Continuing in this theme WWM-H’s, let’s move on to the “about” page.  As a webcomic reader, nothing peeves me more than when I see a webcomic I want to read (great visuals!), but one that doesn’t have an about page. I want to know about the story before I read it! Or what about when you want to contact the webcomic creator, and they don’t list ANY way to get a hold of them?  Or what if you’re interested in commissioning, but can’t find any information?

Your about page should contain all the information that new and long-time readers might want to know. I don’t call this page a FAQ page,  because it should contain MORE than simple, often inane, “frequently asked” questions.  This page should function as the “one-stop” page for questions about the webcomic creator, the webcomic plot, the webcomic update schedule, how to reach the creator, and what your ENTIRE project is about.  AND, most importantly, this information needs to be presented in a concise, organized, interesting manner. The only thing worse than the lack of an about page is the never-ending, rambling, disinteresting “look-at-me-and-what-I-do-aren’t-I-so-very-awesome?!!!” page.

Here is what I, after five years of making webcomic and webcomic sites, think a person ought to have on his/her about page:

• Begin with a tight, 1-2 paragraph synopsis of your comic (usually shorter for humor-based comics as opposed to story-based).  For long, story-based comics, writing this may be extremely difficult, and it doesn’t matter. If you can’t do this little thing, you either 1) don’t have a tight enough grip on your storyline that you are forced to write out every single plot line for it to make sense to YOU, or 2) don’t appreciate the need for this enough.  For number 2, would you ever buy a book without reading the back-of-the-book synopsis? No! It doesn’t matter how cool the cover is if you don’t know what it’s about.  The difference is, with webcomics, instead of buying your comic/story with money, your audience spends TIME.
• Now that you have the synopsis, you need to decide, based on the breadth and scope of your comic, if you need something longer. The above “blurb” is for the people who want the quick overview. Some people may want more. A longer description of your comic is optional, and indeed, may be better placed on the archive page anyways.
• If your comic updates with multiple features, each feature needs an explanation on scheduling and links to [separate!] archives.  Don’t ever confuse your audience by not providing an explanation!
• Moving on to YOU, the webcomic creator, you should include a short biography. Who you are, what you do, a picture if you dare, and DEFINITELY a way to contact you. If you don’t want to include your personal email address, create a new email address specifically for the comic. It is very easy to do, and did I mention, free?
• If you offer commissions, you must inlcude your fees, and links to work you’ve already done as examples.  Do this professionally. Any venture where you want to make money requires a measure of professionalism.
• Do you have a mirror site? Link it. Gallery site? Link it. Link your comic profiles on OnlineComics, Piperka, The Web Comic List, etc.

All of this information needs to be ordered as is most important to your comic. Don’t be vain here, and put everything about you up top. Your site isn’t about you, it’s about your work. The great majority of this page should be text also, not images, and certainly not text flattened on an image.  Why should all this be text? Because of all pages that would show up in a search engine, the about page can and should have the highest chance. But only if you write! Remember, always optimize your site so that it will show up in search engines.

Next update: tricks with link anchors and titles to organize your “must-have” pages.