Setting Up Blog Pages: About, Contact, and Theme Selection
Your blog needs solid basics before anything else. The About page, Contact page, and theme choice affect how visitors view your site, how well search engines rank you, and how many people take action. Here's how to set them up right and what to avoid.
About Page Setup
What To Include
Keep it focused on your reader. The biggest error is making your About page all about you. Frame your story around how you help solve their problems. Instead of listing company history, explain what your work means for them.[1][2][3]
Add your name and photo. Visitors want to know who they're reading. If brands want to work with you or readers want to share your content, they need your actual name—not just a mysterious "we". Use a photo that shows personality, not a stiff corporate headshot.[4][1]
If your current setup doesn't make adding a photo feasible, consider adding links to your work profile or socials. The intent of having your name and photo is for people to know there is a real person behind it and why they're talking about this topic.
Tell your story briefly. Share why you started, what challenges you faced, and how you help people now. Keep it short. People have about 7 seconds of attention. If something doesn't help readers understand why you matter to them, cut it.[5][6][1]
Make your message clear. Skip the jargon. Tell people what you do in simple language. Break text into sections with headings and bold key points. A confused visitor leaves without taking action.[2]
End with a call to action. Don't just say "thanks" and stop. Tell visitors what to do next: join your email list, read a popular post, or contact you. The About page is the second most visited page after your homepage, so guide people to the next step.[6][7][2]
Common Mistakes
- No About page at all. This is one of your most important pages.[1]
- Writing like an autobiography. Nobody needs your entire life story.[1]
- Being too vague. Tell people exactly what you do and how you help.[2]
- No personality. Show who you are as a person.[1]
- Missing contact info or social links. Make it easy to reach you.
Contact Page Setup
What To Include
Keep the form short. The optimal number of fields is 3 to 5. Every extra field reduces how many people complete your form. HubSpot found that forms with three fields performed best, and completion dropped with each added field.[8][9][10][11]
Required fields only:
- Name[12][8]
- Email address[8][12]
- Message[12][8]
Optional fields (use only if you really need them):
- Phone number (but many people dislike giving this)[9][13]
- Service type (if you offer multiple services)[13]
- How they found you[12]
Add context before the form. Include a brief intro that explains the form's purpose—quote request, support question, general inquiry. Keep it short so you don't discourage people.[14]
Set clear expectations. Tell visitors when they'll hear back or which contact method works best for urgent questions.[15][8]
Show confirmation after submission. Display a thank-you message with next steps or helpful links.[16][15]
Make it mobile-friendly. Use larger buttons and fields that are easy to tap. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices.[17][11][18]
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Too many fields. Long forms cause people to quit halfway through. Only ask for what you absolutely need to respond.[10][14][13][12]
Asking personal questions too early. Questions about budgets, relationships, or detailed personal info scare people away before you've built trust. Save these for a call or meeting after initial contact.[13]
Difficult or confusing questions. If someone has to think too hard about an answer, they'll leave. Keep questions simple and direct.[13]
No clear field labels. Labels should appear outside the fields, not just inside. Tell people exactly what format you want (like xyz@email.com for email).[19]
No error messages. Use real-time validation that shows errors as people fill out the form. Clearly mark which fields are required.[20][19]
No mobile optimization. Forms must work smoothly on phones and tablets. Use dropdowns and checkboxes to reduce typing on small screens.[11][17][19][10]
Asking for data you don't need. Only collect information that helps you respond. Asking for phone numbers or addresses when unnecessary increases abandonment rates—58% of users prefer not to share phone numbers.[9][14]
Basic Theme Selection
What To Look For
Fast loading speed. Page speed affects both SEO rankings and user experience. Sites that load slower than 4 seconds lose 25% of visitors, with nearly half never returning. Test themes with Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix before choosing.[21][17]
Clean, lightweight code. Themes with clean code load faster and make content easier for search engines to read. Avoid themes packed with features you won't use—they slow your site and make simple edits harder.[22][17][21]
Mobile responsive design. Your theme must work perfectly on all screen sizes. Over 60% of traffic comes from mobile devices. A site that doesn't work on phones loses visitors immediately.[18][23][17][21]
SEO-friendly structure. Look for themes with clean HTML5 and CSS3 code. Built-in schema markup helps search engines understand your content better.[17][21]
To be fair, most basic themes cover this. I wouldn't over think it and just find the cleanest, simplest design that makes sense for you. Or have a developer create one from scratch. Both options are solid.
Regular updates and support. Choose themes that are actively maintained. Check the last update date and whether the developer offers support. Outdated themes can break when WordPress updates.[24][17]
Customization options. Your theme should let you change colors, fonts, and layouts without coding. Look for themes that work with the WordPress Customizer or Full Site Editor.[25][26][17]
Common Theme Mistakes
Choosing flashy over functional. Themes with lots of sliders, animations, and built-in features often load slowly and create problems. Pick a clean theme and add features through plugins as needed.[22][17]
Ignoring speed. A slow theme hurts your search rankings and drives visitors away. Test theme speed before installing.[21][17]
Not checking mobile display. Always preview how a theme looks on phones and tablets before activating it.[17]
Skipping reviews and ratings. Read what other users say about the theme. Look for high ratings and positive feedback from verified users.[17]
Too many features you won't use. Extra features bloat your site and slow it down. Choose themes with only what you need.[22]
No update history. Themes without regular updates become security risks and may stop working with new WordPress versions.[24][17]
Picking style over SEO. A beautiful theme that's poorly coded will hurt your search rankings. Check that themes follow SEO best practices.[21][17]
Basic Theme Setup Steps
After installing your theme:[27]
- Configure basic settings through Appearance → Customize. Adjust your site logo, colors, and fonts.[25]
- Set up navigation menus. Add your About and Contact pages to your header menu.[28]
- Install needed plugins. Start with SEO, security, caching, and image optimization.[29][4]
- Test on mobile devices. Check that everything works smoothly on phones and tablets.[17]
- Check page speed. Run tests and optimize if needed.[17]
Additional Pages To Set Up
Beyond About and Contact, create these pages before launching:[28]
- Privacy Policy: Required if you collect any visitor data or use Google Analytics[28]
- Disclaimer: Required if you monetize your blog or endorse products[28]
- Terms of Service: Needed if you sell products or services[28]
These legal pages protect you and meet regulations like GDPR and CCPA.[28]
Final Checklist
Before publishing your blog:
- About page includes your name, photo, clear message, and call to action[5][1]
- Contact form has 3-5 fields maximum[8][9]
- Contact page explains what happens after submission[15]
- Theme loads quickly on both desktop and mobile[21][17]
- Navigation menu includes About and Contact pages[28]
- All legal pages are in place[28]
- Site works well on mobile devices[23][17]
Focus on making these basics work well. A simple site that loads fast and guides visitors clearly beats a complex site that confuses people or loads slowly.[22][21][17]
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