The past three months have been busy outside the world of blogging, so much so that I didn’t get the chance to write and publish monthly round-up posts for September or October.
Did I feel bad? Did I apologise? No. Sometimes life gets in the way of schedules, and my blogging routine was thrown off course, but it happens to everyone, and nobody needs to apologise. From what I saw, my posts from September, October and November continued to receive engagement, and for me, it’s all about interacting with other bloggers, writers, and readers.
Better late than never. Without further ado, here is the monthly round-up for the past three months on Hugh’s Views and News.
WordPress has introduced a new blog recommendation feature that displays recommended blogs on your Gravatar profile, improving visibility. My post details how to add the blogs you love the most.
Here’s a fresh writing challenge that everyone is encouraged to try. Can you write a story using only 101 words (no more, no less) based on a featured image?
How easy do you make it for visitors to share your blog posts and boost the visibility of your blog? Take action: These nine options are easy to find and activate.
This post outlines various scams affecting bloggers, including voicemail scams and email phishing claims that appear to come from WordPress. Don’t become a victim of a scam or fined for downloading copyrighted material.
Something strange happened this month. For the first time since I’ve been blogging, one of my blog posts received more engagement on social media (Mastodon) than on the actual post. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but could it be that claims of real engagement in the world of blogging are on the decline?
However, August turned out to be a bumper month for me. Although I only published three blog posts, four if you include this one, my stats soared. August 2025 was the highest month for views of any August since I started blogging in 2014. And to top it all off, engagement remained high.
How was your August blogging-wise?
Here’s your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts from August 2025.
Did you know that keeping old, outdated blog posts can damage your blog? What do you do with your old blog posts? Join the discussion.
Should You Delete, Update, or Republish Your Old Blog Posts?
As a blogger, you likely know that maintaining high-quality content is crucial for your blog’s success. One of the key aspects is dealing with old blog posts. What should we do with them? Give them a new lease of life? Delete them? Should we allow them to rot away in our archives, where nobody sees them anymore?
Many blogging experts agree that outdated articles can harm your blog, especially its SEO (search engine optimisation) rating. Even if you are regularly publishing fresh content, any remaining outdated information can diminish your efforts and lower the rankings of your new posts.
Search engines favour accurate, up-to-date information and often direct readers to sites that provide it. That’s one reason I recommend updating your ‘About Me‘ page every six to nine months (I update mine every three months). This also applies to all posts on your blog—outdated content is pointless and can deter readers. Imagine you’re an author and have new visitors to your blog reading out-of-date information. Are they likely to buy any of your books?
I make it a point to clear out old blog posts at least once a year, usually in December, when the blogging scene tends to slow down.
Before you hit delete: Things to consider
Before deleting old posts, take a moment to assess each one. Should bloggers update, rewrite, or simply delete older posts?
If a post remains relevant, provides valuable information, and includes evergreen content, it is advisable to update it. This is especially true if it contains valid pingbacks to other live posts on your blog, other blogs, or reputable external sites.
If a post continues to receive traffic, it may be worth updating. Did you know that you can check how much recent traffic every one of your blog posts has had? On the ‘Posts’ page of your blog’s dashboard, look for the ‘Stats’ column, and check the numbers.
How many recent views have my blog posts had?
Also, check for incoming pingbacks from other blogs that are still valid; you’ll find them in the comments section of your posts. For example, I recently had to remove several pingbacks to one of my posts because the original content on other blogs was deleted. Broken links can harm your SEO—too many of them, and readers are likely not to return to your site because links don’t work or lead to a ‘404 Content Not Found’ page.
When is it time to rewrite?
If you have an old post with outdated or low-quality content (including low-resolution images) that you believe still holds value, then it’s time for a rewrite. Just remember to delete the older version before publishing the new one.
While rewriting, consider creating a new title that encourages your readers to learn more. A captivating title can significantly boost your click-through rates.
If a post is irrelevant and can only be salvaged through a thorough rewrite, do it! Your audience will value fresh and engaging content, and many of them will never have read the original post.
This post is a rewrite of a popular post from 2022.
Checking for broken links
After deleting any old posts, take a moment to check your blog for broken links. Using a free broken link checker, such as Brokenlinkcheck.com, can assist you with this. However, if it’s your first time, the initial results may seem overwhelming. I recommend pausing the report after identifying about 20 broken links, fixing them, and then running another check.
WordPress also offers a broken link plugin, available depending on your plan or if you’re self-hosted.
Once you’ve finished a broken link check, I recommend doing it at least monthly or whenever old posts are deleted. Also, remember to remove any pingbacks on posts you’re about to delete, as well as delete any images or photos from your media library that are on the post. This helps free up library space.
Is it worth reading old blog posts?
It depends, but if you hear someone celebrating their 5000th blog post, it’s hard to ignore that many of those posts are likely outdated and probably never received any traffic a few days after publication. They may be keeping them for a reason, but don’t hold your breath for any real engagement on them. Many of the comments will also be outdated and probably from readers who no longer have profiles.
If you have posts you want to keep, consider moving them from your blog to a secure location (such as a memory stick).
Can rewritten blog posts be successful?
Absolutely!
I’ve rewritten and republished several of my earlier blog post tips. Initially, these posts had low views and lacked depth, but I revitalised them with improved procedures and high-quality images. I also added links to some of my most successful posts for context.
Many of these revamped pieces have since become top performers on my blog.
Are there any blogs that don’t require regular updating?
No! Every blog needs to be updated. Although some blogs, such as photography blogs, may not require frequent updates to posts, and some blog owners may not prioritise SEO rankings, the ‘About’ page will always need to be updated and links checked to ensure they still work.
Conclusion:
Delete any old blog posts that contain outdated information that cannot be salvaged.
Before deleting, deactivate any incoming and outgoing pingbacks associated with the post.
Delete images from your blog’s media library from posts you are about to delete to free up space.
Conduct a broken link report on your blog at least once a month or following the deletion of old posts.
SEO benefits rely on your blog’s capacity to provide updated information; lack of it can hurt your new posts.
If a post remains relevant and useful with evergreen content, be sure to update it, especially if it contains valid links to other relevant content and continues to receive traffic.
Rewrite posts that feature outdated or poor-quality content but still hold some relevance and give them a fresh title.
Always remove older versions of rewritten posts before going live with the new content.
Every blog needs regular updates, especially the ‘About’ page and a check for broken links.
What criteria do you use when deciding whether to update or delete an old blog post? Have you ever resurrected an old post? What changes did you make to breathe new life into it? How often do you check your blog for broken links, and what tools do you find most effective? Have you ever regretted deleting a post? What would you have done differently?
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
The featured image in this blog post is taken from Pixabay. AI checked spelling and grammar mistakes.
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What do you consider the most crucial factor in attracting new visitors to your blog or website?
Many may immediately say, ‘content.’
However, content is not always king.
An essential element that nearly every visitor encounters first before deciding to read a blog post in depth exists.
Crafting Compelling Titles for Your Blog Posts
Why Great Blog Post Titles Are Essential…
“On average, 5x as many people read the title as read the body copy. When you’ve written your headline, you’ve spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” — David Ogilvy
Indeed, the secret lies in your blog post titles. Craft captivating titles, and you will witness a surge in new visitors eager to read your posts and explore your website.
I don’t know about you, but some blog post titles can make me sleepy, especially when they have been used repeatedly.
Blog Post Titles: The Equivalent of Book and Movie Titles
I consider blog post titles akin to the titles of books or movies. If a title captures my interest, I am likely to begin reading the book or watch the film.
Titles are as significant as the content itself, yet many bloggers give their blog post titles little, if any, thought. Master both, and you’re on the path to success.
If your blog post title isn’t engaging, how many potential new and existing visitors will scroll past it without a second thought?
I often find myself doing the same. If a title fails to grab my attention, I quickly move on.
Think about this: how many visitors to your blog are likely to do the same?
Tip: When creating titles for your blog posts, consider what title would motivate you to click on the ‘read more’ link.
Strategies to Make Your Blog Post Titles More Enticing
Certain words in blog post titles can attract readers’ interest in learning more. Here are a few examples:
How
How to
When
Have
Have you
Don’t
Did
Do you
This
This is
Who
Why
What
Where
Additional Techniques to Enhance Your Blog Post Titles
Incorporate Numbers
Numbers can greatly affect the effectiveness of your titles. Think about these two examples:
My thoughts onWays to Get People to Read Your Blog Posts.
7 Blogging Tips That Will Boost Your Post Engagement And Get Visitors Reading Your Blog.
According to Janice Wald of MostlyBlogging.com, odd numbers generally perform better than even numbers in titles, with prime numbers yielding even greater results.
Odd numbers tend to attract more attention as they seem less predictable compared to even numbers.
Tip: Opt for numerals instead of spelling them out when using numbers. Digits tend to stand out more in headlines and require less space.
Utilise Hashtags
Hashtags can enhance your blog post titles, aiding both SEO and drawing in visitors seeking specific topics.
Explore trending hashtags around your post’s publication time. Bluesky and X are great resources for identifying these trends, but always ensure your hashtags are relevant to your content.
Warning: Excessive hashtags can lead to search engines flagging your post as spam. To maintain a professional appearance, limit yourself to no more than three hashtags in your blog post title.
Incorporate Bluesky and X Usernames
If you mention someone in your blog post with a Bluesky or X account, including their handle in the title can be beneficial. When your post is shared, the individual mentioned receives a notification and may expand your reach by resharing it.
For example, when writing a book review, in the blog post title, include the Bluesky or X handle of the author.
Optimise Word Count
Research from CoSchedule.Com suggests that blog post titles around 55 characters long typically earn the highest click-through rates. Titles within six to ten words also tend to yield better engagement.
To establish a foundation for creating your blog post titles, consider these templates:
How To ____
How To Find ____
How To Completely Change ____
How To Create ____
How To Use ____
How To Get Rid Of ____
How I Made ____
How To Save ____
How To Help ____
How To Develop ____
What To Do With ____
Here’s How To ____
Where To Find ____
What No One Tells You About ____
(#) Questions You Should Ask Before ____
(#) Secrets To ____
(#) Signs You Might ____
(#) Rules For ____
(#) Facts About ____
(#) Ideas For/To ____
(#) Essential Steps For/To ____
(#) Foolproof Tips For ____
(#) Handy Tips For ____
(#) Tricks For ____
(#) Key Benefits For ____
(#) Reasons You ____
(#) Wrong Ways To ____
(#) Most Popular ____
(#) Tips For ____
(#) ____ Mistakes You Won’t Make Again
(#) Things I’ve Learned This Month
Why My Weekend Was Amazing
You’ll Never Believe What Happened Last Week
Why This Is The Only Chocolate Chip Recipe You Need
Meet ____ ____ Who Reveals Their Writing Secrets
Why I’m Recommending These (#) TV Shows to Fans of ____
Book Review: (#) Reasons I’m Giving ____ by ____ ____ (insert Bluesky or X username) 5 Stars
(Remember to insert a number in place of (#).)
I’ve used many of these title ideas and seen excellent results. My titles frequently include words that draw readers in.
Warning: Always remember to add a title to your blog post. Any title is better than having none. WordPress replaces empty titles with a five-digit number, which does not encourage visitors to click the ‘read more’ link.
AI – can it help with blog post titles?
Yes, it can.
Did you know that WordPress has an AI block? Just ask it to suggest a title for your post, and see the result.
Blog post titles are the first impression for visitors; make them as compelling as possible.
Titles are as important as the content of your posts.
Consider what would encourage you to click ‘read more’ when crafting a title.
A poorly chosen title could mean missing out on countless new readers, likes, and comments.
Ensure every post has a title; it doesn’t have to be perfect—just better than a default number.
Use engaging words like How, What, Why, and Where to entice clicks.
Odd numbers usually outperform even numbers in titles, making them more appealing.
Use numerals for numbers in titles for better visibility.
Keep hashtags limited to three to avoid looking spammy.
Mentioning Bluesky and X usernames can help boost your post’s visibility on social media.
Use AI to help generate blog post titles.
How do you generate titles for your blog posts? Are there any extra strategies you would like to share or questions about title creation? Join the conversation in the comments!
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Throwback Thursday is the day to bring your old blog posts back to life.
Are you making the most of your old blog posts?
We all have old blog posts in our archives, many of which are buried bits of treasure that can reward us again. Throwback Thursday is the perfect day to rekindle those old blog posts.
Only use blog posts that are still relevant, although always ensure you first make any necessary changes to the posts you want to highlight.
How to participate in Throwback Thursday
Select a favourite blog post that is at least a few months old.
Share it via a pingback or link in a new Throwback Thursday blog post.
After all, not only will some of your readers not have seen the post the first time it was published, but new followers may also not have seen it.
However, as I mentioned, rather than publish the whole post again, the idea behind Throwback Thursday is to include a link to the post you want to highlight in your Throwback Thursday post.
What you should do with your Throwback Thursday blog posts.
Only publish the post on a Thursday. That may seem like common sense, but I’ve seen bloggers publish them on other days of the week. Some readers may find it odd to publish Throwback Thursday posts on any other day than a Thursday. After all, the clue is in the title.
However, don’t worry if you miss publishing your Throwback Thursday blog post. You can always delay publication until the following Thursday. There are lots of Thursdays to choose from.
Flashback Friday.
If you’re a day late in publishing your Throwback Thursday post, you can always change it to a Flashback Friday post. Flashback Friday has the same concept as Throwback Thursday, where you are encouraged to highlight older blog posts.
Share your Throwback Thursday posts on social media using the hashtag #ThrowbackThursday so that other participants can find your post.
Tag your post ‘ThrowBack Thursday’ on your blog so other participants can find it.
You can also include the words ‘Throwback Thursday’ or the hashtag in the title of your blog post, but always ensure you add the title of the blog post you’re highlighting. You don’t want to end up with many blog posts simply titled ‘Throwback Thursday.’
When creating the pingback to the post you want to highlight, ensure you turn on the ‘open in new tab‘ button so that readers don’t lose the page of your blog they’re on.
Not sure how to create a pingback? Click here for full details.
Is there anything else I should consider when publishing Throwback Thursday blog posts?
Yes, I recommend closing comments on the post and asking readers to leave any new comments on the original blog post you’re highlighting. That way, they can see and read comments already left on the post you’re promoting. They can join any ongoing discussion. It makes more sense to have comments on the same post rather than scattered across several blog posts.
When selecting which posts to promote, choose the ones you believe your readers will benefit from and think they’ll enjoy reading again.
And that is Throwback Thursday.
Do you participate in Throwback Thursday? Do you have any questions about Throwback Thursday? Please leave them in the comments section.
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As we drift into the last few weeks of the year, I find the world of blogging gradually becomes a quieter place. Like thousands of others, I’ll be taking a seasonal blogging break as we head deeper into December.
However, one of the most popular posts I see appearing every December and early January is the traditional ‘My Top 10 Blog Posts Of The Year’ post. It won’t be long before these annual posts drop into your email inbox and WordPress Reader.
But how do bloggers measure the success of those top 10 posts? What is it that helps make those posts appear in their ‘top 10’ lists?
The more hits, the more successful?
Most bloggers who will publish their ‘Top 10 Blog Posts of 2021’ blog post will base their list on the number of hits each blog post achieved. But that always has me questioning if that is the right way to compile a top 10 list.
A blog post may have thousands of hits, but how many actually read the content? Does not reading a post make it successful? Should the number of hits count towards success when we’ve no idea how many times the post was read?
Does landing on a blog post by mistake make a post more successful when some of those who land there don’t stay and read the content?
Search engines are essential for finding something in particular on the web. However, how often have I clicked a link, then moved on quickly after realising the page I landed on isn’t what I was looking for? I’ll be honest and say that I’ve lost count!
It’s made me question whether that click I made should count towards making the post more successful when I haven’t read the content.
Volume V’s Sales
Let’s have a look at it another way. Take these two identical shops:
Shop ‘A’ gets hundreds of customers a day because of its location or large advertising budget. However, it gets few sales a day.
Shop ‘B” gets a much smaller number of customers because of its location or smaller advertising budget but gets a high sales volume.
Which of the shops is the most successful? A or B?
When should comments count towards success?
If I compiled my ‘Top 10 Posts of 2021’ post based on the number of comments every post got, my top 10 list would look very different from the list I compiled for the number of hits or ‘likes’ a post got.
For example, one of my posts that received the most hits did not get any new comments or ‘likes’ left in the last 12 months. Yet the post that was number 21 on my most hits list got three new comments and six further ‘likes.’ Which one should be considered to have been the most successful in the last 12 months?
Then there are some bloggers (like me) who may not count specific comments. Comments that add value or prove the post was read count. Whereas lazy comments such as ‘Great Post’ or comments that only include a line of emojis may not count.
When measuring success, should we include all comments or only those that add value or prove the post was read?
When is a ‘like’ not a ‘like’?
I’ve never been a fan of the ‘like’ button on blogs since I discovered that some bloggers and readers misuse it. However, I see many bloggers basing the success of posts on the number of clicks on the ‘like’ button.
Should clicking ‘like’ without reading a post count towards making a post successful? How many times have you had the same person press the ‘like’ button on lots of your blog posts within seconds of each other?
How many times has somebody clicked the ‘like’ button within seconds of you publishing a post?
Surely Sandra read my 900-word post if she clicked ‘like’ within ten seconds of me publishing it, didn’t she? Otherwise, why would she have clicked the ‘like’ button?
How do we know if somebody who clicks ‘like’ actually read the post?
Unfortunately, unless somebody clicks ‘like’ a reasonable time after publication, and leaves a genuine comment that proves they’ve read the post, we don’t know.
Misuse of the ‘like’ button seems widespread in the blogging world, with some readers even pressing it to ease the guilt of not having time to read and comment on a post. Some click ‘like’ as a sign of support but may not read the post. Should those ‘likes’ count towards the success of a post?
Some see the ‘like’ button as nothing more than a free promotional tool for their blog, without even reading a post. Leave a ‘like’ and, fingers crossed, it will bring in some new visitors.
The only success we should be discussing for these types of ‘likes’ is that the person clicking the ‘like’ button feels the post and blog are successful. All they’re doing is jumping on the success bandwagon of somebody else’s hard work.
If you’re wondering why I still have the ‘like’ button at the bottom of all my posts, allow me to enlighten you. I discovered (and WordPress told me) that it is connected to the ‘reblog’ button. Remove it, and the ‘reblog’ button also disappears from your blog posts.
That’s something I was not willing to allow.
And removing the ‘like’ button from your blog doesn’t mean it will be removed from posts when they appear on the WordPress Reader. If you’ve removed the ‘like’ button from your blog, are you aware that people can still click on a ‘like’ button when reading your posts on the WP Reader?
How do I measure the success of a blog post?
Simple. If I were motivated or inspired to write and publish a post, then it would be a success. Therefore, you won’t find a ‘Top 10 Blog Posts Of 2021’ post on my blog.
Winding-up
At the end of the day, I guess it’s entirely up to the blogger concerned about how they measure the success of their blog posts. What I do question, though, is whether bloggers should be publishing results that are not necessarily accurate.
Allow me to run a final thought past you
Suppose a blog post gets only a few hundred hits but receives over 50 genuine comments and likes. Does it make it more successful than a post with thousands of hits yet very few comments and likes?
What do you think? How would you measure the success of a blog post?
Hugh's Views & News 