Old Blogs, New Tricks: How to Repurpose Old Blog Posts for New Traffic

Do most weeks of content planning feel like the same song and dance?

Publish a new blog … distribute blog … plan the next blog … watch this week’s blog gradually fade into oblivion along with the rest of the archive.

“What’s the use of publishing a new blog every week when I have 500 other ones that people aren’t reading?” you ask, shaking your fist at the sky.

Those old blog posts don’t have to sit inactive, taking up space on your website. Many of them — even most of them — probably have redeeming qualities.

It’s time to find those qualities and put them to work. Yes, we’re talking about repurposing old blog posts to drive new traffic.

Related: Content not getting read? Learn 4 ways to make your content more findable.

Goodbye, benchwarmer blog posts. Hello, new starting players.

Large healthcare websites often have a lot of benchwarmers: Blogs published 5+ years ago that haven’t attracted a reader in months.

This isn’t anyone’s fault — it’s just how it goes. Once-trendy topics become less relevant. Once-ranking blogs get beaten out. And blogs that never ranked highly probably won’t start landing at the top of search results 2 election cycles later.

But don’t write off these old blogs just yet. You might be able to turn those blog posts (or the information inside) into something valuable.

Sometimes, the wide receiver who’s “out of his prime” makes a career-high when he’s picked up by a new team. You probably have second- or third-string players on your website that can do more for you — you just need to find them and give them what they need.

How to repurpose healthcare blog content for results

Learn how to repurpose old blog posts on your website for more:

• Traffic
• Audience engagement
• Conversions

1. Take inventory of your blog

First things first: Find the blog content that’s worth repurposing. A content inventory is step 1 of this process.

Sweep through your blog posts to get the full picture of your content ecosystem:

• What topics have you covered so far?
• Which keywords have you targeted?
• Where are the gaps in your content? (This information may not be helpful now, but it’ll help you plan content later.)

2. Audit your blog content

Now that you have a high-level view, zoom in. Evaluate each blog’s:

• SEO performance: Listen to the data. Let your website analytics platforms highlight your high achievers and underperformers from an SEO standpoint.
• Relevance: Does your current audience care about this information? Is it relevant to readers today? Is it evergreen content, or will it become dated?
• Content quality: Is the information accurate and trustworthy? Does the blog post feel cohesive with your current brand style? Does the blog add value?

A content audit gives you the info you need to declutter your website from the posts that should get retired. It also helps you find the diamonds in the rough (the repurpose-worthy blog content) that you can spin into something more valuable.

Related: Auditing your content is kind of intimidating, we know. Check out our healthcare content audit FAQs for more info and see an example content audit spreadsheet below.

3. Unearth the hidden gems

Now we’re getting to the good part. What kind of content is worthy of repurposing?

Focus on:

• Blogs that target valuable keywords: If you see opportunities to optimize the page to rank higher and drive more traffic, go for it. It might just pay off.
• Topics that are trending (or might be someday): For example, a “Tips for Staying Healthy During COVID-19” blog post probably has information that’s helpful during flu season or other “germy” times of the year (like holidays).
• Information that deserves to be seen again: They say you have to read something 7 times to retain the info. Whether or not that’s true, your audience definitely encounters too much content every day to remember it all. So, repurpose important insights, key messages, statistics, and quotes from your blogs — your readers will benefit from the reminder.

4. Turn your findings into a plan

It’s absolutely possible to increase your website traffic with repurposed content … as long as you keep up the momentum after step 3.

This is where it’s easy to fall off. Now that you have the information you need, you may think it’s OK to take a break from this initiative while you check off other outstanding items. After all, you’ll come back to this, right?

Don’t fall for it, friend. Take this process to the finish line with your content marketing team so you can reap the reward. Here’s how:

• Align your team on how to repurpose an old blog post (the tactical steps, like rewriting outdated info and checking links).
• Schedule blog updates into your editorial calendar to ensure they get done. (Want help with this? Check out this editorial calendar template and guide for healthcare marketers.)
• Plan for new blogs that reuse the valuable information from existing blog posts — and share that info with writers in the content brief. Imagine the time they’ll save with this running start.

Want to work with a healthcare content-focused partner for any step of the blog repurposing process? We volunteer as tribute.

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