website content optimization hacks that actually bring results written on a pink background with 3D bubbles and a square frame.
Content Strategy Diary

Use These Five Website Content Optimization Hacks to Revive Old Articles and Boost Traffic

Once upon a time, content creation was all about expressing your creativeness. Well, unless you’re already super famous, or an absolute authority in your niche – you can kiss goodbye your creativity unless it’s heavily supported with research and purpose.

If you’re running any sort of online business (anything from booking tarot readings to well-developed eCommerce) – your content needs to have a very clear objective.

In other words – if you can’t answer a question:

“Why am I creating _____________?”

with something like:

“I am creating ______________ to:

  • Start ranking for _____________ keyword;
  • Link back to this article when I publish ______________;
  • Promote __________________;

I honestly don’t know why you’re even wasting resources and efforts for creating something. I fully support online journaling of your everyday struggles, but if you want to make a business out of it – you need a plan!
And here’s how you can easily create one:

  1. Do a thorough content audit 
  2. Come back to this article and we’ll go together through the content optimization process step-by-step 
Free four in one content audit template written in a yellow box, set on the pink background with a 3D see-saw on top of which are set four books and a lightbulb

A complete content audit template yours for the taking. This is the template I use both for my clients and myself, and yes – it’s easily editable.

Creating New Content VS Website Content Optimization

Getting a clear picture of the entire content you own is crucial.

It helps you get a new perspective on what you already own, what’s missing, maybe you missed an opportunity to repurpose website content for social media, or you noticed that all of your website content miserably failed with search engine and in the end, you didn’t get anything from it.

Maybe you realized that some of your topic clusters are weak, that you didn’t cover them well and that it’s about time to create some new, optimized content.

Before we move to my favourite content optimization hacks and tools, let’s talk a little about what optimizing content for search engines means, and why content optimization sometimes makes much more sense than creating new content.

What is content optimization?

If you ask Google what is good content – you’ll get a very simple answer: original content that resonates with your audience’s needs.

In other words – optimized content.

But when you ask what content optimization really is, you’ll get the same answer from almost everybody. And it’s all about SEO!

If you ask me – content optimization is a bit more than technical search engine optimization.

Some search engine optimization key points:

  • Targeting relevant keyword groups,
  • Reaching the right audience,
  • Have meta description, SEO friendly title tag, alt-tags that include target keyword,
  • Include rich snippet,
  • Check keyword density (you want to avoid keyword stuffing),
  • Use optimized visual content,
  • Check if you’re doing a good job with internal and external linking,
  • What is your content performance score (you want to make sure your content is better than your competition’s)?

But, I do believe that content optimization is also about making sure that your existing content:

  • Covers relevant and trending questions from your audience,
  • Is aligned with your strategic goals,
  • Has a clear purpose.

Why should you focus on content optimization before producing even more new content?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t invest in creating new SEO content. I’m simply underlining the fact that you shouldn’t leave your existing content on the blog-post graveyard.

You see, optimizing and refreshing your existing articles has multiple advantages:

  • It’s cost-effective, 
  • Efficient, 
  • It makes Google happy (Google isn’t keen on offering outdated content and information on its first search result page). 

Other than these obvious reasons, this is a great way to practice producing high-quality content.

Remember – your idea might be amazing, but if you don’t make sure that it reaches (and keeps on reaching) the right audience, nobody will ever be amazed by it.

How to optimize web content?

I cannot highlight this enough – running a content audit before diving into content optimization is crucial!

You don’t want to find yourself optimizing the wrong piece of content. That’s why you should evaluate each piece of content, and rate it! Should you leave it as is, optimize it, or maybe completely remove it?

This leads us to the first content optimization “hack”.

Content Optimization Hack #1 | Dig into your data 

Do not do anything on your hunch! We’re capturing so much valuable data that will help you make a data-driven decision. So why on Earth would you make this type of decisions based on your intuition?

Dig into the volume of the keyword you’re targeting, and check how much traffic you’re getting from it. Maybe it’s time to optimize it for a different keyword?

What about the scroll depth? Are users reading your entire article, or are they dropping off immediately after the introduction?

What about the scroll depth? Are users reading your entire article, or are they dropping off immediately after the introduction?

Remember – great content is defined by how well it serves the purpose. And the purpose of the article is to engage your audience in one way or another. So, if they’re not clicking through other content pieces and/or purchasing/subscribing to something from you – are they at least sharing it?

Other than this, data will help you with focusing your efforts. Trust me you don’t want to lose time optimizing a wrong article. Use data to detect the best-performing ones and start from there.

A little optimization in the right direction goes a long way with the Google search console.

Content Optimization Hack #2 | Create Topic Clusters

Categorizing your existing articles into topic clusters is a must-do optimization hack. Here’s why:

You’ll immediately get a clear picture that will help you map out the interlinking possibilities and narrow down your keyword research.

Even though I’m sure you already heard of topic clusters, let’s refresh your memory:

  • What are topic clusters?
  • Why are they important?
  • How to create them?

What are topic clusters?

Topic clusters are a group of content that revolves around a central topic and use a pillar page to link to and from.

In other words – topic clusters are centred around a single topic and offer multiple internal linking opportunities to keep readers on your site.

Why are topic clusters important?

  • Great way to organize content.
  • Help you see areas that lack content.
  • Make content planning much easier.
  • Save time researching.
  • Good for SEO.
  • Improve user experience.
  • Help you say goodbye to content creation fatigue.
  • Make it easier to promote offers and services in a natural way.
  • Vast interlinking possibilities.
  • Lower bounce rate.
  • Increase authority.

How to create topic clusters?

Topic clusters consist of three things:

  1. Pillar content [an in-depth, informative post that covers a broader topic that can be broken down into more specific pieces of content]
  2. Cluster posts [answer the unanswered questions brought about in the pillar content]
  3. Hyperlinks [connect cluster posts and pillar content]

Content Optimization Hack #3 | Interlinking

Now that you have your topic clusters – interlink articles in them. Unlike creative writing, business blogging has a very clear purpose – it needs to support your strategic and overall objectives.

Depending on them, each article will have its objective: 

  • Promoting a new lead magnet or a special offer, 
  • Lowering bounce rate, 
  • Promoting a corner-stone article packed with relevant keywords, etc. 

This is why each article should lead to one or more relevant pieces. You can think of it as a spider web.

article content strategy vs content marketing written in a pink square on a bright yellow background with a lightbulb in the shape of a brain

What is the difference between content strategy and content marketing? But, let’s not stop there. What is the difference between a strategy, plan and tactic? Not sure? Then make sure to read this guide.

Content Optimization Hack #4 | Question Research

Does your old article include a keyword that’s still trending? That’s great!

Now use this keyword to find actual questions users type into search engines.

These questions will help you restructure your articles and pinpoint the missing information your audience is searching for.

You can do a “question” research by running one of your keywords through an AI program, like:

or type a search term directly in Google and check the “People also ask for” part.

This simple research will tell you exactly what your audience is wondering about. Then it’s all up to you to provide them with the best possible answer.

MarketMuse is one of the tools I can’t LIVE without. I use it both for myself and my clients. You can do a question research and content optimization based on competition research. It just makes it so easy to beat the competition!

This is an affiliate link and I may earn a percent should you choose to purchase this tool. However, this does not in any way influence the price you pay in the end.

Content Optimization Hack #5 | Optimize Visuals

Of course, you can create new, fresh visuals, but I’m talking about a classic SEO tactic most people forget.

Check if your images have appropriate alt-attributes and relevant titles. And don’t forget to optimize their size!

Numerous free online programs will compress images (as far as 70%) without ruining their quality. Needless to say that this little hack will decrease page load time, and Google will love you for it.

Benefits of Content Optimization

You can get creative with optimizing your website content, but you can be sure that these five optimization hacks will help you rank better on SERP.

But some other benefits have nothing to do with SEO and ranking better.

This optimization process will improve your entire content marketing game:

  • You will get fresh ideas and content for repurposing on social media.
  • You will get an excuse to contact your newsletter audience and tell them all about the amazing updates and new information you included in your most-read articles.
  • And, don’t stop there. Remind the audience in groups, on forums and other fellow content marketers of your freshly updated articles.

Content marketing is not just about creating and promoting new content pieces.

It is about getting the most out of optimized content, recycling, finding new angles. It’s about finding the perfect balance between investing efforts and getting results.

About Me

I’m an art historian – digital marketer – passionate traveler – addicted writer – dedicated member of a long distance relationship mashup.

I’m a materialist that has an urge to help the world. I have absurdly logical mind that helps me focus my creative hyper-energy.

It’s ok to be a crazy mixture of completely opposite ingredients.

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I am an art historian turned content strategist who spends days exploring what makes people tick on all channels of communication. I love making sense of data, exploring new AI tools and crafting compelling content that raises brand authority. This doesn’t really come as a surprise considering my background – Interwar propaganda art that earned her two MA degrees and articles in international scientific journals.

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