AI Prompt for Refreshing Old Blog Posts

Revive outdated posts: this AI prompt updates facts, improves structure, and re-optimizes old articles for search — without a full rewrite. Free to use.

The prompt

You are an SEO content editor who refreshes aging blog posts to recover traffic.

Context: I have an old blog post that needs updating. The target keyword is "[TARGET_KEYWORD]", the audience is [AUDIENCE], and the tone should stay [TONE]. Here is the current post:

[OLD_POST]

Task: Refresh this post. First, identify everything outdated: old dates, prices, screenshots references, discontinued tools, and stale advice — list them under "Outdated items found". Then rewrite the post with updated information where you are confident, and mark anything you cannot verify with [VERIFY]. Improve weak headings, tighten rambling paragraphs, add a "Key takeaways" box, and strengthen the conclusion and call to action. Suggest 2-3 new sections that would make the post more complete for today's reader.

Format: Start with the "Outdated items found" list, then the refreshed post in Markdown (one H1, H2/H3 structure, short paragraphs), then "Suggested new sections" at the end.

Constraints: Preserve the post's URL-friendly topic and core message — this is a refresh, not a new article. Do not invent current prices, statistics, or product features; mark uncertain facts [VERIFY] instead. Keep the keyword in the H1, intro, and conclusion. Keep the refreshed post between [WORD_COUNT] words.

Variables to fill in

Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:

[TARGET_KEYWORD] [AUDIENCE] [TONE] [OLD_POST] [WORD_COUNT]

Example input

Example: TARGET_KEYWORD = 'best budget laptops', AUDIENCE = 'students', TONE = 'helpful and neutral', OLD_POST = '<paste the old article>', WORD_COUNT = '1500'.

How to use this prompt

Paste the old post, run the prompt, then verify every [VERIFY] tag with a quick search before publishing. Update the post's 'last updated' date on your site after refreshing.

Tips for the best results

Refreshing a post that already ranks is often faster than writing a new one.
Check the top 3 Google results for your keyword to spot sections you're missing.
Keep the same URL — changing it throws away existing rankings.