Should I put up a photo of myself on a blog?

Nothing is wrong with that. Use a formal picture to make it look more professional.

I was very hesitant to put up a picture of myself for a long time. But I think it really helps your audience connect with you and see you as a real person that they can connect with. If you don't want to put it on the sidebar of your blog, you can always have an "About" page and put it there.

In the self development and MMO niches you will find that almost 99% bloggers have a photo of themselves somewhere in the blog. It's how they brand themselves.

• The blog domain name matches their first name and last name.
• They have an About Me page and share their story with their audience.
• They have a photo with an opt-in box so you can opt-in to get more info from that marketer not from a company. People feel better when they listen to an individual just like them.

Outside the IM/MMO niches, I've seen blogs without images because they are more focused on getting people used to seeing the company brand/logo/features etc.

For example, you don't see someone posting their photo on a LeadPages blog, simply because there is more than one person who runs the business.

So they are more focused to get you subscribe to their webinars and services.

So my point is, if you're trying to get people to know you personally, if you're branding yourself than you should probably consider having a photos and video of your own in your blog.

If not, you can just focus on branding your business (logo, slogan, etc.) share value but keep yourself mysterious.

However, I personally believe that showing people who you are will help you connect with them on a higher level, build relationships and generate more revenue in the long term.

Cheers!

You should definitely use your genuine photo and name in the blog author box. It'll help you become popular and people will become familiar with your face. When your niche become popular, you'll get great benefit from it.

Personally I think when adding a (professional) picture, it gives trust to the author and thus more trust for the blog.. but that's just my opinion

I agree with most above. I think that showing a person makes you a real person. There have been studies that people who do not have have a face or a presence do not connect as well as a person with others.
What I mean is, it makes you more relatable.

I don't have a picture of myself on my blog, but it's perfectly normal for a blog owner to do that. I do have my picture on other pages on my site, but I put it there for a particular reason. It just comes down to how personal you want to get with your readers.

I know this isn't answering your question but I'd say you're spreading yourself thin. Start off with 1 blog or 2 and focus on it driving traffic and making money from them first.

I have a question for those who do use photos on their blog, how do you take a good photo when you don't own suits and such of "good and professional" clothing?

Definitely, this way you can get your name out and brand yourself for more successful blogs.

I always have a photo on my blog. A picture makes you look real. It makes people see a face behind the content their reading. This allows you to connect with your readers on a more personal level. I'd say having a picture is always good. The more personal you get with your readers, the more positive results you'll see because you're making them feel like they're a part of your life. I'd say go post a picture.

Absolutely you should. A photo instills trust and legitimacy which is definitely what you are going for. I have always added my pic to all of my writings whenever possible.

And remember folks some people have a head for writing

It depends really. If its your personal blog, then a photo is a define yes. If its branded as a business, then its not necessary. However, I do advice to put a photo as it creates more of a personal touch with the owner of the blog.

People want to see who is behind the site and connect with him/her at some level. I think it will improve your relationship with your audience. My two cents

I agree with what the majority of posters said.

But this is not absolutely necessary to put your photo. It's better but not essential.

You can put an avatar (funny or serious) of yourself and a text "About me" to indicate that you are a person and not a company. And also to show that you are credible to talk about the topic of your blog.

Personally that's what I do in my blog (in french) and I have 10,000 visitors per month. People go on your blog for what you write and not primarily to admire your photo. Unless you're a very pretty girl or whether you're famous.

Add authority to your account by adding your personal image, nothing wrong with it my friend..

Little secret too, Google can "see" your in your picture and it lends your name credibility. So if you have written something on an authority site or even interacted with an authority person your photos helps Google figure out your are the same [insert name] that wrote a bunch of content. I say for this reason profiles are very important!

Can't speak for everyone here.

But for me, I have more trust for blogs with pictures of the owner.

I'm sure you can find exceptions here and there, but having a picture tends to be the norm (at least for blogs that are actually making money).

Should you put a photo of yourself on your blog? I think it really depends on what you're selling and how comfortable you are with your own private information getting out there (this time being your picture)

If what your pitching would benefit from the trust that is instilled with adding your personal pic, then I say why not and go for it. But the thing is that not everyone is comfortable with submitting that personal info into the wild web.

Why not just try it out.

I agree on the personal factor, it does help people connect with you better. That said, if you have safety concerns or are in a niche where it's way more about the product, with you not being a part of the brand, a well-designed brand mark is going to be more memorable and helpful.

If it's going to be a blog you'd like to be an authority on, a picture makes it easier to connect and recognise you online. I would.

I think it's better to post a professional looking picture of yourself because nowadays people have Google Image Search and if you post a random picture they can easily find that it is not you which in turn would make them loose trust in you, well that's the way it would be for me at least.

Yes, you should :-)

i suggest that you should only put your photo in you primary niche so if you main niche is making money only but you also have a health blog, you should only put your pic in the making money blog only.
you don't want people to see you just as a general blogger but as a specialist.

You don't have to but doing so builds some trust with your visitors.

I am not 100% confident that this will increase leads or sales.

Having a picture can be a plus, but, not having it will not hurt you. Am I right?

Lol, Abilify I can guess what is your main blog about It depends on your long term strategy. If you have a commercial website, it is better if you omit picture. People need to relate to product, its features, price etc. not a person behind it. On the other hand, if it's a regular blog (as you mentioned), perhaps its better to put your own picture. If you wish to create 2 successful blogs, perhaps you should put pics on both of them. In time, it will increase validity and impact of each blog (as you increase your own proficiency and develop your name within a niche). This also means that your social media efforts on one blog will potentially increase your efforts on the other blog. Although, some SEO experts prefer having separate accounts so that they can track their SEO progress and tweak them if necessary.

It does take a step toward building credibility

Most people are looking for REAL PEOPLE they can connect with

Showing your picture helps build credibility

Pay attention to photo composition though....

The lighting / pose might actually ERODE your credibility or make you look EVASIVE.

Author photos can mean the difference between SELLING A LOT on Kindle and attracting flies...

I don't see the point in it unless your looks are important to what you are trying to sell, like a fitness model, or some people brand themselves and put themselves on the front of books, videos and other such things like Tony Robbins, other people put old bad images in the back of their books like Stephen King, or in the case of Stephen King, using no image at all and a fake name Richard Bachman. Trying to find a picture of guys like Robert M. Pirsig (writer of zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance) is very difficult but it doesn't stop him from selling over 5 million copies of just one book.

Personalty I like my anonymity, I have an avatar I use for my "brand" , think of bands like "Gorillaz", an avatar does the job. Also if you really have something excellent to say, your picture really doesn't matter, pictures are superficial... photographs of great writers are usually hard to find.

IMO one of the best ways to brand yourself and your business is through your blog. Your blog is the place where you can share your thoughts, opinions, feelings, and some other personal stuff that will go along way toward letting people know who you really are.

The days of blind buying and subscribing are long gone. People want to know that there is a real person behind the products they buy and the newsletters they subscribe for.

I think you should definitely include a picture and you should have an "About Me" page. On my "About Me" page I have about 300 words of text with a little background about me and some facts like what kind of music I like and my favorite author, etc. I also include a list of all of my social media accounts if people want to connect with me on any of them. Lastly, I include a list of professional accomplishments with links to where people can verify this stuff.

I think branding is more important now than it ever was. There are so many people trying to sell people stuff nowadays that you simply have to stand out from the crowd or you'll get lost in the incredibly huge ocean of other marketers!

It nothing is wrong if you upload your pic with the blog as well it will more professional. The followers will come to know about you and it build a kind of relation between you and users.