“Can I see some credentials, please?”
Photography: Expert Ability by Joe Shlabotnik
Every blog or website should have an easily accessible ‘About’ page. What’s often over-looked is that an ‘About’ page is only a means to an end: establishing credibility.
The most important factor to consider when writing an ‘About’ page is that you show you’re an expert on the topics you write on. In this post, I’ll discuss ways to do just that.
I’ve seen a number of sites lately promising to help readers make money online. There’s nothing wrong with that, but these websites fail to explain why they’re in a position to give advice. Without that vital information, how can anyone take them seriously? Would you accept a lesson from someone with no experience in the topic?
Every newspaper opinion piece, unless it’s written by a regular columnist, will be accompanied by a paragraph of text explaining who the author is and their credentials. The text will usually answer two key questions:
- What is the author’s relation to the topic
- What credentials do they have to write on it?
This helps the reader establish that the opinion expressed in the piece deserves to be taken seriously. It also helps the reader to be aware of potential biases. Whatever your topic, these questions should be answered prominently on your ‘About’ page.
The more experienced you show yourself to be in the topic the more likely readers are to trust what you write.
I also want to suggest that if you’re not an expert in the topic you can still establish credibility by admitting openly that you’re aren’t an expert — as long as you write posts from a beginner’s perspective.
If you don’t have any formal credentials then don’t hesitate to use your passion for the topic as your qualification. How long have you been interested in it? Has your involvement had an affect on your life? Have you done anything interesting relating to your topic?
For inspiration, here are some ‘About’ pages that work to instantly establish credibility
- The About page at Daily Blog Tips
- Rhonda Parkinson’s About page at About.com: Chinese Cuisine
- About Justin at Justinguitar.com
- Seth Godin’s About page
- About ProBlogger
- Rand Fishkin’s About page at SEOMoz.org
