Content Refreshing Strategy: When to Update, Merge, or Delete Old Posts

Delete Low-Value and Low-Quality Content

Old content that is low-quality and doesn't provide your users with value should be deleted, it's not worth updating this content. It may be inaccurate, or cover topics that is not relevant to your industry, or it has low traffic and engagement. You may find old content that is a duplicate of other content on your site. You can retire this content, setting up a 410 status code, advising search engines this page has been deleted. This reduces the risk of 404 errors, improving crawl efficiency.

Use Redirects

Not all content is lacking in value. You may find content that offers some value, but it's not worth keeping it as a separate page. This page may have backlinks and still gains some traffic, but its outdated and low-quality. You can redirect this content to a relevant and updated page on your site, using a 301 status code. This preserves authority and traffic, directing it to a fresher page that offers more value.

Merging Content

Some of your older content may be relevant, but not optimised or comprehensive enough to rank and convert. Merging this content with other related material on your site can provide a in-depth, user-friendly, and authoritative page. Again, you can use a 301 redirect code to point the old URL to a new one.

Updating Valuable Content

Not all old content is low-value. You may have older content that still ranks well, drives traffic, and conversions. It may answer common questions, provide solutions, be a case study, or showcase your expertise in your niche. You don't want to get rid of valuable content that performs. Here, you will want to update the content regularly, ensuring it remains relevant and fresh. 

Test and Monitor 

Whether you have updated, merged, or deleted a page, you will want to monitor any changes you have made to identify its impact on your site performance, conversions, and user experience. Google Analytics and Search Console can track the metrics of old and new content. You can also use Google PageSpeed Insights to determine the speed and usability of your pages. 

Conclusion

If you have read any of the previous Genie Crawl blogs, then you already know that Google thrives on fresh content. This does not mean you have to retire older content. You can update high-value content, merge low-quality valuable content with high-quality content, or you can simply delete the old post. Remember to add your redirect codes to help search engines understand the page is no longer available, or direct them to a new and fresher page. Do you need assistance with your content refreshing strategy? Contact Genie Crawl now to find out more.