We all need a refresh from time to time. Whether it is your clothes, your hairstyle, or your deodorant, change is a good thing. The same rule applies for the content on your blog. Not only does it improve your website’s search engine ranking, but it also increases the readership of your site. Plus, you don’t have to sweat over trying to come up with a brand new article. For example, if you wrote a stellar blog post a year ago on a subject that is currently trending again, you can and should revamp the article to attract new eyes. Your current readers may not have any idea that this old article applies to a current topic.
Here are a few simple steps to make what is old blog-wise, new again:
- Top of the Heap—Review your old posts to see which ones are on the top in performance. Check your analytics to see which one has a lot of inbound links, social shares, comments, and traffic. This will guide you in your selection. You can also use a post that isn’t top-performing if it relates to a current subject.
Recyleman
Keep the URL—When you are rewriting a post, keep the URL the same and just update the old post. Publishing duplicate content can lower your ranking on search engines.
- Style—Your entire blog might have undergone a facelift after you published the post that you are currently reworking. When you are publishing again, review the style of the post to make sure it fits in the new blog.
- Editor’s Note—You have readers because they trust that what you have to say is accurate and truthful. Adding an Editor’s Note at the end of your post continues that reputation among your online community. It can be something simple like, “Editor’s Note: This post was recently reworked (June 2015) to include additional content and new information.”
- Is it Correct?—You might find that when you are rewriting a post that new information has come to light. Be sure that the updated post has been properly researched in order to provide the most accurate summary of the subject.
- Links—Another issue with older posts is that if you have links associated with them, oftentimes they no longer work. Review your links on the new post to make sure that all direct to a working page.
- Keywords—Keep the previous keywords associated with the post. Be sure to add any new relevant keywords to your new work.
- Metadata—As above, take a look at your metadata to see if it needs updating. Take this time to make it both enticing and appropriate.
The last step is republishing your old post. Most blogging software allows you to simply edit a previously published post. Once finished send an email alerting subscribers to the new post. You will want to track the post’s before and after performance. Some of the data you should look at includes:
- Before & After Inbound Links
- Before & After Post Views
- Before & After Comments
- Before & After Social Shares.
Following these steps means an easier writing day for you and new relevant material for your readers, win-win.
Have you rewritten an old article for your blog? What steps did you take? Talk to us in the comments.
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