How to Drive Traffic Back to Old Posts
Have you noticed I've been away for a little bit? Well not completely away, but just not here as much as I wanted to be. It's okay to breathe, take a break, and figure out what's going on. I needed that. But even while I was away, I was trying to bring in all of the traffic that I could. When I'm not constantly updating you with a new post, I still need to drive traffic to older posts.
By bringing people to your blog via your old posts you can increase your engagement and keep your viewers on your site for longer. You don't want them looking at the latest post and then leaving--you want to give them the opportunity to explore your site, your content, and your self. You want your viewers to feel a connection with you when they read your content. And most of all, you want them begging for more.
By moving your readers through your site and back to older posts, you are increasing your page views and also your bounce rate (aka how long a visitor stays on your page). These are important numbers to consider when you're trying to raise your SEO. But, don't focus on these statistics too much, what's most important is giving your readers the experience of connecting with you.
Here are a few ideas on how you can drive traffic back to old posts.
Link new posts to old posts.
If you're writing a new post that even slightly relates to an old post you may have written a month ago, a year ago, or even a long long time ago, then link it up. Find a way to work that post into your content and share your link! I find this really easy to do, especially when I am writing for a series on my blog or writing within the same category over and over again.
One tip that I have that goes along with this idea is to make sure that your old post is still up to date and fresh. Feel free to go in a do a little revision, spice it up a bit, and include any new information that you've learned since you last wrote it. Whenever I update a post I like to include a little blurb at the top that lets the reader know that I went back and updated this and even though its old its been refreshed.
Share old posts on social media.
Every once in awhile, I'll tweet out an old archived post and includ "[from the archives} at the end. This lets my readers know that this is a post that they might have missed. Also, if they're viewing my old posts and like them, then they might take the time to check out some of my new posts. Just because they are old, doesn't mean that they are dead links.
Make meaningful content that lasts.
This one's a little self explanitory, but its super important! You can only drive traffic back to your old posts if they are posts that will be relevant for at least a year. If you're writing about fads, current topics, or news related things then your content isn't going to last long. I'm not saying all of your content needs to be 100% worthy of a 1 year life, but try to make the majoprity of your posts about something that can be shared over and over again.
This type of content is called Evergreen content. These posts can go on and one forever and continue to grow and look gorgeous no matter what time of year it is or what day of the year it is. Evergreen content is the content that will give you the most views, so why not take a hold of it and really make some great posts that will last.
Include a "Top Posts" widget.
If you notice, I have a Popular posts widget located on all of my individual post pages. This is because after someone finishes reading a blog post that I wrote, they might want to explore more. By giving them the option to easily move to another posts, they are more likely to do so. Other things like this include a "Random" widget or even an archive widget that shows all of your old posts.
Increasing your page views doesn't necessarily have to be hard. And it's something that you can focus on even when you're not writing new content. By sharing your old posts on social media, getting people to click around your page, or simply creating some meaningful content that will last, you are giving your readers the chance to explore your site and take a better look at the type of blogger you are.
