Here are a few quick tips on how to keep your old blog posts fresh and relevant.
One of the challenges that come with blogging is making sure you come up with great post topics to write about that your readers will love.
Granted, not everything you put out will be greatly received. Some posts will be super popular, some will not.
But here's the thing. You don't always need to write new content for your blog to keep it fresh, you can find older blog posts and freshen them up and repromote.
So, if you're stuck for what to write next, try this:
Step One: Make a list of the top 10 best blog posts you've written that hasn't been updated in a while.
If you're using Google Analytics, you can go to Behaviour > Site Content > All Pages. You can then click on the right-hand corner of the page to export your list. Don't forget to select the period of time you want to view pageviews for. I recommend selecting 3 months worth of traffic data.
Step Two: Refresh the old posts. This is the main part. And yes, this process can take you some time, but go through each post updating them carefully.
Add some new perspective, add some new content even, and bring everything up to date. Update any visuals, statistics, and data if you have used any. Just make sure you're adding a little bit more value to the post to make it worthwhile and relevant.
At the same time, check the post you are updating to see if you can create 'break off' posts. That is, new post ideas generated from your old posts.
Step Three: Write the date that you updated the post at the top. This is important as you want new readers to see that the post is still relevant.
Step Four: Once updated, start to promote your old, but now new post, to your readers. Let all your email subs know about it, send out a push notification, drive traffic and engagement to the post.
If the comment sections for your older posts are closed, you might want to consider reopening them after updating them.
Now, if you were able to create a list of break-off post ideas whilst updating your old posts, you can begin writing and publishing them. You can give them some extra authority and credibility by linking to the related older post.
Easy stuff, right? Now go and make your old posts new again! Best of luck.
