If you are wondering how to republish old blog posts. This article has got you covered!
By republishing your blog posts regularly. You provide your readers with an ideal service, guarantee so-called “evergreen content” (which is always read and shared with delight), and make Google pleased (which is reflected in a higher ranking).
Republishing is not difficult. All you have to do is to correct a mistake here, update a link there or submit a new tip. You can do this from time to time without much work or hassle.
But what if you want to rework a post? And it should also go back to the top of the chronology of your blog posts. I faced this difficulty last week when I updated my post.
Let’s discuss how I get it done in today’s article.
See also: How to find and fix broken links on your blog.
Why Should You Regularly Update Old Blog Posts?
Let’s briefly examine why you should regularly update your old blog posts.
Old blog posts will draw more visitors.
When someone looks for your article on Google, they will have a terrible opinion of you and your product if the article is no longer accessible, meaning the article link is broken or outdated.
This is definitely what no one wants and is not the impression you want to leave in the reader’s heart.
Therefore, updating the content and confirming the vital information from the URL to the picture is highly important.
If you can make large, relevant and important modifications to existing posts, then you have a greater opportunity to bring more visitors to your site.
New blog posts will be difficult to appear on the first page of search results.
Over 91% of new blog posts don’t make it to the first page of search results (Source).
So, presuming your old article is currently in the #1 place on the second page of results if you don’t republish and update the content, you’ll lose out on all probable traffic you should gain.
By checking, updating, and republishing previous posts, you have a greater chance of receiving more shares and links to that article.
You have more opportunities to climb to the first page of Google on the search results list.
If you exclusively concentrate on outdated content without updating it, the probability of obtaining a footing on the first page is even zero.
If it’s a trending post, it’s crucial to update it frequently.
Suppose an old post is trending. It’s a good idea to update it often to reflect changes in that trend, such as information relating to holidays, anniversaries or events.
Old blog posts are still relevant for current and new users.
If an old article is still relevant, regardless of when it was published, it might be advantageous to revise and update it again.
Because not everyone has had the chance to read that information, and with the content adding value and applicability, people will not hesitate to share it again.
Google’s algorithm is continually changing.
Google is continuously announcing algorithm-related modifications, and one of the most important developments in the recent few years is that the search giant (Google) has moved to semantic content analysis.
Now, Google is not just concentrating on discovering content that matches keywords; it’s also attempting to comprehend what the content is about.
Therefore, it is advisable to concentrate on ideas rather than keywords to generate articles with relevant keywords and different content on the blog.
How To Find Old Content Worth Updating
You don’t necessarily have to update every blog post. So the first thing before updating old content, you should know exactly: What content should be updated?
I personally frequently prioritize 3 sorts of content that require updating as follows:
Content that contributes approximately 80% of visits (content that performs well)
Do you know that 20% of the content on your blog will fetch 80% of the traffic? That is, 80% of the information on your site has relatively few viewers.
So concentrate on the greatest 20% of content first and make it better. This will be simpler than optimizing for 80% of the terrible content!
How to know which pages on your website are getting the most traffic?
How can you know which pages on your website are getting the most traffic? The easy approach is to go to Google Search Console.
In the “Search performance” area, then check the “Average CTR” and “Average position” columns.
Use an additional filter to identify sites with positions less than 3 on Google.
These are the pages with the greatest inquiries, producing the most traffic to your blog. Also, an easier and quicker option is to utilize Google Analytics, which filters all the sites with the biggest traffic.
Next, examine the blog post and optimize it with the freshest and most current information (how to do it will be in step 2 below).
Read our guide on How to get to the first page of Google.
Content that requires improvement (Blog posts that perform badly)
The bad content is the content that has lower traffic; the major issue may be because the content is old and not adequately optimized for the correct keywords at the current time.
Your objective is to discover precisely these sites to change the text. Again go back to Google Search Console, then pick a time window (e.g. last 3 months).
Continue using the filter to compare with the preceding period of 1 year.
You should now see all the pages with the query that had a lower click-through rate. Scroll down and select to see more than 10 results; you will see a number of pages like this.
These are the pages that have lower traffic; these are the pages that perform badly and need to alter the content.
Content that must be updated (old & important content)
There are 2 categories of material that must be updated: Old content & Very important content!
- First of all, let’s check what old content is with!
What is an old blog post?
Old content is content that is no longer valid today. Step-by-step how-to articles with screenshots are the sort of content that is easy to go out of date.
The major reason is that the interface or procedures have been modified. For example, you urge readers to join an affiliate marketing network or register an account… and the provider alters the interface of the website example.
One tiny note: Step-by-step posts are content that converts quite readily, particularly if you’re utilizing affiliate marketing on your site.
Because if readers see outdated material, they won’t continue through, and of course, you won’t get conversions!
This is the type of content you’re obligated to update since it’s no longer relevant. With these sorts of content, there will be no tools to assist you in locating it but… yourself.
You are compelled to monitor, test and proactively update when it gets outdated. Usually, you will also get email notices when there are changes like these.
2. Next is the extremely important content.
This is the sort of content that receives a lot of backlinks on the blog.
That indicates there are many other blogs that are connecting to your blog post, and it is important that you review & update this content.
How to know the content with the most backlinks in your blog?
To decide the sites with the most backlinks is not difficult; once again, you have to go to Google Search Console. Go to “Links”, then under “External links”, you will see a list of all the pages.
Now take the time to verify the content of these pages and start altering the content.
How To Update Old Content For SEO?
Updating old content is not simply about adding text, photos, and videos. It is about updating the content according to the user’s search intent.
Understand the content search intent.
Determining a user’s precise search intent is not difficult; most of it will focus on intentions like:
- Looking for a guide (how to)
- Find extensive information (info)
- Purchase search – trade (purchase)
- Brand Search
From these 4 intents, you will decide the correct kind of article. For example, when a person searches for “make money at home”, their search intent is “how to make money at home”.
So if you develop a lengthy essay on how to generate money from home, it will not meet their search intent.
But if you just tweak, and update the previous post into an article detailing all the methods to generate money at home, then it is perfect for the goal of the search.
And Google will place the content in the top position just because the article targets the user’s search intent.
Similarly, if you create a search intent in a clear step-by-step guide and then update your content step-by-step, there’s no reason why your post won’t rank No. 1 on Google.
So before you start altering any old content on your blog, you need to spend some time redefining: What is the user’s search intent?
Next will be the individual content updating procedures as follows:
Add content with new relevant keywords (opportunity keywords)
After a period, outdated content will no longer be interesting enough for readers and even for Google.
So we will need to select “opportunity keywords” to add to the previous old. Once again, I went to Google Search Console.
For example, using the term “Make money at home”, I merely have to input the query into Search Console. Soon Google Search Console will provide you with a lot more “other keyword opportunities”.
Now I will have to return to the page and optimize the text by adding keywords or content relating to these opportunity keywords.
You will have better, more thorough content and, of course, the opportunity to reach the top and create more clicks than before.
Add new images & videos.
I want to speak about the video first since it is extremely significant in the current moment.
Google is presenting more and more videos in search results, so if you want to make old content better, add videos to your posts.
Regarding images, particularly with instructive articles, you should capture the most up-to-date screen image and add it to the content.
Add internal links & external links (if any)
There are 2 sorts of links you will have to update in old posts:
- Internal links (internal links)
- External link (external link)
For internal linking, you need to connect to the newest posts so that users have a chance to navigate from one post to another. This also helps to remain on the page longer.
For external links, also indicate whether there are reliable recommendations. Pay careful attention to certain research or numbers from other sources.
Check affiliate links & create a clear call to action.
One of the most common methods to earn money on blogging is affiliate marketing. So, if you don’t verify links and include a clear call-to-action while upgrading your content, you’re losing out on a lot of income potential.
So make sure the affiliate link is active and add a prominent button with a clear call-to-action like:
- Buy now here
- See bestsellers at…
- Click here to get to the 35% discount page.
- …
Add FAQ Schema
Space on page 1 of Google is scarce, and people are vying for every millimetre to capture consumers’ attention. The ultimate aim is to boost click-through rates!
There’s a technique to be recognized & take up more space on Google: Add a FAQ Schema.
How to add FAQ schema to your blog?
To add FAQ schema to blog posts is not complicated; you simply need to install the RankMath SEO tool. Then you only need to put the “FAQ by RankMath” block as follows anyplace in the text.
Next, add commonly asked questions and answers; you should include at least 4 questions.
Update title tags, meta tags
When updating old content, one very crucial thing you need to do is change the title tag and meta tag, sometimes even the URL of the post.
Especially articles that include a year-by-year aspect or employ brackets to grab attention like this:
Changing the title tag and meta tag is not straightforward and takes less than 1 minute. If you utilize the Yoast SEO plugin or RankMath, this is much easier.
Just modify the title and meta tag.
In case you optimize the old article with a new keyword and have to change the article’s link, don’t forget to redirect the article to the new URL.
If you use RankMath, you will accomplish this very easily; after editing and publishing the old material, just go to the “Redirections” section, insert the old URL and redirect to the new URL like below.
Next, you need to execute the final step below…
How To Republish Old Blog Posts & Re-Promote Them As Fresh!
After applying all, we’ve learnt above on updating old content. To Republish old blog posts is simple; just click “Publish” and then alter the time of publication.
When you do “republish” an old post that has just been modified, your content will be moved to the front of the blog feed.
This also instructs search engines such as Google to collect and re-index the article data.
But instead of waiting, you may urge Google to index the content quickly by heading to Google Search Console. Then paste the URL of the article and hit “enter.”
Because this is an old post and has already been indexed by Google, the result you will receive will be “URL is already on Google”. Next, click on the words “Request indexing.”
That’s all. Replacing the old content and republishing the blog article is complete.
But there is one final action that is…
Promote the content to your community, emphasizing the crucial facts you have recently updated in the article. For example, I regularly share on Facebook after republishing an old post like this:
Followed by sending everyone who joined the newsletter a basic, unambiguous email.
In short, re-promote the freshly updated posts in any form or channel you have. The idea is to attract people to the information you’ve just updated.
Refer to our guide on:
How Often Should You Update Old Blog Posts?
You may wonder, “How often should I update old blog posts? In response, You should update your blog content every 3 months.
In this method, you provide your readers with an ideal service, guarantee so-called “evergreen content” (which is always read and shared with delight), and make Google pleased (which is reflected in a higher ranking).
The basic rule of thumb, offered by certain SEO gurus, is to refresh your old blog posts every six months, but I do prefer every 3 months.
Conclusion
Building content for a blog is sometimes more than just publishing new articles. You need to update the content on a regular basis.
You will maintain a very stable blog traffic, even increase traffic many times if you regularly update old content.
And if you’re making money with blog affiliate marketing, it’s much more important to update old content.
