There are a few pages that every blog should have. These pages will help give your readers an idea of who you are and what you blog about. They’ll help your readers navigate your website. Also, some pages are required for other reasons, such as web regulations or search engine optimization.
Here are a few of the pages and widgets that every blog should have.
==> An About Me Page
At the end of the day, people want to know about who you are.
If they’re reading your blog and taking advice from you, they want to know who you are. They want to know about your past accomplishments and failures. They want to know what makes you who you are. They want to know your story.
Put this in an about me page and make it easy to find.
==> Contact Page
Not all bloggers want to be contacted. However, it’s a good idea to at least have a contact form. Why?
You could be contacted by potential partners or big advertisers. Or someone could be considering referring a huge group of buyers to your site and just wanted to ask you a question.
You don’t have to answer every single question you get, but it still helps to have contact information up.
==> Social Media & RSS
Give your readers a number of different ways to follow you.
In your sidebar, have buttons that allow people to follow you on Twitter, on Facebook and even on Google+.
You should also have a clearly displayed RSS button that allows people to subscribe to your feed.
==> The Best Posts
Also in your sidebar should be a list of your best posts, most popular posts or your personal top picks.
When someone lands on your site, they don’t necessarily just want to read your blog in chronological order. A lot of people would prefer to start by reading your 5-10 best articles to decide if they like your content.
If they do, then they’ll start reading your blog regularly. Having these 5-10 top posts easily accessible helps give new visitors the best stuff right up front.
==> Privacy Policy, Disclosures, Sitemap and Terms of Service
These four pages are meant mostly for search engines and regulatory agencies.
If you’re using Google AdSense, collecting email addresses or using tracking software, you need a privacy policy.
Google strongly recommends having both a privacy policy and a terms of service. Not having them could be detrimental to your ranking. They’re also required for AdSense.
Having a sitemap will help search engines index your site.
These are a few of the pages and items that every single blog should have. Adding them will increase both your usability and your compliance.