After spending hours writing and perfecting a long blog post, the last thing you want to think about it having it edit it someday. As bloggers, we need to consistently edit blog posts, to keep them fresh and alive in the internet world!
A blog post has the longest lifespan of any social media type of post. It has the potential to remain effective for over two years! With all the time and energy you put into writing, I’m sure that is reassuring!
However, if order to ensure your blog post’s longevity, work needs to be done. Like anything in life, blog posts get old, dusty, and forgotten about. You don’t want this to happen!
With the internet being so incredibly up to date, it makes sense why blog posts need to be updated in order to remain relevant. A post from over two years ago is not likely to outrank a post written the current year.
Think about it- if you are searching for a topic, you want the latest and most updated information, right? So, make sure your post is the one that holds the most recent information.
Additionally, Google rewards posts that remain active and updated for the above reasons. They want to provide their users with the best information!
Plus, as you write more and more, you might find your older content to be difficult to even look at. I know when I look back to my first posts, I want to cringe! Your writing will only get better and better, so make sure you go back and update old content to reflect your new skills!
Many of these update ideas require a little knowledge about SEO, so make sure you brush up on your knowledge with this SEO glossary for new bloggers!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
What posts should I update first?
Before we discuss how to edit blog posts, you should know which posts to target first! If you have 100+ posts, you might not even know where to begin! You don’t want to waste your time updating a post that isn’t necessary!
Start by looking at your top 10 posts. I suggest giving these ones a facelift, first. These posts should actually be edited and updated often, as they are the ones bringing you the most traffic! After that, I would continue with posts 11-20, and so on.
You can find information on what your top posts are through Google Analytics. Go to behavior- site content – all pages, to see your top pages. You can also type in “top pages” in the search bar.
Another strategy is to update your oldest content first. If you have posts 1-2 years old, take some time to clean them up, then re-promote them. You never know, they could become popular once again!
When updating posts, make sure you have some sort of strategy. We bloggers don’t have much time to waste, so choose wisely!
Update images & screenshots
One of the easiest ways to edit blog posts is to edit images and screenshots. This task only takes a few minutes, and can really add new life to your blog post!
I use Canva for all my stock photos, but you can use other websites too, like Ivory Mix. Maybe an image on your blog post doesn’t quite capture what you wanted it to. Maybe it is old, outdated, or bad quality. This is a good time to upload some new images!
Consider taking your own images too, for a more unique and personalized feel. If you don’t have a great camera, that’s ok! iPhone cameras are pretty good these days, and if you have a good photography lightbox, you can take some pretty nice pictures!
Maybe you just didn’t have any images at all- add some in there! Images are a great way to illustrate your concept and keep readers engaged. No one wants to read thousands of words on a screen without any pictures or diagrams!
Also, consider your featured image. This is the image that everyone will see on your website or from your link, so make sure it is a good one that readers will want to click!
You will also want to update any screenshots you might have used. Plugins, websites, apps, etc. get updated often, so your screenshots might not exist in real life now! Go back and find the information you had screenshot in the past, and update it with a new image. This way, your readers won’t be confused if they don’t see the same thing when following your tutorial!
update internal & external links
Another way to edit blog posts is to edit internal and external links. Internal links are important to connect your posts together, which helps Google to understand what your posts are about! This also helps keep readers on your site longer. External links are seen like references and direct your readers to further information.
As you write more and more posts, you will have more opportunities to interlink. When you have tens or hundreds of posts, you will most likely forget older posts and where new posts could fit into them.
Go back through an old post, and see if there are any new opportunities you can add new internal links! Make sure you update any old anchor text to represent the newest keyword you are targeting for that post as well.
Additionally, click on your external links to ensure they still work. If the links are broken, find new sources to link to. Broken links are never good for your site, and your readers won’t like it!
If your external links are linking to a post that is also older, consider linking to a newer post. This will provide your readers with the most up to date information.
You can read more about internal and external linking in my guide of easy blog corrections to improve your SEO.
Update content
Of course, the best way to edit blog posts is to update the content! If your blog post is over a year old, chances are there is at least some outdated content in there. Spend time re-reading your post, and editing any out of date content that may not be relevant anymore.
Update your content to provide the latest information. Add new stats or data, theories, studies, etc. to bring your post up to the current date.
During this stage you might have to do a little research, to see what the latest information about a topic is! You don’t need to be an expert- simply add an external link if you don’t feel comfortable talking about all the details!
This is also a great time to add to your word count. There is much debate over what the ideal word count is- some say at least 300 words, and others say upwards of 2000+ words. I usually aim for at least 2000 words, which is what I naturally end up writing anyway. Remember, always focus on quality over quantity!
To add to your word count, take a look at the “people also ask” questions on Google. Search your topic or question, and see what other questions people are asking. Try to answer a couple of these questions in your blog post as well! This gives you an idea of what information your readers want to know about, instead of filling your post with fluff or filler words!
Additionally, proofread your post for spelling and grammar errors. You can use Grammarly to help you with this! The fewer errors in your post, the more reputable it will seem, and the easier it will be to read.
Lastly, use this time to fix any funky formatting issues. Edit your blocks so they are easier to read. Add some spacing, change the font size/type, and make it as easy to read as possible!
Update your title
Another way to edit blog posts is to give its title a fresh coat of paint. If you struggle with high impressions on Google but low click-through rates, changing up your title might do the trick!
CoSchedule has an awesome headline analyzer that will help you create headlines and titles that are unique and catchy. Remember to always keep your keyword or keyphrase in your title, but the rest is fair game to change up!
You can even consider putting the current year in your title. This will grab your audience’s attention because they will know the content is relevant and up to date.
You can also change up your meta description. This is the part that users see under your headline on the search engine results page. Why should they click on your link over everyone else’s? Use some catchy words and attention grabbers.
If you were searching for your post, what would make you want to click on it? Change it up a bit and see if that helps your click-through rate!
Re-promote your post
The last thing you should do when you edit blog posts is to re-promote it! You spent all this time shining it up and making it brand new, so you’ll want others to see it!
Create a fresh Pinterest pin, description, and title, and share it! You never know, it could end up being popular once again!
Contact Me!
As always, if you have any blogging questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact me! You can find my contact information in the menu above, or leave a comment below!
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Updating posts is so often neglected, but I’ve seen huge success in my clients’ websites from revamping old posts! The tip about internal and external posts is especially on point. Amazing blog post, as usual!