I used to treat a published post as finished. Now I treat it as something I own and maintain. Some weeks the most useful thing I can do is improve a post that already exists. This post explains when I do that and how.
Old posts already have a head start
A new post begins with no readers, no links and no history. An old post may already have all three.
If that old post is out of date or thin, improving it can do more than a fresh one. The address stays the same, the links to it still work, and the readers who find it get a better answer.
How I pick a post to update
I do not update at random. I look for posts that match one of these:
- It still gets visitors, but the information is old.
- It sits just off the first page for a phrase I care about.
- It answers the question, but less fully than the top results.
- It is one of my main posts and other posts link to it.
A post that nobody visits and that covers a subject I have dropped is not worth the time. I leave it or remove it.
What I actually change
An update is not a new date on an old page. I make real changes.
I correct anything that is no longer true. I add the section the post was missing. I cut the parts that have aged badly. I rewrite the opening if it takes too long to reach the point.
I also fix the frame. A sharper title, a better meta description and internal links to the newer posts I have written since.
What I never change
I keep the web address the same. Changing it throws away the history the post has built and breaks every link to it.
I also keep the main subject. If I want to write about something different, that is a new post. An update should make the same post better, not turn it into another one.
New post or update?
When I have a topic in mind, I check my own site first. If I already have a post on the same question, I improve that one.
Two posts that answer the same question compete with each other. Neither does as well as one strong post would. This is also why I want a tool to know my existing posts before it suggests topics. Sastras looks at what I have covered so it can find gaps instead of repeats.
A simple rhythm
I do not let updates take over. My rule is one update for every four new posts. That keeps the site growing while the older part stays accurate. It fits inside the pace I set in how often you should publish a blog.
Every few months I also read my five most visited posts from top to bottom. Those are the pages most strangers see first, so they deserve the most care.
What I would do first
Find your most visited post and read it as a stranger would. Note one thing that is out of date and one question it does not answer. Fix both this week. That single update will reach more readers than most new posts.