Optimizing old blog posts
I switched to WordPress two years ago (when did that happen?), and I find myself rarely looking at my old posts. To be honest, I’m a bad blogger. I don’t care about SEO, I’m no good posting on a regular schedule, and I tend to not take pictures on the rare occasion I do things. When I get a blast of motivation, I go through and retag “uncategorized” blog posts so that they show up as suggested posts on my main page. And that has been an adventure. If you’re looking for a trip down memory lane (and to wonder why people have ever followed your blog), go back and look at your posts from your first six months or so. Unless you were one of those rock stars who had their shit together when they started blogging, chances are those old posts in the deep dark bowels of your published posts will be a shock. I’ve decided to invest some time (what time? I have no free time.) in revamping those old posts.
Photos
I noticed that a lot of my photos didn’t make the transition between Blogger and WordPress. The sizes, quality, and orientation were all wonky. It’s pretty time consuming to fix all of the messed up posts (unless someone knows of a plug-in that will help a sister out), but it’s worth the effort when people start digging through old posts. Also, I really should go through and add photos to all of my old posts that don’t have photos. A funny meme is better than nothing.
Recipes
I was all jazzed about the selection of WordPress plug-ins and was super excited when I found different recipe cards. I installed one, didn’t love it, and used it sporadically. I’m on the hunt for one I like more and plan to update all of my published recipes in the new plug-in (with all of my free time). Again, it’s a time investment to convert all of your old recipe posts to a new format, but it’s good to have a uniform set-up. I also need to update / overhaul my recipe index page.
Quality of writing
One thing a lot of “how to start a blog” articles tell new bloggers is to find their voice. I like to imagine your blogging voice as an online extension of your actual voice. Your friends and family should read it and agree that it sounds like you. One fun fact about blogging: it can be very hard to find your voice right away. My very first blog posts are super awkward, especially some of the wedding ones. While I have no plans to change content, I may go back and edit some word choices or writing structure to bring more of me through my writing.
Have you updated any old blog posts?
