offering a service for updating old blog posts is the rather original idea I’m proposing today. Many content creators don’t have the time to do this, so why not offer them your help? Let’s take a look at what it’s all about and how to find customers who would be interested in this kind of service.
- Here's the program
- What’s a service for updating old blog posts?
- What qualities and skills are needed?
- How to learn missing skills?
- How do I update an article?
- How to find potential customers?
- Pricing and business models
- Useful tools and services
- 10 Tips and tricks
- Conclusion
- EcoTips
- Pros and Cons
- Information recap
What’s a service for updating old blog posts?
As you know, Google is a big fan of fresh content. When you launch a search of any kind, the search engine will often favour recently published or updated results. In the digital world, where SEO is king, fresh content is crucial. Blog posts, in particular, must constantly evolve to remain relevant and captivating. That’s where the money-making opportunity comes in.
But there’s more to updating a blog post than just changing the publication date or making a few simple tweaks. It’s a complete overhaul: updating information, improving SEO, and making content more appealing to today’s readers. This task can be time-consuming and requires specific know-how.
Many bloggers and companies have outdated articles on their site, despite their untapped potential. But due to a lack of time, expertise, or sometimes simply willpower, they are left untouched, condemned to regress to the depths of search results pages (SERPs). That’s why it’s so important to offer this kind of service. The other advantage for the writer is that you can bring a fresh eye to his article, see what’s wrong, and add elements he may not have thought of.
If you’re interested in this idea, you’ll be responding to a growing need: that of optimizing existing content to improve its performance on search engines and increase reader engagement. It’s the perfect opportunity for those with SEO copywriting skills to monetize their know-how while helping others maximize the value of their content.
What is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a series of techniques aimed at optimizing a website or blog post to improve its visibility in search engine results. It involves using relevant keywords, creating quality content, and optimizing the site’s structure, with the aim of attracting organic, targeted traffic. I’ve written a comprehensive article to help you master the basics of SEO, so don’t hesitate to go and read it if you’re new to the subject.
What qualities and skills are needed?
Offering a blog post update service requires a specific set of skills and qualities. It’s not just a question of knowing how to write or correct text but also of having an in-depth understanding of SEO mechanisms and readership expectations. Here are a few essential skills and qualities to possess or develop:
- SEO expertise: A thorough understanding of SEO is essential. Knowing how to optimize an article for search engines is the key to increasing visibility and traffic.
- Good writing skills: The ability to write in a clear, engaging, and grammatically correct way is fundamental. You need to be able to reformulate existing content while retaining its original essence. This is necessary, even if you use AI tools such as ChatGPT to help you.
- Research skills: The ability to research and update information is important here. This includes checking facts, updating outdated data, and adding relevant new content.
- Attention to detail: Particular attention must be paid to accuracy and detail, whether in terms of content, grammar, semantics, or SEO formatting.
- Analytical skills: Be able to analyze an article’s current performance and identify areas for improvement. There are tools to help you do this, but we’ll look at those at the end of this article.
- Knowledge of current trends: Staying abreast of the latest trends in blogging and SEO to ensure that updates are both current and effective.
- Communication skills: Ability to interact effectively with customers to understand their needs and expectations.
Updating blog posts certainly requires a few skills, but it’s a low-stress activity that even allows you to travel.How to learn missing skills?
If you feel limited by a lack of skills or knowledge required to update blog posts, you should know that learning and perfecting these skills is accessible through a multitude of resources, both free and paid, available online.
For those looking for structured training, platforms such as Skillshare, Udemy, and Coursera offer a wide range of online courses. You can find specific training courses on SEO, web copywriting and much more. These courses are often led by professionals in the field and offer a hands-on approach to acquiring specific skills quickly.
There are also many free resources available online. Blogs specializing in SEO and content marketing, such as I Love SEO, SEO Chatter or HubSpot, provide regularly updated articles, guides and tutorials. They are an excellent source of information on the latest trends and best practices in the field.
You’ll also find numerous webinars and podcasts, which are valuable learning tools. They offer insights from professionals and industry experts, often in an interactive format, which can make it easier to understand and apply the concepts you’ve learned.
Finally, practice makes perfect. Starting with personal projects or offering your services at discounted rates can be a great way to put your new skills into practice while working on building your portfolio.
Whatever learning path you choose, the important thing is to stay curious, practice regularly, and keep up to date with the ever-changing world of SEO and content writing.
An excellent additional activity
This activity is particularly compatible with other content-related jobs you may already be doing as a freelancer. The most obvious being, of course, SEO article writing, since these two tasks share a common skill base (SEO expertise, writing skills, and an understanding of readership needs) enabling a smooth transition and complementarity between projects.
But it also works, for example, if you’re a digital marketing specialist, a social network manager, an SEO consultant, an advertising copywriter, and others. It’s up to you to decide whether or not your professional skills are compatible.
The advantage of diversifying your sources of income is that it allows you to compensate for periods when you’re less in demand in one of your other activities. This not only gives you greater flexibility, but also the opportunity to acquire new knowledge. Think about it, though, as there’s no guarantee that updating aging blog posts alone will be enough to generate sufficient income for you.
How do I update an article?
The blog post update service is a process dedicated to revitalizing existing content. It begins with an in-depth analysis of each article to identify areas for improvement. The aim is to transform an old article into a valuable resource, capable of generating more qualified traffic and engaging the target audience more effectively.
For blog editors and content creators, this increases the visibility of their articles in search results, but by keeping their articles up-to-date, they above all strengthen their credibility and build loyalty among their readership. What’s more, it allows them to concentrate on creating new content, safe in the knowledge that their older articles continue to perform well.
Here’s a list of possible updates to a blog post:
- Updating information: Find recent and relevant information to update the article, referring to other articles, Wikipedia, and other reliable sources.
- Optimizing title and description for SEO: Create a catchy title and a description optimized for search engines.
- Add relevant external links: Include links to reliable and relevant sources of information.
- Insert internal links: Include links to other relevant content on the same blog to improve navigation and time spent on the site.
- Suggest visual and multimedia supports: Suggest images, videos, and infographics to enhance the article.
- Integration of affiliate links: Suggest relevant affiliate links to monetize the article. If you don’t see what this is, read this article.
- Information verification: Correct false or out-of-date information to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the content.
- Linguistic correction: Review and correct spelling and grammatical errors.
- Reader interaction: Leave a comment to encourage engagement and discussion.
- Add FAQ: Include a frequently asked questions section to clarify and enrich the article.
- Improved layout: Optimize the structure and readability of the article for a better user experience.
By applying these updates, the service offers significant added value to existing articles, maximizing their long-term potential. And if you’d like to find out more about how to update an old blog post, read on.
How to find potential customers?
The first strategy is to carry out a targeted analysis of websites in specific niches. Look for blogs that are several years old and whose articles have not been updated recently. These sites are often rich in content, but their SEO performance may have declined over time.
Using online analytics tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, ou Moz can help you assess the potential of these blogs and identify those that would benefit most from updated content.
Offering your services on freelance platforms such as Fiverr, UpWork, PeoplePerHour or ComeUp is another effective way of finding customers. These platforms offer great visibility and allow you to directly target potential customers looking for professionals to enhance their content.
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Create an attractive profile, highlighting your specific skills and achievements in updating content. Don’t forget to include examples of work you’ve done, graphics displaying your results, as well as testimonials from satisfied customers, to reinforce your credibility.
Aside from freelance platforms, consider using social networks and online forums to reach potential customers. Join Facebook and LinkedIn groups or forums dedicated to blogging and content marketing. Take an active part in discussions, offer useful advice, and share your expertise. This can help establish your reputation as an expert in content updating and attract the attention of potential customers.
Finally, think of e-mail marketing as a proactive strategy. Write personalized emails to blog owners, explaining how your service can help them improve their SEO and readership engagement. Be sure to personalize each message to show that you’ve taken the time to study their content and understand their specific needs.
By combining these different strategies, you’ll increase your chances of finding potential customers who will greatly benefit from your blog post update service.
Pricing and business models
Setting prices for this type of service requires some strategic thinking. It’s important to strike a balance between valuing your time and skills and offering your customers an attractive rate. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine your rates:
- Evaluate time and effort: Estimate the average time required to update an article. Take into account research, copywriting, SEO optimization, and any other project-specific tasks.
- Market analysis: Find out the rates charged by other professionals offering similar services. This will give you an idea of current rates and help you position your services competitively.
- Flexible pricing: Consider offering different levels of service—for example, a basic update, a complete update, and a total redesign. Each level will be priced differently, depending on the complexity and time required.
In addition, here are some examples of pricing structures you could use:
- Item pricing: Set a standard price per item, depending on the length or complexity of the update. For example, $50 for a short article and up to $150 for longer articles or those requiring in-depth research.
- Packages: Offer packages for updating several articles. For example, a flat rate of $400 for updating 10 articles. This may be attractive to customers with a lot of content to update.
- Hourly pricing: If project requirements are less clear-cut, or if you anticipate recurring requests for modifications, consider hourly pricing. For example, $40 per hour for content updates.
- Monthly subscription: For regular customers, offer a monthly subscription option that covers a certain number of articles per month. This guarantees regular income and a lasting customer relationship.
Your pricing structure should reflect the value you provide while remaining accessible to your target market. Don’t forget to clearly communicate the rationale behind your rates to your potential customers, highlighting the quality and impact of your work on their content.
Do all old articles have to be updated?
It’s a valid question, and the answer may surprise you. Because sometimes, despite their age, certain blog posts continue to attract a significant number of visitors. In this context, the benefits of revising them are not obvious. It’s advisable to leave an article unchanged if the information it contains is still relevant and up to date, but above all if it occupies a good position on search engines, thus generating traffic.
Useful tools and services
et’s take a look at some of the online tools and services that can be very useful for this type of business. This list isn’t exhaustive, of course, but it should get you started in the best possible way.
- Google Trends and Google Analytics: To analyze traffic and blog post performance and identify those that need updating.
- Grammarly, Scribens, Writer or Language Tool: Grammar and style correction tools to ensure the linguistic quality of articles
- SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz: For keyword research, SEO analysis, and tracking of search engine rankings.
- Canva, Adobe Express or Photoshop: Graphic design tools for creating images, infographics, and captivating visuals for articles.
- BuzzSumo: Analyze which types of content perform best in your niche and get ideas for updating them.
- Copyscape or Originality: Plagiarism-checking services to ensure content originality.
- Trello, Monday and Asana: Project management tools for organizing, planning, and tracking the progress of article updates.
- RankMath or Yoast SEO: Plugins for WordPress that help optimize blog posts for SEO.
- Hemingway Editor: An online editor that helps make content clearer and more readable.
- MS Word or Google Docs: For real-time writing and collaboration on documents.
10 Tips and tricks
To succeed in the blog post update service, a few practical tips and strategic advice can make a difference. Here’s a list of suggestions for optimizing your approach and ensuring the quality of your work:
- Establish clear communication with customers: Understand their expectations and preferences before you start updating articles.
- Highlight calls to action: Encourage readers to interact with content, whether through comments, shares, or newsletter sign-ups.
- Focus on originality: While updating articles, be sure to maintain a unique tone and original perspective.
- Follow up with your customers: Periodically revisit old articles you’ve updated (every year, for example), especially those that generate high traffic, and offer your services again.
- Adopt a storytelling approach in your updates: Enrich articles with stories or anecdotes to increase reader engagement and retention.
- Use behavioral analysis tools: Tools like Hotjar help you understand how visitors interact with articles and identify areas for improvement.
- Integrate interactive elements: Add quizzes, polls or interactive infographics to make articles more dynamic and increase user interaction.
- Create an audio version of the article: Offering an audio version can make content accessible to a wider audience, including those on the move.
- Collaborate with influencers or experts in the field: Incorporating their insights or comments can increase the article’s credibility and appeal.
- Set up a reader feedback system: Encourage comments to understand reader expectations and adjust future content accordingly.
Conclusion
So, that’s all I can say for this idea of offering a blog post update service. This represents a significant opportunity for both content professionals and blog owners wishing to optimize their online presence.
This activity is not only an opportunity to improve existing content but also a way to help content creators maximize the impact of their work while generating income. With the right approach, the necessary skills, and a thorough understanding of the market, you can turn updating blog posts into a thriving business and earn enough money to make a living from it.
What do you think of this idea? Do you have any tips or personal experiences to share in this area? Feel free to leave your comments and share your ideas!
EcoTips
Environmental and climate change issues are more than ever at the heart of the concerns of this 21st century, which is why I am proposing a few ideas that will enable you to limit the negative impact that the implementation of this idea could have.
These solutions that I suggest are sometimes largely insufficient to compensate for these negative impacts, such as carbon offsetting. Unfortunately, there is not always an ideal and 100% efficient solution, far from it. And if you have others, please do not hesitate to share them in the comments below.
The activity of updating blog posts, although mainly digital, can indirectly impact the environment, mainly through the energy consumption linked to the intensive use of electronic devices and the servers that host websites. Indeed, data centers, essential for storing and making online content accessible, are major energy consumers and can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
What’s more, prolonged use of computers and other digital devices increases demand for electricity and can lead to premature wear and tear on this equipment, contributing to the production of electronic waste.
To limit these environmental impacts, you can start by buying solid, good-quality equipment, and especially by keeping your computer for several years. If you must buy one, find a second-hand portable model rather than buying new.
As for the problems associated with data servers, there’s not much you can do about it since the sites under which the articles are hosted don’t belong to you, but you can advise their owners to opt for an eco-friendly hosting provider such as Greengeeks, Hostpapa, DreamHost, or Krystal, for example.
Pros
- Flexible, independent work from home or on the road.
- Attractive income potential with appropriate pricing.
- Low start-up and operating costs.
- Growing demand for SEO optimization and content updating.
Cons
- Need to keep up to date with SEO trends.
- Risk of irregular work and fluctuating income.
Info
- Location: At home or on the road
- Investment: Fairly low. All you need is a second-hand laptop.
- Earnings perspective: You could earn at least an additional salary and even more if you perform well.
- Required: SEO expertise, excellent writing skills, in-depth analytical skills, good customer communication management.
- Risk level: Low
- Implementation time: Very fast if you already have the required skills.
- Material needed: Computer
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