I’ve loved blogging ever since I discovered this world. I love reading blogs, I love writing blogs, I love sharing blogs – I love it all! It a fun and fast paced world. Each new post pushes your old posts further back It is like a newspaper that is sent out all the time – story after story! We are always pushing out new content but what about the old content? Too bad, so sad, lost in the internet world forever – unless, you revive it!
Bringing back old content may seem overwhelming, especially if you have been blogging for years. Not every old post in worth the repeat (believe me, I have my share of “why did I ever post that?!” posts!) but there are some gems out there that deserve some new life and new traction. You can make that old content work for you – here are some tips to start that process.
EDIT OLD POSTS
I’m talking photos, graphics, formatting, and content. I know I am not the only one who has grown and changed in their post and photography style. Some of the photos I originally posted and the graphics I attempted to create do not make the cut anymore. They are either not my work, not my current style, and/or not something I want a new reader to think my posts always look like. Make a goal to get a couple posts edited and updated a week (or more if you can!) Use Canva and create a new graphic (optimized for Pinterest) that best represents the post and read through your original writing. Feel free to edit out anything that may date the post or you no longer want to say. There is nothing wrong with rewriting a couple sentences or reformating a post into the way you do it now. It is fun to be able to look back on how you have changed but it is also important to create content that will benefit your readers. Be discerning but also give yourself freedom to make updates!
TIP: Start with some of your most popular posts – the ones with higher traffic or multiple repins on Pinterest. Those are the ones that people are finding you through so make sure they are saying what you want them to say!
RELATED: Creating Quality Content
ORGANIZE
Go back (way back) and look at 5-10 posts and make sure they have the correct labels to be archived and filed where you would like them. Maybe your first recipe posts you labeled “I like to Eat” but now you call them “Food & Drink.” Go ahead and delete the old tag and label it with the new one. That way if a new reader finds one of your Ice Cream Recipes on Pinterest they can click over to your “Food & Drink” label and see all your recipe posts (even those old ones!) Over the last 4+ years of blogging I have changed labels, themes, and directions multiple times. When I first started, I didn’t even label! It is worth it to comb through those old posts a little bit at a time and make sure they are organized.
LINK BACK
While you are editing and organizing those old posts, think about any other posts you may have written that can add to the post. Maybe you initially only had one post on marriage when you posted posts that will be helpful and encouraging to your readers. This keeps them engaged and clicking on more of your posts.
Also make sure to do this when you are writing your new posts! Think back to that old (maybe lost) content and link to it in your new post. Then when your readers see your new post, they can also find that old one!
SHARE IT
Time to hit up the social media. That post you just edited, added links, and made sure the labels were in order? Share it! I love to use Coscheudle to schedule posts this way because if you have WordPress you can schedule it right in the post you are editing. It is like killing two birds with one stone (which is a terribly sad analogy 🙁 ) I can schedule posts as far out as I would like so I can get a bunch lined up and let it shoot them out. Don’t forget about Pinterest as well – pin that updated photo and let Pinterest take care of the rest.
Related: Social Media Musts For a Growing Blog
DELETE IT
Finally, sometimes it is okay to delete old content or completely rework a post. I was afraid for a long time to do anything this drastic. When I started blogging it was an online journal that literally no one read. I posted random quotes, pictures that were not mine (without any kind of credit), and sometimes just had a little “my life is so hard” word vomit session. My blog has grown leaps and bounds since those days and some of those original posts do not need to be here anymore. Don’t worry, I still have left quite a few posts that I am embarrassed about but that is to show how I’ve grown and they still belong in this space. There are sometimes posts that have no room on your blog anymore – just delete them! If you need to clean up a bit but are afraid of deleting forever, just revert them to drafts so you still have them but they are not coming up in search results for you blog.
Do you ever go back and look at old blog posts? How do you keep them alive? Have you ever cleaned up, deleted, and reorganized old blog content? I would love to hear from you! Let me know if you have any questions about blogging/business/ whatever , you’re probably not the only one and I would love to answer it as part of my Blog Tips Series.
Photo by: Stellar Propeller Studios
Yes, yes, yes! I love going back to update old posts. I have a lot of ideas for doing that right now! I think editing the images and making sure they're your style is huge! Also adding in related links to newer content is such a good strategy too. Thanks so much for the tips, Elizabeth!
Great tips Beth! I've recently set up a sort of style for my images and I edited my old posts 🙂
This is really helpful! Lately I've been trying to link back to old blog posts in every post I write. I'll either incorporate them into the content of the post or add a list of "posts you might like" at the end. You encouraged me that it's ok to delete old posts! My photography has improved by leaps and bounds since I started, and I cringe when I look back at some of the old posts. There are a few that never bring any traffic anymore, so maybe I should delete them.
Great tips! I actually spent a good portion of this weekend, going through and making several of my posts drafts again to be re-worked, or to be saved and then deleted. It was either a post that didn't exactly fit my style of my blog anymore, or wasn't what I felt anymore. Of course I'm still going through mine 🙂
liz @ sundays with sophie
YAY! Totally! Add some life back to those old ones!
oooh! I don't repost it, I just edit it – so it stays on the original post date just with updated and reorganized info! Then I just say "An oldy but goody" on social media OR just skip that and share what the post is about "Rock your Instagram" and link back! Does that make sense?
Yep! I think it makes more sense to update old posts but keep them when they were originally posted. That helps with Pinterest pins and other traffic already going to the old one. Also, I like new content to be new content – you know? It is okay (and kinda cool) for posts to be dated but I think it is important for them to have the same feel of your current design (especially if it is drawing traffic) 🙂
yes! I felt so guilty about it at first but I don't anymore! haha
YEAH! I am glad you were encouraged!
It takes awhile! No pressure to do them all at once! I try to make it a goal to update or clean (or delete) one or two a week! You've got this! You go girl!