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8 Characteristics of a Well Designed About Page

03 Feb 2008

3 Feb, 2008  tips

A well designed About page is an integral part of connecting with your readers. I’ve gone back to some of the best About pages I’ve seen and compiled a list of their commonalities. If your About page does not include most or all of these components, you should consider making a few revisions to create a more welcoming and rewarding experience for your readers.

  1. Author bio and photo - Your content can be the best in the world, but without some personal information and a face to tie it all to, it is difficult to develop a community feel for your blog. If you have privacy or safety concerns, consider using an alias. A caricature could be used in place of a photo.
  2. Blog details - Provide information such as the mission of the blog, its history, significant achievements, and statistics.
  3. Popular posts - Link your readers to the most visited posts on your blog, as well as to those you consider to be your best work.
  4. Link to RSS feed - You probably have a link to the feed on your homepage, but adding one to the About page will increase your changes of securing subscribers.
  5. Information and links to the author’s other blogs - Take the opportunity to promote your other blogs. Readers who enjoy your writing style will be inclined to visit your other sites.
  6. Links to social networking profiles - Allow readers to easily connect to you through social networking sites such as StumbleUpon, MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, Pownce, and Twitter.
  7. Further reading - Link to reviews of your blog, interviews you’ve given, or any other relevant information outside your site.
  8. Contact information - This could include a contact form or link to a Contact page, personal email addresses, or instant messenger IDs.

Here are a few examples of excellent About pages. Check them out for a little inspiration.

Using the tips above, I’ve revised my own About page. This is what the page looked like before.

about-page.PNG

The new version is now active.

I wish you the best of luck in creating your new About page!

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14 Responses

  1. Bush Mackel

    2008 Feb 03 1

    Well I appreciate the nod Tish and I think your about page is looking great! The trick for me is remembering to update it so it’s always reflecting the latest and greatest changes in my life and the site. *nod*

    Bush Mackel’s last blog post..Study of Blog Earnings Report January 2008 (MyBlogEarnings)

  2. CP

    2008 Feb 04 2

    Thanks for the link Tish. Your about page isn’t too bad either. :)
    CP’s last blog post..The 1 year old stock broker

  3. Kyle Eslick

    2008 Feb 04 3

    Hi Tish,

    Thanks for featuring Slickmania’s About page! I’m pretty happy with it now, but it has gone through 5-10 revisions over the past two years to get to where I am happy with it.

    Your About page looks great! Looks like you live near Garry!

    Kyle Eslick’s last blog post..Determine Your Website’s Value with DNScoop

  4. Jim | BloggingStartup

    2008 Feb 04 4

    Okay Tish, here’s my problem with your post. MY ToDo list is long enough! These are some great tips…and now I have to find time to make changes to my About pages. :)

    I really like the idea of including links to my other social networking profiles. I have been trying to increase use of the social networks to promote my blogs. This tip could be quite helpful.

    Jim | BloggingStartup’s last blog post..Five Ways to Find Things at Blogging Startup

  5. Andrew

    2008 Feb 04 5

    Awesome post, Tish. And as always (it’s definitely one of your strengths), you listed some really solid and very different examples to help illustrate your points. I so am going to have to get moving and fix up my own page since it’s not much more than a placeholder these days.

    Andrew’s last blog post..Kiss My Blocky Lego Ass

  6. Vincent Parker

    2008 Feb 04 6

    Interesting reading. I like your information on social networking sites and have them tied to each other. Smart and incisive writing.

    Vincent Parker’s last blog post..~ Nuance ~

  7. Frederic Barry

    2008 Feb 05 7

    I stumbled across your site, gave it a thumb up and even bookmarked it!

    I’m in the process of building my personal blog and just wrote a first draft for my about me page (http://fredericbarry.com/en/about) and as you can see, I’ll benefit from using your tips!

    Thanks a lot for sharing!

    Frederic Barry

  8. K-IntheHouse

    2008 Feb 05 8

    Tish! Excellent tips as always and love your new version of the about page. You have given me the motivation to rework mine. :-) I have had the social network profiles in my sidbar but ‘About’ page is probably a more relevant place for it! :-) Great job!

    K-IntheHouse’s last blog post..IE Developer Toolbar - Firebug for Internet Explorer

  9. Tom Ross

    2008 Feb 05 9

    Ah I knew I forgot something! A link to my RSS! Thanks very much for the helpful post Tish, your about me page looks great by the way. :)

  10. Tom Ross

    2008 Feb 05 10

    By the way just a heads up, but for me the names in your comment section are being partially obscured by the comment number (the To in my name is being covered by 9)

    Tom Ross’s last blog post..Giving away free ad spots! ($100 worth!)

  11. A little link love - Week 32 » Things By Mike

    2008 Feb 17 11

    […] 8 Characteristics of well designed about page - How much time have you put into the about page on your blog? If the answer to that question is “uh, not much”, you should reconsider and have a look at these great tips over on Tish’s Blogging Gal blog. […]

  12. megavegalicious.com

    2008 Feb 23 12

    My about page needs a lot of improvement apparently…Thanks for the tips, I’ll put more thought into it!

    megavegalicious.com’s last blog post..pushstandards.com

  13. Zath

    2008 Feb 24 13

    Some great tips there Tish, I’ve not updated my About page since I started last March, so it’s definitely something I’m going to look at getting done and follow the suggestions you’ve given. Thanks!

    Zath’s last blog post..Blu-Ray Wins Format War

  14. Terence Emerson

    2008 Nov 12 14

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