10-Minutes Guide to Re-Optimizing Old Blog Posts: Boost Ranking & Traffic
Have you ever felt stuck because your article on a hot topic isn’t generating any traction?
Do you have a blog? If not, what are you waiting for? A blog is one of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert in your field and to attract more visitors to your website. But even if you already have a blog, it’s important to keep it updated with fresh content. One way to do this is by re-optimizing old blog posts. In just 10 minutes, you can improve your ranking and traffic for those posts! In this guide, we will show you how to do just that.
· Why re-optimize old blog posts?
· Step One: Identify Posts to Re-Optimize
· Step Two: Update the Post with Fresh Content
· Step Three: Optimize the Post for SEO
· Tools and plugins you can use to optimize your blog posts
· Tips for keeping your blog posts optimized over time
· Evaluate the competition for those blog posts you want to re-optimize
· Optimize images for better loading times and SEO
· Add internal links to other related blog posts on your site
· What to look for while re-optimizing old blog posts
· Change the headline to be more SEO-friendly
· Check for broken links and fix them
· Social media sharing buttons
· Add a call to action
· Conclusion
Why re-optimize old blog posts?
There are a few reasons why you might want to re-optimize old blog posts.
- First, it’s a great way to improve your ranking and traffic for those posts.
- Second, it can help keep your blog updated with fresh content.
- Third, it’s an easy way to improve your SEO (search engine optimization) efforts.
If you’re not sure how to re-optimize an old blog post, don’t worry — we will show you how in this guide. But first, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of doing so.
Benefits of re-optimizing old blog posts:
- Improve Ranking and Traffic: When you re-optimize an old blog post, you can improve your ranking and traffic for that post. This is because the post will be updated with fresh, new content, which will help it rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Keep Your Blog Updated: By re-optimizing old blog posts, you can keep your blog updated with fresh content. This is important, as Google likes to see regularly-updated websites.
- Improve SEO: Re-optimizing old blog posts is a great way to improve your SEO efforts. When you update a post with fresh content, you are telling Google that the post is worth indexing and ranking. As a result, you may see an increase in your website’s organic search traffic.
Now that you know the benefits of re-optimizing old blog posts, let’s take a look at how to do it. The process is actually quite simple — all you need to do is follow these steps:
Step One: Identify Posts to Re-Optimize
The first step is to identify which blog posts you want to re-optimize. You can use a variety of factors to determine this, such as traffic data, ranking data, and engagement data.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider looking at your highest-traffic posts or your lowest-ranking posts. You can also use Google Analytics to find out which pages on your website receive the most traffic from organic search.
Step Two: Update the Post with Fresh Content
Once you’ve identified the blog posts you want to re-optimize, it’s time to update them with fresh content. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as adding new information, rewriting the post, or creating new images and videos.
When updating a post, be sure to keep its original tone and style. You don’t want to completely rewrite it — just add some fresh content that will improve its ranking and traffic.
Step Three: Optimize the Post for SEO
The final step is to optimize the post for SEO. This can be done by adding keywords and phrases, optimizing your title tag and meta description, and adding internal links.
When optimizing a post for SEO, be sure to use keywords and phrases that are relevant to the topic of the post. Don’t go overboard — just include a few strategically placed keywords and phrases.
Tools and plugins you can use to optimize your blog posts
Now that you know how to re-optimize an old blog post, it’s time to learn about some of the tools and plugins that can help make the process easier.
- SEO by Rank Math: SEO by Yoast is a plugin for WordPress that helps you optimize your posts for SEO. It includes a variety of features, such as keyword tracking, meta data editing, and page analysis.
- Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google. It allows you to track website traffic, including where visitors are coming from and what pages they are visiting on your website.
- WordPress SEO Plugin: The WordPress SEO Plugin is another plugin for WordPress that helps you optimize your posts for SEO. It includes features such as XML sitemaps, title and description editing, and social media integration.
Tips for keeping your blog posts optimized over time
Once you’ve re-optimized your old blog posts, it’s important to keep them optimized over time. This can be done by following a few simple tips:
Keep your content fresh: As mentioned earlier, one of the best ways to keep your blog posts optimized is to keep your content fresh. This means adding new information on a regular basis and updating old posts with new data and insights.
Use keywords and phrases: When writing blog posts, be sure to use keywords and phrases that are relevant to the topic of the post. This will help improve their ranking and traffic.
Optimize for SEO: Always optimize your blog posts for SEO by using keywords and phrases that are relevant to the topic, editing your title tag and meta description, and adding internal links.
Monitor rankings and traffic: Be sure to monitor your blog post’s ranking and traffic data over time. This will help you determine which posts are performing the best and need further optimization, and which ones could use a little more attention.
Evaluate the competition for those blog posts you want to re-optimize
The final step in the re-optimization process is to evaluate the competition for those blog posts you want to improve. This can be done by using a variety of factors, such as traffic data, ranking data, and engagement data.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider looking at your highest-traffic posts or your lowest-ranking posts. You can also use Google Analytics to find out which pages on your website receive the most traffic from organic search.
Once you’ve identified the competition, it’s time to start optimizing your blog post! Use the tips outlined earlier in this article to get started. And be sure to monitor your blog post’s ranking and traffic over time — this will help you determine if the re-optimization process was successful.
Optimize images for better loading times and SEO
Images are an important part of any blog post, but they can also slow down your loading times if not optimized properly. To improve your blog’s loading times, be sure to optimize your images for SEO.
The best way to do this is by using a tool like reSmush.it or tiny png. These tools allow you to compress your images while still maintaining their quality, which will help improve your blog’s loading times.
In addition to optimizing your images for speed, be sure to use keywords and phrases in the file names and alt text fields. This will help improve your blog’s SEO rankings.
Add internal links to other related blog posts on your site
Internal links are a great way to improve your blog’s SEO rankings. When you add internal links to other related blog posts on your site, it tells Google that your content is valuable and worth indexing.
This can be done by adding links within your blog post (ie: “Check out our latest blog post on using keywords in your content” ) or by adding a link list at the end of your post. either way, be sure to use relevant keywords and phrases in the anchor text for best results.
In addition to improving your SEO ranking, internal linking also helps keep people on your website longer — which can lead to increased engagement and conversion rates.
What to look for while re-optimizing old blog posts
While re-optimizing your old blog posts, be on the lookout for the following:
- ranking changes
- traffic changes
- engagement changes (comments, shares, etc.)
- changes in search engine results pages (SERPs)
If you notice any significant ranking or traffic changes after re-optimizing your old blog post, be sure to investigate and determine the cause. This could help you further optimize the post for even better results.
Change the headline to be more SEO-friendly
One of the easiest ways to improve your blog post’s SEO ranking is by changing the headline to be more SEO-friendly. This can be done by adding keywords and phrases to the title, using a keyword-rich headline, or making sure the headline accurately reflects the topic of the post.
If you’re not sure how to change your blog post’s title for better SEO, consider using a tool like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer. This tool will help you determine if your headline is effective and includes all of the necessary ingredients for good SEO.
Check out our latest blog post on optimizing images for better loading times & SEO!
Check for broken links and fix them
Broken links can be a big issue for any website, but they can be especially harmful to a blog’s SEO ranking. To avoid this, be sure to check your blog posts for broken links and fix them as soon as possible.
You can do this manually by checking the link destination or using a tool like Screaming Frog SEO Spider. This tool will crawl your website and find all of the broken links, making it easy to fix them.
Social media sharing buttons
Social media sharing buttons are a great way to increase your blog’s engagement rates and help it reach a wider audience. By adding social media sharing buttons to your blog post, you make it easy for readers to share your content with their friends and followers.
There are a number of different social media sharing buttons available, but we recommend using one that supports multiple platforms. This will give your readers the flexibility to share your content on their preferred social media site.
Add a call to action
A call to action is an essential part of any blog post — especially if you’re trying to get people to take action or convert them into customers. By adding a clear and concise call to action at the end of your blog post, you make it easy for readers to know what they need to do next.
Some common calls to action include: “click here,” “subscribe now,” “download our free ebook” or “get in touch with us today.” Be sure to use a call to action that fits the tone and style of your blog.
Conclusion
Are you ready to start reaping the benefits of updated content? Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be on your way to improved ranking and traffic in no time. And if you’re looking for more ways to improve your blog, be sure to check out our other guides on SEO, social media, and conversion optimization. Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy this guide, Happy blogging!
