Go Green: Recycle Old Content

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

When content is piling up, the best way to save time and create traffic is to reuse old content in a new light.

Do you always create new content for every need? It may not be necessary if you have a stockpile of perfectly good content on reserve.

Content Management News reporter Heather Lloyd-Martin writes recycling old content is the perfect way to create traffic to pages and save time creating content. Lloyd-Martin provides seven tips for making your old content count:

1. Optimize old posts: Boost searches by optimizing them and updating the titles. This can be a fast way to drive new traffic.
2. Update a post with new information: Review old posts and add new information; remember things change quickly, so old information may need updates to become accurate and relevant.
3. Turn a blog post into a SlideShare presentation: Transform a blog post into a different type of material. Include a link to the original for users.
4. Turn a blog post into a podcast topic: Find a new outlook on an old topic. As Lloyd-Martin writes, “Can you interview a guest expert who shares a different point of view? Can you discuss another perspective? Give it a try and see.”
5. Pull tidbits from various blog posts and turn them into a FAQ guide: Readers may have questions, so instead of starting a FAQ post from scratch, use an old post and pull valuable information from it.
6. Add transcripts to podcasts or video presentations: Podcasts aren’t for everyone, so for those who would rather read than watch, create a transcript so those people can still gain value from your content.
7. Use old blog posts to create a “best of” post: Why not revisit the most popular posts of the year, or even the month? Creating a “best of” post allows readers who may have missed something to see the highlights.