Howdy blogger and business peeps of the world. Beth here and I’ve been gone for a very very long time!
Sincerely sorry about that. I’ve had a lot going on, mostly good with a few little annoying things. But I’m back for good and boy am I grateful to be here.
So as I got back in to my blogging saddle this morning. Using my new Miracle Morning method brought to us by Hal Elrod . It’s a goody – you should check it out…
…I wanted to review some of the basics and that meant taking a look at my About page.
What on earth did it say and how was I going to fix it?
The great news was it really wasn’t that bad! Well apart from some broken links, some out of date terminology and the few dates from 2012!
The thing is, we are people and we grow and we evolve and we get new skills and experiences and we get more awesome everyday!
So it makes sense that we will need to make sure our about pages reflect who were are at any moment in time.
But shock horror!!!
My about page had not been updated in 4 years.
Yikes!
So let’s think about why we should have about pages at all. Or if you don’t have one, let’s have a think about what we should be including in them and why.
Why you should have an about page?
First things first, an about page is your chance to shine. It’s often one of the first places that someone will go to find out more about you so you better make sure that it’s update to date. Your about page allows you to tell people in your own words, exactly who you are, what you do and why you want people to like and buy from you.
If you feel brave enough, it’s the ideal place to tell people your back story. What makes you YOU. How did you came to be doing what you are doing today. Make sure you page is an honest reflection of you, your mission in life, your business and what you want others to know about you!
What you should include on your about page?
You should definitely include an introduction to your site. Tell people where they can find certain parts of your site. If you like you can include your claims to fame, your greatest achievements to date and why you are the expert in your field. Include pictures and images to explain your back story.
Depending on the kind of person and business you are, you might want to keep this really professional or you may want to include pictures of you with your family or doing your favourite things. Personally I feel this makes you more relatable as a person, because most people do business with people that they resonate with. Explain what services you have on offer, what makes you unique and what you are going to be able to do for your visitors and customers that others wont be able to do.
Generating leads from your about page.
Whenever you do anything online (and offline) you should ask yourself – Are you maximising your chances of generating new leads for your business. Never miss an opportunity to generate a new lead or subscriber. Include instructions and clear call to action about why someone should subscribe to your blog. There a lots of ways you can do this, like in exchange for an e-book or video series. Or perhaps you want to offer a free 20 minute consultation with them. You can be as creative as you like, but don’t miss this opportunity. Create capture pages and make sure you get people to sign up for what you have one offer. EVERYTIME!
How often should you update your about page?
Well I guess that depends on you and how much stuff you’ve got going on. For me it was 4 years and this was way too long. In that time – I stopped blogging for over 2 years because I was so busy supporting offline businesses. The whole experience of being away and the skills I’ve developed over this time are more of a reason to update things. As a guide I would say, that you should be reviewing your about page at least twice a year, then if you have some big changes in your life, like some big clients, moving premises, new staff members, winning awards, blog redesign, or offering new services you should actively make time to change you about pages.
So in summary, your about page is one of your most important pages you will ever have on your blog or website. It is the first page many people will navigate to if they want to find out more about you and what you do. But it’s often the most overlooked pages because we get so busy with other stuff and before you know it, a whole 4 years have passed. Make sure you include everything you would want your potential subscribers and customer to know about and showcase this as best as you can on your about page. Make a plan to review your about page twice a year or when you have had some major changes and experiences take place.
I hope you enjoyed my post on about pages. Do you have an about page? Is it an accurate reflection about you and your business? I would love to know your thought and questions and please feel free to share this post with others who might find it useful.
To Your Simple Blogging Success,
September 15, 2016 at 4:17 pm
Hi Beth,
Super reminder!
I just did an interview with Max the Blind Blogger. He based our chat on my About Page.
I’ve not updated it for a few months but it’s timely.
As for you it was a fab move. A bit can happen in 4 years 😉
Thanks for the Twitter heads up Beth and for this post!
Ryan
September 17, 2016 at 3:18 pm
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for the comment! My first on my new blog post in years. I should find out about Max the Blind Blogger.
Looking forward to catching up with you soon.
Beth
September 17, 2016 at 10:57 pm
Great advice, Beth. Thank you xx
September 18, 2016 at 12:13 pm
Thanks Laura – I’m going to head over to your blog later to say hello. If you’d like to join the Simple Blogging Network Community please let me know.
Or you can check us out https://simplebloggingnetwork.com/join-the-community
Congrats on your 1 month anniversary
Beth:)
October 1, 2016 at 1:53 pm
Interesting. And good advice. Our ‘about’ page should be used to let people feel they know, like & trust us. That, as you said in this post, is a big deal and an opportunity we shouln’t pass up.
Edward
October 2, 2016 at 7:07 pm
Hi Beth,
This is a great reminder for me to check my About Me.
Like so many bloggers, I put it up and forgot all about it for the longest time.
It’s probably the single most important page on your blog, though, and I know it’s my most visited as it probably is for most people… even if they don’t know it.
So update! I like the twice a year rule. Easy to remember on New Years Day, just have to think of a way to remind myself on July 1st 🙂
-Donna
DonnaMerrillTribe
October 8, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Haha! Probably the only thing I will be thinking about on new years day is some headache tablets and whether I should bother getting dressed! I’ll probably wait until January 2nd to check my about page. Thanks for you comment.
Beth
October 8, 2016 at 5:04 pm
Hi Ed,
Absolutely our about pages, are our places to shine.
Thanks for stopping by.
Beth 🙂
November 7, 2016 at 11:46 pm
I am over do for revamping my “About Me” It is extremely wordy and would be a great blog post but, in hindsight, I think that the about me should be more concise.
November 14, 2016 at 8:30 pm
Hi Elise, thanks for your comment. Glad you a re thinking about reviewing your about page 🙂
March 18, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Hi Beth
I love this post and you are so right. One needs to update his about page very often to reflect changes in his life.
I agree that most people start from the about page when they are done with reading a post so it makes sense to update our about page.
Thanks for sharing. Take care