Millions of posts are written per day, and they are read by a very few people and then obviously they are hidden in “The Archives” that means a lot of them get buried under fresh content…
So, what is the use of that well-written, informative older blog post?
I’m constantly working in the process of bringing up-to-date and sprucing up some of those archived posts.
I am writing this article after experimenting almost every single point explained below. It took me months to implement these tips, some fixes are still going on my blog and believe me I have seen its results and it’s quite impressive.
There was a time when my blog post images were not well optimized and not even a single image was Pinterest-friendly.
Interlinking of my blog posts was not the way it should be and my blog was lacking many SEO factors which were affecting my blog traffic.
Many of my blog posts information was outdated and I wasn’t aware of it at all. But after getting aware of my mistakes the steps I took to fix my old blog posts, gave me good results.
There are quite a few things you can do from your end in order to bring some more traffic to your old blog posts, here’s how!
How to Choose Which Blog Post to Update?
If you had written 1000+ posts till the date, it may be too much time-consuming to optimize each and every one manually. So instead of going one by one, identify the blogs with the best prospects and go ahead with that.
Start with Blog Posts getting High Traffic
The blog posts with high traffic have already proven themselves to the best with your audience. So, why not you make them even more valuable?
Find your high performing blog posts in Google Analytics by navigating the cursor to Behavior » Site Content » All Pages in the sidebar and choosing a date range. It will display the results sorted by a number of page views.
After choosing the high-performing blogs posts, continue with the below-mentioned steps:
#1 – Review All the SEO Factors
Let’s take a look to find out what keywords the blog page tends to rank for. Now try searching Google’s SERP (better to use incognito mode) for those ranked keywords to see which other pages you’re in competition with.
Then you can perform analysis & comparison to see how you can improve your post in order to stand out from the competition.
Learn How to write SEO Friendly articles for better SERP.
#2 – Check and Fix Any Typos
Have a quick glance at your posts to check for any typo errors, broken links, unformatted images or obvious typos or formatting errors. Test all the outgoing links and ensure they still work and landing on the right pages.
To avoid typo, grammar and spelling mistakes errors I recommend using Grammarly and to fix broken links and other On-page optimization Yoast SEO can come handy.
#3 – Review and Update the Old Content
Without changing the framework of the old posts, you can make it more interesting and fresh by following the below tips:
- Replace outdated information, advice, and recommendations with new content.
- Add new resources that have become available recently
- If your content is too outdated or focused on the old technology, resurface the content with a little tweaking, if necessary and promote them again instead of rewriting it completely.
#4 – Update Internal Links
Even it’s an old post, there might be a greater chance you’ve probably published other posts that are related to the topic.
If there are any, you can simply add internal links to the most recent posts. This simple trick can also reduce your websites bounce rate.
This is great for your blog visitors, as they are flooded with the needed information and also it will be helpful for shedding limelight in your old blog post.
#5 – Update with Pinterest-friendly Images & Multimedia (GIFs)
Pinterest is the most popular social media platform used to drive traffic to your blog.
It’s better to update your existing blog content with Pinterest-friendly images and multimedia to comply with new social media standards.
According to a recent study, a good blog is the perfect mishmash of text, images, and other multimedia like videos, pie-charts etc.
You can also draw attention to your blog posts by adding new multimedia, like infographic, GIFs or video based on the information posted.
#6 – Update the Old Headline with Compelling Action
Rework on the headline and phrase it in a way people will find it more compelling to click and read.
Your headlines will be the first thing your readers will look at to decide whether they want to click and read it.
Avoid using titles focusing on selling or buying a product, rather focus the needs of the customer and frame it accordingly.
For Example:
- Don’t Use Titles Like – Why We Are the Best Service Provider?
- Use Titles Like – 5 Tips to Choose The Best Service Provider?
Why is article headline so important?
To know more about the importance of headlines you should go through below mentioned links:
- Important Things Need to Know Before Writing a Blog Post
- Important Ingredients To Boost Reader Engagement On Your Blog
#7 – Promote Older Blog Posts by Syndicating & Sharing on Popular Networks
Syndicating your older posts in top networks will give higher credibility, visibility, and will drive more traffic to your blog posts.
Also, rather than just randomly re-sharing old posts on social media, look for chances to promote the posts when they’re most relevant to the date.
For example: if you wrote a post last year with the concept of Mother’s Day on April 17th, 2016, you can promote the same blog this year with little tweaking or edits.
Get my guide to do smart marketing, The complete Content Promotion Checklist.
#8 – Update the Length of Your Blog Post with More Information
A recent survey done by SerpIQ stated, “If the length of a blog post is greater than 1,500 words, it gains 68.1% more tweets and 22.6% more Facebook likes”.
Google loves longer yet informative content, so if your old post lesser than 1000 words, update the length of the blog post by adding more up-to-date new information.
I’ve tested this method by creating 2000-3000 word articles and they are performing great right after few weeks from the published date.
#9 – Delete Spam and Irreverent Comments
Spam comment irrelevant to the blog post will affect the credibility of the posts and your site’s value.
So, have a look at your old blog post and delete if you see any spammy of irrelevant comments in the comment section.
Do this periodically and also always keep an eye on the comment section.
#10 – Add a “Popular Blog Post” Section in the Sidebar Area
Check Google Analytics to see which posts are driving high traffic and add those to your customized “Popular Blog Posts” list.
Swap these popular posts section once in every week, so that your readers are constantly exposed to the fresh (old) blog posts.
#11 – Rework on Outdated Contents
Make sure no outdated information is being used on your blog. Read your blog thoroughly and if there is any old-fashioned content available, look for ways to update the information.
Updating your outdated content can drive even more traffic to your blog posts.
You can add a real-life example, client testimonials, reviews, opinions, or a video to make it more interesting and engaging.
#12 – Roundup Posts
Roundup posts are something you can repeat weekly, monthly or time to time. These are considered as a great way to drive traffic to your blog.
A blogger who posts regularly on his blog will find it very helpful if he starts doing roundup posts. By doing roundup posts you can bring your old blog posts back to life.
You can talk about every blog post you have covered in your previous week/month by doing internal linking to all of them so that if any reader might have missed any blog post in the previous week/month, he can go through it through your roundup post.
You can go creative while doing roundup posts like 10 Traffic Driving Methods, Must have WordPress Plugins and more.
How Often Should You Update Your Old Blog Posts?
If you blog more frequently that’s twice a week, then you may want to perform the content audit twice a year (i.e. every 6-12 months), so the work doesn’t backlog.
Auditing and updating your old blog post is the great way to get more traffic without doing more groundwork. By implementing the tips mentioned above, you can maintain the freshness of your blog without being wilted.
So, let me ask a question, “How you have planned to drive traffic to your archived posts?” Just write down your response by hitting the “Comment” button below.
