I've said it myself but was reminded of it again after coming across Michael Hyatt's post, Recycling Your Blog Content, recently:
Don't let the great posts you've written in the past get buried in all the new stuff you are publishing today!
Photo by Mykl Roventine
Old content with a timeless quality about it is often referred to as "evergreen" content. Here are a few ways to get it seen again:
1. Tweet 'em.
As Michael Hyatt recommends, tweet your old posts once a day.
2. Facebook 'em.
Reposting works on Facebook too. Sometimes I've posted older posts on Facebook and labelled them "oldie but goodie" so people know it's not new.
3. Book (or eBook) 'em.
Combine a bunch of your old posts into a PDF or even an ebook. You could give it away for free or you could sell it. A lot of people will pay for the organization of old content.
4. Link 'em.
Link internally of course. Always link to older posts in your new ones whenever possible.
5. Archive 'em.
In my new design I added an Archives page and I've gotten a lot of great feedback from people who say it's been so helpful to see all my older posts at one glance.
6. Relate 'em.
Use the Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (here's how to install a plugin via your Dashboard) or LinkWithin to automate the process of listing older content at the end of your posts. Or, consider adding related posts manually for a more refined selection. (Note: If you're running a deal blog, I don't recommend an automated system since it will likely pull outdated posts.)
Bonus Tips for Recycling Old Content
- Read through your post quickly before highlighting it to make sure it's up to date.
- Don't change the permalink (!) but consider freshenin' up the title.
- I'm a big fan of linking to old posts, but I think the actual re-posting of them should be done very sparingly. By that I mean, I wouldn't recommend copying and pasting an old post into a new one and republishing it as new (not so good for SEO). Just work a link to the old one where you can.
- Why not make recycling content part of your regular blogging routine? It doesn't take long and has a lot of excellent benefits!
What about you? How do you make sure your older content doesn't get buried?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I know I have a lot of older content that would still be relevant to readers. I'm considering re-doing a lot of the photos. My new camera is much better and I have learnt to take better shots. I'm thinking I might set myself a goal to "re-do" a post a week starting with the ones that I think will be most popular.
I don't have any "old posts" yet- Ha! But seriously, I can't tell you how many times I was annoyed before you set up your archives page. You have so much great content, I don't want to miss a thing!
I'm glad it's helpful!
Don't forget Pinterest! I have started pinning some of my older posts as they are relevant. Right now I am occasionally pinning canning and preserving recipes, so the content is timely. However, people start searching before events and holidays, so it is good to pin with the thought "what will my followers need in 3 – 4 weeks" because that is what they are looking for now. Of course some topics are always in season like blogging, photography, and birthday parties.
I've read posts that say using Pinterest for your own content as a promotional tool is not a good thing. Much like stumbling your own content. You haven't had any negative ramifications from this practice?
No, I haven't had any negative ramifications from pinning my own posts. BUT I pin or repin 8 – 10 posts from others for everyone that I share of mine. I think that is important to remember whether you are pinning, tweeting, or facebooking. I don't enjoy following anyone on any format that just puts out self promoting updates.
When I share one of my older posts, I usually do it based on 2 things:
~ What am I using? I will share a comment saying I am cooking/doing this with a link to the appropriate post.
~Which posts are visitors landing on after a Google search? If 30+ people land on a post about making apple sauce, I know there is a real interest in that info.
If it is relevant and helpful followers will not mind if you share old content from your blog.
Depending on how old the post is, I'll simply change the publish date to a current one and repost as a new post. I have a food blog and often I want to repost because I have an old post with a bad photo without any comments so it was a long time ago before my blog really became active. What's old really is new again!
Nice….really great tips!
Amy, I have a series that I wrote back when I first started blogging that received alot of positive feedback. I've since thought of ways to polish what I wrote. Would you recommend going back and revising, then adding (revised 2011) to the title? Or completely doing a whole new series centered around the same subject?
I think if the majority of the content is the same, I'd revise and update. If there's a lot of new stuff to add, perhaps a new series with a slightly different angle would be good. Then you could refer back to the other for more stickiness.
Amy – you wrote "I'm a big fan of linking to old posts, but I think the actual re-posting of them should be done very sparingly. By that I mean, I wouldn't recommend copying and pasting an old post into a new one and republishing it as new (not so good for SEO)."
What if you just change the date of the post to today's date? Is that bad for SEO?
Great ideas in this post – will definitely have to use them!
As long as your permalink doesn't change, I can't see why it wouldn't work.
Thank you SO MUCH for the "link within" link. . .I've been wondering how to install that — and so easy!! I was lead to your blog through a "favorite bloggers" post on Kelly's Korner a few weeks ago, signed up to receive your posts and have learned so much already. Thank you.
Great tips!
I have used a few, but I LOVE the idea of archive page. I think it would be great to group them according to category to make them easier to search.
One question. I am mainly a health blogger, but I post occasional deals. I use link within. Do you think that's OK to have an occasional old deal come up?
There was 1 month when I did a bunch, but later only every once in awhile.
Thanks!
I'd say it's fine if most of the suggestions are evergreen.
Great tips! I'm definitely thinking more and more lately about how to link back to old posts.
Another idea you can do is take highlights of your old posts and put them onto slides and turn those slides into videos and post them to video sites (YouTube, etc.) with a link at the end directing people where they can come to read the full post.
If the post is 800 words or so you can fit all of that into 8-10 slides, a 5 minute video, and make the post stand on it's own with the last slide referring people back to your site.
This is definitely a way to boost your SEO juice especially if you do all of tagging right.
Haven't heard of this idea…will definitely ponder! Thanks!
My advice is – read your own blog archives! My blog is nearly 4 1/2 years old – I always find treasures when I go into the archives. I always get good feedback when I point my readers to good old posts.
Thanks for the tips and reminder.
Yes, excellent advice!
When I visit a new blog, I like to see a "Popular Posts" section. I'm not sure if this is what you have in mind, but I thought I'd mention it. It gives me a feel for what the blog is about and if I want to subscribe to it.
I also thought I'd mention I love Pinterest but it wouldn't work for my blog. If I was following someone who pinned their own posts, honestly I would find it helpful. Pinterest is a great visual way for me to see certain projects and if it linked me back to the relevant post, that would be great. I wouldn't follow you if I wasn't interested in you. I'm probably not your typical Pinterest user but that's my take!
I am so glad to read this post and see your suggestion to put already posted content into an ebook.. I was trying to think of an ebook to put together for new Facebook likes and I knew I couldn't come up with new content for that and the blog.
Thank you Amy.
Yay!