If you are wondering what you should be doing with old blog posts, you are not alone. This is a frequently asked question, and one that deserves careful direction. What you do with old blog posts is more important than you think, and you have a few options available.
When you should just leave the old blog post alone
- Leave your blog post alone if the content is still relevant and current.
- Leave your blog post alone if it is timeless, “evergreen” content.
- Leave your blog post alone if you can’t find any reason to change it. Just because it has an old publish date, does not mean the content is old.
When you should update the old blog post
- Make a slight update or addition to the old blog post, leaving it in tact when the change is very minor.
- Make an update when the bulk of the content is still fine and an update would make it relevant and appealing again
- Capitalize on a new trend that has emerged that your blog post touches on.
- Add an image or graphic that wasn’t available when the post was published.
- Add in a link to other articles that the reader may appreciate that weren’t published with the blog post was initially published.
- When the blog post is performing well in search engines and driving traffic to your website.
When you should rewrite the old blog post
- Re-write the blog post when the topic is still important and fills a need, but the content is out-of-date.
- When industry keywords/terms have changed or more things need to be included to make sense
When you should delete the old blog post
- The content is no longer relevant
- Content could be confusing or misrepresent what you do
- Products and/or services discontinued
- Legal issues (cease and desist mention of something)
- Employees or clients highlighted that are no longer with the company
NO blog post should be deleted without first consulting your project manager for help with correct re-routing of the page. Remember that blog posts are indexed in search engines and drive traffic to your website. Without properly redirecting the page you want to delete, people will get a page error and Google will frown upon the missing URL. Nobody wants Google or customers unhappy!
Best Practice for Reviewing Old Blog Posts
Schedule time to go through old blog posts several times a year, checking for broken links, old information, and opportunities to update information and help your visitors find what they need.
Don’t assume an old blog post isn’t being read or can’t be found. Instead, assume an old blog post is the first page a new visitor sees and their first impression of your organization. With Google, it is highly possible individual blog posts are returned in search results because they meet the search criteria more exact than another page on your site.
Don’t be afraid to delete information in an old blog post, which is different than deleting the entire post itself. You can make all the updates and changes you want to an old blog post to make it better.
