Almost everyone with a website is looking for new ways to increase their traffic.
Coming up with quality content ideas and blog topics can seem like a never-ending battle. So, what do you do when you run out of ideas? After all, there are only so many blog topics you can write on for your business, right?
If you’re struggling to come up with fresh content, maybe it’s time you re-optimize your old blog posts. All your old content is a great resource to reuse, recycle, and repurpose into updated content that will do a better job at attracting visitors.
Re-Optimizing Old Posts Helps SEO
Google and other search engines love new content and will penalize you for duplicating content. But that’s not the only thing Google loves.
When you re-optimize old posts, you show Google you are refreshing your content. This helps your rank because it means you care about giving your visitors the most up-to-date information on the subject.
Here are some tips for you to start freshening up old content to better attract visitors.
- Look at your meta descriptions for website pages and blog posts.
Your meta descriptions show up on search result pages underneath the URL. You’ll want to make they are enticing and include keywords so searchers will click on the link. Compare your meta descriptions to the competition and consider giving them an update.
- Make page titles between 40 characters and the recommended 70 characters.
Google gives you a 70-character limit for your title. They won’t penalize you if you go over or under the suggested length. But titles are sometimes the only thing searchers will see. Going over 70 means all of your title won’t be seen. Make sure all your titles are informative and enticing. Remember, the first 3 words are the most important.
- Add subheaders to your copy (H2 tags).
Google likes well-organized content. If your old content doesn’t have several H2 (and H3, H4, etc.) tags, then it’s probably a good idea to go back and add them. Include keywords and keyword phrases in your new titles, but don’t force them in if they don’t fit.
- Make content shorter and easier to read.
How easy is your old content to read? The simpler, the better. Having over complicated or unnecessarily wordy content can scare people away. Also, someone should easily be able to tell be glancing at the screen what they are about to read or watch. Don’t make your audience work for information. It’s your job to make it as easy as possible for them (and it will help your organic rank if you do!)
Conclusion
Always reuse, recycle, and repurpose your content. Your business should be using your old content as a resource to help fuel your digital marketing strategy.
Follow these guidelines when reviewing old content, and you’ll start to see more traffic to your website. It also will help you face the, “What do I write about next?” problem.