As a SaaS marketer, the demand for fresh, new content can seem relentless. But the good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch every time you publish a piece of content. Having a SaaS blog strategy and knowing how to update blog posts strategically can save you precious hours and give your old B2B SaaS content new life.
In this article, we’ll dive into how to select which posts to refresh, as well as the process of how to update old blog posts to boost the underperformers.
Updating your old blog posts: Why it’s important
Updating your blog posts has several benefits that will make your life easier as a SaaS marketer. Let’s explore 3 main advantages.
1. Less effort (and cost) than writing a new post on a new topic
Don’t just write your blog posts and then forget about them as soon as you hit ‘publish’. This churn-and-burn approach to content marketing is time-consuming and expensive. By learning how to update blog posts, you’ll ensure more of your prospects and customers see the content you produce, maximizing your marketing efforts.
2. Potential for higher search rankings
If you want your B2B SaaS content to land on the first page of Google’s search results, you’ll have better luck landing that coveted spot by boosting a blog post that already ranks, as opposed to publishing an entirely new post.
Do a content audit every quarter to see which of your posts are performing well, and which are lacking results. When you know which blog posts are the best candidates for improvement, you can optimize them for higher conversions rather than recreating the wheel.
3. Filling the content idea gap
Even the savviest SaaS marketers run dry of content ideas on occasion—so you’re not alone if your eyes glaze over when you try to frame the same topic in a new light for the 10th time in a row. Understanding how to generate topic ideas and how to update old blog posts when your tank is low are the keys to climbing out of a content rut.
How to update blog posts: the selection process
We’ve covered why updating blog posts is so important, but how exactly should you get started?
1. Identify keyword ranking issues
If you’re wondering how to update blog posts to increase organic traffic to your website, a good place to start is by checking to see how your posts are ranking for their primary keyword. If a post is performing well in search rankings (for example, in one of the top three spots), leave it alone. If you change the primary keyword at this stage in the game, you risk causing your post to drop in the rankings.
However, if your blog post isn’t ranking well for its primary keyword (for example, if it’s not on the first page of the search results), review your keyword research to find a better fit.
2. Focus on blog posts with backlinks
Knowing how to refresh blog posts goes beyond simply identifying posts that rank poorly for their primary keyword. Once you’ve gathered that initial list of posts, drill farther down by finding the blog posts that have garnered a few backlinks from other websites.
By focusing on both authority (backlinks) and relevance (keywords) in your optimization efforts, you’ll be able to hone in on the best posts to update to increase organic traffic to your website.
3. Look for posts with low click-through rates
If click-throughs from the search results to your blog posts are low, this signals room for improvement. Edit your meta description to make it more action-oriented and benefit-driven by highlighting what the reader will gain from clicking through to the content.
How to update old blog posts: top 5 tips
1. Review top ranking pages
Getting to know your competition is an essential part of learning how to update blog posts. Peek at the pages that rank in the top 3 spots for your primary keyword to see what those posts do well, then consider emulating those elements. This may include fleshing out your post so it’s more informative, or adding content where there are gaps that other posts cover, but yours doesn’t.
2. Add the year to the blog post title
Posts with the year in the title tend to have higher click-through rates because they indicate fresh, new content, which sparks readers’ interest. Don’t just stop there, though. Add “Updated March 2021:”, for example, to the beginning of your blog post body section to show readers (and Google) that the post has gotten a makeover.
Updating a blog post isn’t just slapping a new date on it. Ensure any statistics in the post are as current as possible, too.
3. Update the metadata
In addition to rewriting meta descriptions to drive higher conversions, you can also update the title tag of your blog post to make it more compelling. Wait to do this until you’ve reviewed the top-ranking pages for your primary keyword so you know what you’re up against.
4. Answer common questions
Understanding how to fresh blog posts involves tailoring your posts to deliver the information your readers want to know. Take inventory of common questions your B2B SaaS company receives on a topic, then aim to answer those questions in the blog post.
5. Double check backlinks
Be sure not to strip your blog posts of content that helped you garner backlinks in the first place. “Before rewriting your post, it’s best to check its backlink profile to see how it earned its existing links,” suggests Ahrefs.
6. Check the call to action
Ensure you’re using a call to action (CTA) that will resonate with your intended audience. To find out which ones work best, see 12 CTA examples from B2B SaaS companies like ServiceNow, Zendesk and Snowflake.
Stumped for blog post topics?
You’re now ready to update old blog posts like a pro. But, you’ll still have to create new B2B SaaS content regularly. Download Uplift’s content topic generator worksheet to make the ideation process a breeze.
