If your posts are losing traffic, writing more posts shouldn’t be your only reaction to counteract this traffic loss.
Instead, refresh the posts that are losing traffic.
Updating posts requires fewer resources than writing an entirely new post, and it typically produces a better ROI, because you already know the search engines like the post.
Though how you update your posts has a significant impact on how the refreshed version of the post will perform. In fact, I’ve written extensively about my own experiences updating content, and the first few years I spent updating content resulted in many posts that never improved at all.
Therefore, here’s a data-backed guide infused with my own experience updating content to help you master content refreshing, along with several examples.
Step 1: Choose The Best Content to Refresh
As I mentioned above, during the first few years of refreshing content, I noticed that some posts performed much better than others after being refreshed.
It wasn’t until about two years into updating content that I did a data study to uncover what factors correlated with successful content refreshes.
Perhaps the most significant thing I learned from this data study was that posts that performed well on the first publishing were more likely to drive better results after an update than posts that didn’t perform well on the first publish.
The data study was a collection of 50 posts that had been updated, and while about 25 of them (Group A) had more than 20 monthly visits pre-refresh, the other 25 posts (Group B) had less than 20 visits per month pre-refresh.
The group generated a combined 9,000 monthly visits before the refresh and a combined 18,000 monthly visits after the refresh.
Interestingly enough, Group A contributed 85.2% of the total traffic gains while Group B only contributed 14.8% of the total traffic gains.
Therefore, if you want to take the 80/20 approach to content refreshing, prioritize the posts that performed well and are now losing significant traffic. You can do this easily with a tool like ClickFlow’s Content Decay.
I also like to regularly (every 6-12 months) update my top traffic generating posts, especially if they have slipped (even just a little bit) in the rankings.
You can find these posts by going to Ahrefs’ top content feature and scrolling through that list.
I also encourage everyone to track the conversions generated from their posts, so if you know which posts drive a lot of conversions, be sure to update those posts regularly as well.
Step 2: Perform SERP Analysis
Now that you know which posts to refresh, the next step is to understand why your post isn’t ranking first. While there isn’t always a clear answer (especially if the keyword is ultra competitive), it’s a good idea to at least try to uncover what you could do better within your post.
Specifically, I look at two things in this stage:
- Does the post align with the searcher’s intent?
- Do the other posts provide additional useful information that yours lacks?
Let’s dive into this.
Does The Post Align with The Searcher’s Intent?
I’ve written an entire post on optimizing for search intent, but I’ll give you a brief overview of it here.
Basically, there are three major ways you can deviate from the searcher’s intent:
- The post format is incorrect
- For example, you wrote a how-to guide when all of the other posts ranking are list posts.
- It includes information that is above or below the searcher’s knowledge level.
- For example, a “CMO’s guide to hiring” that talks about why marketing is important in an organization – Duh! A CMO knows marketing is important!
- It includes irrelevant information
- If the keyword is “storytelling marketing examples,” don’t include a section on the science of storytelling and history – the searcher just wants some examples for inspiration!
Again, if you’d like to learn more about search intent optimization, you can read about it at length in my post.
Do Other Posts Provide Additional Useful Information Yours Lacks?
This next step requires some creative thinking as it doesn’t come with a checklist you can check off. Instead, you’ll have to dive into each of the top ranking posts and read at least the subheadings to see if you’re missing any key concepts.
Here, the idea isn’t to copy your competitor’s content, but rather to identify opportunities where you might be missing some basic concepts.
For example, if I was writing a post on how to choose a car and realized that my post doesn’t include anything about purchasing from a dealer vs an individual, whereas all of the other top ranking posts do mention this, I’ll definitely want to add a section on this.
Some people jump into content refreshing by just looking at the additional keywords they could add to the post, though I find that first looking at the post from the searcher’s shoes and understanding which concepts your post is missing is much more effective.
This is because Google’s main goal is to provide the searcher with the best result. Therefore, regardless of what keywords you add to the post, you’ll probably rank as long as your intent is to provide the best resource possible for the searcher. You’ll also naturally include the right keywords by approaching your content with this mindset.
However, if you prefer to optimize it further, a tool like SurferSEO or Clearscope (which shows you keywords you might want to add) can act as a good guide.
Step 3: Identify Old Examples, Stats, and Facts
Once you know that the post’s format and information are accurate and valuable, the next step is to analyze the copy with a more surgical lens.
Start by updating the post’s old examples, statistics, and facts.
If you’ve ever noticed, most content marketers tend to use the same examples, statistics, and facts to support common claims.
For example, I Googled “Good Copywriting Examples,” and on the first page of Google, three of the posts (so about 30%) used the same example from Basecamp:
However, this doesn’t just apply to list posts, be sure to include new examples for supporting examples/case studies. Even if you don’t have a formal study, use your own experiences and stories rather than generic examples that everyone in the industry has already heard.
For example, if you’re talking about product-led growth, don’t use Dropbox as an example because everyone has already heard about it. Instead, use an instance where you released a free feature and saw an uptick in sales. Talk about that experience – not one that we’ve all heard about.
I also find that using my own stories gives me, as the author, a little more credibility, and the storytelling aspect will hold your reader’s attention for a little longer.
Step 4: Test Your Title Tag/Meta Description
By this point, your copy is pretty well dialed in, however optimizing the title tag and meta description can have a huge impact on the success of your post for two reasons:
- Posts with great CTRs clearly get a higher percentage of traffic from the SERPs
- When search engines see many people clicking on your post, they move it up in the rankings
Therefore, spending a little time to optimize your title tag/meta description can have a significant ROI.
I also recommend using a tool like ClickFlow to A/B test a few different titles.
So what should you test within your title tags and meta descriptions? Here are a few recommendations:
- Include the keyword at the front of the title tag versus midway through the title
- Try using a Buzzfeed style title
- Use emojis in the title
- Using percentages/proof (Example: How to Improve Your CTR by 140%)
- How you emotionally charge it (positive, solution versus fearful, avoidance)
You’ll probably find that different audiences respond differently to each of these tests, so even if you’ve run title tag tests in the past, be sure to test any new brand you work with.
Content Refreshing Examples
To give you an idea of just how powerful content refreshing is and help you understand how I approach updating a piece of content, I wanted to show you a few of the examples I’ve done.
Storytelling Marketing Examples
Screenshot of the post before the update
Screenshot of the post after the update
Results: Traffic increase by 160% 6 months post update
What I Changed
Changed Nearly All Examples
I recommend updating outdated examples, and in this case, it was even more important as most of the examples weren’t relevant to our target audience (B2B companies). For example, Bacardi was one of the examples, which isn’t relevant to most B2B companies.
Some examples were also a little generic such as Dove and Nike (most people have already mentioned them as good examples of brand/storytelling content).
Therefore, in the updated screenshot, you can see that the examples I included were much more relevant.
Added Extra Examples
I also noticed that most of the other posts ranking in the SERPs had more examples. Therefore, I added an additional two examples to make it align better with the other posts. You don’t necessarily have to have more examples than the other posts, but it’s good to be at least in the same ballpark.
Removed Irrelevant Content
One of the most significant things I changed was removing a LOT of unnecessary information. As the keyword this post targets is “examples,” there was no need to include excess information on the science behind storytelling and an additional 1500 words explaining the principles of storytelling content.
In fact, while this post had about 1800 words before the examples, the other posts ranking for the keyword only had 100-200 words before diving into the examples.
For more information on this, go back up to the search intent section. This is a perfect example of how the information included is irrelevant to the searcher – they want examples for quick inspiration, not a detailed explanation of storytelling content.
Changed The Keyword
One thing I didn’t mention in this post is that I do occasionally change the keyword I’m targeting. However, you have to be careful with this. In this case, it was targeting “storytelling content marketing examples” which had a volume of just 10 and low difficulty (showed up as N/A in Ahrefs). However, I noticed that “storytelling marketing examples” had much more volume (70) and an attainable difficulty level for this website (35).
As “marketing” is a broader umbrella that “content” falls under, it made sense to swap out the keyword as it was basically the same intent. Changing the keyword also helped it rank for broader keywords like “storytelling examples” and “examples of storytelling.”
However, I caution you to be careful with changing the keyword as you need to make sure that the post fulfills the search intent of the new keyword.
31 Best Digital Marketing Campaigns
Screenshot of the post before the update
Screenshot of the post after the update
Results: Traffic Increase 300% 9 Months Post Update
What I Changed
Replaced All Examples
This post was essentially a rewrite. Similar to the example above, I found that most of the examples included were major B2C brands that aren’t our target audience. However, the key to driving this post’s traffic through the roof was replacing the old examples with new ones.
Improved The Search Intent
You’ll notice that in the original screenshot, the first post focuses mainly on brands and drops a few different marketing campaigns that brand did within the section. However, I noticed that the keyword we were targeting is “best digital marketing campaigns.” Therefore, instead of just writing about more brands, I chose just one campaign from a brand and did a deep dive on it. By deep diving into one specific campaign, the reader could easily swipe that campaign’s framework rather than being left with a vague idea of a half baked marketing campaign formula.
Improved The Title
While the original title was “30 Brands with the Best Digital Marketing Campaigns,” I changed it to “31 Best Digital Marketing Campaigns You Can Swipe.” Essentially, I moved up the keyword in the title and, because I knew the searcher wanted quick inspiration to create better marketing campaigns (rather than a list of brands that have run a few good campaigns), I took “brands” out of the title. In addition, by saying “you can swipe,” it let them know they could easily copy these campaign frameworks.
17 Engaging Video Content Types
Screenshot of the post before the update
Screenshot of the post after the update
Results: Traffic increase from 1600 to 2700 (69%) 6 months post update
What I Changed
Swapped Some of the Video Types: One of the best questions to ask yourself as you’re updating content is, “would I take this advice?” When I looked at some of the video content types, I thought they didn’t really make sense. For example, “Behind the Scenes Videos” was one of the video types. However, I can’t think of any B2B companies with wildly successful “behind the scenes” videos. Therefore I decided to replace it with other types of videos that I have seen work for B2B companies.
Elevated The Content: I found that most of the copy explaining each video content type was a little too basic for our target audience. For example, most companies know what a vlog is, but executing it is more difficult. Therefore, I spent most of the section explaining examples of each video type and specific details on how you could execute a strategy similar to that brand.
Added Actionable Takeaways: In the first version of this post, there aren’t any actionable takeaways. However, if people can’t take action on any of the advice in your post, they will leave pretty quickly. Therefore, I added some actionable takeaways.
Removed Dated Statistics: This post contained a lot of dated statistics, so I worked on removing them and either added anecdotes to support my claims or more current statistics.
How to Create a Powerful Content Marketing Funnel
Screenshot of the post before the update
Screenshot of the post after the update
Results: Traffic increased by 106% percent four months post update from 4,400 to 9,100 and it is currently the top performing post on Single Grain’s website.
What I Changed
Changing The Copy To Be More Skimmable: This post was tricky to update, and while I kept the framework the same, I changed about 80% of the copy.
If you read through the original post, you’ll see an analogy at the beginning explaining an effective and ineffective marketing funnel. However, the rest of the post (which is several thousand words long) continues referring back to the top analogy (Molly Marketer). I found this made it difficult to skim because if you forgot the analogy or didn’t read it, you won’t understand the majority of the post.
Adding Actionable Takeaways: Again, the first post mentions a lot of theories but doesn’t discuss how to actually execute anything. Here’s an example:
Therefore I rewrote it to make it more actionable by including examples of how you can capture TOFU attention.
Cutting Irrelevant Sections: I found a section in the original version of the post on “Qualifying Leads in Your Sales Funnel: MQLs and SQLs.” I’m guessing this was in an effort to try to get the post to rank for more keywords. However, it’s irrelevant to a searcher building a marketing funnel.
While the information may be useful, it makes the article too broad and overwhelming for the reader. In addition, search engines probably look at it and say, “well this isn’t just about marketing funnels, so it’s probably not the best result for marketing funnels.” Therefore, they will ultimately rank it lower.
I highly recommend you skim through the original post and the post after I updated it to get a feel for the nuances I adjusted in the copy. There were a lot of small changes just in the language that positioned this post much better than the original post.
Final Thoughts
All too often, content marketers believe that the only way to increase traffic is to increase the quantity of blogs created. However, my own experience has taught me that the most efficient way to increase quality traffic is to update posts that are already working and could just use a boost.
This is particularly true for larger websites that have a host of older content. If you don’t have the time to update all of the content yourself, consider reaching out to my team and we can do it for you.
