Hey there, WordPress blogger! Let me guess – you put a ton of time and effort into writing an amazing post, but after a few days…crickets.
It‘s a common problem. In fact, the average blog post only gets 4 measly hours of attention before it‘s pushed down the homepage and forgotten.
But here‘s the good news: your old posts are a gold mine of untapped traffic. With a little strategic promotion, you can get those posts in front of new eyeballs and skyrocket your pageviews.
Ready to learn how? Let‘s dive into 8 proven methods to promote old posts in WordPress and attract more readers:
1. Resurrect Old Posts on Social Media
Sharing your post on social media is a great initial burst of traffic. But one and done isn‘t going to cut it. To get more mileage out of your old posts, you need to re-share them on a consistent basis.
Now I know what you‘re thinking: won‘t people get annoyed if I keep sharing the same posts? Here‘s the thing – the average tweet only has a lifespan of 18 minutes. On Facebook, organic reach is as low as 5.2%. In other words, most of your followers never saw your post the first time around.
Resharing old posts lets you reach new followers and capitalizes on the social media algorithms. In fact, research from Buzzsumo found that resharing old content can boost engagement by up to 686%!
To make post resharing a breeze, I recommend using a WordPress plugin like Revive Old Posts or Recurpost. These tools let you set up automated posting schedules so your old content is shared on repeat.
For best results:
- Focus on evergreen content that will always be relevant
- Space out shares every 30-60 days to avoid repetition
- Customize the caption each time to add variety
- Mix up the platforms and post times to reach new segments of your audience
2. Highlight Related Posts to Keep Readers Engaged
When a reader lands on your post, you have their attention – so make the most of it! Showcasing related posts is a highly effective way to pique their interest and pull them deeper into your site.
The basic idea is simple: display 2-4 posts that are closely related to the current post. This could be based on:
- Category or tag
- Keyword or topic
- Author
The key is relevance. You want to surface the most valuable content that aligns with what the reader is already interested in.
WordPress Related Posts plugins like Contextual Related Posts and Yuzo take the guesswork out by automatically populating related posts based on your criteria.
Some tips to make your related posts section pop:
- Use eye-catching images to draw attention
- Experiment with different locations like below the post, in the sidebar, or as an exit popup
- Pull in post engagement metrics like views or comments to add social proof
- Customize the headline to intrigue readers and set expectations
When done right, related posts can have a huge impact. The Yuzo plugin claims sites using their tool have increased time on site by 60% and dropped bounce rates by 10% – not too shabby!
3. Showcase Your Greatest Hits with Popular Posts
Think about the websites you visit regularly – chances are they have some form of "popular posts" or "trending articles" section. There‘s a reason for that: it works!
Highlighting your most popular content serves two important purposes:
- It demonstrates the value and credibility of your blog to new visitors
- It encourages visitors to view multiple posts in a single session
WordPress makes it super simple to add popular posts with plugins like WordPress Popular Posts and MonsterInsights. These tools automatically track your most visited posts over a set time period and display them prominently across your site.
The beautiful thing about popular posts is they act as a positive feedback loop. The more a post is viewed, the more exposure it gets, leading to even more views over time.
Here are some ways you can maximize the impact of your popular posts:
- Include them on your homepage and/or in your menu for maximum visibility
- Show off view counts to add social proof
- Split popular posts by timeframe (e.g. week, month, all-time) to keep things fresh
- Add them to your 404 page to salvage lost visitor sessions
4. Optimize Your 404 Page to Retain Lost Visitors
Speaking of 404 pages – are you letting yours go to waste? The average website has a 404 error rate between 5-15%. That means up to 15 out of every 100 visitors are landing on a dead end.
But with a few simple tweaks, you can turn your 404 page into a powerful tool to engage lost visitors and promote old posts.
Start by customizing your 404 page with tools like the 404page plugin. This lets you easily create a branded 404 page that fits your site without touching any code.
Next, add elements to help visitors find what they‘re looking for and discover your best content. This could include:
- A search bar
- Links to your homepage, archives, and top categories
- Your most popular posts
- Opt-in to your email list
Check out this example of a high-converting 404 page from Backlinko:
[Embed 404 page example image or screenshot]See how it‘s designed to capture the visitor‘s attention and funnel them to the site‘s top content and resources?
The goal is to minimize frustration and turn a lost visitor into an engaged reader. Even a small improvement in your 404 page can translate into dozens of "saved" visitors each month.
5. Upgrade Your WordPress Search to Help Visitors Discover Old Posts
Be honest: how often do you use the search function on a website? If you‘re like most people, probably not very often. And there‘s a good reason for that – the default WordPress search leaves a lot to be desired.
The out-of-the-box WordPress search matches posts based on exact keywords only and sorts results by date. That means the most relevant old posts rarely surface. It also lacks customization options to prioritize certain content or add enhanced results.
But with a WordPress search plugin like Relevanssi or SearchWP, you can transform your search function into a powerful discovery tool. These plugins add advanced features like:
- Fuzzy matching to account for synonyms, partial keywords, and typos
- Search results sorted by relevance
- Custom field searching
- The ability to pin or boost important posts
- Built-in analytics to see what visitors are searching for
One case study found that websites using Relevanssi saw a 125% increase in search usage compared to the default WordPress search. By making your search more user-friendly, you encourage visitors to use it – and when they do, you can ensure your most valuable old posts are front and center.
6. Build a Better Archives Page for Easy Content Discovery
When was the last time you clicked on a website‘s archives page? I‘m guessing it‘s been a while – if ever.
The standard WordPress archives is pretty lackluster. It‘s essentially an endless list of posts sorted by publish date. No context, no organization, just a wall of links.
But when done right, your archives page can be a major asset to promote old posts and help visitors quickly find the content they‘re looking for.
The key is to treat it like a hub page designed to funnel traffic to your best work. This means adding organizational elements like:
- Categories and tags
- Popular posts
- Favorite posts or editor‘s picks
- A search bar
- Descriptive copy to establish your expertise
If you really want to get fancy, you can even break your archives down by content type like Hubspot does:
[Embed Hubspot archives page example]Creating a custom archives page is easy with a WordPress page builder like Elementor or Beaver Builder. Both offer pre-built templates you can customize to fit your needs.
Once your shiny new archives page is ready, make sure to link to it prominently in your navigation menu. You want visitors to be able to access it from anywhere on your site.
7. Turn Your Old Posts Into "New" Content with Historical Optimization
Pop quiz: what‘s the most important Google ranking factor?
It‘s not backlinks, keywords or domain authority – it‘s content freshness. Google heavily favors pages that are new and updated frequently. In fact, one case study found that simply updating an old post with new information boosted organic traffic by 113%!
But before you rush off to overhaul every old post on your site, let me introduce you to the concept of historical optimization. Made popular by the blog Animalz, historical optimization involves strategically updating old content for maximum SEO impact.
The process works like this:
- Identify high-potential posts that are underperforming or losing traffic
- Use Google Search Console, Google Analytics and SEO tools like Ahrefs to analyze keywords, user engagement and competition
- Update the post with new information, screenshots, links and keywords
- Optimize the title tag, meta description, headers and images
- Repost the updated content as new
That last step is key for snagging one of those coveted top spots on Google. The combination of fresh content and an already-established URL is like catnip for the search algorithms.
If you‘re not sure where to start, check out the Revive Old Posts plugin. It helps you quickly identify posts that need some TLC and walks you through the process of optimizing them for search.
8. Leverage Internal Links to Boost Old Posts
Pop quiz: how many tabs do you have open right now?
I‘m betting it‘s a lot. The reality is, most people don‘t consume content in a linear fashion anymore. We jump from one shiny link to the next, following our curiosity wherever it takes us.
As a content creator, you can use this natural behavior to your advantage by strategically linking to old posts within your new content.
Here‘s how it works:
Let‘s say you just published a killer guide to email marketing. Within that guide, you mention the importance of growing your email list.
Rather than just glossing over that point, you could add a link to a related old post like "10 Creative Ways to Rapidly Grow Your Email List". Bam! You just turned a one-off mention into a gateway to more of your content.
Not only does internal linking keep visitors on your site longer, it spreads "link juice" to your old posts. This gives them an SEO boost and helps them rank for relevant keywords.
To maximize the benefits of internal linking, follow these best practices:
- Focus on linking to relevant, high-quality posts
- Use keyword-rich anchor text
- Add links naturally – don‘t force them
- Link to authoritative posts to demonstrate topical expertise
- Regularly audit and update internal links as your content grows
If you want to save time, the Link Whisper plugin can help automate the process. It scans your content and suggests relevant internal link opportunities.
Bonus Tip: Repurpose Content to Reach New Audiences
Want to squeeze even more juice out of your old posts? Try repurposing them into different formats to expand your reach.
The idea is simple: adapt an old blog post into a new content type like a video, podcast episode, infographic or lead magnet. This allows you to tap into new audiences and get your best content in front of more eyeballs.
For example, let‘s say you have an in-depth how-to post on setting up a WordPress site. You could:
- Turn it into a step-by-step video tutorial and post it on YouTube
- Pull out the key points into tweet-able graphics for social media
- Expand on each step in a downloadable ebook or resource guide
- Repackage the audio as a podcast episode
Repurposing content works so well because it caters to different learning styles and content preferences. Some people are readers, others are listeners, others prefer visuals – when you offer your content in multiple formats, you multiply your potential reach.
It also has the added benefit of making you appear "everywhere" – a video here, an infographic there. This builds credibility and positions you as a true expert in your niche.
Promote Old Posts Consistently to Keep Your Content Alive
I know this was a lot to take in – but here‘s the most important thing to remember:
When it comes to promoting old posts, consistency is key.
It‘s not a one-and-done proposition. To see a real impact on your traffic, you need to weave these strategies into your regular workflow.
Schedule time each week to optimize old content, build internal links, and share posts on social media. Make promotion a habit, not an afterthought.
Trust me, the cumulative effects are game-changing. Each small action builds on the last, compounding into meaningful traffic growth over time.
So go ahead, brush the cobwebs off those old posts and give them the attention they deserve. You (and your pageviews) will be glad you did.
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