Use Old Content To Your Advantage

If you’ve followed this blog with any regularity, you’ve probably been beaten over the head with the fact that adding original content is a great way to gain traction with the search engines. This has remained true even as Google continues to update their algorithm, but what happens to your blog posts in the months and years after they get posted? Is there some kind of content graveyard where everything goes to die?

A Little Optimization Can Sometimes Go A Long Way

Your old content is likely still good, but occasionally it just needs a boost! If a blog post didn’t perform the way you wanted the first time around, making a few changes can give you a second chance at some traffic. Here are a few things to try:

Tweak the details- Things change quickly in this day and age, and you want your agency to be at the forefront. If there’s a technological update that can be covered by adding or changing a few sentences, go for it!

Don’t bother with a new URL- Many would make a whole new page, but why go through the work? If your URL has any ranking, you don’t want to lose any of that momentum. Keeping the old URL also makes sure that you’re not competing with yourself and won’t create a duplicate content issue.

Look into new keyword research- Trends change all the time, so do a few quick searches in Google Trends and Autosuggest to see if there are relevant keywords that you didn’t find the first time.

Let Your Audience Know- Use your social media outlets to inform your followers of your updated blog with more relevant information. If you’re really excited, consider creating an email campaign to promote the post.

Some Things Just Can’t Be Saved

A good portion of your content can be edited or re-focused, but sometimes it’s just time to cut your losses and delete it.

Deletion is probably best for blogs about:

• Special deals or services that no longer exist
• Overly similar or repetitive topics
• Topics that have become completely obsolete or incorrect because of updates
• Employees that are no longer with the agency

The best way to go about this is usually to add a 301 redirect before you delete the post, because you don’t want your visitors going to a dead link!

Remember what they say: everything in moderation. Re-optimizing your content can be helpful, but we’re not saying spend the next year meticulously pouring through your blog archives, especially if it comes at the cost of your original content. You should always keep your focus on writing new, informative blogs that you think your audience could benefit from!