It is always a bloggers wish to increase website traffic.  But, do you ever worry that you are going to write an epic post, publish it, and then fear it will be forgotten in a few months time?  Each post you write is building up the content on your site, and posts written weeks, months or even years later can still add benefits to your overall blog.  You may even find that you have one or two old posts that consistently drive traffic to your blog, and if you capitalize on this, you can keep it that way!  

So how do you increase website traffic to old blog posts? 

1.Make use of categories

Do you have a categories widget in your sidebar?  A categories widget will simply display all your own posts nicely organised into ‘categories’.  You can increase website traffic simply by encouraging your readers to take a peek at what else you have done.  The easier you make it for people, the more click through you will receive.   You can choose how to display the categories list, but provided that it is there, you can instantly increase website traffic to those old blog posts that may otherwise have been hidden deep down in your list of pages.  Be sure however that you categorize your posts effectively to begin with!

2. Interlink your posts

We have discussed how link building benefits your blog, and this is a great tool to use when trying to increase traffic to your old blog posts.  Each time you post, you should be optimizing it so that it has the greatest chance possible to increase website traffic.  If you have optimized your post well, the search engines will be able to find your content.

As you continue to post new material on your blog, be sure that you are linking to your old posts.  If you choose your anchor text wisely, this will encourage readers to click on the link and read further information.  This will not only please your readers due to the great amount of information you have given them, but it is also great for SEO and conversion rates too.

3. Use a related post plugin

Another little trick to increase website traffic to older posts is to add a plugin that shows related posts.  This means you don’t have to add the related posts manually, but the plugin automatically chooses them for you.  It will encourage readers to click on other relevant posts and again helps with conversion rates.  I have been using IGIT Related Posts on my blogs which I like as it offers a thumbnail as well as the post title.  There are many plugins that do the same trick, so do some research and see which one suits you the best.

4. Undertake a post round up

A great way to increase website traffic to old blog posts is to undertake a round up post.  These posts specifically target your older posts.  There are a couple of ways you could do this.   Firstly you could write a post and list all your related links in it, for example “10 traffic building ideas’ or “10 social media usages”.  You would then go back and collate your old material that is relevant to the title and include it in the post.

The second way of undertaking this method is to gather your recent posts of the last two weeks for example, and then list them together.  This is a good way to gather all your information together and provide it in one package bundle for your readers.  This would help readers catch up on any material they may have recently missed.

Both methods have the same advantage of highlighting your older posts, whilst also maximizing your interlinking.  You could choose to do one or both methods and see what difference this makes!

5. Utilize your social media

Don’t be afraid to post your old links onto your social media accounts.  This is a good way to keep information occurring on your accounts, but also encourages readers to visit older posts.  Not all your followers in your social networks would have been around when you published those older posts, so it is still seen as new content to them.  All content is new content until it has been read, so don’t presume that everyone has!

When you share your posts on your social media accounts, make sure you are not just copying and pasting the URL of the post.  You need to be giving people a reason to click on the link.  Draw them in, excite them or ask a question that makes them curious.  Do whatever it is you feel you need to do to encourage people to click!  Don’t make the mistake that by simply placing a link on your accounts, that link will be clicked.  You need to lead people the whole way, so lead them directly to your site by giving them a teaser and then a link to the full post.

The more you do this, the easier it will become.  If you would like help to get started, why not tap into the learn how to blog program which will provide you with a wealth of information and personal support to set your blog on the right track.

Have any of these tips worked for you in the past?  Do you have any other suggestions to share on how you personally increase website traffic to your old blog posts?  Please leave your thoughts below.