I’ve spent the last few months reviewing my blog content and it’s astounding to see where the industry has gone just in the two years since I started my company blog. While the topics from 2020 are still relevant, the details within those blogs are no longer modern, which is why I needed to refresh blog content throughout my site.
So why do you need to review old blog content annually? Allow me to explain based on my recent experience and what the marketing industry has found from updating old content to improve results.
Reasons to Refresh Blog Content Annually
Setting aside the time to update old blogs when you’re trying to keep up with publishing new blogs on a set schedule can be challenging.
My operation is just me, so finding the time to update old blogs means devoting time on the evenings and weekends. But how can I be a freelance SEO blog writer and not do the things I would recommend?
So here’s why I’m advocating for this important activity for your business.
1. The Industry Changes
Today, blogs make up one-third of all content on the internet and 80 percent of internet users interact with social media or blogs during their online activity. That’s an astounding number of blogs and an incredible readership that you don’t want to miss out on.
I mentioned this in the opening lines of this blog. Reading my blog copy from 2020 was like taking a step back in time. Maybe not the best time we’ve experienced in this world recently, but it was still very interesting to look at how blogging is evolving.
If someone had stumbled on my 2020 blogs with the SEO efforts I put in a few years ago, I probably would have been embarrassed.
It would be like welcoming people into my home without putting any effort into sprucing up. And I have a 4-year-old and 2-year-old so that would be a scary place to be! Imagine the Goldfish crackers everywhere that they claimed they fed to their stuffed bears.
Anyway, you get the idea. You want to present yourself well no matter what the publish date is on your blog content.
2. Links Break
Internet content is constantly moving and shifting. That means broken links, which create a poor user experience and Google doesn’t appreciate it. You’ll get dinged from an SEO perspective and not make good on your promises to your readers.
Now imagine I invite you over. I’ve cleaned up the never-ending Goldfish cracker mess that comes with having little boys. But I forget to mention that I’ve moved since you last visited.
You show up on someone else’s doorstep feeling awkward and frustrated. And I’ve missed out on an opportunity to get to know your better and be a great host. That’s what broken links are like.
3. You Develop New Content You Should Now Link to
If you’re following a publishing schedule for your blog, you’re constantly developing new content. That new content is relevant to your old blogs. You should be linking to it.
But the only way to link old content to new content is to go through it, blog-by-blog. The process is a bit tedious and you’ll need to complete the task because you know your content well. Having an intern or new staffer who doesn’t know your content like you do complete this task won’t have the same effect.
So grab a cup of coffee or turn on your favorite TV show as background noise and get to linking. It’s well worth the effort and can bolster the results for both your old and new blogs.
4. You Add and Drop Products/Services Changes Calls to Action (CTAs)
When I started my business, I was passionate about social media. But then 2020 hit and social media became a dark and depressing world to me. I dropped the service in 2021 because I simply didn’t want to spend much time out there. This involved removing the service page from my main menu and basically hiding it away.
But I didn’t think about my old blog content, which of course covered social media topics since that had been a service offering of mine. But as I went through my annual review of content, I found those blogs and took out the old, broken social media service page links. I put new calls to action at the end that no longer talked about me managing social media.
The reality is, social media topics are still relevant so I’m not about to delete the blogs that have valuable content for my customers. But I’m also not about to invite you to learn more about a service I no longer offer. So I changed up that content and gave it a new purpose because that’s what’s relevant to my business today.
5. Adding New Content to Old Blogs Can Improve SEO
In some cases, I realized that I could add an entirely new section to a blog. Perhaps I hadn’t thought about that content previously or I just ran out of time when drafting it. Whatever the reason, it felt like a gaping hole in otherwise great content.
And by adding that content I was both making the blog more complete in its coverage of the topic and delighting search engines because there was new and relevant content now in that blog post.
What was old is now new again and totally relevant to my target audience and search engine queries. Everyone wins.
6. Google Loves Content that Is Frequently Updated
Even if you’re taking the time to just freshen your content and not add more than 100-200 new words to it, Google will love it. Google likes websites and webpages that are frequently updated.
Making blog updates tells Google that this content is new and relevant. That’s a great thing in the information industry. You’ll find your content ranks better and delivers better results when you keep it up to date.
You’ve invested so much time in developing that content. While it takes a bit more time to keep it updated, it’s well worth the effort.
7. Updates Create a Better Customer Experience
Being a customer-centric website requires that you keep your content up-to-date and relevant. I’m not a robot. I’m a freelance writer for people first and algorithms second. I don’t write for search engines. I write for people, and I love it.
As such, ensuring my content resonates with my audience requires that I keep it relevant and clean.
So if you make a surprise visit to my home, you’ll likely find a tornado that my adorable but very energetic toddler assistants create. If you come to my website, you’ll find relevant, clean and helpful information. It seems far easier to keep my website clean than my house.
Feeling like you don’t have the time to update your content alone? Learn the benefits of hiring a freelance copywriter or schedule a free consultation now.
Updating Blog Content FAQs
Learn more about updating blog content from these common questions and answers.
How to Refresh My Old Blog Content
When refreshing your old blog content, you should ideally add a few hundred words of relevant content. Rewrite any aspects that are now stale or outdated. And add new visuals that might be relevant. You’ll also want to link to new blog posts that are related.
Should You Update Old Blog Posts?
Updating old blog posts can bring those blog posts back to life and help keep them high in SEO rankings.
Why You Should Update Old Blogs?
Updating old blog posts can help maintain your website’s authority, stay relevant, increase backlinks and more. It’s a good practice to refresh blog content annually.