A Guide to Republishing Your Law Firm’s Blog Posts for More Exposure

No matter how great your law firm’s blog is, it’s unlikely that your audience takes the time to read every piece you publish. Rather than be discouraged by that fact, see it as an opportunity to do more with less. There are certainly some nuances to keep in mind in order to republish blogs effectively. Here are the why, when, and hows of republishing your law firm’s blog posts to gain more exposure.

Why should you republish your blog content? 

Generally, you want to republish content when it’s still relevant and valid. This allows firms to get more traction out of their work with less effort. At the same time, you can remind your readers of quality information. There are several benefits of republishing, including: 

• Refreshes your content catalog – ideally, your audience is always growing, so some people didn’t get the opportunity to view your content originally. Posting again allows those people to view valuable content.
• Maintain or improve search rankings – you might have certain posts that perform well in search and drive a lot of traffic. Rather than letting them sit idle, you can update text as needed using a refreshed keyword list.
• Buys your content creators more time – leveraging old content helps to fill an editorial calendar. In particularly busy times or when you know you won’t have the bandwidth to create new content, you can repurpose old posts that are still applicable. 
• Provides updates or something new – particularly when it comes to current events, changes in regulations, or new precedents, you’ll want to provide an update with the latest information. 

When should you republish your law firm’s blog content? 

The “when” to republish is closely tied to the “why”. If you would like to experience any of the bullets listed above, then it’s time to repurpose older law firm content. It’s particularly helpful to repurpose content if you are busy and need to fill your editorial calendar, or if you want to provide new information around a topic that is still timely and helpful. 

Another note on timing: some blog urls include the year and month of publication. In this case, no matter how updated or relevant the new information you add, if people see the original date, they are likely to skip the content. For example, in 2020, you’re not likely to give much credence to an article posted in 2015. You’ll want to give blogs a new url to reflect a current date. 

How should you repurpose your blog content? 

First, you’ll need to identify which posts make sense to use again. You can base this on which posts receive the most traffic, or which drive the most email sign-ups or form completions or whatever other activity is important to your firm’s strategy. Google Analytics is a useful tool for pulling this data.

A good system is to keep a running list in your editorial calendar of which posts will ultimately be republished. You’ll need to keep track of the following information: 

• Headline from original post
• Author (you may need permission if it was a guest author or post)
• Publication date (so you can be sure you’re waiting at least a year)
• Addition of any new SEO keywords

Make sure you check links or other sources. We suggest swapping out broken links or links to old research. Lastly, add an editor’s note at the bottom of the piece mentioning that it’s an older blog being redistributed. For example: “ Updated and republished from X date”.

Takeaway

There are many benefits to repurposing your old blog posts or content. Not only can doing so save time, but it’s a great way to provide new information to your readers while working on SEO. If you follow this guide, you’ll be better equipped to republish your law firm’s past blog content with confidence. 

If you need any help with your editorial strategy – whether new or repurposed – let us assist you in building an effective and impactful content strategy for your law firm. Reach out to us today for a consultation.