Introduction to Author Pages
Author pages serve to build trust, authority, and credibility. However, a lot of nuance goes into leveraging author pages. The notion of what an author page is and why we need them can be challenged.
What Should Be On Your Author Pages?
The answer to that depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Yes, you’re trying to establish trust, but how you do that depends on a variety of factors. For example, if your industry is constantly evolving and changing, harping on your author’s past may not be the way to go. Instead, trust may be better built by focusing on their recent accolades and accomplishments.
Think of your author pages as “About Pages.” There’s a certain narrative to a good About Page, and you can do the same with your author pages. Don’t just say who the person is, but show how they got there. Trust is often about contextualization. Don’t think about only presenting who the author is – rather, try to paint a picture that frames them.
Author pages don’t just offer some background about your contributors but your site. They become a pillar of “who you are” across the web. Your authors aren’t just authors – they are representatives. When someone runs across your author pages, they and the page connected with them substantiate who you are.
The authority of a good author page goes beyond visitors to your site. If you’re running a marketing strategy that is heavy in employee advocacy, these pages are a major part of any outreach program. If your goal is to get your own people out there representing the brand on podcasts, webinars, conference stages, etc., the author page becomes a pillar. It becomes the “home” that represents your advocates and you at the same time.
Who Needs Author Pages?
Let me challenge the entire question. Why are we stopping at authors? The question should be, “Who needs people pages?” The answer is everyone whose company has any people. So, the answer is everyone. Every business needs to contextualize itself via the people associated with it. That can be the CEO, CMO, CFO, CTO, or COO – it should not stop there.
When I see a company only list its top employees, it comes off as one giant ego stroke. So, mission accomplished: You have contextualized your business. I now know you’re a bunch of narcissists. Even if you’re a solopreneur, there should be content that in a sense parses out who you are on the site.
I think we’ve come to look at “author pages” as being this very narrowed page type. To me, it’s the wrong way to look at them. It’s not an “SEO” play. And when you think beyond SEO per se, is there really a difference between an author page and an employee bio page?
Yet, it’s funny because we’ll spend all day talking about how to bolster your author pages and then create one never-ending page for the employees that merely lists their names. How exactly is that helpful beyond giving your user the ability to manually look up some of these folks on LinkedIn (which means leaving your website)?
So, who needs “author pages”? Everyone. The question is, what type of “author page” do you need? Can you combine your About Page and “author page”? I do that on my own website since I’m a one-person show, and the format allows me that opportunity.
Author Page Best Practices
That said, here are some quick best practices I would consider adding to your author pages (and similar “bio” pages). Some of them are obvious, like:
- Social links
- Standard bio
- Image
- Recent posts
- Formal industry recognition
- Areas of expertise
Some less so (and again, it all depends on your goals):
- Conference talks
- Podcast, webinar appearances, and other “third-party placements”
- Outlets where the author is quoted
- Work experience (current and previous)
- History of how the author got into the industry and why
- Personal industry philosophy (can even be a video)
The last thing I’ll say is: Watch the formatting. 99% of author pages, assuming they are substantial, feel like you’re reading a long article. If you want to get the most out of the author page, you need to lay things out so that the audience can get a holistic sense of things at a glance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, author pages are essential for building trust, authority, and credibility. They should be thought of as “About Pages” that provide a narrative about the author and their background. The pages should be formatted in a way that is easy to read and understand, with clear headings and concise information. By following these best practices, you can create effective author pages that will help establish your brand and reputation. Remember, it’s not just about the authors, it’s about the people behind the company, and how they can be represented in a way that showcases their expertise and personality.