Writing new content for a business blog on a regular basis is a great way to continually deliver new information to readers. This approach can also boost your results with inbound marketing so that you can attract more readers and customers to your business.
A blog on your website (or, in some cases, serving as your actual website) can also be a great source for links, traffic and leads. Each new post you create has the potential to bring new opportunities to network, market and boost your site’s online profile. But in addition to regularly adding new and valuable content, you can scale your content strategy by bringing new life to old blog posts. Here are some tips.
1. Improve the SEO on existing blog posts.
Optimizing your blog content for search engines will help you get more out of every post. Use targeted keyword phrases in titles and subheadings, and make sure you are formatting with H1, H2 and H3 tags and leveraging the metadata and inbound and outbound links. A good URL structure, tags, and optimized image tags will also help you maximize the chances of your blog post being found in search results.
Look at your old content to see where you can improve from an SEO and visual appeal standpoint. Here are some things to take into consideration:
Content Structure
Headings, short paragraphs and lists are more visually appealing than one long block of text. It’s also good for SEO. Your subheadings, for instance, allow readers to quickly skim content to gauge interest before taking a closer look. Search engine bots will also look at subheadings to determine the indexing of the blog post.
Inbound And Outbound Links
Outbound links to relevant and credible sources can be a great way to link up your content with other relevant sites. Set links to open in a new window if they are external so you aren’t sending potential customers away without having the opportunity to continue to browse your site.
Regular old-post checkups could also include running an audit to ensure links are still valid, credible and useful.
URL Structure
Does your URL contain the title, or is it a numbered post? The title can help search engines index that post according to the topic, so make sure to use keywords in your titles.
Visuals
Visuals can help provide value for both the reader and search engines, as photos give you an opportunity to embed keywords in the alt tag.
2. Add content to short posts or make posts more comprehensive.
Expanding upon old blog posts and making them more comprehensive will add reader and SEO value. This can also generate more interest, links and leads. Maybe you’ve found a great blog layout or have tweaked your blog content writing style. Maybe you have found a great formula that’s working well in converting visitors into buyers (or leads). Or, if you’ve got more information to share on an old subject, repurposing old blog posts can help drive new traffic and better results.
3. Link to old content from new content and vice versa.
If you have a great older post in your archives that still has value, why not link to it in a newer, related post? The reverse is true, too. If blog traffic reports show a steady stream of search engine and/or social media traffic to an older post, why not link to newer, relevant content in that post to enhance reader value and capitalize on your traffic?
4. Add video or create a series.
In addition to blog posts, video blogs can be a very effective tool in business marketing. Adding a video to an older post can help jazz it up. Turning a topic into a video series is another option. You could refer to and embed a newer video into an older blog post to show someone what you explained and send watchers of the video into your archives to read older blogs or watch older video blog posts.
Got a topic you can get a lot of mileage out of? Turn it into a series. This will get people back again and again and keep readers on your site longer.
5. Create category round-up posts.
Chances are, you’ll have several categories within your blog. Occasional blog round-up posts can drive traffic to older content, too.
Category round-up posts can also be a great way to link from your blog to others in your industry. This isn’t done with competitors, of course, but you could link to partners, suppliers, non-competitive resources, charitable organizations related to your niche, etc. This linking strategy can help strengthen relationships with partners as well as do great things for your website’s perceived relevance to your subject matter.
Make sure you are linking to credible industry sources. Websites that don’t have solid web marketing and SEO practices could actually drag down your site’s perceived relevance reputation rather than give it a boost.
6. Use social media, newsletters and email marketing to your advantage.
Using old content for updates in email newsletters as well as a fuel source for social media posting is another way to keep driving traffic to old blog posts. You’ve taken the time to write great content, so as long as the topic isn’t outdated, share it as often as you can — especially on Twitter, where content comes and goes so quickly.
Traffic And Analytics Reports Make A Difference
Regularly assessing your blog content strategy is important. Check out traffic reports regularly to see where your blog traffic comes from so that you can replicate success and see where potential opportunities for improvement are.
The goal is to create blog posts that have a longer life and continue to bring quality traffic to your site month after month. Taking a couple of hours each month to update an older blog post or two can boost your organic rankings and drive more leads to your website.