Did you know that updating old website content and blog posts can be an incredibly effective SEO strategy? It’s time to revisit old blog posts and then update and promote them again. And the good news? This task does not require an extensive amount of time.

What is SEO and why is it important to my AEC website?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” According to searchengineland.com, it’s the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for AEC services in Google, Bing, and other search engines. The better visibility your pages have in search results, the more likely you are to garner attention and attract prospective and existing clients.

Searchengineland.com explains that search engines such as Google use bots to crawl pages on the web. The bots go from site to site, collecting information about those pages and putting them in an index. Think of the index like a giant library where a librarian can pull a book off a shelf (or a web page) to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

Next, algorithms analyze pages in the index and rank hundreds of factors to determine the order pages should appear in the search results for a given query. In our library analogy, the librarian has read every book in the library and can tell you exactly which one will have the answers to your questions.

Searchengineland.com has created a Periodic Table of SEO Factors that organizes the factors into six main categories and weights each based on its overall importance to SEO. The search algorithms are designed to identify relevant, authoritative pages and provide users with an efficient search experience. Optimizing your site and content with these factors in mind can help your pages rank higher in the search results.

Why is it so effective to update old content and articles?

There are several good reasons to update an old post or rewrite an existing project description on your site into new content:

1. The topic has been approved by your internal team
2. Research is already done
3. It’s higher quality because the updated content can go deeper into the topic
4. It’s easier to promote in social media because you understand the audience
5. The updated version will rank higher in searches because of the existing URL backlinks and authority

In other words, you’ll get better results with less effort.

Which content should you update?

There are two approaches to updating blog articles. One approach is minor and the other requires more attention. If you have a minimal amount of time, we recommend simply updating the headline and a few sections. If you can spend more time, we recommend a content rewrite.

1. Minimal Effort
   
   
   1. Create a new headline while using the same URL
   2. Review and update some sections
   3. Add a new section
   4. Add a few phrases for missed SEO keyword opportunities
   5. Make the content slightly longer

    

2. Maximum Effort
   
   
   1. Create a new headline while using the same URL
   2. Completely rewrite the content
   3. Update your research if applicable
   4. Create new images, visuals, videos, and graphics
   5. Try a fresh approach to SEO keyword usage
   6. Use SEO subtopics found in original content
   7. Create content that is double the original (or longer)

If you need help deciding if you want to put forth the maximum effort, answer these questions:

• Is there new information available on the topic or content?
• Do we have new examples to include?
• Are there better or updated visuals that could support the new information?
• Can we strategize to have our staff, vendors, consultants, client, contractors, etc. promote again?

How to promote updated AEC website content

Rewritten content can have advantages for promotion that initial content does not. There are specific content promotion tactics for every channel: search, social, email and promotion marketing.

1. SEO: The keyphrase research is already done. Now you can focus the new content on enhancing that original keyphrase research and take it to the next level.
2. Share: Whether it’s a project highlight, a service type rewrite, or an education-based blog article, don’t forget to share it through social media or email. Social media is high data but lower engagement. Email is low data but higher engagement.
3. “Influencer” Marketing for SEO and Collaboration: You may not think of your colleagues as “influencers” but they are. Ask internal staff to share the content in various ways. Outreach to these people should be easier this time around. You must ask for those you have targeted to share. Use these “influencers” in helping with the content refresh.

Commit to keeping your content current

It is very important to consistently add new information to your website and blog. New content puts new URLs and keywords into the world. But you’ll get additional and sometimes faster results by going back and keeping those top performing posts refreshed.

One final thought (and you’ll love us for it)

If you’re about to write a new article or new content, first check to see if you can recycle an old content piece.

Now go teach your old AEC blog and website new tricks!

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