Online influencers and savvy bloggers understand the benefits of repurposing content for a cleaner and more organized blog. That old content weighs your blog down, lessens your authority, and slows your traffic (not to mention, some of it makes you cringe).  You may have hundreds of posts, but odds are (we hate to break it to you) a large amount of content published long ago is either in need of some major renovations or a completely new home. Like starting the new year by cleaning out your closet, repurposing content will help you update and refresh your blog. De-clutter your posts and make use of what’s already available. Ready for a complete blog cleanup? Repurposing content is the answer you’ve been looking for!

   Image via Unsplash by Adam Jang

There are two types of people: either you put the cereal bowl in the dishwasher immediately, make your bed daily, and toss dirty laundry right in the bin; or you’re the gal scraping week-old crust off a plate and navigating piles of clothes on the floor as you crash into your messy bed.

NO JUDGEMENT! (We love both types of peeps!) You know which category you fall into. The question is, does your blog content reflect your cleaner or messier habits? And either way, how can repurposing content refresh your blog?

Identify Your Blogging Bad Habits

  • Do you constantly publish roundup-style blog posts?
  • Did you have a series of “random thought” posts in 2012 that make you cringe now?
  • Are you a content generating machine who creates posts and never looks back?
  • Do you write multiple posts about the same topic (i.e., “bathroom makeover part 2”)?
  • Do you rarely check the backend of your site for broken links?
  • Have checked on the SEO health of your site recently…or ever?
  • Do you write posts that compete against other posts on your blog for keywords?

It’s not that these blogging habits are “wrong” per se, but they result in extra content weighing your blog down as time goes on. It’s an SEO myth that more content is better. Sometimes more content simply results in well…dead weight.

Fortunately, repurposing content has the power to battle several of these bad blogging habits!

Here’s the scoop: it’s important to update your blog with new, exciting content BUT posting too often, or posting just to keep your streak going, clogs up your blog with crap content. You may have hundreds, even thousands of posts, but are all of them distinct, interesting, and created with a unique purpose?

If you’re hoping to spice up your blog and attract more readers, it may be time to look back through that old, mediocre content. Repurposing content by giving it a refresh, adding new language, more authority, better SEO, and essentially “cleaning it up” is an efficient way to make use of older posts. After all, if you’ve put in the work, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel (but you may need to shine up the chrome).

   Image via Unsplash by rawpixel

Experts agree, your blog needs regular housekeeping (sorry, crusty-dish people) and prolific content production doesn’t always mean “great content” (sorry, over-achieving everyday bed makers). You must go through your content regularly, let go of the garbage, and refresh or repurpose the not-so-great posts.

“Updating and organizing your blog is one of the surest ways to improve your traffic,” writes Jeffery Kranz from Overthink Group. Fortunately, repurposing content is easy and will help you get a leg up on your blog organizing. It’s time to whip that old content into shape so it can catch the eye and win the hearts of your readers.

                         4 Tips to Help Your Blog by Repurposing Content

There are many reasons why repurposing content on your site is a must. Whether you’re a full-time blogger or weekend warrior, consider giving some of those older posts a second chance to wow your readers.

Ready to kick off the new year with a cleaned-up blog and killer posts? Use these four tips for repurposing content:

1. Reoptimize OR Start Optimizing

When repurposing content on your blog, reoptimizing or just… optimizing in general (cough, cough, if you haven’t started) is seriously important. When you’re repurposing content or giving it an update, it’s the perfect time to set your blog up for success with SEO best practices.

Image via Unsplash by Andrew Neel

Add a Specific, Unique Keyword

Incorporate a specific, unique longtail focus keyword for each post. Add relevant semantic keywords throughout the post, adding in helpful external links, alt tags for all images and a well-written meta description for each and every post on your site. These are simple DIY SEO methods any blogger can use to zhush up your content for search. 

No-Index or Redirect Posts, As Needed

Remember, no post left behind! Those old posts that just feel irrelevant, outdated, or totally unfocused may need to be no-indexed (meaning they can’t be searched). If you roll two competing posts into one revamped, more authoritative post, redirect the URL. Not every piece of content can be saved or fixed, and that’s okay, but take the time to properly clean it up, redirect, or hide it. Don’t leave posts floating in the sea of the internet like dead weight.

Eliminate Blogging Overwhelm by Revamping Great Posts

Overwhelmed by life right now? Does blogging feel like a chore? Optimizing and repurposing content is a great way to minimize your blogging to-do list.

Image via Unsplash by
Nikita Kachanovsky

Instead of wracking your brain for new festive décor blog post ideas, grab your throwback homemade holiday decorations post from 2013 and bring the content back to life. First, switch up the title from “I Made a Thing” to a more descriptive search-friendly title with a keyword like, “How to Create DIY Christmas Centerpieces.” Spruce up the text to include your keyword throughout. Add a meta and an SEO title. Check to make sure all links are working.

If the original post clocked in at 300 words, turn it into a search-favored, authoritative long-form post of 2000+ words. This will reinvent your mediocre older post into something brand new your readers will enjoy.

“You don’t improve underperforming content on a blog by creating new content to get leads. It doesn’t work that way,” says blogging expert, Neil Patel. Producing more content when there’s already enough great older content sitting there underperforming only adds chaos to the backend of your site. This even has the potential to restrict your website traffic.

Optimizing is a huge piece of effectively repurposing content. A quality reinvented and optimized post will engage new readers and perform better on search engines like Google.

There’s ALWAYS room for SEO improvement and cleaning up your blog is one of the best ways to get more traffic.

2. Make Your Posts Relevant Again

Megan Markle married into the royal family, Apple released another iPhone (no shocker there), Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper made a movie everyone’s STILL obsessing over, and a brown bear in Canada took a detour to visit a local Dairy Queen… these are all trending topics from the last year. As a blogger, events in the world matter when repurposing content.

As times change, the content on your site should adapt. Old pop culture references, like the moment a shaved-headed Britney Spears beat up a car with a green umbrella (although legendary) may read as dated to some of your readers, or perhaps even confusing to a younger blog audience. Don’t be the blogger saying oops, I did it again with irrelevant topics or mentions; keep up with current trends and seize the opportunities through repurposing content.

Now’s the time for you to get relevant, get trendy, get groovy (okay that last one’s not a requirement, but makes blogging more fun)! Repurposing content from a while back means there’s probably tons of new information and updates to incorporate. Remember: search favors authority, so adding new and better data will keep your posts relevant.

This also means that you should check out external links. That great deal you posted about five years ago? It may not be running anymore. Time to add in new and updated references.

      Image via Unsplash by Clark Tibbs

Readers who come across your “Best Cheese Curds in Milwaukee” post listing establishments that are now closed will find themselves disappointed and unimpressed with your blog. Don’t leave your readers without cheese! Repurposing content is the perfect chance to fact check and update information. Old great posts can still be great again—they just need some attention. 

Worried repurposing content for relevancy won’t provide the momentum you need to attract new readers or gain new leads for your business? DON’T BE! A HubSpot study found over 90% of their blog leads came from old posts and 75% of their blog post views derived from older content as well.

“Turns out, our old content is the stuff that generates the real results. As a team that’s spent the majority of its time and resources churning out brand new posts every month, these findings were kind of a big deal,” said Hubspot in their study analysis.

You can say that again! Working smarter over harder? Sign us up!

3. Update Any and ALL Visuals

Snap, crackle, and pop, wait… scratch that. Let’s just go with snap. Snap new pics and recruit all family members and friendly faces to flash a smile for the camera. Take new photos to upload on your blog. A large part of successfully repurposing content is to ensure visuals are updated and look good.

Image via Burst by Matthew Henry

Odds are, the photos you take on your iPhone today are far superior to the flip phone photos you took for those early recipe posts. When you start repurposing content, get rid of outdated, poor quality photos and replace them with better, more visually appealing images to impress your readers and keep them entertained. Other visual additions like infographics and videos are also great options to add to posts when repurposing content.

The average visitor to your site will likely read only about 28% of the text. Understanding how your users read your posts proves that repurposing content as more visually friendly is the way to go.

BONUS TIP: Refreshing your graphics and incorporating high-quality visuals when repurposing content is also an effective way to re-optimize your posts for social media. Pinterest Pins are becoming simpler with more visual appeal. The same post can have a big resurgence by sharing a pretty new Pin.

Instagram is wildly popular as well and is completely visual-based. Make the most of your following by dressing up a quote from your post for ‘Stagram. Cross post on Facebook and other social media as well. Promote the heck out of your repurposed content.

If you want readers to like, share and tweet what you’ve got then now’s the time to snap, crackle and pop (you know what I mean).

4. Adjust Points of View to Reach New Audiences

Here’s the deal: It’s time to see other people.

No, no, we’re not breaking up with you! We still love you! We’re talking about expanding your blog audience!

As your blog grows over time and your voice as a blogger develops, so should your content. Repurpose old content to reach new readers by adjusting your angle on a topic or the language you used. A new approach will help you connect with new readers.

  Image via Unsplash by Priscilla Du Preez

Now, don’t change your voice. You’re perfect just the way you are. You should always write to, and for your people.

But consider this: let’s say you started your blog about city life in Chicago ten years ago. Since then you fell in love, had kids, and your single city blog has transformed into a mommy blog. You’re now a trusted resource for other mamas who need advice.

Your old post, “How to Navigate City Life Without a Car” is a great opportunity for repurposing content. Tweaking the post to “How to Navigate City Life on Foot with Kids” would appeal to your evolved audience with a few minor adjustments and updates. Repurposing content and molding the post into something different, but still similar, will maximize your benefits and attract your new readers.   

Repurposing content is, in many ways, simply reinventing content. There’s no need to start from scratch and add more posts to your already large blog when past content (with a little tender love and care) will do the trick. In this case, repurposing content allows bloggers the chance to try again and put in effort towards connecting with new blog audiences. If you’ve changed over the life of your blog, your readership may have changed too.

So… How Do You Know Which Blog Posts to Repurpose and Update?

This question is sometimes tough, but it really doesn’t need to be.

   Image via Unsplash by Brooke Lark

First of all, every blogger should check their ANALYTICS, repeat after me, an-a-lyt-ics. Nice! (Virtual high five!)

Your site’s analytics will paint the picture and tell you what topics and categories are performing well. This helps you decide which posts carry the highest potential for improvement success. An important part of repurposing content is checking with readers to give them more of what they want. How do you do this? Check out analytics to see which posts are getting the most love.

Repurposing content is an effective way to halt overproduction of posts on your blog and minimize clutter on the backend of your site. Updating posts will result in a cleaner, more organized blog. Quality content produces better search results and ta-dah, just like that, you’re ready to start killing the blog game in the new year!


If you’ve got a lot of content, and the thought of cleaning it up feels absolutely overwhelming, don’t worry—we’ve got your back. Your content cleanup starts by scheduling an SEO audit with us today and we can help you plan and tackle the rest.

content and seo audit cta button


Think of your SEO audit as the map to help you discover your current state of internet popularity. Your SEO audit tells you how your site is performing and helps you determine areas for improvement. We’ll pinpoint any issues and provide clear recommendations for ways to clean up your blog and repurpose content. Whether you’re a blogger, a business owner, or simply a person with a rad website and a dream, we’ll help you find your way!

Repurposing content is a necessity for all successful bloggers. If you’re still lost about where to begin but ready for a blog clean up and want to get your content in tip-top shape, schedule your personalized SEO audit with us today and we’ll walk you through the rest!

Colin_faviconIs it time to make real changes to the content on your blog? Are you in need of major help to increase website traffic? Do you have a thousand random questions about everything you read? No worries, we can’t wait to help you! Contact Posts by Ghost™ or leave a comment below!

One Response to Updating and Repurposing Content for a Cleaner Blog in 2019
  1. […] your website free of old, dead-weight content and have you done content clean-up […]


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