Today's SEO Tips entry was via Rand Fishkin at SEOMoz
"Re-create new versions of old products/events on the same URL to inherit ranking ability. Move old content instead."
Probably takes a little explaining, so let's use an example. I'm promoting a fictional event called "Book Club Show 2009" which I want to rank for "book club".
To achieve this I am going to be building links to the page about this years book show. If I didn't have my SEO head on, I might do something like this:
www.mybookwebsite.com/book-show-2009
So, after weeks and weeks of hard craft, I finally rank for "book show". The problem is, next year I want to do the same thing and I have to start from scratch with my new URL:
www.mybookwebsite.com/book-show-2010
Not great, as even using a 301 redirect won't pass all of the link equity neatly that I worked so hard to gain.
How to get around this? As Rand suggests, put new content on your old URLs and stick the old content on new "archive URLs".
Looking at this problem again, I would say start off with:
www.mybookwebsite.com/book-show
and use this URL every year to promote your current book show. When 2010 comes, you can also run and build links to this URL, which has details of the current year. You can take the old 2009 content and put it on:
www.mybookwebsite.com/book-show-2009
As you'd expect from SEOMoz, that tip is an absolute gem.
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Previous SEO Tips:
SEO Tip #20: Use an existing domain
SEO Tip #19: Optimise internal links
SEO Tip #18: Rewrite offline press releases
SEO Tip #17: Create rewarding campaigns
SEO Tip #16: Information Architecture
SEO Tip #15: Check logs for longtail searches
SEO Tip #14: Use full-text date formats
SEO Tip #13: Don't be a link scrooge!
SEO Tip #12: Use Google Local Business Listing
SEO Tip #11: Write your own product descriptions
SEO Tip #10: Competitor Link Research
SEO Tip #9: Good usability means good SEO
SEO Tip #8: SEO Success = ROI not rankings
SEO Tip #7: Localise, don't just translate
SEO Tip #6: Get the on-page basics right
SEO Tip #5: Check the use before date
SEO Tip #4: Integrate SEO and PPC Campaigns
SEO Tip #3: Using Twitter
SEO Tip #2: Create Unique Content
SEO Tip #1: Stop! Keyword Research
Post by Further search marketing.