We work hard to keep our content calendar on time and on track. We publish new blog posts regularly, produce original images and videos for our audience, and launch new products to keep them coming back. We rinse and repeat, pumping resources into content creation to keep the blog fed and the readers updated.

But have you ever noticed how fast your new content grows “old”? Posts can quickly get bumped off the blog homepage and be buried in the next page. We put all this work into creating new blogs that we fail to realize we’re neglecting the old posts in the process.

A typical blog has a lifespan of about 2-3 years. So, what exactly do you do with the posts that fall outside this timeframe? Do you kill and bury it for good, or can you give it new life by injecting it with a breath of freshness? Here are a few things to ponder:

Out With the Old, In With the New

One of the top reasons to scrap old blog posts and start from scratch is poor content. When Google Panda was updated in 2011, many websites were hit hard. One simple solution to recover: get rid or change poor content on your site.

If many of your previous blogs don’t have much meat, traction, or power, it’s best to kill them and start anew. This gives you the chance to provide up-to-date information, as well as to incorporate other changes that might affect site traffic and ranking.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Some blogs are worth a second chance, especially those that gained a lot of traction in the past. The key is to know how to bring them back to the future.

Chances are, many of your old blogs rank well in search. Nonetheless, these content might also have accumulated holes and inaccuracies, as things constantly change in our industry. There might also be some newer blogs that link back to older ones. Conduct an audit of your old content that continuously drives high traffic to identify targets for revamps.
Old and New: Making the Most of It

Whether you’re writing a new blog or presenting old ones in a different light, there are some points worth remembering to ensure your posts will drive traffic for a long time.

Length. A BuzzSumo analysis says that even if shorter blogs and content are ideal for mobile, longer content still gets the most shares; the longer the content (1000 words and more), the more shares it got.If your new blog already has about 1,000 words, but you still have a lot to say, expand it and get your ideas out there. For old posts, update them with new statistics and information. Do note, however, that you should only lengthen the article when there are ideas yet to be discussed. There’s no use in extending the content if you’re just going around in circles.
Keywords. As you write, look for opportunities to incorporate keywords into the blog title, subheadings, and display text. These keywords are the hooks that help search engines find your blog.One way to find good keywords is to use Google Webmaster Tools and find specific keywords or search queries applicable to your article. For new blogs, use these key phrases in coming up with topics. Optimize the old ones by inserting these keywords and linking to the appropriate pages in your website.Keywords don’t have to be just the terms you’re targeting for a page. It can also be a service or product you offer. This allows for internal linking from the blog page to internal pages. By popping these key phrases into your blog, you have higher chances of succeeding with your new goals.
Call to Action. Always include a strong call to action. It could be something that tells them to contact you, sign up for your newsletter mailing list, buy your product, or work with you. Tell them anything; the key is to make them do something to keep your momentum going.For old posts, this is also a chance to check and improve titles, images, links, meta data, and other elements you might have missed when you were still new to blogging.Having great content is always a big help for building brand reputation and growing readership. Creating these is an art, and as with any art, you can always start with a blank space or continue on from your previous works.