[FAQ]

I have a blog with a fair number of posts, and some of them are getting a bit old – a few years, in some cases. I’ve heard that going back to update and essentially “republish” this old content can be a really effective SEO strategy.

I’m just wondering if this tactic is still as effective in 2025 and if it’s genuinely worth the time and effort compared to just writing brand new articles.

If it is worthwhile, what’s the best process for doing it? What should I be looking to update – the text, images, internal links? And should I be changing the original publish date or the URL?

[Jeff Bullas]

Updating and republishing old blog posts is not only worth the effort, but it is also one of the most effective and efficient Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and content marketing strategies you can employ.

The reason it is so effective is twofold. First, it is often much faster and requires less effort to improve an existing piece of content than it is to create a brand new post from scratch. Second, it allows you to leverage the existing authority, backlinks, and indexing that the original URL has already built up over time. Search engines like Google favour fresh, accurate, and comprehensive content, and updating a post sends a strong signal that the content is still relevant and valuable, which can lead to a significant boost in its search engine ranking and organic traffic.

The process for doing this correctly involves several steps. First, you need to choose which posts to update. You should prioritise posts that are already getting some organic traffic but are perhaps ranking on the second or third page of Google, as these have the most potential for a quick win. You should also look for posts on evergreen topics that have become factually outdated, or posts that were on a good topic but were never comprehensive enough to begin with. Your website analytics are the best tool for identifying these opportunities.

Second, you must substantially update the content. This goes beyond just fixing a few typos. You should first aim to improve the accuracy and freshness of the post by updating any old information, statistics, or examples. Second, you should increase its comprehensiveness by adding new sections, answering more related user questions, or expanding on the original points to make the article more thorough than your competitors. Third, you should optimise the on-page SEO elements by refining your target keywords, improving your title and headings (H2s, H3s), and adding new, relevant internal and external links. And fourth, you should update or add new media, such as new images, infographics, or videos, to make the post more engaging.

Third, regarding the “republishing” aspect, after you have made significant updates to the content, you should change the “last updated” date on the post. Most modern content management systems, like WordPress, will do this automatically when you save the updated post. It is generally not recommended that you change the original URL, as this would break any existing backlinks or social shares and you would lose the SEO authority that the URL has already accumulated. You simply update the content on the existing URL.

And fourth, after you have updated the post, you should re-promote it. Share it on your social media channels and send it out to your email list as if it were a brand new piece of content, often highlighting that it has been refreshed and expanded for 2025. This can drive a new wave of traffic and engagement.

In summary, updating old blog posts is a highly effective strategy. The process involves identifying high-potential articles, thoroughly improving their accuracy and depth, optimising the on-page elements, and then re-promoting the content on its original URL.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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