Best Blog Practices for Your WordPress About Page

When starting a new WordPress blog, one of the first boxes most people tick off their to-do list is to create an About Page.  This page is one of the most crucial elements of your WP site. But are you maximizing your About Page to its fullest potential?  Read on for tips about getting the most out of your WordPress About Page.

First, a Word About WordPress

Over a third of the 1.8 billion websites online today are blogs, and over 60 million of those blogs are powered by WordPress.  It’s no wonder why WordPress (WP) is such a popular content management system (CMS). It’s easy to use, flexible, adaptable, and the perfect CMS for beginners who don’t know (or don’t want to know) anything about website design.  Furthermore, building a WordPress website is effective and scalable, especially if you have a managed WP hosting service to help implement everything you need for a dynamic blog.

The Difference Between WP Pages and Posts

When WordPress first launched its open-source CMS in 2003, it was meant to be a simple blogging tool.  In 2005, they started rolling out more advanced features such as pages.  These are stand-alone, supportive content pages in WordPress that are separate from regularly added content in posts. 

Alternatively, posts are articles you write about your blog’s niche. Posts are flexible in that they can change, get updated and they are usually date-specific. Pages, however, are static, one-off forms of content that are typically informative about you and your WordPress blog.

While you can (and should) occasionally make changes to pages, they should remain a timeless anchor on your blog.  The most common types of pages are landing pages for sales pitches, explanation of website policies, and yes, About Pages.

Why an About Page is Important

Having an About Page is critical to position your WordPress blog as an authority.  If you think about it, visitors relate more to content if there is a story and personality behind it.  People don’t often want to trust or hang out on nameless, faceless, soulless websites.  So that’s why a thoughtful About Page is so important.

A well-constructed About Page allows readers to connect with your personality and your mission.  It also helps readers build trust about you and what you’re blogging about.  Additionally, an About Page is essential for webs surfers to find you on search engines such as Google. An About Page is your best source of organic traffic when people are looking for you and your blog.

Tips to Creating an Effective About Page

A compelling About Page isn’t that hard to perfect, but if you’re not accustomed to writing about yourself, you might find yourself struggling to choose the right words.  If this is the case, stay calm, and be yourself.  The most engaging About Pages are ones where bloggers use a genuine voice and express themselves authentically. Here are a few other tips for writing a killer About Page.

Be Yourself: While that might be easier said than done, talking about yourself doesn’t have to be arduous. Imagine you’re telling your best friend about yourself.  This is called “writing to an audience.” So instead of spewing boring facts about yourself and what your blog is about, you’re engaging your audience in a personable, likable voice. This will help you keep your About Page from sounding too stiff.  Being yourself will make your About Page warm, welcoming, and engaging to your readers.

Promote, Don’t Boast:  If you’re a big deal in your genre with tons of accolades and pedigrees to your name, that’s great.  You should definitely include this on your About Page.  However, try to write it in a way that doesn’t make you sound like you’re overly proud or boasting.  Adding a touch of humility when expounding upon your accomplishments goes a long way towards endearing readers to you.

Say Cheese: As mentioned, most blog readers appreciate putting a face to a name, so do include a picture of yourself on your About Page.  If you’re not comfortable with this, take a picture of your workspace, or your favorite coffee cup.  Better yet, put up a picture of your dog or cat, or pet and explain how these things help you create the best content for your viewers.

Keep it Current:  While WordPress pages are meant to be static, that doesn’t mean they should be stagnant.  Regrettably, most bloggers publish an About Page and never think of it again. This is a missed opportunity.  Keeping your About Page fresh and evergreen shows your readers that you’re always innovating and keeping up to date with your blog.

At the end of the day, creating an outstanding About Page is one of the best ways to engage your audience and keep them on your website. It is a pivotal piece of your blog that can persuade your readers to keep coming back to your site for more.  Hopefully, these tips on creating an effective About Page will help you create and update your page in a way that wins the hearts of your readers.