When I switched my theme a couple of days ago, it required me to go back into a lot of posts and change the fonts and make other cosmetic adjustments. While I was editing the posts for aesthetic purposes I also decided to make some changes to the actual content. In some cases, I added some additional content to beef up some posts. In other cases, I added some internal links to other relevant posts. This got me thinking about how many bloggers actually go back and edit their older posts. Just like most blogging topic there are two schools of thought. You have your blogging purists who will say that you should never alter your archives. On the flip side, you have many bloggers who actually think it is a good idea. After some thought, I have concluded that it is a good idea and here are 3 reasons to support my opinion.
Add more information
When I blog, I write what’s on my mind and then I read it over and click submit. I do not anguish over the material or rewrite it dozens of times. With that being said, sometimes I leave out relevant material or come up with a better way to word something. If I can improve the quality of my post, why shouldn’t I do it? Sometimes you will also need to update some posts because of changes in technology. I have a feeling I will be updating a lot of the Twitter tool posts that I have written about recently.
Fix Links
It is a good rule of thumb to look for a fix broken links. If you have posts that link to broken pages that will be really annoying to your readers. It can also negatively affect your SEO. I use dead-links.com, it is very easy, all you do is put in your url and the script will tell you which links are dead.
Add links
Another reason to go back and update your posts is to make them more search friendly. You can target keywords and better optimize your post. You can also go back and add links to internal pages of your blog for specific keywords that you are targeting.
There you have it, 3 reasons why I think it is a good idea to update your posts.
What do you think, update or not update? Any more reasons why you think it is a good idea?
I have always wondered if it was a bad thing to update posts. I wondered this because I have seen some really well known bloggers write some posts with some very visible grammatical errors and they never changed them. I figured that Google didn’t like it if you edited posts. I guess I was wrong.
Thanks for the informative and useful post Dan!
.-= Doug Dillard´s last blog ..Lee Silber – Business Spotlight Interview =-.
There is one instance when I think it is imperative to change old blog posts. It is cosmetic but of utmost importance. I have been to a lot of blogs where they have changed the background color of the all the posts, but the font color is only changed in the new posts. This has rendered the older posts extremely difficult to read if not impossible! I am sure that those blogged would want their content still accessible, but just didn’t realize that there was a problem.
Other than that I think it is up to the blogger, and their own thoughts and feelings on the matter.
George,
My sons’ (10 years old) blog is http://bloggingboy.com
My daughters’ (6 years old) blog is http://blogginggirl.com
.-= Tycoon Blogger´s last blog ..Top 10 Blog Designs =-.
Hi Tycoon
You left a comment on my blog about your kids starting a blog for themselves. Please let me know of their blogs (domain) so that I can see what they are doing. Am interested in seeing if Tyron can do the same.
.-= George Serradinho´s last blog ..Newest WordPress Plugins 23/06 =-.
The longer you blog the more posts you have and the more difficult it gets to fix post links. the best bet is not to change themes too often!
Very interesting. I had not thought about this previously – but I’m with you, sounds like a good idea.
Perhaps we should have a once a month check of old posts.
Mina Irfan
http://www.theuniverseguru.com
One of the main reasons that I update blog posts (it may fall into your add more information category) is to provide better information for the what the page is getting searched for on google. I notice that sometimes I write something with a personal nature to it but it will rank high for some particular keyphrase but because its usefulness is lacking, it has a high bounce rate. Therefore, I go back and make it more useful for the keyphrase.
If you are updating old posts then I would really recommend abstaining from updating the url. I did this once and it took months for that post to return to its original position in google.
thanks for nice idea you’ve sharing us here. I always edited after publishing my post , as you know the nature of my work here but never go back to the oldest posts.
keep up the good work.
Seems like a great idea, never really thought of it like that. I guess if you have hundreds of posts, it would take some time to finish this process.
I guess changing themes is a greater deal than most of us think, I think most just upload the new theme and start editing the layout or install plugins.
.-= George Serradinho´s last blog ..Best posts ending 21 June 2009 =-.
I think the reason I enjoy your blog so much is the fact that you just write it and roll with it. Makes it easier and much more enjoyable for me to read.
I will also often go back to posts and rewrite things, add links, fix links, etc. Looks better on your site map also
.-= Extreme John@Extreme John Blogs and Business´s last blog ..Advertising Insight-Vehicle Wraps, Radio, Print and Billboard =-.
I’ve noticed that google likes updated blog posts. It seems to give them an added bump, even if it’s just an added paragraph.
.-= Mike´s last blog ..What I’m Drinking – Bernie’s Coffee And Tea Iced Mocha =-.
I’ve just checked my broken link yesterday with dead-links too, but it just provided a certain number of URL checking, and I got to pay for the full URL checking. Dan, do you have any other recommended tool that is free to use and get the full analysis?
I see that your comment font is kinda small, because sometimes I read what people comment to get more valuable ideas.
Regards,
Lee
.-= Make Money Online´s last blog ..Top Link Building Strategies – Bring Me To Top 10 Of “Make Money Online” =-.