CALL US 
There’s so much emphasis put on creating fresh content for audiences (and search engines) that it’s easy to overlook a lesser-known content marketing strategy: republishing your existing content.
For businesses that prioritize creating original content on a regular basis, the idea of revamping older, already-published stuff may seem counter-intuitive. In reality, though, content republishing can be a powerful way to boost website traffic and keep your audience happy.
Duplicate Content vs. Republished Content
Republishing content is not the online equivalent of heating up some ho-hum leftovers. Instead, it’s more like releasing your greatest hits all wrapped up in one of those fancy collectors’ editions. Your audience will be thrilled to see more of the same content they already love all spiffed up and appealingly repackaged.
Because the latest news, statistics, and industry breakthroughs are constantly changing, it makes sense to revisit an old piece that performed really well and update accordingly. And “update” does not equal “duplicate”—a big no-no as far as Google is concerned. You really are creating new content, but you’re starting out with a solid foundation built on a previous piece.
Republishing can also be done to redirect old content to a newer piece that’s more modern and topical. Alternatively, content can be republished as part of a larger, more complex content marketing strategy to land you multiple spots on the same search results page.
Regardless of your motivations, there are a few different benefits to kicking off a content republishing strategy:
- You already wowed your audience the first time using the same subject matter. Unless your business (or audience) has somehow drastically changed in the interim, it’s a safe bet that those same readers will enjoy a second helping as much as their first.
- While you’re reworking your old content, you’ll improve your own knowledge base, and that expertise ends up reflected in your site. The more you work at producing content, the better that content becomes—republished or not.
- Creating additional content in general can be a boost for SEO. The more pages on your site that feature the search terms Google’s crawling for, the better. Plus, more content means more opportunities for readers to share on social media or engage in other ways.
According to Moz, Google rewards republishing. All of the reasons listed above help convince Google that your site provides a high value to readers: you’re publishing niche pieces in your area of expertise, your increasingly impressive content library reflects a high level of industry savvy, and your readers have responded positively to both your original piece and your republished content. Clearly, thinks Google, these guys are doing something right. Off to the #1 spot they go!
A Successful Reboot
You only need to look at the ‘coming soon’ posters in your local movie theatre lobby to know that a reboot of an old favorite can be a great way to generate a new revenue stream. Some remakes (The Fly, for example) are so fantastic that they become classics themselves. And some — the latest Star Trek films, or Daniel Craig’s James Bond — put such a great spin on an old favorite that they manage to win a whole new demographic without alienating fans of the first franchise.
So how do you make sure your content republishing strategy looks like a success story—and not like a disaster on the level of the Psycho remake? First, start by looking for source material hit a note with your followers on its initial release—that means chances are excellent they’ll respond just as well to a reboot. You can also rework content that didn’t perform so hot initially and see if you can salvage the subject matter in a new format. Finally, don’t forget to let your audience know there’s a new game in town by sharing, posting, and otherwise getting the word out.
While the steps you follow to republish will vary somewhat depending on your goal, as long as your ultimate objective is to deliver high-quality content to your readers, you should be all set for a piece that could perform even better as a remake.
