Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
As I am pouring over older articles of the website, I decided to take a look at some of the first pieces I ever created. And I can say without reservation, they are a bit on the cringe worthy side. But, going over these articles is a necessity for me.
Perhaps in this post, you may find reasons to go back over some of your older pieces of content. For me, it’s been quite the eye-opening experience.
Why Go Back Over Old Articles?
Originally, I was going over the older articles to get a perspective about what I want to fix. However, a couple of other points surfaced as I browsed through my works from yesteryear.
In a few instances, I found myself chuckling at how clinical I was back then. This isn’t to say how I could feel myself blush in embarrassment by going over some of the older pieces of content I’ve created.
Like the title says, it’s definitely cringe worthy to go back to some of these articles. So, why would I put myself through this?
In many ways, these reasons help me focus on what I want to do with the website.
And in reality, they may inspire you to do the same.
Shows Me How Far I’ve Come
I read through my first article the other day from my original website. It lacked quite a bit in terms of purpose and luster. But it did do one thing for me…
It showed me how far I’ve come since 2012. My skills have developed a great deal since those early days.
Originally, this blog was meant to be nothing more than a log of my experiences as a freelance writer. Over time, it evolved a bit and I’ve add a few other extras.
But as a whole, it was quite a shock to see where I started and where I am today.
Part of me wants to revamp some of those early journal entries. However, they do serve a purpose when I need a reminder about how far I’ve come as an online writer.
Helps with Motivating Myself Today
Reading back through those older pieces gives me insight into thoughts and behaviors I’ve completely forgotten. They also serve to motivate myself to keep building on what this site was meant to embody.
This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons for going through my older posts lately, especially the cringe worthy ones.
Lately, it’s been incredibly difficult to motivate myself to do much of anything outside of managing my daily clients. And I want so much more for myself other than being a high-priced blogger for these companies.
Of course if the site does pick up, I’d still be a glorified blogger. But at least I will be creating content I specifically want and not bending to the will of others.
Not to mention how the site does help inspire me to put more effort into being creative…which is what I truly want to do with my time.
Gives Me a Chance to Revamp Older Pieces
Going back over some of the older content gives me a chance to update and restructure. This is beneficial simply because it can help in search engine optimization as well as providing additional facts I may have forgotten.
Now, I doubt that I’ll miraculously boost the average position of something from 2013 to the top 10 in Google search. However, updating will help to improve the understanding of anyone reading those articles.
And I am also considering adding a new plugin that will automatically share my older posts on social media. This would help keep some of the evergreen content I’ve created alive and relevant.
Another tool I plan on adding soon is sharing relevant articles within a post. You’ve probably seen some of these work on other websites. You’ll scroll down a page and see a link for a “Relevant Post” or some-such relating to the article you’re reading.
Of course, the tool I want to use goes by categories and tags. So I will have to straighten the website up before implementing that plugin.
It’s something I planned on doing anyway.
If all goes well, perhaps some of those older pieces will have a new life while driving traffic.
Getting Ideas for Future Content
One of the best ways to get content ideas for your blog is to go back and see if there is anything you can expand.
For example, you could create 10 new pieces of content if you created a “Top 10” list in the past. Just expand on each individual point into its own post. Then, link from the Top 10 post to the other articles.
I did this last year with a YouTube video, which gave me ideas for more than a weeks worth of content.
Going back through my older articles has delivered quite a few ideas of topics which I would like to dive. Like I said, though, most of it is just an expansion into topics I’ve already covered.
Another aspect is how restructuring categories and tags also helps fuel ideas for future articles. I don’t necessarily want to fill the site with terms that only have a single article attached. I might want to expand into different topics related to writing, though.
I would especially like to do more for self-publishing and more creative pieces. But in order to do that, I need to stick with my schedule and quit wasting all my time during the day.
Find Motivation to Keep Going
What this all boils down to is finding motivation to continue. There is so much I want to do with WriterSanctuary and my other two blogs. However, the content isn’t going to write itself.
If you want change to happen, you just can’t wait for it to come along. Not everyone is going to suddenly have success dropped into their laps.
I need to put in the effort if I want something to come of my ideas and plans. Because without the effort, nothing is going to come from any plan you develop.
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