site. I also understand your concern about having your picture and name on your site. You definitely have to be smart about it.
Obviously, I’m going to take my chances.
As far as the plugins go, in the past couple months I have been in the process of giving my blog a face lift and adding and removing different plugins have been a big part of it.
I added a few just today including the subscribing to the comments!
So thank you for bring that up. I am using CommentLuv on some of my other blogs, but not this one yet. Maybe soon though…
Take care and I wish you the best.