June 19, 2020

New gold from old: Repurposing your old blog posts

New Gold in old : Repurposing old blog posts

Your older blog posts deserve better. They deserve attention. Do not ignore them and don’t even think about deleting them. They deserve a second chance. The needs of tomorrow’s audience may overshadow today’s efforts. But this does not apply to your old blog posts.

Rephrasing Warren Buffet’s insight to make sense in the content marketing realm, we can assume that ‘the windshield is always clearer than the rearview mirror’. It’s always easier to churn up some hollow drivel and hit the ‘publish’ button than to look back and appreciate – also analyze – your earlier work.

According to Backlinko, updating your earlier blog posts and aligning them to today’s context can increase organic traffic by 111%. Crazy, right? Not exactly. The method is both rational and measurable. Similarly, HubSpot enjoyed a boost of 106% in its organic search views, which the company termed a ‘historic optimization’.

So, what are the most effective ways to make it happen? What are the tactics that actually work? There are a zillion things you can do with your old blog posts. It’s like bringing back old trends with a few contemporary alterations to keep it relevant. Let’s explore some credible points and brainstorm why they may or may not work.

But before jumping into discussions and emerging with conclusions, let’s ask ourselves a few questions to evaluate the necessity of such an action.

Gold in the Old - Content Marketing

Bringing value to the users

If you are this generation’s Orwell, and wise enough to write content that transcends time and space, everything you ever wrote will need to be revamped. However, other factors for consideration (for the non-Orwells) are:

  • Is it informative in the current context?

Tweak the subject and content so that it is relatable in the current scenario.

  • Will the information be helpful to any segment of your audience?

Consider who will be interested in reading the content. Note if it is for a specific group of audience and what value it adds.

  • Will this reposting keep them entertained?

Figure out if the content in its current form is good enough or if it needs to be edited to continue adding value to the viewers.

  • Is it of any value to you?

Or rather, to us. Will it earn us backlinks, organic ranking, or help drive conversions?

  • Is it good?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Goodness is subjective. But check for grammatical errors, organization, segmentation, and other fundamental quality-determining factors of the blog.

How to go about it

Now that we have determined whether the posts in question are ‘revamp-worthy’, let’s see what exactly we need to do with them. Or, in other words, how to effectively engage your audience in a blast from the past.

  • Interlink: If the blog in question is old, there’s a chance that you mentioned something you may have written about later. Go through it and try linking it to as many newer blog entries as possible. Do not, however, compromise on relevance.
  • Update titles: Be ‘SEO first’ but look ‘people first’. The earlier titles you used may not be relevant today. For example, titles like ’27 Content Marketing Opportunities for May 2020’ will be a month old by June. But you know the content is relevant and that the calendar can be revamped.
  • Include keywords: Obviously! Of course! Definitely! Like, duh! There are not enough adverbs and phrases to stress on the importance of adding keywords. Google is forever tweaking and reinstituting its keyword-ranking algorithm. Do some post-specific keyword research and figure out which keywords your posts are ranking for.
  • Clean up comments: Well, not all of them. Just the spam. Delete spam comments along with any dubious links that may accompany them. Make sure you stick to your ethics and retain the negative comments. A healthy comment section (with both positive and negative remarks) can boost the credibility of your blog.
  • Add new content: In addition to the content already in your blog, add more relevant, keyword-rich content to make your blog appealing to the newer audience. Plug in quotes, increase the word count, and update your CTA. Add new, relevant images that go with today’s marketplace and graphic trends.

A second chance is the best thing you can give your blog. Clearly, these small touch-ups to your blog can work miracles. It’s much quicker than writing and publishing a new post. It’s like dusting out and displaying an antique piece that reminds you of happier times. It gives a wholesome feel to the entire house – in this case, the entire website.