Writing an About page is essential step when starting a blog, and bloggers should regularly update their About page and make sure it's as good as it can. This post will show you a simple 8 step process on how to write an About page and form several descriptions for your blog at the same time.
You have your blog. You have chosen a topic that interests you and you feel like writing about. You have written your first articles. Perhaps your blog has been running for quite some time already...
- Do you have a clear understanding what your blog is really about?
- Does your blog have a good description?
- If someone asks what your blog is about, what do you answer?
- Would you rush into your own blog if you saw the description you have right now?
- Do you have an About page on your blog that captures anyone who checks it?
- .You do have an About page, don't you?
Take some time and consider laying better foundation for your blog by crystallizing and describing what your blog is about.
Preface
First things first, this post isn't really just about About page. It's about knowing what your blog is about, and how you deliver that message to your readers. So you need to know what your blog is about before you write an About page, right?
Do you have a short description that captures the core of your blog?
That's your first step, and writing a short description, sales pitch, elevator pitch - what ever you want to call it - for your blog, will serve you in many ways, in addition to being the basis for your amazing About page.
1. Write a List of Words Related To Your Niche and Blog
- Start by writing down words that describe your blog and what your blog is about
- Think about your blog: What is the first word that comes in your mind?
- Continue writing words, write down phrases as well
- Ask your family and friends to check your blog and describe it with just a few words
- If you have an established blog or mailing list:
- you could ask your readers by making a quick survey asking them to describe your blog with as few words as possible.
- Brainstorm more words
- Take the words and phrases you think describe your blog as well as possible
2. Write a Short Description For Your Blog
This is the shortest description for your blog - crystal-clear, but short, description on what your blog is about..
- Write a short description of your blog
- Give everything you got to make the description as good as possible
- Keep it short
- Less than 8 words
- Less than 50 characters
- This short description should capture the very essence of your blog
- Can you make the description better or more descriptive?
- Does the description stand out? Is it clear enough?
- Would you click on a link with this short description as an anchor text?
- Do this, and you have just created your blogs tag-line!
3. Describe Your Blog With One Sentence
- Expand the short description into a sentence
- 140-160 characters
- Review and inspect this description at least once a month
- Ask yourself it the description is still valid and should you change it
4. Write a Paragraph Capturing What Your Blog is About
- Keep writing until you have a short paragraph that describes what your blog is about
- 25-30 words, 150-250 characters
- Like the one sentence description, go back to this crystallized message, and
- Refine the message to make it more descriptive and intriguing
5. Expand the Description Into an Amazing About page
- Take the descriptions you have written and expand them..
- Write one paragraph about every sentence in your descriptions.
- Concentrate on the problem your blog solves or the goal your blog helps the reader to reach.
- Add introduction about yourself and your expertise, related to the problem to be solved or goal to be reached
- Take a look at "About" pages of the best blogs of your niche and see how you feel reading them
- Incorporate the best ideas into your blog, writing about your blog of course
- And take notice of the things you don't like and don't put those in yours.
6. Is Your Blogs About page About YOU or your BLOG?
Here's a quote from Brian Clark's classic article from the year 2006 on Copyblogger.com - titled "What's Your Blog Really About?":
Most blog “About†pages tend to be about the author, not about the blog. And most of the time, that’s where visitors will click away, never to be seen again, because they were provided with no compelling reason to ever come back.
On the other hand, also back in 2006, Darren Rowse from Problogger.net captured the essence of a About Me-page like this:
There are four main questions that readers want answered on your About Me page:
- who you are…
- your expertise and how it addresses…
- their problem or goal, and how they can…
- contact you.
Did you notice the difference in there?
You have to decide whether you're writing an About Me -page or a page About your BLOG...
Most of the time, people are in your blog because of your blog and content, looking for an answer to the problem at hand. Make sure the about-page answers that, telling the readers what the blog is about, and how it will BENEFIT them.
It's quite important to tell how you can help with your expertise, right? So you should write something about yourself on the "About" page, but keep it moderation and concentrate on describing how YOU can HELP the reader with YOUR EXPERTISE.
Add information about you in the about-page, but in the end it's about how you can help your readers, unless you are some sort of celebrity and the blog is really just about you.
Make the description, tag-line and About-page what your BLOG is about and how you and the blog can help the readers.
You'll have your chances to tell more about who you are and show what you are about in your blog posts and in the social media. You can apply similar principles to your social media profiles as you do for your About-page.
7. Crystallizing Your Message
You don't have to all the above right away, but do this over time and improve your message every time
- Be ready to expand your descriptions
- Write more paragraphs, breaking down the clarified message
- Now you have great base for your "About" page
- And great start for your core articles as well!
- Improving it and the descriptions is endless process
- Review and expand the descriptions regularly and crystallize the message
The About-page writing process, one more time
- Start with the short description, less than 8 words
- Write one sentence that captures what your blog is about
- Write one paragraph
- Write a long description
- Write your About page
- Go back to step 1, see if there's room for improvement
- Repeat
8. Use Questions to Refine Your Description and About page
Tips on Describing Your Blog Better: Take this last step and go back to your descriptions and About page and re-write as necessary.
- Think about the situations where you will use the description and what kind of message you want to deliver to your
- Potential business partners
- Your friends
- Your customers
- What problem(s) your blog and content solves?
- Who your blog is for?
- Who is your target audience?
- Imagine your average reader
- make up a name for that reader
- is it a man or woman?
- how old is she?
- what does she do for a living?
- why does she come to your blog?
- etc.
- Think what would you say to that reader if you've met her in real life and wanted her to read your blog
- Write your description for this imaginary reader
- Who your blog is NOT for?
- What goal your reader will reach if they read your blog?
- What will the reader gain if they follow your advice and trust your expertise?
- Would you subscribe or read a blog with your descriptions and/or About page?
- Does the descriptions, without a doubt, summarize what your blog is about?
- Does your About page build upon the descriptions clarifying what your blog is about?
Conclusion
After you've figured what your blog ultimately is about and writing the different length of descriptions for it, which you can use on social media profiles and other places, in addition to your own blog. With these 8 steps, you have also started the process of creating the perfect tagline for your blog.
With the About page and tagline, you will have a great foundation to build your blog on, as you can always go back to the description and see if you're staying "on topic". This way, you will have easier time writing your posts and making sure they fit nicely in your blog.
Now, whether you are an established blogger or brand new one just thinking about starting one, take a look at your About page, and read it like you would see it for the first time and re-write it as necessary. Start by writing or re-write your blogs description. And then create your amazing About page!
