One thing that every blogger should know is that updating website content is a constant activity you need to do. So learning how to do blog updates correctly is a must. Learn how to update old blog posts for SEO and increased visibility with these tips that blogger pros use on a regular basis.
Some of the best blogging tips I received in the past were the key ways of updating blog posts for SEO to grow blog traffic and more engagement.
I see the questions other bloggers ask:
- How do I get past my blogging slump?
- My traffic has plateaued. How do I get past it?
- I can’t seem to grow my blog traffic. How do others do it?
Instead of constantly creating new content from scratch, do a blog update for older content.
Old blog posts are low-hanging fruit – pre-existing content that needs tweaks to make them awesome again.
But how do you update content to make blog posts generate traffic?
I’m sharing my approach to how to bring back old posts from the “dead”. This includes smart ways to use ChatGPT or another AI model to get smart updates. I’ve included my favourite AI prompts for updating blog posts.
No more zombie posts! Let’s look into updating SEO, updating website content and jumpstarting your blog traffic boost.
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.
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Why Should You Update Old Blog Posts?
Over time, blog posts age. Your advice may become outdated, links can stop working, and your readers’ questions may change. Updating old blog posts gives you an opportunity to fix these issues and improve content you’ve already invested time in creating.
Focus on changes that make the post more accurate, useful and relevant to your reader. These kinds of tweaks and changes can improve your rankings and search visibility while giving readers a better experience.
Here are an additional five reasons to update old blog posts:
- Improve your SEO: Review the keyword searches your post appears for, and address gaps in your answers. Update old, outdated information so the content is accurate for your readers.
- Improved User Experience: Up-to-date information, fixed broken links, and fresh visuals create a better site visitor experience.
- Improved Traffic: Better rankings and new content attract more site visitors.
- Relevant, Up-To-Date Content: Your position as an authoritative, credible expert is improved when you have content that’s new and factually correct.
- Better Conversions: Updating your blog post ending with a call-to-action, new lead magnet or request (like a prompt to share your post) is a great way to engage your readers.
Updating old blog posts doesn’t take much time, but the results can be great.
Updating Website Content: Do This Before You Start The Process
Not every old blog post is worthy of being updated. Here’s a checklist of things to consider when updating old blog posts:
- Refresh what’s worth keeping. Is the blog post worthwhile keeping, with a few minor updates to content, blog formatting and keywords?
- Combine overlapping posts. Can the blog post be combined with another one for a better blog post? Choose the one that’s ranking better and add the other one to it. Redirect the old one to the one you’ve updated.
- Review before removing. Does the blog post still help your readers? Before deleting it, check its traffic, backlinks and relevance to your audience. For example, a product review post for a discontinued product may still be useful if readers need support or alternatives. The best practice for permanent post removals is to use a 301 redirect when you have a closely relevant replacement post. If you don’t have a good replacement blog post, the best option is to allow the URL to return a 404 (not found) or 410 (gone). Update or remove internal links pointing to the deleted page.
- Prioritize evergreen content. Is the blog post evergreen? Is it cornerstone blog content? These should be updated first, as they never go out of date and answer questions readers have all the time.
For example, this blog post is an “Evergreen post”. The topic is one that readers will have a year from now, and onwards. So I’m going to revisit this post every once in a while to ensure my tips are up-to-date.
Focus on updating old blog posts that are evergreen!
What about content that isn’t evergreen?
Event coverage or a personal travel story may be worth keeping as a record of your experience without regularly rewriting it. But if a post still attracts readers looking for advice, keep details such as prices, opening hours or recommendations regularly updated.
PRO TIP: Although we’re focusing on blog posts, don’t forget about other blog updates. Your key pages often need an SEO update and perhaps new messaging.
Make A Shortlist Of Evergreen Posts To Update
The first thing to do when you update old blog posts for SEO is to make a shortlist of your existing and potential evergreen posts.
I did my list in Excel and keep track of which ones I’ve updated and which ones still need work.
Get organized, and the process will run smoother, and you won’t miss updating any posts on your “must-update” list.
How To Update Old Blog Posts For SEO: A Step-by-Step Guide
With each blog post, I look at updating specific things in each post to MAXIMIZE its chances of achieving blog traffic.
I start with updating keywords because so many of the other updating activities stem from that initial action.
1. Update Keywords
Get ready to learn about how to update blog posts for SEO. We start with the most important aspect of this: keywords.
One of the most successful ways I increased my blog traffic was to update keywords in my older blog posts.
In many of my old posts, I didn’t consider including keywords or long-tail keyword phrases.
Before changing your keywords, check your Google Search Console to see which queries (keywords) already bring impressions and clicks to the post. That information helps you build on what’s working and discover relevant questions you could answer more clearly.
Updating blog posts for SEO and keywords means:
- Find the right keywords. Researching what your target audience is using as keywords and keyword phrases (long-tail keywords) to search for any given content. I use a blend of Google to find what phrases people are using, as well as SEO tools such as Keysearch.io or Keywords Everywhere. Semrush or Ahrefs are other alternatives.
- Choose relevant opportunities. Look for keywords that match your audience’s needs and search intent. Keywords should align with the purpose of your post. Higher search volume isn’t automatically better, especially if the results answer a different question or are dominated by established sites.
- Use keywords naturally. Include your main topic clearly in the title, relevant headings and body copy where it makes sense. You don’t need to repeat the exact phrase in every heading or work every keyword variation into the post. Don’t overstuff!
This is also a great time to update your blog post title and make it catchier.
A/B testing your blog post titles helps you figure out what resonates best with your potential readers.
| Related: Blog SEO Tips For Beginners – How To Get Google To Rank Your Posts High
2. Update Images And Image SEO
It’s an overlooked activity, but updating blog posts for SEO includes the images.
When I look back at some of my old blog posts on my Suburban Tourist blog, they had some awful-looking images.
Poorly edited, they made my blog look unprofessional.
One of the best ways to update your old blog posts is to update images and ensure that the alt-text is added.
With more attractive images – especially feature images (the first one you see in my post) – I’ve had more clicks when I post them to Facebook and Twitter.
The result is that visitors view my post as attractive and balanced, with informative text. They want to stick around longer when they see I’ve taken the time to make my post look professional.
Making your images fast-loading (i.e. smaller files) is also important for a good user experience. Optimize images to ensure your blog posts load fast.
Choose images that help readers understand your advice, follow a process or see an example. The goal is to make your post more useful and enjoyable to read.
| Read More: Free Online Image And Photo Editing Tools Perfect For Bloggers
3. Check For Broken Links And Add Interlinks/External Links
One of the easiest ways to update an old blog post is to make sure there are no broken links.
Broken links are frustrating. Having readers click through and find missing resources, products or supporting information creates a negative perception. Checking your links should be part of your regular blog updates.
Replace outdated links. If a resource is no longer available and there’s no suitable replacement, remove the link and change the surrounding wording as needed.
When internal links are working properly, they give readers an opportunity to keep exploring your site. Search engines have better paths to discover other pages on your blog.
You can check your broken links with tools like Ahrefs. Site audits will reveal if you have broken links.
There’s a fantastic tool called Broken Link Checker that’ll tell you which links are broken and need to be updated or replaced. The plugin is free.
One additional activity is to regularly update your internal links. This helps new posts rank better and gives your site visitors more reasons to check out your site longer.
PRO TIP: I use Broken Link Checker once every two weeks to see which links are broken. When I’m done, I deactivate and DELETE the plugin. It’s a hog when it comes to speed. I upload and activate it again when I need to do another link check.
| Related: How To Generate Backlinks For Your Blog To Boost Your Domain Authority
4. Beef Up Your Content
Update an old blog post with information that makes it more useful, accurate and relevant. This might mean adding a missing step. Or it could be replacing old, outdated advice or sharing an example from your own experience.
A short post isn’t automatically “thin content.” The question is whether it gives readers enough information to do what they came to do.
Google doesn’t have a preferred word count, so adding paragraphs just to reach a target won’t necessarily improve your rankings.
On my Suburban Tourist blog, I had several short posts that worked better together as one useful guide. One example is my post on Five Fall Drives From Toronto.
Combining related posts can make sense when they answer the same question and overlap substantially. But posts that serve different reader needs may deserve to stay separate.
When reviewing your content, look for opportunities to:
- Answer a relevant question you’ve missed
- Explain a step that readers might struggle with
- Add firsthand examples, original photos or helpful screenshots
- Replace outdated facts and recommendations
- Remove repetition or advice that no longer helps
The goal is a better answer, not a longer post. Sometimes that means adding detail. Other times, it means cutting the fluff.
Add additional information that will make the post even better.
How Can You Use ChatGPT to Update An Old Blog Post?
You can also use AI to show you where your post needs clearer answers, better evidence or more of your own original experiences. Try this prompt:
“Act as an experienced content editor. Review my blog post at [insert URL] for [insert audience]. If you can’t access the full article, ask me to paste it before reviewing.
Suggest improvements that make the post more useful to readers and easier to understand in search and AI-assisted discovery.
- Answer relevant questions. Identify questions my readers may still have after reading the post. Suggest concise answers where they would help.
- Strengthen the evidence. Flag claims that need verification. If browsing is available, check current information against primary sources and provide links. Otherwise, mark those claims for me to verify.
- Highlight firsthand experience. Suggest where I could add my own examples, results, screenshots or decision-making process. Ask me for the details rather than inventing them.
- Improve the structure. Recommend clearer headings, lists or a short summary where useful. Add FAQs only if they answer relevant questions the post hasn’t already covered.
- Preserve my voice and links. Keep useful original wording, personal examples and existing links. Suggest internal links only to pages you’ve verified or that I’ve supplied.
Give me a prioritized list of changes with brief explanations before rewriting anything. Don’t promise higher rankings or inclusion in AI answers.”
I like to use these kinds of suggestions as an editing checklist.
Check the facts and proposed links, then decide which changes will genuinely improve your post.
To improve your chances of getting your blog post cited by AI, you’ll want to provide clear answers and original evidence. The key benefit of using AI to help update an old blog post is that it’s faster and much easier.
PRO TIP: If you can transform a topic that’s no longer relevant into something that’s “Evergreen”, this is even better. So, for example, a post on an event you went to for a product launch can be transformed into a product review.
Updating Website Content Is Worth It
5. Add Pinterest Pins To Posts That Are Missing Them
Want to know one of the easiest ways to do blog updates that result in HUGE traffic? Adding Pinterest pins to blog posts that didn’t have any. Here’s an example:
In 2000, I took some of my seasonal blog posts on travel destinations in Ontario and added Pinterest pins to each and every one of them. Knowing that travel restrictions would be lifted during that period of the pandemic ensured that my content would be visible on Pinterest.
Pinning them to Pinterest, I promoted them about two to three months before the summer travel season started.
The result: increased pin saves for these new pins, and a 300% increase in outbound clicks to the related travel blog posts, compared to the previous period.
Once you’ve updated the keywords, images and content on your posts, ADD PINS!
Make sure they are easily shareable with a good social sharing plugin, like Hubbub or Social Warfare.
Take a look at your posts that don’t have Pinterest pins and start creating them. You can also get my free Pinterest pin templates here.
| RELATED: How To Create Clickable Pinterest Pins That Drive Traffic
6. Create And Leverage Media Content
Updating website content also means visual content.
Just like you add extra text to a blog post, creating a video or podcast for your blog posts can help you increase blog traffic.
Share links on podcast pages, video posts on YouTube and on Facebook. This is another way to invite people to check out your blog posts.
The trick is to give them enough valuable information nuggets to get them wanting to learn more about your blog post. So, always include a call-to-action in your media content that drives viewers to your blog.
Creating a video or podcast can be time-intensive. Start with posts that benefit the most from a walkthrough demonstration or deeper insights.
Include a relevant link back to your blog post where the platform allows it. For example, YouTube allows you to add links in the description. This gives interested viewers or listeners an optional next step..
7. Change Your Tone Of Voice
One of the best ways to update your old blog posts is to look at how you’re writing now compared to when you started.
If you’re finding your old posts are devoid of your personality, it’s time to update your old blog posts to keep consistent with your new tone of voice.
Blog posts that have readers feeling like they’re connecting with YOU, the person, tend to do better than those that are strictly just about the facts.
After all, if you are the person with the blog, people want to know you as well.
You and your blog are essentially a brand. Each brand has a tone of voice that signifies to people what they can expect.
For example, I had old blog posts on Suburban Tourist that were pretty much just facts, written as if it was a travel brochure. I didn’t use my words to exude my personality.
I should have been adding a bit of my love of wanderlust in each post and sharing a bit more of my personal side.
Changing the tone of voice is as simple as:
- Adding a quote that resonates with you
- Including a joke
- A personal anecdote
- Words that you use on a regular basis
- Colloquial phrases
- Pauses and short sentences.
There. That’s the list!
Simple, right? <=== See what I did here? That’s my last point. You can almost hear me saying these words
The trick is to balance the useful information with a boost of YOU.
PRO TIP: Use your brand personality and tone of voice in your opt-in copy to generate a new follower for your community. Yet another avenue for blog traffic!
| READ MORE: How To Find Your Brand Voice And Use It In Your Blog Content
8. Update Your Old Blog Posts With Consistent Formatting
One of the other useful ways to update your blog posts is to fix the formatting to be consistent with all your new posts.
If you have a consistent blog format style that is working well for you, update your old posts to be consistent.
Blog post formatting includes:
- Your use of white space in your text and images
- How you place your images in your posts
- Your use of headings
- Breaking up paragraphs into two to three sentences for easy reading
- Using bullet lists
- Always adding a call to action at the end
- Using dividers where relevant
Why is blog formatting important?
- It makes it easier for site visitors to read your content, so they stay on your site longer.
- Aesthetically pleasing sites are nicer to visit (would you want to revisit one that looks like crap?)
- They tell the visitor about you and how much you want to make their experience awesome.
9. Re-publish And Promote It!
Now that you’ve updated your old blog post, it’s time to share it again!
If you’ve made minor changes to update your post, like adding a new image or changing a paragraph or two, you can mark it as “Last Updated”. This sometimes happens with certain themes (like Kadence). You can use plugins for this as well.
However, if you’ve made significant changes to the content, updated information and added it with original examples, it’s acceptable to republish it with the updated date.
You won’t lose old comments, but you will have it appear on your blog as a fresh post.
10. Update Your Navigation Menu
One more thing to do when updating website content is to look at your user experience. Things may have changed since you originally created your navigation menu in WordPress.
This is the time to tweak the categories, key pages and custom links.
Make sure the flow that you create for your site visitors, from left to right, makes sense.
| RELATED: How To Set Up A Menu In WordPress For Optimal Benefit
What To Do After You Update Your Blog Post
After making big updates to a blog post, you can request indexing through Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool.
Head over to your Google Search Console, and do the following:
Take the URL of your newly updated blog post and add it to the Inspect any URL search bar up at the top.
Once you hit Enter, it will load a screen that looks like this:
Press “Request Indexing”.
This asks Google to recrawl the page. However, it’s important to know that it doesn’t guarantee an immediate crawl, indexing or higher rankings. Crawling can take a few days to a few weeks, and submitting the same URL repeatedly won’t speed things up.
Give Google time to process your changes. Your next step is to monitor the post’s impressions, clicks and search queries in Google Search Console over the next few weeks.
PRO TIP: After a big content update, add a brief note explaining what you changed and when. This helps readers understand whether the advice reflects current information.
The next step is to start promoting it again!
Make Updating Blog Posts Part Of Your Content Strategy
It’s yet another blogging task you need to add to your long list of activities. However, when you learn how to update blog posts for SEO, you save precious time.
Updating website content should be done regularly, with older posts reviewed and tweaked regularly. Your competitors are updating theirs!
Use smart shortcuts with the help of ChatGPT, Gemini or your other favourite AI model.
What are other ways to generate traffic? Get fresh eyeballs on it by trying these 15+ blog promotion strategies.
Finally, if you want to do a deep dive into investing in your blog, check out this list of the best blogging tools that helped me grow my blog business.
QUESTION: Have you started to update old blog posts? Tell me what you’ve done that helps you generate fresh blog traffic.
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This post is extremely helpful and has so many great tips. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
This is very useful. I can see how some of my first blog posts could be improved, and I’m definitely going to use some of these tips!
Glad you find this helpful!
This was really helpful. Thanks for sharing!
You’re most welcome Sheenia!
Yes! I need to do this! Such a timely post, thank you!
I’ve been wanting to do this but felt overwhelmed at the thought of it. Thank you for this post, I love a good step by step checklist to follow! You are the best! 🙂
very helpful!
This is super helpful. I actually plan to do this to my blog next month.
That’s fantastic! Tell me how it goes with your blog traffic in the next couple of months.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Many dust to update old post to boost traffic but never how to go about it. Your article covers everything! Thank you so much.
You’re welcome! 🙂
Thank you for the information. This is very helpful.
Changing my tone of voice is one I haven’t tried yet for updating old posts!
These are all spot-on tips! I have been doing many of these things but with more of a scattershot approach than a consistent strategy; seems so stupid-simple, but your “make a list of posts to update!” is one of those “duh!” moments that is so obvious BUT I haven’t been doing very deliberately. Thank you!!!
This was so helpful! I have just recently gone back to update some of my older posts. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for all these helpful tips. Definitely makes me want to go back through and update some of my earlier posts. As a health and wellness website most of my content is evergreen but my style has definitely changed as I been blogging longer. Thank you!
I’m glad to hear this! My voice definitely changed over 10 years.
I love these tips! I think I’m going to beef up a few of mine. I actually have two blogs and am not renewing one of them, and after I transfer a few articles to my current blog, I’m going beef them up lol! Thanks for sharing!
That’s a great idea. It’ll give you a boost in traffic for sure!
This is a great post. I saved it to reference when I want to bring my old blog posts to life.
Glad to help out with some inspiration!
Saving this list- thank you for sharing so much valuable info!
Hope it’ll come in handy in the future!
I need to do this for some of my first blog posts. I can make them longer, and have more keywords so it can rank better! Since I didn’t have many readers back then, I’m sure no one will notice that it’s an old post. 🙂
YES! I had this happen too. Some of my old posts because completely new to my audience.
These are some great tips that I know I need to do. I just haven’t known how or where to start. This is very helpful. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
How often do you recommend we update im 120 days in?
You’ve got time still, but here’s a good tip: for your posts that are doing fairly well, but you think could do better, do some research to see what competitors are using for keywords. Play around with them, with your title. See what makes them really shine!