There is nothing quite as annoying as crafting an About Me page for a blog or website. You would think that it would be easy describing yourself and your company or site. After all, you know all about both, right? So why then do so many end up being a two sentence rundown in the most boring tone ever?
Seriously, how often have you seen this:
“My name is Bob Bobberton and I run an SEO trick blog. I have worked in the industry for twelve years and have been employed at Every SEO Company Ever Inc.”
Informative? Sure, but is it interesting? Not in the slightest. I nearly fell asleep just typing that. The most amusing thing that can be said about it is that the man’s name is apparently “Bob Bobberton”.
What you need is something with a bit more jazz to keep the reader’s interest.
Creating Your About Page
Start by thinking what it is you want to say. Do a little brainstorming exercise and include items like who you are, what you do, what you like, how you feel about what you do, and the most exciting or interesting way you could explain it.
If you have other people on your staff, consider doing the same for them or letting them draft their own. If you want to include everyone in a single about page without naming names, then do all of the above but with a group focus in mind.
Next, come up with a few ways that this can be handled creatively. Some popular options are:
- Slideshows -Plenty of about pages are using a slideshow to give a look into the daily work of the site.
- Videos – If you have the budget and the know-how, making an interesting video can make an excellent change of pace for your about page.
- Cartoons/Illustrations – One of the best about pages I have seen recently had a comic that gave all the information about the graphic designer and illustrator who made it. This is always a great way to go. If you can’t draw, you can often hire amateur artists from sites like DeviantArt.
- Humor – One of my personal favorites is going the funny-route. I recently saw a blog that described each contributor with a sarcastic byline at the end of their articles, which was placed on the about page with contact info. One was described as “somewhere between a cruel taskmaster and a robot who has learned to love”. Little touches like that can make a lot of difference.
What To Include
This is the easy part. Your about page should always have the basic information that you would expect, but presented in an interesting way. Which means you should cover:
- Who you are.
- What you do.
- Why you do it well.
- Your passion for what you do.
- Your contact information.
- Social networking and media.
Tips For Handling SEO
Next you have to worry about SEO. Your about page should always keep this in mind, as it is an important part of generating traffic. Since you are laying out who you are, it will be crucial that a search engine can properly utilize this information.
Here are a few tips to help you out:
- Be descriptive. Keywords are not just randomly related terms you throw willy-nilly into the mix. You have to take some time to fit them in properly, and if you are descriptive it will be done that much easier. Keywords will then naturally stand out.
- Be specific. One of the worse things you can do for SEO in any circumstance is be vague. Your descriptions should have a good amount of detail and tell the reader exactly what you do, how you do it, why you do it and where you do it.
- Be flexible. You should be willing to revise your about me pages regularly, to utilize different keywords and information that might be better equipped to drive focus to your site.
- Be aware of conversion. There are a couple of tools out there that can be helpful in this regard. But one I have personally found most beneficial is the Wordstream Conversion Optimizer.
- Be personable. There seems to be this misunderstanding when it comes to SEO and how you should approach the tone. Because it is a rather dry topic, people think the content should be equally as dry. Keeping some spice and personality is a great step to standing out, even in simple search engine descriptions.
Conclusion
An About Me page is important, even if you don’t think so. It is the cherry on the selling point, a way to express who you are as a site or company and hook in the customer.
It takes creativity and focus to do this. So pay attention to what you’re putting out there, and let your About Me page work for you. After all, if it isn’t making a difference then you probably aren’t doing it right.
Guest Author Jessy is the social media blogger for Quantum SEO Labs, the full-service Internet marketing company. We blog about SEO, blogging and online marketing. Follow us on Twitter!