Why You Should Update Old Blog Posts
It’s easy to forget about an old post once you’ve published and promoted it. To stay relevant and active, we need to keep churning out new content. BUT, that doesn’t mean we should just ignore our old blog posts. In this post, I’ll cover 10 reasons to frequently review your old blog posts.
Grab a hot bevvy and I’ll tell you why!
This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here.
Reasons to Frequently Review Your Old Posts:
1 – To make sure your advice is still accurate
The digital world moves and evolves constantly. Which can be both exciting and frustrating. With changes being made to social media platforms at a blinding speed, it’s important to frequently review and evaluate your old blog posts to make sure they’re still relevant.
Are the tips and advice you’ve given still valid? If any information you’ve provided is out of date, change it!
2 – To improve the readability of your post
Your writing has likely improved over time. If you have been blogging for a while, chances are your writing skills have grown.
You may read an old post and find you can improve the flow of your wording and sentence structures. People won’t stick around on a blog that’s full of spelling/grammatical errors.
The Grammarly Plugin can really help with that. As well as the Yoast Plugin. Both offer great free versions.
3 – To evaluate your images
Have you filled out your metadata and alt text for your images? If not, do it! Metadata and alt text matters!
Learn more here:
Your design skills have also likely improved. Are you still happy with your post’s images – particularly your main, pinnable image?
Is there a better stock image available now that wasn’t available before? Is it within your budget now to purchase high-end stock photos (I like Pixistock and Ivory Mix)?
Either way, take the time to create a new pin image. Once you’ve reviewed your post you’ll likely want to start promoting it again with a fresh new pin design.
4 – To make sure your links still work
I recently discovered the link for an affiliate product I promote had been changed and I didn’t know it!
Therefore anyone who clicked on that link didn’t get to where they wanted to. Making me look unprofessional and possibly missing out on a sale.
Take the time to check your links are still working and taking your readers where they should.
Also, are your links still taking your readers to accurate and current information that you want to be affiliated with?
5 – To improve your SEO
You’ve likely learned more about SEO since creating the old content. Can you make any improvements? Add more relevant tags, categories or keywords?
As I’ve already mentioned above, now’s the time to install the Yoast Plugin to improve your SEO. Using a browser extension like Keywords Everywhere can help you find the best keywords for your post as well.
To really up your SEO game try Easy On-Page SEO by SEO expert, Debbie Gartner. It’s really affordable and pays for itself in the organic traffic you’ll generate!
P.S. If you are on a tight budget, you can take Debbie’s FREE Intro to SEO course.
6 – To seize a new opportunity
Have you joined any affiliate programs that you could add a link for? Maybe you’ve written other relevant posts you can suggest people check out? Or perhaps you’ve created a new Opt-In?
Adding new links could lead to a sale, more traffic, or possible subscribers to your list. Seize the chance to place those links (without looking too spammy, K?)
7 – To beat writer’s block
This is one of my favourite reasons to review old blog posts. When you are stumped for ideas to write about or just can’t get motivated, reviewing old posts is a great blogging task.
And by the time you’re done, you likely have a new and improved post to re-share and promote. If you’re stumped for new ideas, simply repurpose that old content into something shiny and new!
Related Reading: 10 Minute Blog Tasks to Grow Your Blog
8 – To maintain your brand/formatting
Maybe you are formatting your posts differently these days. Headings, colours, font sizes, etc. Make any changes to formatting so the look of your blog is consistent and maintains your branding.
You’ll look more professional to returning visitors or to someone who’s taking the time to look around your site for the first time.
9 – To stay on trend
Has the most effective way of designing social media images changed?
Optimal sizing for social media is constantly changing. Make sure your images are staying in line with current trends.
Most importantly in my mind, be sure your Pinterest Pin images are tall, vertical pins with a 2:3 ratio. Like 1000 x 1500 pixels.
10 – To add more/new information
Maybe your knowledge of the subject has increased. Can you elaborate on the topic more since you wrote the post?
Your opinion also could have completely changed. Have you tried any new strategies you can share? Slip in some extra nuggets of wisdom to keep people coming back for more!
Ta-Da! You’re done!
After making my improvements, I like to create a couple new pin designs and reshare to Pinterest and other social platforms.
Create well key-worded descriptions to drive new traffic to that old post and gain some additional loyal followers.
Final Thoughts
I hope this motivates you to review your old blog posts on a regular basis. I am constantly “checking up” on posts to make sure they are doing everything they can do for my readers and my business.
Whatever you do, don’t delete an old post! As long as you never stop learning, you’ll always have some value to add to your new AND old content. Get updating!
To get the most out of those old posts, be sure to grab our free revamping checklist below!
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Why You Should Update Old Blog Content Regularly
Blogging Resources I love and recommend:
SiteGround – I use SiteGround as my web hosting platform and I love it. They are trusted by the owners of over 1,900,000 domains! It’s secure, fast, reliable, and the customer service is AMAZING! I’ve had to contact them for help for a few reasons and the support I received was outstanding. Learn more about SiteGround HERE.
Sendowl – I use Sendowl to sell my own digital products. Sendowl acts as the middle man between buyer and seller. They deliver your product and handle the payments for you. If you’ve got an eBook, printable, or service to sell, Sendowl makes it really easy and affordable. Learn more about Sendowl HERE.
ShareASale – If you are interested in monetizing your blog through affiliate marketing, ShareASale has got to be one of the easiest ways to do it! They’ve got merchants for every niche looking for affiliates to promote their products. Learn more about ShareASale HERE.
Grammarly – I saw a huge improvement in my writing after installing Grammarly. It’s the World’s leading checker of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and plagiarism. The better your writing, the more credible you will seem to you readers. Did I mention they have a FREE version? Check it out HERE.
This is so important – too many people (and I’m often guilty as well!) don’t realize the mileage they can get out of their older blog posts if they are reviewed correctly.
I’ve bookmarked this post as a reminder!
It’s so easy to forget the old posts. But they often have so much potential!
Summer is the perfect time to get this done! Right? Coincidentally, this is on my to-do list for next week, so this post came as the perfect time. I will check off all of the above.
Perfect timing! Thanks for the comment, Jenny.
Funny, again, looking over old blog posts is on my agenda next week. I am thinking I will need to do this every few months. Refresh and correct errors. Plus, I am always learning something new to improve the look of the post as well as SEO. So, I am on it again.
It never ends! Haha! Thanks for reading, Jenny!
I am adding this to my task list for this summer! I know I have old posts that could use a refresher. Thanks for the great tips!
You’re most welcome, Kelli ?
Such good tips. I’ve used #7 many times to create new posts. You never know where you’ll find a spark. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Valerie! This is my favourite way to beat writer’s block!
Great tips for updating old blog posts! This is something I do an ongoing basis. I go through and update things, remove things, add them, create new Pin graphics — anything to make it fresh. It’s definitely worthwhile when an old post that wasn’t getting much attention suddenly takes off. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks Rebecca! As long as we keep learning, there’s always room for improvement.
Great advice, thank you! Now I have some work to do!
You’re welcome, Christina! Happy to help ?
It is so easy to forget about old content when you’re focusing on new.
This post is a great reminder to make time for those as well x
Thanks Claire! Happy to give the gentle reminder ?
This has definitely convinced me to review some of my old posts. How long would you recommend to wait before you go back and review?
Hi Rachael! I don’t really have a set time period. I often feel prompted to do it when I see a certain pin on Pinterest is getting lots of repins. It makes me think “Oooh, there are lots of eyes on this post right now…is it as good as it can be?” So I often click through and evaluate it.
Fantastic information, thank you. My blog is still very new, therefore it is essential for me to keep reviewing my old blog posts. Adding links of my newer posts on my old blog posts is the main task I’m doing at the moment, but I always find something else to change. I will make sure I keep up the habit of reviewing my old content regularly. If you stay on top of it, it becomes much more manageable.
Thanks Malinda! It’s definitely easier to manage if you stay on top of it. Adding links is a great place to start.
I loved this post! I agree with all of it. I have went back to my very first blog posts and literally cringe reading them. I have become a much better writer and I’ve learned to create better graphics and how to properly use SEO in posts. It’s so important to update posts!
Thanks so much, Jessica! I think cringing is a common reaction to those first posts ?
OMgoodness! My old link wasn’t working when I checked it a month later…I made a mental note to keep up with monitoring my links. Very useful info you provided us!
Thanks Angela! It’s so easy to hit “publish” and walk away, assuming everything is great. So important to check those links! Thanks for the comment 🙂
i have been going back through my older posts to update them more often. since i’m fairly new to blogging (4 months or so) some of my original posts would need a complete overhaul! great article and very true as i am learning more often
thanks
Hi Eric! Love the attitude! The more you learn, the more you’ll be able to improve those first posts. Thanks for the comment.
I needed to read this to help ‘freshen up’ some of my more popular blog postings. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Beth, glad you found it helpful 🙂
Will be reviewing mine a lot more now too! Thank you for the motivation
Hi John, Happy to help!
I needed to read this! I pride myself for striving to have ‘evergreen’ content but even so, one must periodically review and update. Thanks for sharing!
Frustrating right? Trends and strategies are always changing. Not even evergreen content is safe! 😉
Great advice! I think a lot of bloggers overlook the importance of staying on top of their links. Bad links can negatively impact your DA, ultimately affecting the performance of your blog in search engines.
Thanks Britt! Agreed!
Ah, so true. I have so many old-old posts that need revamping! It’s definitely on my to-do list!
Hi Farrah! It’s my go-to task when I feel unmotivated to write new content.
Thanks for all these tips. I’m in the process of checking my old posts, interlinking and adding new images. I’ll be looking through the tips as I update the posts.
Awesome, Angie! I love updating old posts. It’s like Spring cleaning…a little tedious but feels great when you’re done! 😉
I love these tips! Great post. I find the revisiting old links to ensure they are working properly to be most helpful!
Thanks for the comment, Suzi! Making sure your links are taking readers to the right place is time-consuming…but so important, right? 🙂