One of the most important and least used aspects of any website is the “About Me” page. It’s not enough to have an interesting site and great product if your visitor can’t find a way to relate to you. Never under-estimate the power of personality. The internet isn’t a cold, sterile environment. As a matter of fact, within the last 15 years, it’s developed into a community addicted to interactivity, and communication. If you don’t believe me, check out Twitter. Twitter is a good example of why “About Me” pages are crucial. If you can amass a group of followers based on 140 characters of random biographical chatter, it’s a safe bet that those readers would also like to know a bit more about you.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the most essential aspects of any “About Me” page. At the end, you’ll be totally empowered to make your own page, because we’ll strip away all of your excuses!
1. Answer These Questions:
Who am I?
What can I do for you, the visitor?
How can I be contacted?
An “About Me” page can be whittled down to these three questions. Visitors want to know briefly who you are, why you decided to make a website, and how they can reach you if they want to hear more.
Who am I? A lot of successful “About Me” pages start off with “Hi, my name is…” Having a personal introduction is a great way to start off. Your “About Me” should come across as if you were talking face to face with your visitor. Although I personally prefer a first person narrative (“I am, We are…”), for corporate or more professional websites, it may be better to go with the third person voice (“Jimbo Designs is…”).
Don’t overwhelm the reader with too much information. Of course they want to know more about you, but it’s safe to leave out details like the name of your high school gym teacher, or the color of your first car. Your “About Me” page should expand on the purpose of your website. If your website is about the wonderful world of Photoshop, your “About Me” page should include how you got started on Photoshop, and briefly skim through your accomplishments.
What can I do for you, the visitor? Put yourself in the visitor’s shoes. The reason they’re clicking your “About Me” page is to relate to you. They want compare notes to see if you and they share the same awesome traits. Let’s face it, if a visitor’s searching for your “About Me” page, that means that you have piqued their curiosity and in some way inspired them to care about who you are. Don’t let them down!
Sometimes visitors will click on your “About Me” page because they want to know about how you can help them. You should always answer this question. To do this, first consider your visitor pool. If potential clients, explain your services. If fellow enthusiasts, share how you first fell in love with your subject matter. If learners, tell them why you’re qualified to make such a website.
How can I be contacted? Some websites have separate “Contact” pages, which is recommended, but you should also include your contact details on your “About Me” page to save the visitor from clicking too many pages. A good idea is to add social media buttons on your “About Me” page. Everyone loves Twitter, and in addition to that, include your Facebook, LinkedIn, Delicious, and Flickr pages. Be careful, though, if you’re including a Facebook identity. We all know how carefree a Facebook identity can be, but if you’re promoting a professional brand, your Facebook profile picture shouldn’t be a questionable image from Spring Break.
In certain websites, it’s a good idea to have a separate “About Me” for you as an individual and one for your website. This especially pertains to websites that aim to help people or sell services.
2. The Photo
After you’ve tackled the words, it’s time to choose an image that encapsulates your personality. A photograph on your “About Me” page is not optional. It gives the visitor another way to relate to you. And, if you don’t include a photograph of yourself, your “About Me” page will seem incomplete.
There are several ways you can go with this. Observe:
The “Reliable Professional” Photo
The “Awkward Child” Photo
The “I Looked Good in that Photo” Photo
The “I’m So Funny” Photo
The “Me with My Hobby” Photo
As you can see in all these examples, an “About Me” photo can range depending on your personality and intended audience. Although tone doesn’t always translate well in words, it’s easy to recognize in pictures. When a visitor sees your image, they can start piecing together a more accurate idea of you.
Another note about the photo is that it should be a photo of your face, not an photo of your right foot, or a random stock image. Privacy is definitely an issue on the internet, but through the process of creating a website, you open yourself up to some sort of transparency. Why not further the bond between you and the visitor by showing them who you are?
3. Highlight Great Posts
The “About Me” page is the perfect place to do some cross-promotion. Often times, after arriving at your home page, a first time visitor’s next click will be to your “About Me” page. Give them a general scope of your website, such as “Must See” or “Most Popular” posts. That’s a sure-fire way to drive more traffic to the posts you’re most proud of. It’s also a comprehensive way to welcome visitors to your site.
4. Create an Indented Listing for you “About Me” Page on Google
This step isn’t as well known as others, but guaranteed to drive more traffic to your site. An indented listing is when a second page from your website is listed directly under your main website on Google’s search page.
The effect is that visitors are more likely to click on your website.
The “About Me” page is the perfect way to create an indented listing under your website. In order to do this, you’ll need to ensure that your website is within the first ten results on Google for a particular keyword. That keyword may be the name of your website, or brand.
Start off by optimizing your “About Me” page with the same keyword from your home page (or whichever page ranks in the top ten results). Next, link your “About Me” to that page. Now, go to the main page (that’s in the top ten results), and create an anchor text that links to your “About Me.” Of course, it also helps if you get inbound links from other sites. So, be sure to leave comments below, and link to your “About Me” page in the website box!
Hiya, great article. Thanks for sharing the google search tip too 🙂
Nice post Jacqueline
On my way to make a new About Me page based on your tips.
Thanks!
Thanks for a great article. I went and revamped my about page, and will be referencing these tips as I design future sites as well. You know, after I spruce up all the one’s that need it first! =o)
Great post! So often the “About Me” page might as well be called “miscellaneous,” but I think that people going to your “About Me” page are seriously thinking of hiring or buying from you, so it’s worth making some effort there. The About Us page at my website is in transition as I’m expanding my business, but I’ll kick off the linking. I’d like to see other people’s examples, too, and hear about their thinking processes for those pages.
Nice article, with some interesting points…
Have linked in the About Me page.
Elliott
Have a quick peak at my about me page:
https://www.grahammcdonnell.co.uk/bio/index.html
Grey
I was curious about the Google indented list. I had originally thought thought they were using RDF to make the association. This post is definitely bookmarked. Nice work!
Nice article.. Liked the info about the about me pictures….
Good stuff – including a couple tips I hadn’t thought of. Thanks!
Great article! especially the “google links” part. Loving the pics! 🙂
Thanks for the informative post! I will defiantly implement some of this into my own sites about page.
Just an FYI… the indented links are actually referred to as “site links”.
Great post! I’ve changed my about page for 4 times and don’t exactly know what to put in. Thanks for sharing. 😉
Hi,
Great tips about blog. I will improve my about page after this post! Thanks
By the way, can I translate this great post to portuguese? Of course with all credits, links, etc.
I am a brazilian blogger and I think that my audience (that don’t read english) will like this!
abs
Brilliant article! I hadn’t made up my mind about this… But you’ve been a wonderful help. Cheers
Love it! I am planning on working on mine very soon :). Thanks for the tips!
I always wondered what caused those indented links to show up.
Nice article – some useful tips here particularly the stuff about the indented page / google results.
I’d like more info on the Google indented listing. I believe I’ve followed all the right steps, but still don’t get an indented listing when I search Google for my site.
Although there is (also) a link to our Contact page from within our About page, they are separate. Do you think this is a problem?
Crazy to think that there are always new tips to be used on even such a simple thing as an About page. Thanks for the heads-up!
@Lauren: Thanks! I like how you have your About on the bottom of your homepage.
@Boxed in Design: Look forward to seeing your new “About Me” page!
@Ginger: Way to go with your “About Me” page. I love the social media options.
@Rebecca: I love how put together your About page is! Very organized and succinct.
@Elliott: Very intentive way to list your FAQs. Great use of anchor links. Yummy cheese omelet btw!
@Graham: Omgosh, I love those the interactivity of your photos on your About page. So cool.
@Scott: Thanks! I stumbled upon it myself. Sometimes Google is a mystery, but this trick seems to work for some reason.
@Haden: I’m sort of a About Me junkie. I love seeing the types of photos ppl choose. And these are generally the trends.
@Chris: You’re welcome, and thanks for the comment!
@Alex: Thanks! Love the slider on your website.
@Bill: Thanks so much. I like your website, btw. I spent a lot of time looking through your posts.
@Naveed: Thanks for the heads up.
@ArmNo: I think you’re off to a good start, especially with the cross-promotion. I’d say just add a bit more information on why you started the site to begin with. And a picture! 🙂
@Sergio: Thanks, and we’ll be in touch about the post.
@BebopDesigner: Thanks so much!
@Matthew: I’m glad I could help. But I do love your About page. The photos make it so personable.
@Caroline: Sometimes Google is so mysterious. 🙂
@Slomo: Thanks. I hope you can use them to your advantage.
@Rob: I am by no means a Google expert. If it matters to you, Bing cares. I would suggest giving it a few days. Sometimes it takes a while for Google to re-index pages. If that doesn’t work, try linking the first mention of 2Dolphins on your About page to the Home page. I notice you have a link later on in the page, but in my experience it’s best to use your keywords and links early on.
@Tyler: Thanks for the comment. Entertaining blog, btw!
Great post, sometimes it can be hard to determine what you should and shouldn’t have on an about me page!
Thanks for the post. Very useful as the about me is always hard to find the right balance.
Funny, though – you don’t have a photo on your about page 😉
Another Great Tip:
Google has started supporting hCard rich snippets in search results. This provides an excellent opportunity to markup your “about me” page semantically.
You can see this in action on my “about me” page.
@Iaman: Thanks! You’re right, it’s not easy to do, but it definitely makes a huge impact. I think your About page is very clever. Nice use of text color to emphasize important points.
@Josh: Balancing can be tough. I think you have a good sense of balance, judging by your About page. I like the sub-headings!
@Andy: I knew that would come up eventually! lol I don’t have a photo on my About page because it’s hosted on Tumblr, and the format doesn’t lend itself to adding an image. Trust me, I’ve tried! Maybe I’ll try again, just to practice what I preach! 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
Great post Jacqueline! This is very helpful, thanks a lot 🙂
Great article!!
Good information. I like your writing style by the way.
Wow! Great article, i will go about changing my about us page soon.
I think every about page must be an unique
Very nice – BUT! I don’t see a photo on her on HER About Me-page!
Damn, this article just hit me!
Need to put more work on About Me page on my personal site
Great article… Guess I’ll have to go throw a photo on mine!
@Jacqueline – It was a lovely omelette, I’m known for them, when friends come over for supper they often ask for them!
@Sean Weigold Ferguson – have started including that in my About Me Page and added my site onto the Google list as part of their “research”
Thanks for very good information. I will follow your advice on website.
best about-page tutorial ever; your posting will turn the blogosphere into a much more personal place!
I liked this post a lot but was really surprised to read the Google stuff. According to Google, there is no way to ensure those links are created. To quote their Sitelink FAQ: “At the moment, sitelinks are completely automated.” Webmasters can take them off, but they can’t make them appear . . .
I’m going to test your linking keywords theory and will report back if it works for me!
Thanks for the great article!
Thx Jacqueline, this is great info (and timely). I was just putting the finishing touches on my ‘about me’ page at https://RobertBucci.com and found your article.
Nice article. I used some advice for my website.
Thanks Jacqueline, your article is very interesting. I like your vision of internet as an ’empathetic environment’.
I bookmarked your website RSS…
There are some very good tips you give away. I think the “about” page is one of those pages that’s mostly done in a hurry.
Great tips, i haven’t even got an about me page yet really. Need to get working on one as soon as i get time.
Ahh, very nice 😀
Awesome tips 🙂 Thank you for this great article.
nice tips… 😀
Hi Jacqueline, thanks for the offer to link to our ‘about me’ page!
Cheers
Simon
I recently redesigned mine (https://correresmidestino.com/who-am-i/) and I was surprise to notice that it quickly became quite popular. I can see a pattern where new readers will find a couple of my posts, read them, and then click on the “about me” to learn more.
I actually get annoyed with blogs that don’t have that personal connection.
The google tip is something new!
Great article, I use first person narrator and have a nice picture (I think). I would love some feedback! Tell me how you rate my about me page!
Thanks for the tips.
I’ll try a few right now.
Here is my about page:
https://www.jenniferwolfeyoga.com/jenniferwolfe.html
Great insights, will rethink some parts of my about me page.
Great article, but I question “Everyone loves Twitter”. Not remotely true…
Thanks for the tip on indented google listing.
I was curious how to do this. Now it will be interesting to see if it happens or not
Here is my about:
https://plungjan.name/about.html
Thank you for your great article! I referred back to it just last week before launching my new website https://www.creativephotoeffects.com/
I’m usually very private, so following your advice took me out of my comfort zone! I tried to include everything you mentioned in “Answer These Questions”- hopefully after sharing some personal info., and showing people a face behind the business, they will now trust me with their personal photos.
Thanks again!
Adrienne E.
Very useful post. Thanks. I wasn’t sure what to write in about-me page ever. Now I can do this better on my next website.
Lenka V.
This is an interesting article with good tips. Thanks. I like the photo part. 🙂
Great tips! I see we’ve work to do on our about us page
nice one – thanks 🙂
Thanks Jacqueline, this topic needs attention. I must say, “about me” is the scariest of all challenges.
Thanks Jacqueline!
Nice site, nice advices and thank for letting me spam a little bit 🙂
https://www.cocooa.com/about
These are some great ideas. I’ve recently put together a new personal blog, and figuring out what to actually put in the About page still remains one of the biggest challenges! Thanks for the advice and tips, certainly gives me something to think about, especially the Google part, that’s really great to know!
This post is a helpful guide…Now I will include a proper “About Me” page in my website…Thanks for the insight into indented listing on google..With all these helpful tips I hope many of us will now have a good traffic in our sites….
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
I have to say, this one isn’t for everyone. If and when I put a portfolio up, I don’t plan on having it connected to my ‘person’, but rather keep it about the work.
Ill try this: https://www.shimmerbylisa.com/om_shimmer.html
Yah, my site encompasses all of those, great list tho. I have had more clients hire me because of my awesome testimonial reader.
Great tips and resources. Very helpful to all! Thanks for posting.
Good stuff, definitely loved the section about the photo.