How to Reoptimise Underperforming Blog Posts: A Comprehensive Guide
How to Reoptimize Underperforming Blog Posts: A Comprehensive Guide
Are you struggling with low traffic and engagement on your blog? You’re not alone. Many bloggers face the same problem, but the good news is that you can turn things around by reoptimising underperforming blog posts.
In this article, we’ll explore the steps you need to take to give your content a much-needed boost.
Why Reoptimise Underperforming Blog Posts?
Reoptimising your content can help you:
- Improve organic search rankings
- Increase website traffic
- Boost user engagement
- Enhance your brand’s credibility
Let’s dive in and discover the step-by-step process of reoptimising your blog posts.
Step 1: Identify Underperforming Blog Posts
First, you need to determine which blog posts are underperforming. To do this, use a web analytics tool, such as Google Analytics, to assess:
- Pageviews
- Bounce rate
- Average time on page
- Conversion rate
Low-Hanging Fruit Approach
To maximise your time and effort, focus on content that’s almost performing well, but could use a little push to rank higher. These are your “low-hanging fruit” – blog posts that are ranking on the second or third page of search results.
Step 2: Analyse the Content
After identifying the underperforming posts, you need to figure out why they’re not doing well. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the content outdated?
- Are there any broken links or images?
- Is the content well-structured and easy to read?
- Does the post have a clear, engaging title?
Additionally, use SEO tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to perform a content gap analysis. This will help you identify any missing keywords, topics, or concepts that you should address in the blog post.
Step 3: Update the Content
Now that you know what needs to be fixed, it’s time to update your underperforming blog posts. Here are some suggestions:
Refresh Outdated Information
Ensure your content is up-to-date by adding the latest statistics, trends, or research findings. Also, remove or replace outdated references, tools, or resources.
Fix Broken Links and Images
Broken links and images can harm user experience and your search engine ranking. Check for and fix any broken links or images in your content.
Improve Readability
Make your content more readable by:
- Using short paragraphs
- Adding subheadings
- Incorporating bullet points or numbered lists
- Including relevant images or videos
Optimise Your Title
Craft an engaging, keyword-rich title that clearly communicates the main topic of your blog post. This will help both users and search engines understand the content.
Step 4: Optimise for SEO
Once your content is updated, you need to ensure it’s properly optimised for search engines. Here are some key areas to focus on:
Target Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific keyword phrases that are easier to rank for than generic keywords. Use keyword research tools to identify relevant long-tail keywords and incorporate them into your content naturally.
Optimise Your Meta Description
A compelling meta description can increase click-through rates from search results. Write a concise, informative meta description that accurately reflects the content of your blog post and includes your target keywords.
Use Header Tags
Use header tags (H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content and help search engines understand the hierarchy of your information.
Optimise Images
Images can play a significant role in enhancing user experience and SEO. To optimise your images:
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names
- Add relevant alt text to each image
- Compress images to reduce page load time
Internal and External Linking
Improve your blog post’s SEO by including relevant internal links to other pages on your website and external links to authoritative sources. This will help search engines better understand your content and improve user experience.
Step 5: Promote Your Updated Content
After updating and optimising your blog post, it’s time to promote it. Share the updated content on your social media channels, email newsletters, and any relevant online communities or forums. This will help drive traffic to your improved blog post and increase its visibility.
Step 6: Monitor Performance
Finally, keep an eye on the performance of your reoptimised blog posts. Use Google Analytics or other web analytics tools to track metrics such as:
- Organic search traffic
- Pageviews
- Bounce rate
- Time on page
- Conversions
If you see improvements in these areas, you’ll know your reoptimisation efforts have been successful. If not, you may need to revisit your content and make further adjustments.
Reasons Why Blog Posts Underperform
Poorly Written Content
One of the most common reasons why blog posts underperform is poorly written content. If your content is riddled with grammatical errors, typos, and awkward phrasing, it can be challenging for your readers to engage with your content. Poorly written content can also negatively impact your website’s SEO and make it harder for your blog to rank on search engines.
Actionable tip: Use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to check your content for grammar and spelling errors. Read your content out loud to catch awkward phrasing and ensure it flows naturally.
Lack of Originality
Another reason why some blog posts underperform is a lack of originality. If your content is generic and doesn’t offer anything new or unique, readers won’t have a reason to engage with it. Your blog posts should provide valuable insights, actionable tips, or a fresh perspective on a topic to capture your readers’ attention and stand out from your competitors.
Actionable tip: Research your topic thoroughly and provide a unique angle that hasn’t been explored before. Use data, case studies, or personal experiences to provide a fresh perspective on the subject.
Poor Headlines
Your blog post’s headline is the first thing readers see, and if it doesn’t capture their attention, they won’t bother to read your content. Poor headlines can be too generic, too long, or too dull, making it hard for your content to stand out in a crowded online space. Your headline should be compelling, attention-grabbing, and accurately reflect the content of your post.
Actionable tip: Use headline analyser tools like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer or Sharethrough’s Headline Analyser to test different variations of your headline and identify the most engaging one.
Inadequate Formatting
Formatting is crucial in making your content easy to read and digest. If your blog post is a wall of text without any subheadings, bullet points, or images, it can be overwhelming for your readers to navigate. Inadequate formatting can also impact your website’s SEO and make it harder for your blog to rank on search engines.
Actionable tip: Use subheadings, bullet points, and images to break up your content and make it easy to scan. Use short paragraphs, and ensure your font size and style are easy to read.
Poor Promotion
Even if your blog post is well-written, original, and has a catchy headline, it won’t perform well if no one knows it exists. Poor promotion can be a significant reason why some blog posts underperform. If you don’t promote your content through social media, email marketing, or other channels, it can be challenging for your readers to find it.
Actionable tip: Develop a promotion strategy for each blog post, including social media posts, email newsletters, and outreach to influencers or other websites in your niche. Use tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Mailchimp to automate your promotion efforts.
Irrelevant or Outdated Content
If your blog post is irrelevant or outdated, it can also lead to low engagement and traffic. Your readers expect your content to be up-to-date, relevant, and helpful to their current needs and interests. If your content doesn’t meet their expectations, they won’t bother to engage with it.
Actionable tip: Keep up with the latest trends and developments in your niche and ensure your content stays relevant to your audience’s needs. Update your old blog posts with new information, and remove or redirect outdated content.
Poor User Experience
Finally, poor user experience can also be a reason why some blog posts underperform. If your website is slow to load, has too many pop-ups or ads, or is hard to navigate, it can be challenging for your readers to engage with your content. Poor user experience can also impact your website’s SEO and make it harder for your blog to rank on search engines.
Actionable tip: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test your website’s speed and identify ways to improve it. Limit the number of pop-ups and ads on your website, and ensure your website’s navigation is intuitive and easy to use.
How to Improve Underperforming Blog Posts
Now that we’ve explored the reasons behind low-performing blog posts, let’s dive into how to improve them. Here are some practical tips to help you improve your content’s performance:
Update and Repurpose Old Blog Posts
If you have old blog posts that are no longer relevant or underperforming, consider updating and repurposing them. You can add new information, update statistics, or include new examples to make your content more valuable to your readers. You can also repurpose your old blog posts into different formats, such as videos, infographics, or podcasts, to reach a new audience.
Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research is essential to ensure your blog post ranks well on search engines and reaches your target audience. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them into your content. However, avoid keyword stuffing and ensure your content is still readable and valuable to your readers.
Use Eye-catching Images
Images can make your blog post more engaging and visually appealing. Use high-quality images that relate to your content and capture your readers’ attention. You can use free stock photo websites like Unsplash or Canva to create custom images for your blog post.
Use Clear and Concise Language
Clear and concise language makes your content easy to read and understand. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your readers might not be familiar with. Use simple language and avoid long-winded sentences or paragraphs.
Use Internal and External Links
Internal and external links can improve your blog post’s SEO and provide additional value to your readers. Use internal links to link to relevant blog posts on your website, and use external links to link to high-quality sources that support your content.
Promote Your Blog Post
Promotion is essential to ensure your blog post reaches your target audience. Use social media, email marketing, or other channels to promote your content. You can also reach out to influencers or other websites in your niche and ask them to share your content with their followers.
Conclusion
Reoptimising underperforming blog posts is an essential part of maintaining a successful content strategy. By following these steps, you’ll be able to breathe new life into your blog, improve user experience, and increase your website traffic.
Remember, content optimisation is an ongoing process, so stay vigilant and continue making adjustments to ensure your blog remains relevant and engaging for your audience.
20 Frequent Q&A About Underperforming Blog Posts
What is an underperforming blog post?
An underperforming blog post is one that doesn’t receive as much traffic or engagement as you would expect. This could mean low page views, low time on page, or low engagement metrics like comments or social media shares.
Why do blog posts underperform?
Blog posts can underperform for many reasons, such as poor content quality, a lack of promotion, low search engine visibility, or poor formatting.
How do I know if a blog post is underperforming?
You can tell if a blog post is underperforming by looking at its analytics. Check the page views, time on page, bounce rate, and engagement metrics. If the numbers are lower than usual or lower than other blog posts on your site, it’s likely underperforming.
What should I do if a blog post is underperforming?
If a blog post is underperforming, try to identify the reasons why and make improvements. This could mean updating the content, improving the formatting, promoting it more, or improving the search engine optimisation (SEO).
Can I delete underperforming blog posts?
You can delete underperforming blog posts, but it’s not always the best solution. Sometimes, it’s better to update or repurpose the content instead of deleting it entirely. Also, deleting blog posts can hurt your search engine rankings and traffic.
How often should I update underperforming blog posts?
It’s a good idea to update your blog posts regularly, especially the underperforming ones. Aim to update them at least once a year or when there are significant changes in the topic.
What are some common reasons why blog posts underperform?
Common reasons why blog posts underperform include poor content quality, a lack of promotion, low search engine visibility, poor formatting, and targeting the wrong audience.
How can I improve the content quality of underperforming blog posts?
To improve the content quality of underperforming blog posts, consider adding more details, updating the information, adding visuals or multimedia, and improving the writing style.
How can I improve the promotion of underperforming blog posts?
To improve the promotion of underperforming blog posts, consider sharing them on social media, emailing them to your subscribers, promoting them through paid ads, or collaborating with other bloggers to promote each other’s content.
How can I improve the search engine visibility of underperforming blog posts?
To improve the search engine visibility of underperforming blog posts, consider updating the content with more targeted keywords, improving the meta tags and descriptions, and building more links to the post.
How can I improve the formatting of underperforming blog posts?
To improve the formatting of underperforming blog posts, consider breaking up the text into smaller paragraphs, using headings and subheadings, adding bullet points and lists, and using images and other multimedia.
How can I target the right audience with my blog posts?
To target the right audience with your blog posts, consider defining your target audience and creating content that is tailored to their needs and interests. Use language that they can relate to and promote the content in the places where they are most likely to see it.
Should I focus on evergreen or trending topics to avoid underperforming blog posts?
Both evergreen and trending topics can be effective for blog posts, but it depends on your goals and your audience. Evergreen topics are always relevant, while trending topics can be timely and generate a lot of interest quickly. Consider your audience and what they are most interested in.
How can I repurpose underperforming blog posts?
To repurpose underperforming blog posts, consider turning them into a video or podcast episode, creating an infographic or slideshow, or breaking the content into smaller pieces to share on social media.
How important is the headline in preventing underperforming blog posts?
The headline is essential in preventing underperforming blog posts as it’s the first thing that readers see. A compelling headline can attract readers and encourage them to click through to the post.
How can I make my blog posts more engaging?
To make your blog posts more engaging, consider using storytelling, including personal experiences, using visuals, encouraging comments and social shares, and asking questions.
Should I write shorter or longer blog posts to prevent underperformance?
The length of blog posts depends on your audience and topic. Shorter blog posts can be more digestible, while longer blog posts can offer more depth and detail. Consider your audience and what they are looking for in terms of content.
Is guest posting a good strategy to prevent underperforming blog posts?
Guest posting can be a good strategy to prevent underperforming blog posts as it can help you reach a new audience and build backlinks to your site. However, it’s important to choose reputable and relevant websites to guest post on.
How can I measure the success of my blog posts to prevent underperformance?
To measure the success of your blog posts, track the analytics and engagement metrics. Look at the page views, time on page, bounce rate, and social shares. You can also set goals for each post and measure your progress towards those goals.
How can I prevent underperforming blog posts in the future?
To prevent underperforming blog posts in the future, consider doing market research, defining your target audience, creating high-quality content, promoting it effectively, and continually improving and updating your blog posts.
Conclusion
Underperforming blog posts can be frustrating, but there are many things you can do to improve them. By identifying the reasons why they’re underperforming and making improvements, you can attract more readers, increase engagement, and ultimately achieve your blogging goals.
Use the tips and strategies we’ve outlined in this article to help prevent underperforming blog posts and keep your content performing at its best.
