How an Author Bio Page Can Boost Your Blog’s Performance

There are 1.9 billion websites worldwide, and more than 600 million are blogs. That’s a lot of content vying for attention. But, did you know that an author bio page is one of the most strategic ways to boost your brand’s blog’s performance?

Many marketing professionals overlook needing an author bio, but readers might be critical of the author’s expertise unless they are a household name and authority. If your posts are part of a B2B blog strategy, readers will want reassurance that someone with relevant experience created the content. Present your writers as credible authorities in the field.

What Is an Author Bio?

An author bio is a short, concise overview of your subject matter expert’s experience, accomplishments, and education (if important to your industry). It introduces the writer, highlights their credentials, and showcases anything else important for readers to know about the writer.

While there is no designated length, a paragraph or two is all you need. A bio does not have to be a creative writing masterpiece but should be able to persuade readers that a credible professional wrote the content.

Author bios are also living pieces. As the author gains more experience, education, and achievements, update their page to reflect that career growth.

If you’re wondering where to place the bio, one common location is a designated “About” section at the end of the article. Author bios within an article should link to a unique author bio page.

Author Bio Page

Author bio pages, which may be published in the “About” section of a website, represent the full biography of the author, with additional assets not found in an article bio. On that page, expand the info to include images and videos, links to other writings and awards, and anything else important for the reader to know about the content creator and his or her relationship to your brand. Include links to author bio pages in the bylines of articles.

Article Byline

An article byline is a very short piece of text typically found either at the top or bottom of an article. It usually includes the name of the author and the content’s publication date. Sometimes it includes a small bit of information about the author, the publication, or the article itself.

Why Is an Author Bio Important to Any B2B Blog Strategy?

An active blog is an important B2B marketing strategy that establishes authority in an industry, attracts quality leads, and increases website traffic. Blogs are effective because today’s consumers want to engage and build loyalty with a brand rather than respond to advertising.

An author bio serves several key purposes on a brand’s blog:

• The bio matches a human with the content. People relate to people, and a bio will let readers know who the writer is and why they should care about the products and services.
• An author bio page builds brand authority. Whether the content is about cooking, decorating, technology, or health, a bio will let readers know the writer has the experience and expertise to speak to the topic. Without that bio, people have little idea what qualifies the writer to address a particular topic, leaving them unsure about the accuracy and relevance of the blog.
• Expert author bylines build trust. Imagine two blog articles written about the same topic. Both articles are well-written and support their statements with sources, but they come to different conclusions. If one has a bio and the other does not, which one would you tend to trust more? Who is being held accountable for publishing accurate, factual information? The piece with the bio gives readers an additional reason to view it as a trustworthy source and satisfies Google’s E-E-A-T(rustworthiness) quality rater guidelines.

Google E-E-A-T: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Google looks for more than just great content. The search engine wants expert and authoritative content created by trusted and experienced sources.

In SEO terms, Google E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is part of Google’s guidelines to set a standard for rating the value of a website. The more a website proves its E-E-A-T, the higher it will rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).

And the good news is that author bios and bylines help establish all these things. It allows Google to assign value to an author as a subject matter expert.

How To Write a Great Author Bio

Author bios should be short. Aim toward no more than 100 words and include:

• Where the writer is from and where they currently live.
• Relevant personal background information. Hobbies, culture, or family can increase interest.
• The writer’s expertise. If it fits into your 100 words, add what draws the writer to the topic. Include your relationship to any brand represented.
• Experience and qualifications such as education, employment, and clients. Include things that validate expertise in the topic and industry.
• Achievements such as awards, grants, exhibitions, books, etc.

10 Tips for Writing a Great, SEO-Friendly Author Bio

1. Remember that the first line of any author bio is the first thing readers will learn about an author, so make it count. Use whatever relevant facts will impress or grab readers’ interest the most. Newer writers with less under their belts should aim to make a personal connection. More experienced writers can impress with a few recognizable names of where they’ve been published or an award they’ve won.
2. Write the bio in the third person. This increases the authority and reads as if the brand has written about the author. It feels less self-congratulatory.
3. If you have no specific job title, write about your job function. Use words that add credibility. If the author has extensive experience in accounting but is not a CPA, portray the author as an accounting specialist.
4. Include details that support expertise as both an author and on the topic they cover. Include any degrees or training attained.
5. Think of something that adds uniqueness. This could be birthplace or a fun fact; maybe the author holds the Guinness record for toe-tapping or grew up with 15 siblings. Be sure to balance information about personality with facts relevant to the piece.
6. Keep the target reader and your brand in mind. If your brand style and tone lean toward lighthearted and comedic, don’t offer readers a dry, boring bio.
7. Even though the goal is to showcase authority and expertise, try to write in a relatable tone that minimizes jargon and tells a story.
8. Include social media profiles and the author’s personal websites at the end of the bio.
9. Update this biography as the author gains more experience and authority. It should grow as the author’s career develops.
10. Include a compelling photo and use that same photo across your site for consistency. Even if readers can’t remember a name, they’ll recognize the image.

Blogs With Great Author Bios and Bylines

Money Crashers

Money Crashers is one of the most popular financial blogs, with information useful to those at all levels of financial expertise. Dedicated to making saving, investing, managing debt, and much more accessible, their About page speaks to their contributors’ expertise and passion for research. Their articles are organized by providing readers with the first few paragraphs and a Read Article link.

On every article, authors’ names are placed at the top and are links to bio pages with great examples of straightforward and concise information about the writer. These bios are matter-of-fact and exemplify how to build brand authority through expert credentials. Below the bios are lists of other articles written by the same writer.

Deloitte

Deloitte is one of the world’s leading B2B consulting firms, providing audit assurance, tax, and financial advisory services to thousands of clients globally, including 90% of Fortune 500 companies. Brand authority and trustworthiness are top of mind for their blog, Deloitte Insights. Their articles often have more than one author with the bylines listed below the article title and summary paragraph. Click on an author, and a short bio pops up. Beneath the bio is contact information.

Both examples above are from regulated industries where brand authority is paramount. Just as important as their services, their brand is their reputation. Including author bios that underscore the experience and credentials of their writers is key to upholding their reputation and authority.

Kevin Kwan

Lastly, here is a bio of a different kind, but it is an excellent example of how an author’s bio can and should change over time. Crazy Rich Asians was Kevin Kwan’s first book. With little experience, here was his first bio:

“Kevin Kwan was born and raised in Singapore. He currently lives in Manhattan. Crazy Rich Asians is his first novel.”

In this simple author bio, he let Singapore do the heavy lifting for him, giving him the authority to write about his subject. Now that he has several books and accolades behind him, the bio on his website reads,

“Kevin Kwan is the author of Crazy Rich Asians, the international bestselling novel that has been translated into more than 30 languages. Its sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, was released in 2015, and Rich People Problems, the final book in the trilogy, followed in 2017. For several weeks in 2018, the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy commanded the top three positions of the New York Times bestseller list – an almost unprecedented single-author trifecta, and the film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians became Hollywood’s highest-grossing romantic comedy in over a decade. In 2018, Time Magazine named Kevin one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.”

The Last Word on Author Bios

Getting an author bio and byline next to blog articles is an important task and one of the most effective ways to build authority for your blog and gain your readers’ trust. ContentWriters provides bylined articles and SME review services to Managed Services clients that want to leverage the authority of our industry-specialized, US-based network.

Find out how we helped ScriptSave boost traffic with our bylined content writing services, and contact us to discuss how we can help you achieve similar results!

Deborah K.

Deborah was the kid who would rather write book reports and essays than play ball during recess. Although she didn’t score many points with her peers, it did lead to her career creating content for TV, radio, print and new media for companies as varied as Dooney& Bourke, Panera Breads, Visa, SUNY Ulster and Hudson Valley Federal Savings Bank.

She is also a principal of small packages – a digital design company, and past partner/marketing director of whatis.com, the world’s foremost reference on information technology. And, her love of food enabled her to become a contributing editor of both Gourmet Retailer and Food Distribution Magazines.

Deborah has a bachelor degree in fine art from the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford and a masters in higher education administration from Stony Brook University. When she’s not writing, her love of quilting, furry animals, friends, and family sustains her.