How to update old blog posts

August 20, 2020kateBloggingNo Comments

Have you got old blog posts that are embarrassingly out of date? Let’s update those old blog posts. Perhaps they mention the latest social media platform Google+? Or reference prime minister Tony Abbott or your crush on Dr Patrick Reid from Offspring? (#stillnotoverit)

If the advice is still sound but they just need a little modern post-covid referencing, then spending a coupla hours tidying up your best blog posts is time well spent.

Identify your best blog posts

There’s no point wasting time on old duds. Take an inventory of your previously published posts, with an aim to find the update-worthy.

Check your analytics

If you have any blog posts ranking well already, don’t tinker with them! Let those babies keep working for you. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, you could update them to try to leapfrog a few spaces to get that elusive position one.

Probably, if you are playing at the top of the search results, you don’t need my advice. In short, check the domain authority (use Moz) of those above you, to see if you’ve got a chance of beating them. Then seek backlinks and burn sandalwood incense at midnight during a full moon in Taurus. Better yet, get an SEO expert on the case.

Look for those second page blog posts

Do you have posts that are sitting on page two or three in Google results? This means that Google likes them, but not enough to reward you with page one.

Often, a few tweaks could help you jump up a few places. So add these to your list of blog posts to be updated.

Aim for ten blog posts to update

Or as many as you can manage. If you don’t have original drafts in Word or Google Docs, cut and paste the posts from your site into a single document.

What about those outta date or embarrassing posts?

You can either delete them or leave them. If you delete them, you lose any SEO impact they might be giving your site, no matter how small. Also, if you have any backlinks to those posts (either internal or external) they are broken links and need redirecting.

That’s why it’s easier to just leave them be. Unless they are totally against your values or giving advice you now disagree with. Or in hindsight, make you seem a bit of a wanker. If you delete them, make sure to redirect them using a 301 redirect.

Time to update those old blog posts

Probably best to move the flowers away from the keyboard first – they’ll be in the way

Remove outdated references. No mentions of Harry and Meghan’s upcoming wedding, some newfangled program called Instagram or poking fun at that unknown little Kardashian kid, Kylie.
Update any statistics—have later studies been released? Quoting stats from 2011 isn’t a good look.
Check all hyperlinks and fix broken ones—internal (to your own site) and external (to other sites).
Add more depth. Old blog posts tend to be shorter—can you add meat to the bones?
Make it pretty. Add gifts, photos, quotes and infographics to make it scroll-stoppingly appealing.
Add subheaders and bullet posts to make it readable.
Where possible, make the language conversational in tone and use short, snappy sentences.
Tweak the SEO elements—make sure the keyword is in the headline (H1) SEO title, description, a few times in the body text and in image titles. This is easy with Yoast on WordPress—aim for the green light.
Try for a featured snippet. These are the quick-answer style search results that appear right at the top of some searches. Here’s a rather techy guide on how.
Look at the posts that are outranking you on Google. What info are they referencing that you aren’t? Add more (without copying) of your advice on those key areas. How can you make your blog post better, smarter and more useful than those outranking you?
Once you’ve finished, send them to a proofreader to give them a polish for grammar and spelling. (Not me—post a job with the Clever Copywriting School—it’s free.)
Enlist a VA to republish your fresh new blog posts. Or if budget does not allow, DIY update the existing posts with the new content.

Should you change the publish date?

There’s pros and cons of changing the date. You could republish the post, bringing the date forward. This brings it to the top of your blog feed, making it more visible.

On the other hand, old dates add gravitas. But then again, people might be put off, thinking they are out of date. It’s kinda up to you, so don’t fret.

Generally, I tend to update the date then add a comment before the intro: originally published on {date}, updated on {current date}.

Getting eyeballs on your new updated blog posts

You’ve gone to the effort of freshening up your nuggets of wisdom. You wouldn’t put a full face of makeup on and stay in, would you? Get out on the town and get your blogs to do the same (figuratively).

Email them to your list

You could share them as your favourite posts, perhaps ten over ten days. If daily emails feel icky? Split them into three logical categories or just share them in one epic email bundle.

Add them to your nurture sequence

Those new subscribers are keen to get your best content. So update your nurture sequence so your snazzy new blog posts take centre stage.

Add them to each other (you might also like…)

These top ten golden blog posts (including those SEO-rockin’ ones you didn’t touch) are now getting plenty of fresh eyeballs. So, you want to direct readers to the remainder of your posts that are also totes awesome.

At the conclusion of your blog post, add a link to similar posts readers may enjoy. (I’ve done it at the bottom of this blog post.)

You can use fancy graphics, or just list the blog posts as bullet points. This gives readers somewhere else to go and improves your website dwell time. Which is good for SEO.

Link to them internally

Internal links are another way to direct readers on your website to your new updated blog posts. So in addition to the ‘you may also like’ strategy, add internal links where relevant. If you mention conversational content, blog post ideas or the TV show Have You Been Paying Attention include a hyperlink to the blog post. (See what I did there?) You can start doing this from now on in new blog posts. Plus, you can retroactively go back to top blog posts and add links. Just use your own website search function to find the term. This is a good job for a VA, if you have one.

Put them in your about page

Your about page is one of the most visited pages on any website. So why not get it driving readers to your blog? Add a simple section with hyperlinks to your most popular blog posts. Naturally, I haven’t done it. But do as I say, not as I do.

Get social

Surely, I don’t have to tell you this? But just in case. Share the new posts on your social media platforms. Not once, but on the reg. You won’t be stumped for social media posts in, like, forever.

Get backlinks

Chasing backlinks is not my area of expertise. But like overpriced activewear, you can never get enough. They’re essentially votes in an online popularity contest. (A bit like the Oscars, but helpful and relevant.) Here’s a guide on how to get backlinks. If that’s all too hard, just ask your mates.

Finally, enjoy the new increased website traffic of your updated blog posts

More traffic means more leads. More leads mean more customers. And more customers mean you can increase your prices, work only with your dream clients and stop working all hours.

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