‘About Pages’ on blogs

The number one rule for blog design is ‘don’t make me think.’ Make it readily apparently what you and your blog is about. The best way to do this on your blog is with your ‘about page.’

Darren Rowse has an excellent post on about pages on blogs. Darren cites at length from Brian at copyblogger’s post, ‘What’s Your Blog Really About?’

Of course, I’ve been reading Darren’s blog for quite some time. But if I had just stumbled upon it today, I would have clicked on the ‘About ProBlogger’ link to see what was going on.

And that page would have done its job well. It caught and kept my attention, and it would have resulted in a subscription. All because he told me a story that demonstrated exactly the reason why I would want to read his blog, and at the end, he asked me to subscribe.

That’s what the ‘About’ page of your blog is for. Without a static homepage, and with numerous potential entry points via links or search results, the ‘About’page of a blog is an important opportunity to convert a new visitor into a regular reader.

Further from Brian,

The necessity of understanding exactly what your blog is really about is why we examined remarkable benefits, how to find them, and how yours must be expressly communicated before we started with this series. Because if you are not crystal clear on why your blog is worth paying attention to, potential subscribers are not going to figure it out for you.

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.

I am always clicking to the about page to find out about a blog and its author. I am amazed that lawyers and professional service people give little though to such pages. Here they are blogging, presumably to enhance their reputations, and have pages about themselves and their blogs which tell little about them and their blog. Worse yet, some lawyers and other professionals use the standard blogger ‘about’ page which looks great for a teenage diary.

You get one opportunity to make a good impression with journalists, fellow bloggers and prospective clients. Make sure they know you are an expert, a professional and will be sharing valuable information. Don’t blow it with your about page.

Technorati Tags: blog + design