How to Create a Website Profile

2K followers

Updated 6 years ago

Have you ever gone to someone’s bio only to find blank space, just a few words, or even something that you couldn’t figure out what they were saying? I sure have. The one I dislike the most is when all I’m seeing is the white space of the page!

Many people may not feel comfortable having to write about themselves, but it isn’t that difficult to do. So, I would like to contribute a little bit to show you how to create a website profile.

Why is a Website Profile Needed?

Creating a personal profile on your website is essential to let visitors know what you do and who you are. No matter what the reason is for writing a bio (profile), you should take the time and be attentive about what you write to ensure that you send out the right message vibes.

Before you begin writing, you should be sure of whom you are writing it for because your profile is the first time you get to introduce yourself to your audience. Understand that a profile you write for a job application will probably be much different from the one you would write for a website.

Recognize Your Purpose and Your Audience

Don’t draw out the information when you are letting your audience know who you are and what you do. That information should be very concise, but will resourcefully show who you are and what you do.

Before you start to write, you may want to check out some profiles that others have written. Just remember, that not everyone out there is writing their bios correctly. I’m sure after reading a few you will come to see which ones are well written and those that are not.

When you write a bio for your website to promote yourself and your ability, check out some of the sites of others that may be in the same field as you. Social networks like Twitter and Linkedin are a couple of good places to find professional profiles.

You will need to decide if you want your bio to be professional, personal, formal, funny, or a combination of some, or all of these types.

Streamline Your Information

When you get into a writing flow, you may tend to add a lot of extraneous stories. Its okay to include a few irrelevant details, but don’t go overboard. The little extras shouldn’t take up the majority of your profile real estate.

Don’t forget that trust can start to develop from your profile. Don’t talk about the crazy, wild things you may do on the weekend. Remember you are forming a “first impression” here. First impressions do count.

Are You Writing in the Third Person?

I’m sure you have seen some profiles that are in the third person. When I first saw that done, I wondered why the person did that. After that, I began to see it even more. So, why write in the third person instead of the first?

The reason people write in the third person is that it makes your profile appear more objective. Writing in the third person can be a useful strategy in a more formal situation. Some recommend that anytime you are writing a professional bio, write it in the third person.

Have you ever seen the author’s short bio at the end of an article? The author writes them in the third person.

I don’t want my website to be so formal; therefore, I write my bio in the first person. I want the readers to get to know me as I person and I write as if I was talking to them in person. However, on Linkedin, I want a more formal profile because this site consists of working professionals and it tends to be a little more formal.

Start With Your Introduction

Your profile should always begin with you introducing yourself by sharing your full name and please avoid using nicknames. On a website, we all use a username. We see those usernames all the time online.

However, we must remember that we are always trying to show trustworthiness to the people we come in contact with on our websites. if you don’t even let the people know your name, just how much trust do you think you can gain?

When I follow someone at Wealthy Affiliate, I always go to their profile first to get their name, because I don’t want to greet them with their username. I also was to learn more about them. But, many times I have to scroll all the way down to the first message they ever received from WA to get their name because they didn’t include it in their bio or may not even have a bio!

Talk About What You Do

Let readers in on what you do for a living, what you are known for, and share what expertise and experiences you have. You can combine this information when giving your name. People want to see what you are about; believe me!

If you have had some essential accomplishments and awards, don’t be afraid to share them in your bio.

This area may be a little troublesome because this kind of information may not always be applicable. Keep in mind that writing a profile is not the same as writing a resume! You must describe your achievements because visitors won’t know what the accomplishments are if you don’t explain it to them.

Include details that will humanize you by including something personal. Do this by adding things that you like to do. By doing this, you get the opportunity to let your personality show a little. However, don’t add things that are too personal or could be embarrassing to either you or your readers.

You can also include information regarding some projects you currently have going on.

Share Contact Information

Include information such as, email, twitter and other social media, and any additional contact information that is appropriate. I would avoid sharing your phone number.

Words

Your profile should be at least 250 words. Some say that your profile shouldn’t be more than 500 words.

I would agree that your profile should be at least 250 words to give readers a small glimpse into your life and get a feel for your personality. However, I’m not sure about the 500 words.

My profile is 1289 words. I wanted people to take a look at my world and get a sense of the kind of person that I am. The feedback I’ve received on my bio has been good, and no one has ever told me it was too long! The comments let me know that my profile is doing the job that it is intended to do.

I don’t think it’s about the word count. I think what’s important is that you get all the appropriate information needed in your website profile.

Be sure to update your profile the same way you update your other posts and pages on your website.

Conclusion

I created this blog to let folks be more aware that writing a good profile allows people to get a sense of who you are and can begin the process of gaining people’s trust.

At Wealthy Affiliate, there is a vast community of members who are ready, willing, and able to assist you if you need help. However, if you don’t even take the time to write your profile, people may think you aren’t in this process for the long haul.

If initially, you don’t know what to write, at least take the time to introduce yourself and let us know that you will return shortly to complete your profile. Then, make sure you come back to finish it.

During building our online business, there will be several occasions when you need to write a profile, especially with all the different social media networks that you will use. Let your website be the jumping off point that gives you the experience of writing a profile.