February 20, 2014

How To Get The Most Out Of Old Posts

When you've been blogging awhile, you have a lot of old posts.  Some of them are better as others, as you grow as a writer and find your voice.  The best part of having old posts is that they can continue to bring you traffic.
Many Waters How to Get The Most Out Of Your Old Blog Posts


You could just let your old posts sit there and and hope people find them through searching…or you can help them out!  It’s beneficial to have a program like Google Analytics installed on your blog so you know what your popular posts are.  Your popular posts are a great place to start. Here are some ideas on how to improve your post and get more traffic on it:

1.  Go through the post and update it if needed.  Check any links and make sure they are still active and if they are not, remove them or find new ones.  If you haven’t considered keywords for SEO, now is a good time to do that, making sure that the words you add are natural and not spammy.  If the post doesn’t have a photo, add a one.  It’s nice to note at the bottom of your post that the post has been edited along with the date it happened.  That way people know that you’ve made some changes. 

2.  Make sure it has a pinable picture.  I’ve been blogging for almost 4 years and many of my earlier posts don’t have any photos.  With pinterest being a huge referrer, that’s a problem!  How can you pin a post if there’s no picture?  You can’t!  So add one and help your post out. 

3. Share the newly updated posts on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and don’t forget Google+.   People won’t know you’ve updated it unless you share it!  You’ve also gotten new followers since that post was published and by sharing it you can get that post out in front of your newer followers. 

4.  Find a blog hop to link up your post at.  Many hops don’t mind old posts if you haven’t shared them before.  I recently started co-hosting a hop called Flashback Friday where we want you to come link up your favorite posts that are at least three months old.  It goes live every other week (be sure to come back and link up tomorrow!) 

Making sure your post has been updated will help you get more exposure.  It is worth it to take the time to go over your post. I hope this helps you get more out of your older blog posts!

34 comments:

  1. I hadn't ever thought about recycling my old posts! I blogged on and off for about three years before practically burying it while I was pregnant. I just restarted it about three months ago, and I could definitely use your tips to show off some of my old posts to my readers. Yay! :)

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  2. Great tips! Whenever I have some extra time I should go and spruce some things up. Thanks for the reminder :)

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  3. I sometimes repost my older posts to my front page because when I first started blogging I didn't have the tools that I have now. I usually add a comment and say that this was originally written on xx date. I have even gone back and checked my tags and keywords too. Old posts aren't a bad thing. :)

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  4. Great advice! I've been blogging for a few years off and on, but Back on Land is my favorite. I'd like to go back to some old posts to "make them pinnable" and get them out there again, but it all seems so overwhelming!

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  5. This is a timely topic. In this week's #LearnToBlog hangout Kelli & Crystal covered reviving old posts. You can watch their video on YouTube just search the hashtag.

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  6. This is a great post! I've only been blogging for about six months now, but I haven't even thought about going back and working my accumulated knowledge into old posts. Thanks for sharing, and I will definitely be checking out your blog hop!

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  7. Actually a great idea. This is something I've been thinking of doing lately but haven't.. may wanna give it a try. :)

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  8. Great tips Poekitten!! I have some old posts that I want to update pictures on, however I need a new camera first before I take new picture :)

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  9. Doing one or two a week makes it doable! And you're welcome for the reminder:)

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  10. It can seem overwhelming...just start with one or two. Or try to do one a week. Before you know it you'll have several done!

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  11. Thanks:) I hope you check out the hop!

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  12. You should! Just start with doing one a week. Before you know it you'll have done several of them!

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  13. Thanks! A new camera will be nice...hope you get it soon!

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  14. Great tips! Pinning is such an awesome source for traffic!

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  15. These are great ideas. I love your new blog hop idea to help people take the time to pull some of those old ones out, too! Thanks for sharing this with us at Countdown in Style! Don't forget to stop by Friday to see if you are featured! xo

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  16. I can't stress enough how important backlinks are. As someone who has been blogging a long time I can tell you that everything you write today can and should be linked to something you wrote in the past!

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  17. I haven't done that! Thanks for the tip!

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  18. YES! I totally forgot that:) Thanks so much for the reminder!

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  19. You know I was JUST thinking about this! I was thinking about all of my prior posts and refreshing them before republishing. Thanks for being in one accord on the issue! :) Thanks for linking up to Countdown in Style.

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  20. Great post! I've been blogging for less than six months and hopefully, I've improved from that first post or two. I never know the "rules" on sharing old posts or the how-to. Found you via Pinterest! Thanks.

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  21. Good tips. I love the Flashback Friday hop. I've revived some old posts there. Nice to have you on Countdown In Style.

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  22. These are great tips! There are some old posts that continue to get page views here and there, which tells me that it's still relevant and I'm tempted to repost or share again just to give it a boost! Great idea for the Flashback Friday hop.

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  23. I so want to do this! And thanks for letting us know about your linky. If I ever update my posts (it's on my goals list), I'll come link up! Thanks
    for linking up with the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have
    pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board!

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  24. These are some great tips! I will definitely be checking out Flashback Friday. :)

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  25. Thanks! I hope it's helpful for you in the future as you continue to blog!

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  26. So glad you've been linking up with us as Flashback Friday!

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  27. I hope you'll link up with us for Flashback Friday (there's one live now!)

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  28. I hope you do get around to updating the posts and sharing them! Sometimes it's easy to do one or two a week so you don't get overwhelmed. And FYI, there's a Flashback Friday hop live now:)

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  29. Thanks! I'm so glad you linked up with us this week:)

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