One easy way to generate more exposure for yourself, your business, and your brand is to add an “Author Bio Box” on your blog posts. What’s an “Author Bio Box” in WordPress, and why is it important?

While reading a blog article, you may have noticed a little section at the end of the article with a picture and a short blurb about the author. That’s called an “Author Bio Box.” It’s not just there for decoration; it serves a pretty important purpose. In this article, I’ll explain what an “Author Bio Box” is, why it’s an important part of your content, and how to set one up on your WordPress website. 

What is an “Author Bio Box”?

An Author Bio Box is a brief section located at the end of a blog post or article on a WordPress website. It provides interesting and relevant information about the author. Author boxes typically contain a picture, a short bio, and links to the author’s social media or freebies.

When you add an “Author Bio Box,” is like having a mini “About Us” on every blog post on your website. It’s like a virtual introduction and helps readers connect with the person who created the content. Here’s my author box that appears on all of my blog posts. 

christina hills author box

Why An Author Bio Box is Important

1) Establish Credibility, Trustworthiness, and Authority

Your Author Box is an opportunity to showcase your qualifications and expertise. For instance, you can mention your certifications, years of experience, or any specializations. This helps build trust and credibility.

2) Make a Personal Connection

An Author Box makes your content feel more personal. Customers prefer to engage with businesses and people they feel connected to. The Author Box shows who is behind the website, making your business more relatable. To connect with your audience, you can tell them about your background, values, or interests.

3) Increase Your Visibility

Having an Author Box with your name and picture helps people find and follow you on other social media. 

4) Improve Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A well-optimized Author Box can help to improve your website’s search engine Optimization rankings. Search engines often favor websites that are reliable, authoritative, and trustworthy.

5) Organize Multi-Author Websites

An author bio box is particularly important for websites that have content with multiple authors. It allows readers to learn more about the specific author who wrote the article they’re reading. I don’t have a multi-author website. However, I’ve read content on other websites with multiple authors, and it’s always helpful when they have the author bio box. 

What to Include in Your Author Box?

When deciding what to include in your author box, here are a few options to consider:

  • A Professional Photo
  • A Brief Bio
  • Your Contact Information
  • Link to Where People Cand Find You on Social Media
  • Link to a Free Download

Don’t forget to keep your Author Box up-to-date. As you gain more qualifications, experience, and achievements, remember to update your Author Box.

Watch this Video on the WordPress Author Bio Box!

This video explains how to create your author bio box, and it explains the two different ways to get one as outlined below.

Two Ways to Add an Author Bio Box

1) Built Into Your Theme

One of the simplest and easiest ways to add an author info box is to choose a WordPress theme with an in-built author box feature. Many popular themes offer the option to include an author box on your blog posts.  The WordPress themes I teach – Spacious, Hestia, Sydney, and Divi – all come with an author box that you can customize. 

To show the author box from your theme, first go to your profile under Users–> Your Profile and put in your biographical information.  You can also find it under Users —> All Users in the WordPress dashboard. Next, edit the user’s profile and change the ‘Biographical Info’ to add the author’s bio. If you want to show the profile image in the author box, then you need to set up the Gravatar photoLast, click the ‘Update user’ button.

If you don’t want to bother with setting up a Gravatar, you can use the Simple Local Avatar plugin

2) Use a WordPress Plugin

If your theme does not offer an author bio box option, there are a few plugins you can use to display an author box. Here are a few of my top picks:

Simple Author Box
by WebFactory Ltd

simple author box

Simple Author Bio Box is my top plugin choice for Author Bio Box. First, this plugin makes it easy to have a clean, professional-looking author box. It lets you customize just about every aspect of the author bio ox – custom bio, social media link, a custom avatar. In addition, you have complete control over the colors, fonts, and background. As you design your author box, there’s a real-time preview where you can see how your changes will look. While the basic plan is free, there is a pro version if you want even more options. Learn more here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-author-box/

Author Box for Divi
by Andrej

author box for divi

If your website uses the Divi theme, you can create author boxes without extra plugins. Divi has built-in options for this. However, if you want a different look, use the Author Box for Divi plugin. It’s free and easy to set up. (I use it on my Divi websites).

This plugin works for posts made with either the Divi Builder or the Classic WordPress editor. You can change the author’s gravatar image, use your own picture, and add social media links. In addition, you can adjust the Text Color, Background Color, and Border Color. Learn more here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/author-box-for-divi/

Starbox – the Author Box for Humans
by Squirrly UK

starbox

We’ve never used Starbox before, but it’s one that Elegant Theme recommends. Starbox is a feature-rich author box plugin, but it is still very easy to use. You can choose your author box’s themes, colors, or options. One of the unique things about the Starbox plugin is that you can set up a “Tabbed Author Bio Box,” with one tab being the usual author information and the other being the latest posts from that author. Learn more here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/starbox/

 

Conclusion

One of the things that’s challenging about an online business is that it’s hard to “meet” your website visitors and develop a connection. However, adding an “author bio box” to your website is one simple way you can tell readers who you are and what your business offers. 

People like to make a personal connection. As a result, they’re more likely to spend additional time on your website if they can quickly learn who you are. It helps establish credibility and trustworthiness. Also, a high-quality author box with all the relevant information will help improve your website’s SEO. 

Setting up an “Author Bio Box” only takes a few minutes. Plus, it can be updated easily as your business grows and changes. So, pick one of the plugins and set up your “Author Bio Box” if you don’t already have one!

(Originally Published March 2014; Updated October 2023)

*Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If clicked and purchased, we may receive a small compensation for the recommendation.

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