Most bloggers tend to focus on creating new content non-stop.

Though new content is extremely valuable, it’s only part of what you need to be a successful blogger.

If you are always looking for your next topic, you end up missing out on incredible opportunities that your old content has to offer.

Looking back to your previous posts and taking time to update them can help you get the most out of your old blog content, increase search engine rankings and traffic.

In this blog post, you’ll find out why your old posts are so relevant, what you should focus on and how to get the most out of your old blog content.

Also, learn about what to update on old posts and how you can repurpose your content to grow your audience.

Why is Old Blog Content Relevant to You?

As you know, running a blog requires constant content creation.

Publishing new blog posts is the fuel to keep your blog relevant and bring in people.

Nonetheless, the old blog posts you’ve already worked so hard on writing have immense value.

Your old blog content is the foundation of your blog.

Most likely, many new visitors land on your website through search engines results showing old posts or referrals to these posts, while new content might take time to gain traction.

Regardless of the niche you’re in, if new potential readers visit an old post with outdated information that no longer serves its purpose, they will be out of there in no time.

Not only will you lose that visitor, but also an opportunity to increase your revenue.

Plus, your bounce rate will go up and the average time on the site will decrease.

Not All Content is Relevant – What to Focus On?

When it comes to old blog posts, and content in general, it’s crucial to realize that not every piece of content has equal value to you.

Therefore, you should focus your time and energy on updating the most valuable blog posts.

1. Take Inventory of Your Content

Before updating blog posts, make sure you have a list of all your content with important metadata, such as short description, keywords and so on.

It will help you keep track of your pieces and make it easier to decide on what to work.

2. Evaluate Your Blog Posts

Ideally, you should work on articles that are evergreen and popular.

In other words, a blog post worth updating is timeless and gets traffic to your blog.

When evaluating your blog, ask yourself if the post is:

How to Get the Most Out of Your Old Blog Content?

Once you define the blog posts that are relevant to you, it’s time to take action.

You can get the most out of your old blog content by:

Then, when the piece is updated, you can promote them on a different light to bring in new potential readers.

Updating Old Blog Content to Get the Most Out of it

Since you already took the time to write that article, updating it will help you get the most out of your efforts, within less time than you would need to spend on a brand new post.

The blog post update can go from replacing internal links to rewriting sections or even, re-editing the entire post.

Over time, we become more experienced writers and improve our writing and editing processes.

You’ll notice that once you start reading your old content.

Your experience will allow you to make better decisions and drastically enhance your old articles.

How to Update Your Old Blog Content?

1. Quick Fixes

Quick updates can go a long way to help you make the most out of old content.

This is as simple as:

2. In-Depth Blog Post Update

Another way to get the most out of old blog content is by doing a thorough update.

It might take longer than a quick fix, but it’s definitely worth it for your most relevant content.

When it comes to a detailed update, think about:

An in-depth update is a fantastic opportunity to review your on-page SEO and call-to-action.

Some of your old posts rank better on search engines for specific keywords, which means optimizing them will help you maintain or further improve their reach and positioning.

Plus, many times, we tend to change our personal brands’ identity, but old blog posts get left behind.

This is your chance to update the visual elements of your post, as well as add new images and other mediums to make your article more exciting. It will help you improve your ranking on searches and add a lot of value to your blog.

Your Blog Post is Updated, What’s Next?

When you update a post, it’s a good idea to write in the beginning that it’s been updated on a certain date.

Whenever a new visitor comes in and learns that the article has been recently updated, it sends a strong message about you and your blog, which ultimately inspires trust.

Once you are done, it’s time to republish your article.

Promote Your Updated Post

When it comes to getting the most out of your old content, promotion is crucial to your blogging success.

Make sure you take the time to promote your content thoroughly.

Repurposing Posts to Get the Most Out of Your Old Content

Content repurpose simply means taking one piece of content from one medium to the next.

For example, many content creators record their podcast episodes in video and share it on YouTube.

Later on, the transcription of the episode becomes a blog post as well.

One piece of content became three.

When you consider repurposing your content, it’s imperative to choose evergreen and popular posts, as mentioned earlier.

The best part of repurposing is that one blog post has the potential to become multiple pieces of content and reach a broader audience since not everyone consumes content in the written format.

How Can You Repurpose Your Old Blog Posts?

A blog post can be adapted to a number of different platforms.

If you’re not comfortable recording your voice for a podcast or being on camera, you can always outsource it.

What matters is getting the most out of your popular content to expand your audience and grow your blog.

Other Effective Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Blog Post Archive

1. Get Ideas for New Posts

Just like TV shows produce spinoffs series of favorite characters, you can create spinoff posts from the most visited topics.

Revisiting old posts is an opportunity to expand on specific topics that you might have gained a better understanding or have got more traction within your industry.

2. Create a “Getting Started Guide” for Your Blog

Many websites use this technique to, not only give users a clear path to navigate the blog but also structure the site and get a ton of internal links.

The idea is simple – create a blog post or web page giving your new visitor a content map to follow.

3. Share Your Blog Posts On Other Blogging Platforms

Since there’s a lot of controversies when it comes to republishing two identical pieces of content without a canonical tag,

I’ll keep it simple.

To get the most out of your old blog content and harness the reach of blogging platforms, such as Medium, you can group multiple cornerstone posts into one.

For instance, you can create a list of your best posts and share it on Medium, linking back to each article for the full read.

4. Bring Old Posts Back On Your Newsletters

If you send out weekly or monthly newsletters to your subscribed readers, you can leverage them to send old blog posts.

If you don’t have an email list, consider starting one ASAP.

In your newsletters, you can add parts of your post, create a suggestion list or simply address the topic of the blog post to start a conversation.

You can automate this process and constantly keep in touch with your subscribers.

Delete or Forget About Some Posts

When you look back at your content, along with your hidden gems, you’ll definitely find some articles that perhaps shouldn’t have seen the light of day.

It happens to everyone.

If you see some of those, you can archive them or even delete them if they don’t serve you any purposes.

With so many ways to get the most out of your old blog content, it will be easier than ever to keep growing your blog and optimizing as you go.

Creating a habit of evaluating, updating, and repurposing old content is by far one of the most important assets of a successful blogger.