Write Your Best Website Bio

Update Your Website Bio As You Gain Experience

If you’re like me, you frequently revisit your website bio, or “About” page. The first time I wrote mine, I made the same mistake many people do: I focused on myself.

The purpose of an “About” page or bio is to connect with our target audience, not just promote ourselves as the best in our area of expertise (though that shouldn’t be overlooked as long as you do it with facts).

But the page shouldn’t read like some dry, legal tome we only pick up when we need help sleeping. It should be engaging as well as informational. In other words, tell a story.

Key Components According to Hubspot

Here are a few suggestions from Hubspot‘s Lindsay Kolowich:

• Start out with your first and last name, even if it’s already in the title
• Tell your story in third person, as if someone else is talking about you
• Identify your brand if you have one. e.g. Sheri Conaway is CEO of A Passion for Writing
• Talk about your current position and how you contribute to the company
• List a couple of professional accomplishments
• Define your values and describe how they relate to your career
• Give readers a taste of who you are outside of work. You might talk about:
  • Family
  • Hometown
  • Hobbies
  • Your favorite music
  • Travel destinations
  • Side hustles
• End with a pleasant or amusing personal story

Limitless Characters Don’t Mean Going on Forever

While Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms limit you to a certain number of characters, your website is pretty much unlimited—your readers’ attention span isn’t. Try to keep your bio to about a page, and save the 1,500 word posts for your blogs.

Unlike what you see here, avoid using lists in your bio. It’s far more engaging to read the story of you than some bulletized list, which is more appropriate to a product launch or presentation. Your goal is to engage the reader, and most readers enjoy a good story.

Brag a Little

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t highlight your most impressive accomplishments. They’ll show your reader and potential client what you can actually accomplish for them. Talk is cheap, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Tangible results are the picture you want to paint in your bio.

Beyond the basic rules, it’s important to solidify your name and your brand in the reader’s mind, so don’t be afraid to repeat yourself a few times.

Minimize Confusion

It’s important to be aware there are very few unique names. Do your own due diligence with a Google search on your name to make sure yours won’t be confused with someone else, especially someone with a “colorful” past. Check out the names that come up and, if necessary, add a middle initial or maiden name to your profile (assuming you have one, of course) to ensure you’re the only person people will find with your exact name.

Don’t forget include links to your email address at the very least. You can also link to your email signup page to help drive people to your email list, to a hire me page so they can find a more complete list of services you offer, or anywhere else you’d like them to go to learn more about you and what you do.

Always Check Spelling and Grammar

Last but not least, spelling and grammar count. Though many people will miss the less obvious errors, some won’t, and they could be the best candidates for your services. You don’t want to lose someone who’d be a great fit because they think you lack attention to detail.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.