Blogging has been around for a while now and some of us have got quite a few years of experience to brag about. That experience also translates in tons of old blog posts, sometimes even distributed amongst various (dormant) blogs.
I’m in the process of revamping a dormant blog to see if I can bring it back to life. Since I changed the theme, I have to go through all blog posts to make sure they in the intended style and format. In doing so, I’ve reread many of my older posts and I’ve noticed three interesting changes:
1. My writing has improved
In my old posts, I see mistakes I seldom make anymore. I’ve definitely tightened my writing (I seemed to be quite fond of the word ‘very’…disturbingly so), have become more aware of weaknesses of mine like comma splices and the correct use of the em-dash for instance.
2. My opinions have changed
It’s funny to read older posts and realize that I’ve changed my mind on some topics. Sometimes it’s a matter of becoming more nuanced—a natural result of growing older I think. But sometimes it’s also about simply learning, about gaining more experience and thus coming to a different conclusion. And I have to admit: I’m also not immune to the cultural changes. On certain controversial topics, the cultural wind had changed and this has influenced me for sure.
3. My tone has become milder
It was interesting to notice that I write in a different tone now. When I started blogging, I was a fan of the ‘this is how to do it’ style. That could get a little in your face at times and it bordered on being too preachy. I’ve become milder, more conversational—a change for the better in my humble opinion.
I’ve also stepped back from writing merely ‘list posts’, like ‘4 Reasons why you should do this’ or ‘The 6 benefits of doing that’. I still do them every now and then, but mixed in with other types of posts. The fact that I got most comments and social media activities on posts I’d consider ‘encouraging’ in tone says how much others appreciate this as well.
Is rewriting worth it?
But rereading my older posts has made me wonder of I should rewrite them. Is rewriting old blog posts worth it? It’s a considerable time and effort obviously, depending on how many posts we’re talking about.
Here are three questions to consider:
- Is your blog your ‘showcase’? If you’re an aspiring author for instance and your blog is your main platform, it’s a different ball game than if you’re merely blogging for fun.
- Are your older posts getting any traffic? If no one reads then, why bother?
- Are the changes you’d need to make small or considerable? There’s a big gap between a quick grammar-edit and rewriting entire posts.
In my case, I’ve decided to rewrite most of them since I have to manually add featured images anyway. I’m going through the posts that get traffic first and then I’ll head over to the rest. For most of them, it’s a matter of editing on grammar, but I’ve done some major rewriting on a few as well. It’s time consuming, absolutely, but for me, it’s worth it. But then again, I’m one of those type A perfectionists 🙂
Have you ever rewritten old blog posts? What were your considerations?
Rachel Miedema
Rachel is a full-time writer and former youth pastor who devours books. She loves Star Wars, has a weakness for Belgian chocolate, hears the mountains call all the time, and is a walking encyclopedia of completely random facts. Seriously, just ask her.
You have valid points.
My grammar is way better than when I first started my blog. I read an article I wrote on tattoos and cringed (since I have three tattoos and always have to refer people to it when they want to start a theological argument).
I should totally consider re-writing my old posts, problem is – I barely have completed my newer ones and revising the old ones seems like a lot of work.
I get what you mean. My advice: start with the posts that still get traffic. Do those first, then do one or two old posts a day in descending order of traffic (and skip the ones that barely get any views – or simple delete them). It may take you a while, but you’ll get there. Plus, I’ve found that rewriting old posts brings inspiration for new topics as well 🙂
This is a great test, Rachel. I may have to refer to this again! 😀
Thanks!
What a great question! I’ve wondered the same thing about some of my old writing. I go back and am embarrassed sometimes.
Yup, I know that feeling. It was one of the reasons for rewriting some old post that still get traffic.
I’ve been re reading some old posts, oh my the writing is terrible. It really shows how my style has changed! Still not sure I’ll go back and rewrite them all though? Is it really worth it?
I know that feeling…I can’t answer that question for you, but I think it depends on how serious your blog as a platform is to you. I’m lacking the time right now, but I am determined to rewrite all my old posts and even ditch those that no longer fit who I am and what I believe. Time consuming, yes, but ultimately worth it to build a solid platform and reputation…
Ah yes, it’s the old issue of time really I guess. Maybe the best way is to look at and redo one a week, luckily I don’t have too many!
Did you ever find your opinions in old blog posts wrong? Like completely different from what you think now? Did you confess it to your readers? 🙂
Thank you for sharing the experience!
Ha! Great question. Yes, that has happened a few times. Sometimes I’ve simply deleted the post, but on other topics I’ve come right out to admit I’d changed my mind. For me, it depends on whether or not I deem the topic important enough.
Interesting to know! I personally think that it takes a lot of courage to admit that you changed your mind. But it is also definitely a sign of respect to your audience. Thank you for an honest answer, Rachel!
I often rewrite the old post, then create a new blog for it, then post, then delete the old one, then redirect the old link to the new link. Does this affect SEO?
Yeah, it does, both to your site as a whole and to that particular post. Search engines see it as a new post, so it will not get much traffic. If the post you deleted or re-linked got a lot of traffic, it will negatively impact your site’s SEO as well. In that case, you’d be better off updating the old article and keeping the same URL.