I am going to guess that you write epic blog posts.
And then another.
And another.
And another.
Before you know it, your first epic posts are burried underneath all the other content you’ve created.
You keep creating new stuff to share with your audience, but what about your old posts?
In this article I am going to outline four simple ways you can get traffic to your past posts.
I’ll be honest: there isn’t anything groundbreaking or magical about these techiniques. But all four are tactics that should be a staple part of your blogging process.
Those epic posts deserve to get continuous traffic.
Your hard work deserves to be seen longer than the month you published it!
Here are four ways you can get traffic to old posts:
- Interlinking
- Navigation
- Email Sequences
Let’s start with interlinking because it is a simple habit every blogger should have.
Interlink new posts to old posts.
Interlinking is linking from one blog post to another – all on your site.
Internal links – links from one post or page on your website to another.
How does interlinking help your blog?
- Interlinking can help get exposure to more content. These internal links help your reader explore your blog, increasing pageviews and increasing your audience’s interest in your content.
- Interlinking helps with SEO. By linking to other related content, Google can better understand the context of your blog posts. Linking to other blog posts could potentially keep users on your site longer. This is good for you and good for SEO.
The posts that you interlink should be somewhat related to each other. Links should be inserted naturally in your paragraph and should benefit the reader.
The way you word your links is important!
Anchor text – The words used to create a hyperlink
Many bloggers default to linking “read more” or “click here”. While it is okay to do this sometimes, it is better to have relevant wording for the anchor text.
For example, say you have a blog post about a Cherry Cream Pie recipe.
Instead of saying “Click here to see more cherry recipes” (linking click here)
do this: “Try these other cherry recipes too!” (linking cherry recipes)
The anchor text in this example is relevant and keyword rich.
Do It!
- In the next post your publish, link to 1-2 older articles on your site. Make sure to use relevant, keyword rich text for the link.
- In your top 5 posts, go add 1-2 links to other articles as well!
Use your navigation menu to guide readers.
Interlinking within your blog posts is one way to guide traffic. Your blog’s navigation menu is another.
When was the last time you adjusted your blog’s navigation (aka menu)?
If you’re like me, it’s probably been a while.
The other day I was exploring my site’s behavior flow in Google Analytics.
You know, just what I do for “fun” after the kids go to bed and husband is playing Mario Odyssey.
I noticed that in my most popular post, the top pages people went to after were the links in my menu. Some clicked on the interlinks, but most people who continued browsing my site used the navigation menu.
Curious minds are going to click the links in your navigation bar.
What do you have there? Are you sending people where you want them to go?
The links in your navigation menu are important, but the content on those pages are even more important. If you’re like many bloggers, your navigation menu directs people to category pages. These category pages are a great way to get people to explore your content and past posts!
Are you sending them to past posts? Are you helping them find the good stuff? How are your category pages set up?
(pst… Don’t look at mine. They are currently horrible. I need to read my own advice on this one and change mine up. I’ll get on that.)
Genesis users – pro tip: You can add a little snippet at the top of the category section. It will look different in each child theme, but here’s what you do:
Go to posts > categories > edit > scroll to the box titled.
Here you can add a little introduction to the category. I recommend adding a URL your top 3 posts in this category. Tell them the top posts they need to check out.
You might even want to embed an email opt-in form.
You can also choose to change the default layout of your category page (depending on your theme). If you are not monetizing with ads, I recommend turning off your sidebar for category pages.
Do it!
- Go to Google Analytics and check out the behavior flow. Are people clicking on your menu?
- Update your navigation menu as needed to send people to the right places
- Evaluate your category pages. Can they be updated or tweaked to be improved?
Bonus tip: a link to your email opt-in is another great option to include in your navigation menu.
The last two recommendations are ways you can utilize existing traffic to get more views on old posts.
Let’s talk about ways to get people to your site.
Send new subscribers to old posts
Email is my favorite way to send my new subscribers to the best of the best, which includes a lot of my older posts!
A welcome sequence is usually a nurturing journey you take new subscribers on. The goal is to turn them into forever fans, build authority, and make sales.
Some email welcome sequences have a goal to sell a product. It doesn’t always make sense for these people to be going to past posts. In this case, I save the sequence with my best content for AFTER the pitch welcome series.
Here’s an example of how it works for my start a blog content. When someone signs up for my free course, my start checklist, or niche guide, they go through a nurture/sales sequence. Once they finish that sequence, they enter into the Start Series, which is a 6-week series sending them to past posts.
Some people refer to this as an evergreen newsletter.
This lets my new subscribers go through a journey with me. They are not receiving my current emails. They only receive an email from the sequence a week. This sequence helps me to consistently send people to past posts that will be helpful for them where they are.
Tips for sending subscribers to past posts.
In the email, address your audience’s pain points and why they need to read the post. Your job in the email is to sell the benefits of the post. If there is a content upgrade in the post, give it to them in this email. They’ll love you for it.
Try not to list too many posts in one email. If there is a theme, that’s okay to send them to a few in one email. But try to use the mindset: one email, one goal.
A note: since you are sending traffic to these old posts, you’ll want to make sure they’re up to date. 🙂
Do It!
- Think about the journey you want to send your new subscribers on.
- Make a list of your past posts you can use for this journey.
- Create a welcome sequence in your email account. Here’s how to do it in Convertkit (affiliate link).
Pin Old Posts on Pinterest.
The last way you can get people to older posts is Pinterest.
Yes, Pinterest.
There are two ways you can get traffic from Pinterest:
The first way is to see a quick spike or influx of traffic when you post “fresh” content on Pinterest.
Pinterest magic (aka significant traffic, slightly more consistent) happens when you start ranking in Search and Related Pins.
This quote from Pinterest perfectly explains the two ways you can get traffic to old posts:
“Your ideas live on and on . Pins are evergreen, and provide value long after the day they’re posted. Some people (like your followers) will see Pins right after you post them. Other people might find your content months, or even years later.”
–https://business.pinterest.com/en/creators
If you want to see a quick pick up to an old post, the best way is to design a new Pin or two and save it to your Pinterest account.
Or if it’s been long enough, you can save a Pin you’ve shared before on Pinterest. Maybe to a new board this time or to the same one.
Your followers do see the Pins you save. As marketers, we tend to follow a lot of accounts. The average Pinner follows less than 200 people. Their home feeds are a lot different than ours.
They will most likely see your Pins in their home feed. If they go over to their following feed, they’ll see your Pins there too!
That’s why it is essential to save at prime times.
Tailwind can help you figure that out, or my Insights + Stats course will help you dig into your analytics to see what time of day people are coming from Pinterest.
In addition to saving your Pins at prime times, make sure to save them to relevant boards and write actionable, relevant descriptions. This will help Pinterest serve your content to more than just your follower
Do It!
- Each month, pick your favorite posts from previous years.
- Design a new image or two.
- Save to Pinterest at prime time, to the most relevant board.
We didn’t talk about Google.
Google search traffic would bring this post to 5 ways to get traffic to old blog posts.
Google is a great way to get traffic to older posts.
It is THE way, in fact.
But it’s a long term game, and you won’t see as quick results, which is why I didn’t include it in this list. If you’re interested in learning more about SEO, watch Mike’s 6-day video training: SEO Starter Pack (affiliate link)
Eventually, I hope you are getting consistent search traffic to all of your posts.
Until then (and while you work on your SEO foundation), try the four tips above.
Put those epic posts to work.
Stop letting your old posts collect cobwebs and dust.
Spruce up your navigation menu and make sure you’re sending people where you want them to go.
Send your new subscribers to past blog posts through a welcome sequence.
Design new Pins for your old posts.
Get in the habit of interlinking your articles.
Go rock it!
Get people to see your old stuff.
Your blogging tips are very helpful to me as a starter to study about the blogging in details thank you for such a helpful tips.Thanks for your valuable tips .let me try my best for improving my blogging for achieve the best for my business .
H,i
thank you for bringing this important article. Often our old blog posts are ignored. One of the best ways to generate traffic is to share old posts on Facebook and Twitter again, without Pinterest. Additionally, we can share those articles with our email subscribers and mailing lists as well.
You’re welcome! Great reminder to reshare them with our email list too!
Hello Kristie, thanks for bringing up this important topic. Often our old blog posts get neglected. One of the great way to generate traffic is to share old posts in facebook and twitter as well, other than pinterest of course. In addition to that we can share those articles to our email subscribers and messenger list as well.
You have shared the complete cycle of writing a blog in the right way.
Thank you for writing such a in depth on this subject . You are doing a great job .
Well written. Brian dean wrote something similar to this on backlinko and I guess he was right after all
Brian’s one smart guy!
Hi !
Thank you for your post, it is really useful for me. Because now I am trying to restart my blog and I am looking for a new strategy how to do it.
By the way, I want to notice that you have a really nice design of your page. It is really important for your readers I guess.
Thank you and waiting for your new posts