🔍 Step 1: Audit Existing Content
✅ Use Free Tools
- Install the free plugin: Jetpack or Site Kit by Google
- Helps connect to Google Search Console and Google Analytics
- Track which posts get the most/least traffic and which have high bounce rates
📊 Export or List All Posts
- Use WordPress Dashboard → Posts → All Posts
- Create a spreadsheet with:
- Post title
- URL
- Publish date
- Word count
- Traffic stats
- Bounce rate (from Google Analytics)
- Notes: Broken links? Outdated info?
✨ Step 2: Categorize Posts
Use this 4-bucket system:
| Category | Action |
|---|---|
| High traffic, outdated | Update |
| Low traffic, useful | Optimize |
| Low traffic, redundant | Consolidate or merge |
| Low traffic, low value | Delete or deindex |
🛠️ Step 3: Update & Optimize Old Posts
🔁 Refresh Content
- Update technical details, code snippets, tools, versions, screenshots
- Add internal links to newer related content
- Rewrite intro and conclusion to match user intent better
- Add FAQs (use Google’s “People Also Ask” as inspiration)
🏷️ Improve SEO
- Rewrite meta title + description to include keywords
- Use H2s and H3s with long-tail keywords
- Add alt tags to images (important for tech tutorials/screenshots)
- Use free SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math (Free)
📅 Change Post Date (Optional)
- WordPress allows “Republish” by changing the date
- This bumps the post to the top of your blog and Google may re-crawl it
🧹 Step 4: Consolidate & Merge
Find similar low-traffic posts:
- Combine them into a single “Ultimate Guide” or resource post
- Use 301 Redirect plugin like Redirection (free) to redirect old URLs to the new one
- Update internal links pointing to the old post
Example: Merge several Windows tips into “50+ Windows Tips Every User Should Know in 2025”
🚫 Step 5: Delete Low-Value Posts
Only delete if:
- It gets 0 traffic for 6+ months
- Has no backlinks
- Is thin (under 300 words) or irrelevant
If it still ranks but isn’t useful:
- Use noindex (Yoast or Rank Math can do this)
- Or add a 301 redirect to a more relevant post
📉 Step 6: Lower Bounce Rate
📌 Add Internal Linking
- Manually add 2–3 relevant links to other posts
- Use a free plugin like “Inline Related Posts” to show links mid-article
🎯 Improve Readability
- Use shorter paragraphs and bullet points
- Add a Table of Contents plugin (like Easy TOC)
📷 Add Visuals & Embed Content
- Screenshots, videos, Gifs → more engaging
- Embed YouTube tech tutorials (even curated ones)
📈 Final Touches
✅ Resubmit Updated Posts to Google
- Use Google Search Console → URL Inspection → Request Indexing
🔄 Share on Social
- Re-share updated content on Twitter/X, Reddit, or Hacker News with new angles
📂 Add CTAs & Exit Intents
- Recommend other articles before exit (free plugins like “Yet Another Related Posts Plugin”)
- Suggest newsletter signup or free PDF
The Computer Chick 