I have a lot of old blogs with great information, but I feel like they need to be optimized for SEO. Is it better to rewrite the blog completely (and take down the old blog), or edit and repost it? What is the best way to optimize older blogs?
it’s best to update and optimize them. Refresh the content, add relevant keywords, update images and links, and republish with a new date. This keeps your SEO value intact while improving rankings. If a post is outdated beyond repair, consider a rewrite but keep the same URL or set up a redirect.
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Thank you so much for your help! Lots of great information!
Makes sense – Thank you!!
It is better to optimize old blogs because the ‘link juice’ or link equity they currently have. Remember that new blogs have to go through the whole process of being crawled, indexed, and then potentially ranking on the first SERP page.
With regards to taking down blogs, don’t. It is better to apply a 301 redirect i.e. redirecting the old page to a newer one that is connected to the older page (new or updated info). Also remember the process of deleting isn’t as simple as deleting a blog post, you need to apply 410 redirect. Your domain shouldn’t have too many 410 redirects which is why I advised adding a 301 instead.
How to optimize older blogs? You can run the content by chatGPT and ask if the content has had any updates and also ask for a fact check. Then individually research all the points it highlights to confirm. Check the performance of the blogs on search console, if no clicks or impressions, then just consider that the current content has no value whatsoever. If it does have some traction i.e. clicks, impressions, good ranking then check the keywords it is ranking for under ‘queries’. Are they accurate queries? If yes, then optimize your blog around those queries. If not, then you have to understand what is causing a blog to be triggered for that query.
Redo your keyword research, create a new outline, and see if you can retain the existing content with a heading / structural changes, etc.
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Thank you! Great information!
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Just to share my two cents in case this can be helpful to anyone looking to optimize content, one thing I’ve found is that refreshing old blog posts goes beyond tweaking titles or keywords. Sure, updating stats or swapping outdated examples helps keep things relevant, but I also like to add fresh insights or anecdotes based on what I’ve learned since the original post went live. This way, returning readers and newcomers both get something new, and search engines see it as a sign that the content stays current.
Another angle I don’t always see mentioned is technical upkeep. For example, a while ago, I dug into how Google’s PageSpeed Insights score (here) ties into blog performance. Slower-loading pages risk higher bounce rates and lower rankings, even for useful content. I read about it in detail (source) to understand why improvements matter: faster load times boost user experience and search visibility because Google measures how quickly users can interact with the page. In practice, I compressed images, removed unused scripts, and implemented simple prerendering for heavier posts so that initial content appears faster.
I also like to check analytics for posts that used to do well but have dipped; sometimes a small tweak in the meta description or a new internal link can nudge rankings back up. In my experience, looking at Search Console data to see which queries bring people to those older posts helps me adjust headings or add a brief FAQ section addressing related questions. You know, even adding structured data like FAQ schema can help snag a featured snippet and give extra visibility. At the end of the day, optimizing old blogs is about content freshness, technical health, and ensuring they still match what people search for.
One last thing, I promise (this turned into an essay): after a refresh, I share the updated post on social or in a newsletter, almost like giving it a second life. In my opinion, that can lead to fresh engagement signals - comments, shares, maybe even backlinks - so the update isn’t just hidden in the archive. So, combining the content and tech tweaks with a small promotion push can keep older posts feeling alive rather than forgotten.