Why Updating Your Old Content is Crucial for SEO

SEO content marketing can sometimes feel like a treadmill you can never get off. No sooner have you completed this month’s blog articles than you started on the next batch. The problem? Most business owners don’t have the time to constantly churn out new content, nor is there an endless pool of topics to cover year after year.

You can maximise your effectiveness by refreshing old content for SEO. Search engines are always on the hunt for fresh, relevant content. (Although content which is top-ranking in search engine results tends to be a few years old.) By updating your existing articles, guides, and location/service pages, you can keep your content current without starting from scratch.

Why Updating Your Old Content for SEO Matters

Compared to other digital marketing strategies, SEO content marketing delivers one of the best returns on investment (ROI). For the cost of a blog article or landing page, you can convert dozens (if not hundreds) of browsers into buyers, generate brand awareness, and establish your industry authority.

But even the most “evergreen” content eventually becomes irrelevant. Maybe that guide on the best coffee beans is now outdated, or the tips for maximising your social media engagement no longer apply due to algorithm changes.

You could create an entirely new article to cover the topic. After all, search engines demand your website be constantly updated to improve rankings and increase website traffic.

But ask yourself: Is content creation the best use of your resources?

The better SEO strategy is to take your tired, old article and bring it back to life. Incorporate new keywords, update the facts, and even add new sections to provide a longer, more competitive article that’ll rank higher than ever on the search engine results page.

Pros of a Content Refresh

Investing in updating your old content for SEO won’t just deliver impressive results; it’ll do so at a fraction of the cost. Taking your 2023 guide and revamping it for 2024 won’t take half the time it took to write it in the first place. You can even approach your old blog posts and content with fresh eyes and better skills, crafting an article that’s head and shoulders above your initial attempt.

But that’s not the only benefit – consider these pros:

Improved Search Engine Rankings

Search engines are all about fresh content. The older your post becomes, the more out-of-date the content backlinks become. Soon enough, your post is too stale to rank on the first page as it begins its long slump towards the bottom. Keeping your articles (and landing pages) up-to-date boosts your keyword performance and increases the chance it’ll appear in the new and much-coveted featured snippets.

Increased Website Traffic

What’s the point of SEO content marketing? Why do we prize the all-important number #1 spot in Google? Website traffic, of course. The more website traffic you receive, the more opportunities you have to generate leads. The simplest way to receive more website traffic is to rank higher in Google. According to Backlinko, the #1 spot in Google receives 27.6% of all clicks – literally over a quarter. Part of Google’s assessment is your bounce rate. The longer users spend on your page (which increases, the more relevant the content), the higher you rank. That translates to greater engagement and better click-through rates (CTR).

Enhanced User Experience

You cannot underestimate the user experience. Receiving clicks is just step one in generating leads. Your content is a reflection of your brand. If it’s outdated and irrelevant, customers will assume they can’t trust your brand. You want to ensure every fact and figure is accurate and up to date. You can also adjust the content to add more helpful information and improve readability and structure. The results speak for themselves.

Don’t get stuck on the content treadmill, mindlessly churning out article after article. Work smarter, not harder. If it’s been a while since you updated your content, now is the perfect time to revisit your old articles and landing pages. Conduct fresh keyword research and refine your original work. You can update the same piece multiple times to keep it relevant and effective.

The big question is…

How Often Should You Update Your Old Content?

Time Your Content Updates

Updating old content for SEO is a crucial task. But how often should you do it? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Every product undergoes a life cycle – even brand logos are changed every few years to give it a fresh look and generate publicity.

The ideal time to refresh a piece of content is during the maturity stage of its life cycle. That is the point when it’s received the majority of traffic, and monthly views are starting to ebb. Performing the update during this period kicks off a new cycle of growth, propelling your content to new heights. That’s why the top-ranking content is often several years old – companies keep revamping it.

When to Consider Retiring Content and Old Blog Posts

The timing of this maturity stage will be different for each article. Usually, it’s after at least a few months, but it could be a year if it’s a high-performing article. Of course, if there’s a year in the article title, e.g., “Best Digital Marketing Tips for 2024,” then you’ll want to perform a thorough update every year.

You should also consider retiring lacklustre content. For example, a post about COVID-19 precautions may require a complete rewrite for the flu season or simply be removed entirely. Such old posts can impact your site’s overall SEO performance.

Stay Dynamic and Engaged

And remember, the goal of updating existing content is not just to maintain rankings but to provide the most valuable, relevant information to your audience. It’s a dynamic process that requires vigilance and adaptability. Keep an eye on your analytics, listen to your audience’s feedback, and stay updated with industry trends.

Embrace the ever-changing nature of SEO, and you’ll keep your content fresh and your audience engaged. By doing so, you ensure that your website remains a trusted source of information, helping you stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape.

Step-by-Step Guide to Maximise the Impact of Updating Old Content

Updating your old content for SEO doesn’t mean every article requires a rewrite. You need to be a little judicious in your efforts, prioritising high-profile content.

Follow these steps to revive previously published content:

1. Conduct a Content Audit

The first step is to perform a thorough content audit. Create a spreadsheet of every article you’ve published, including the publication date, current metrics (e.g. click-through rate, traffic, and engagement), keywords, and any other relevant information.

Identify which pieces are underperforming or outdated. Obvious candidates include year-specific guides and content. However, even a small update may be necessary for an article where the statistics are outdated.

2. Identify Existing Content to Update

Review your content audit to pinpoint articles or landing pages with high potential that are currently underperforming. Look at the graphs of traffic to see what stage they’re in – are they still climbing, beginning to level off, or declining in popularity?

Focus on pieces with declining traffic, outdated information, or that could benefit from additional keywords. Prioritise content that once performed well but has lost traction.

Don’t just note which articles to revamp – highlight specific sections you want to review, comment on what you want to change, and consider the specific alterations you plan to make.

3. Implement Updates and Monitor Performance

Be bold in the changes you make. Remember, this is an opportunity not just to update old content but to create something much more engaging than you published initially. Consider these ideas:

• Write for Featured Snippets: Optimise your content to appear in Google’s featured snippets by providing clear, concise answers to common questions. Search Engine Watch reports that feature snippets account for a 35.1% share of all clicks.
• Update Graphics and Descriptions: Refresh old images, infographics, and meta descriptions to make your content visually appealing and up-to-date.
• Add the Latest Industry Stats and Best Practices: Ensure your content includes the most recent data and adheres to current best practices to maintain credibility and relevance.
• Convert Articles into Listicles: Simplify complex articles into listicles to improve readability and engagement.
• Include a TL;DR Section: Provide a summary at the beginning of your article to give readers a quick overview of the content.

After implementing these updates, monitor the performance going forward. You should see a sudden uptick in traffic and a higher CTR. If you don’t see an improvement in Google Analytics, go back and perform further changes until you do.

Final Thoughts

Updating your old content for SEO is a crucial step in any digital marketing strategy. Not only does it keep content fresh and relevant, but it makes the best use of your limited resources. You should develop a clear content management strategy detailing how and when you’ll perform a content audit. You can even use specific tools, such as project management platforms, to guide the process.

Or reach out to us – we’ll perform a thorough content audit, looking at the content you’ve already published, identifying any content that needs to be improved or updated. Then we’ll get to work refreshing the old and creating the new.

Book your free consultation today to learn how we can help.