In the fast-paced world of content creation, it's easy to overlook the untapped potential of your existing blog archive. While publishing fresh content would seem to be preferable, there are many advantages to revisiting and updating your old, popular blog posts.
Capitalise on the authority of an old blog post
Updating old content capitalises on the inherent ‘authority’ it might have already accrued. This authority might manifest itself as backlinks, social shares, credibility or search engine ranking. These factors indicate to search engines that the content is valuable and trustworthy, which can contribute to its ongoing visibility. By regularly updating old content, you help to preserve and strengthen its authority by attracting sustained organic traffic.
An alternative to creating new content
Refreshing old blog posts also offers an alternative to creating entirely new content from scratch. It’s more efficient since it leverages the groundwork you've already laid. With the existing foundation in place, you can focus on enhancing the content by incorporating new information.
One significant benefit of updating previously published blog posts is the potential to improve its SEO performance. By revising old posts, you have the opportunity to incorporate relevant keywords, update meta tags and align it with current SEO best practices. These optimization efforts can boost its visibility in search results and generate increased organic traffic.
Outdated information can devalue your old content by decreasing user engagement. This translates to a high bounce rate which affects your SEO. So it makes sense to update popular, old posts and remove any outdated information.
The result is a more engaging experience that encourages readers to spend more time on your site, increase social shares, stimulate comments, and foster valuable backlinks.
Content freshness is critical
Content freshness is another critical aspect of online visibility, and updating old blog posts allows you to demonstrate their ongoing relevance. It provides the opportunity to address current trends, industry developments, or changes in user behavior. It signals to search engines that your content remains up-to-date and can ensure it continues to appear in search results.
Older blog posts often face less competition compared to newer content. By updating and optimizing these posts, you can leverage their existing authority and ranking potential, potentially outranking competitors who have not updated their similar content.
The timeless appeal of evergreen content
Some topics have timeless appeal and remain relevant regardless of the publication date. Evergreen content, which doesn't lose relevance over time, can continue to attract organic traffic and rank well in search results, even if it was published years ago.
Update your best performing content
Updating old blog posts should be done strategically. Focus on posts that have the potential to perform well or hold evergreen value. Prioritize content that has already shown engagement or has high search rankings, as these updates can yield the greatest benefits.
How to find your high traffic blog posts
Using Google Search Console, you can identify which of your website's blog posts are the best performing in search rankings.
- Log into your Google Search Console and select your website property.
- Click on "Performance" in the left-hand menu.
- Scroll down to see a list of pages and their average position in search results.
- Filter your posts by top pages, clicks or impressions to identify the ones with higher rankings.
Once the revised post is published, submit it to Google Search Console to be reindexed.
Authority is not static and can evolve over time. Old content must continue to provide value and remain relevant to maintain its authority. Regular updates, enhancements, and optimization can help preserve and enhance the authority of old content.
By investing in updating old website content, you unlock the full potential of your blog archive by capturing new organic traffic from users.
