Some love writing them, some hate it, some simply just don’t write them, the About page is often the cause of much discussion. The fact remains however that the About page is one of the most visited pages by new readers looking to see what the blog is about. It’s an opportune way to make a connection and convince the reader that the blog is worth a regular read.
In other words, your blog needs an About page. However creating this page is not enough. You need to create the About page as the very first thing you do, maybe even before choosing a name for your blog.
The reason for this is that by going through the process of creating an About page, you will have had to think through and work out exactly what the blog is going to be about.
1. The Blog Content
I learned this lesson the hard way. I had put off writing the About page and had invested about a month and 20 posts in the blog, before making the effort and writing the page. In doing so, I realized that not only was I unclear of what exactly the blog was about, the blog posts themselves didn’t follow a theme and seemed almost random. The blog never seemed to recover and I ended up abandoning it.
2. The Brand
The blog brand is another aspect that is greatly dependant on having a clear view of what the blog is about. If you brand the blog as a copywriting blog and the reader experience is a blog about how to use video blogging, not only will you not attract the right readers, you’ll also have confused visitors.
3. The Setup and Design
The blog brand and the design are inter-linked. Should you realize that your blog is aimed at work-at-home mothers, when you write the About page, the black rock and fire design that you spent days on creating might have to be reconsidered. The setup and design is something that can be fixed at any time, but why not have a clear overview of what the design needs to say, before spending any time on it?
4. The Pitching
If you tell anyone that you have a blog, you’ll likely be asked what your blog is about. By being able to respond short and concise and giving a very specific answer, it will seem professional. So whether you’re talking about the blog to potential customers or the media you’ll have a thought through and effective pitch.
5. The Tagline
When you have written the About page and have a clear overview of exactly what the blog is about, this is the perfect moment to create your blog’s tagline that in a few words sums up and captures the spirit of the blog as well as sets the expectations of the would-be reader.
Learn from my mistake, do yourself a favor and write the About page today. I will not come into what the About page should contain here, but keep in mind that the goal is both to communicate what problem or need you solve and to be intriguing and get people to want more.
What are your thoughts and experiences writing an About page? Anything you would add to the above?
