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When was the last time you updated your About page?
Wait. Let me rephrase that.
When was the last time you looked at your About page?
If the answer to the second question is anything but within the last few weeks, take a few moments right now to go to your About page and read it through. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
So, what did you find? If it’s been a while since you updated the page, you probably found outdated information, old pictures, maybe even something about your life that has completely changed (new child? new marriage? new job? whatever?).
Update Your About Page and Make it Awesome
Did you know that your About page is one of the most important pages on your website? It is the next place that new readers will go after landing on your site for the first time. Before they make a decision whether to add your blog to their list of “must reads,” they want to know a little bit about you and your blog.
These tips can help you not only update your About page but make it awesome and help make those new visitors become loyal readers.
What’s in it for them?
Believe it or not, the first part of your About page is not about you, it’s about your reader. What will you be offering them that they can’t get anywhere else? Will you be giving them great information? Delicious recipes? Or maybe a product or a service…coaching, life planning, organizational skills. Catch their attention and hold their interest by letting your potential readers know that all important “what’s in it for me?”
Link it up
As I mentioned in my last post, linking to your own content is a great way to keep readers around a little longer. The same thing goes for your About page. Linking to relevant content will encourage your reader to learn a little bit more about you and what your blog has to offer. In my About page, I link to a couple of my favorite recipes and workouts, and also to the full story of my adventurous wedding and my experience in the Paris Marathon, plus a few other pages I’d like new readers to see.
Let’s get real
Now comes the fun part, where you finally get to talk about You. What makes you unique, interesting and special? What shaped you as a human being and a writer? In a nutshell of course (another great time to link up to the full story if you’ve written about it). Keep it honest and real, but don’t just lay out the facts of your life. “I’m married and have two kids,” is boring, while “I met and married my one true love at the finish line of the race where we met,” has some bite.
Make sure to update your photographs too. They liven up your story and your page, so select good photos and change them out from time to time so that they reflect where your life is right now.
Have fun with your description of yourself, but remember that if you have plans to reach out to brands and sponsors that they will be reading your About page too. In fact, it’s a good idea to direct potential business connections to your contact information or, if you have it, your sponsorship/work with me page.
Call them to action
Once you’ve finished talking about the charming author that is you, don’t just drop it and go. Give them a call to action. What would you like your reader to do next? Is there a special post that will really let them know what you are about? Is it a cause that you believe in? Do you want their attention on social media? Whatever it is, now is the time to ask for their vote. They know a little about you, they like you and want to know more. Ask.
Do you have an awesome About page? I’d love to see it! Leave a link, or any other suggestions in the comments!
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Sunday Blog Hop with Jenn
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Meatless Monday with Annmarie
Inspire Me Monday with Janice
Anything Goes with Marilyn
Bonnie, the Pin Junkie
Tip Tuesday with Debbie in Shape
Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie, Michelle, Sarah, and Angelena Marie
Wednesday Wisdom with Nanna’s Wisdom
The Blogger’s Pit Stop with Kathleen
Let’s Get Real with Karen.
Friday Fitness with Jill
My About page could definitely do with some work, but I always put it off until I ‘have more time’. I probably need a blog staycation just to tackle that one page lol.
Pinned!
I was feeling pretty confident about my about page until I looked at it. Eekkkk!!! Update neede ASAP. Thanks for the reminder to make it a priority!
This is such a great one to point out as we can all get so bogged down by the doing and writing we foget to tell on that page ALL THAT WE ARE DOING AND WRITING!!
Love the *link* tip.
Thanks for the reminder and tips- I totally need to update my About Page!
Great ideas! I should update mine soon!
Great post and a good reminder! This is February’s project for me!
I am pretty pleased with my updated ABOUT section on my YouTube channel. I just decided to change it after um… Like 3 years of not and lets be real, my blog and YouTube have changed SO MUCH since I first started… Man, that was 4 years ago! How nuts!
I am in the process of changing my tag line on my blog too… But I am trying to come up with something clever and all my cleverness comes either in the AM or right before I go to sleep! LOL!
I just updated min a few weeks ago but I think I need to add some pics. Good advice as always
Great blog today. Would love your opinion on my about page: http://www.lesliegoesboom.com/?page_id=12
I LOVE it (and you 🙂 ). So inspiring and it makes me want to read everything that you write. The only change I might make would be to break up that long first paragraph, just to make it easier to read.
thanks for these tips! I’ve been meaning to update my About Me page for ages and this inspires me to hurry up and just do it already! Thanks for that 🙂
stop by and chat with me ♥ http://storybookapothecary.com/
I am guilty! 🙂 Great post!!!!
Yes, I’ve been meaning to update my About page with some new info! Thanks for the tips and sharing!
I so agree Debbie on why one should update one’s about page and make it super awesome. Keeping it real is great, Sharing your projection of where you are going and can lock arms with your audience is super important too.
In fact Ones About page should be spruced up every 6 months, seriously if you are not visiting your own webpages who is? You attract what you focus on. Same goes for your Home page if its not your blog roll. I have some new updates for our about page that I believe will be awesome news for our Audience.
Its true that linking it up is always good, be careful not to over stuff with own links. WIIFT…Aaahhh the good old tell them exactly what they will get if they lock arms with you…so very right. Adding a short video is also a great way to spruce up an about page and thats our next project.
Loved your post!
Thanks for your input and for linking your About page. I loved learning about you and Pauli, and how you worked so hard to get where you are. I really appreciate your suggestions. Do you think I have too many links on my page. I was a bit concerned about that as I was updating, but thought, what the heck :-).
Thanks for the tips, Debbie! I definitely DO NOT have an awesome About page 😉 I’m slowly but surely working on re-vamping all my content and my site, so this is PERFECT timing. Thanks for sharing!! I’ll share it with you once it’s new and improved and I’ve implemented your tips!
I definitely haven’t updated mine in a while–will have to go fix things up!!
We’ve been meaning to update our About Me page. Thanks for the tips and inspiring us to get it done!
After reading your post, I realize my About page could be SO much better and more useful to my readers! I’m going to work on updating mine this weekend!
Thanks for these good tips Debbie, I am just working on my new site so these tips will come in handy as I do my About page.
I’m going to check my About Page right after I finish linking up Debbie. I think a lot of us forget about the About page once we have written but you have given some good ideas here. thanks for the opportunity to link up at #Blogger’sPitStop. Have a great weekend.
thanks for the kick up the pants Debbie – I have an about page that has chopped and changed over the year. I think I’m getting closer to the right mix (and I have a tab for it now too!) I added a couple of your suggestions in – along with a call to action. thanks again visiting from #PitStop 🙂
Great article! I actually did recently update my about me page. However, after reading this I probably need to go and tweek a few more details.
Thanks for the list – I’ll be taking a look at my About page to see if I can use some of your great advice. I’m also adding you to my list of CommentLuv blogs. #PitStop
Some very thought provoking tips! I’m going to think more about having a call to action and what that might look like for my about us page (http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/p/destinations.html)
Cheers – Ellen
I’ve read a lot of “how to create a great About page” articles, but I think you’re the first one I’ve seen that mentions including links to blog posts in it. Such a simple, elegant idea and yet, something I never even thought of doing. Am going to be penciling in an update to my page very soon!
I found doing an about page so hard! Thanks for these great tips! I will work on updating mine soon!
Another great post, Debbie! Getting some professional photos done tomorrow. I love your suggestion about linking to your own content and including a call to action. Also – that the first part should be about the reader. Thanks!
Great tips, Debbie! I’ve been thinking my about me page needs a little sprucing up. Especially since I have some things to share on it that are way more interesting than what I shared when I originally put it up 😉
Hi, Debbie! Why is it so hard to talk about ourselves?? 🙂 I updated my About page a couple of months ago, and worked on it for-ev-er! I already feel I need to make changes. I don’t think I have any internal links in it at all. Hmmm, one more change to add! Would love to get your opinion if you have time and see if you see blaring changes in addition to the ones I’m thinking of. Thanks! 🙂 http://www.theartofwhynot.com/my-story/
I love it!!! The pictures are great, the writing drew me in and made me want to know more about you. If you want to add links, please add them to the princess/criminal and the stingray stories if you’ve written about them before. I want to know!
Oh wow, thank you for your quick reply and your feedback! And haha about the stories — I have not written about them, but you’ve given me an idea! 🙂 I’ll let you know…!
Egads!!! Great post and a great reminder to work on updating our ‘about’ page. Love your ideas of linking to other pages on the site, posting some personal images, etc. Biggest omission on my part (as editor in chief, for goodness sake) is having absolutely ZERO info about me, hubby’s partner in all things marriage online and off, on the site. How embarrassing!
IF you have a few moments, we’d really love and appreciate your feedback: http://www.marriage-reset.com/meet-reuven.html
Additionally, if any readers would like to share a link to their About page, we’d appreciate your comments and will happily share ours, too (if you like!).
I love the humor in your about page, but as you said, it’s all about your hubby. But it’s a great start. Adding info about you, some links and maybe a few photos would make it even better.
Debbie, thank you SO much for taking the time to look over our about page. Really appreciate your suggestions and I’m flagging it as a project this week. Have a super week yourself and thanks again, Debbie.
Debbie, Debbie, awesome! amazing! helpful!
I thought I had the perfect About page until now.
After reading this, I added two of my best posts to the page. Brilliant! Thank you!! Stumbled!
Thank you for bringing your post to Blogger’s Pit Stop last week.
Janice, Pit Stop Crew
Thanks Janice, I am glad you find it helpful. And thanks for the stumble 🙂