Turn Old Content into Fresh News

In the era of new media publishing, it’s not uncommon to go back to older blog posts to update them with new information and fresh news; adding linkbait, such as a groovy how-to article or running a contest, will also help boost your page rank. While old world thinking would have us believe that what’s published is the final world, the fluid nature of the web and the confluence of ever-evolving information flips the script on that logic and insists that we keep things fresh to stay in the news.

There are a few simple ways to give a face-lift to aging blog posts:

1. I scream, you scream, we all scream for, “Contests!” Contests are a fun way to garner links on older content and a great way to create a new viral campaign.
2. Kill ‘em with kindness. Add a coupon or a rebate reward on an older post and release them out into the wild. This is an easy and people-pleasing way to boost sales and conversions on your site.
3. A picture says a thousand words. Add new graphics or an updated how-to tutorial with a downloadable PDF link and re-release with a new marketing push.
4. Lists, lists, lists. People love a list. If you have a blog post about widgets that is ranking well but still not hitting the first page, spruce it up with a “Best of 2011” or a “Top Ten Predictions for 2012” list.

Once what’s old is made new again, there are a few tricks to resubmitting your rejuvenated article to the major social networking channels. You can add the “#” or “?” character at the end of a URL that 301 redirects back to the original URL. Additionally, you can create a new URL for the refurbished blog post with a date update, so the article is still available in the archives. For example, update the original title with a new date:

domainname.com/awesomewidgets/

domainname.com/awesomewidgets/2011

Adding valuable content to existing material is a win for your readerships and helps fortify your page rank. Don’t let your old posts get dusty on the shelf. Keep it fresh and stay newsworthy!

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