The Importance of Refreshing Old Content

Listen up everyone: it’s time for a friendly reminder from the McCauley Marketing team!  With new Google algorithm updates constantly demanding the need for updated and fresh content, we wanted to discuss the importance of refreshing old content.  When we say old content we are referring to written copy on your website that can be dinged as outdated and not relevant information that a potential customer/client would find useful when performing a Google search for a service or product your company offers.  The most recent Google Panda update affected the search filter by preventing websites that had old, outdated content or was stuffed with SEO terms (that in turn helped give them an edge over competitors) and ranking websites with more relevance higher.  If you’ve never updated your content, now’s the time to start; if it’s been over a year and you haven’t reviewed previous material, it’s overdue and time for a refresher.  Let’s look at the importance of refreshing old content and some tips on how to get it accomplished.

Why It’s Important to Update Web Content

With or without Google’s algorithm updates, you want your clients to think of your website as a primary resource for the information that they desire while also attracting new visitors.  Think about the terms ‘fresh’ and ‘old.’  If you had to pick which word has a more positive connotation, then fresh without a doubt wins.  The same mentality can be associated with your clients.  If they’re looking for a service, they are more likely to choose a company who has images, design and blog content that is up with the times, not antiquated and something that looks and reads like something from the 80s.  Everything is constantly changing; from what’s popular to research that updates facts and information constantly.  In order to not get left behind, you must reevaluate content that was once relevant but may not be the case today and revise it to fit into what’s current.

How to Update Old Web Content

New content is a must but you ideally also want to refresh content regularly; paying most attention to content that was written a year or more before, work at it little by little so you’re not inundated with this task all at once.  Unless something is completely irrelevant, don’t delete old content because it’s already been optimized by Google and viewed already by your audience.  If you delete the existing URL and create a new one, you’re losing all of the traction it already had and essentially reverting back to scratch.  Start with simply proofreading your blog and web content (even though we’re sure you know that proofreading and peer editing are your biggest advocates for avoiding grammar mistakes, some can slip through the cracks – it happens to the best of us!).  Giving the writing a fresh pair of eyes can catch mistakes and also help to find ways to improve your blog whether updating key pieces of information, images or links.  Since it’s likely that you’ve covered similar topics before, linking keywords to new blogs help to also generate a stronger internal linking structure and give customers more ways to get the information they need.  In addition, bounce rates offer valuable insights to the actions current/potential clients are taking within your site so you want to make sure existing links work and aren’t giving users errors that would cause them to leave and go elsewhere.  When you think you’ve sufficiently updated your information, get it out there for the world to see:

• Optimize call to actions – the end of a blog is a great way to send your audience to the next step. If you have a special, share that there are great savings and coupons that can be used towards your services/products.  Want to make sure they don’t miss the next big sale?  Add the newsletter sign up so they can join on the spot, while it’s fresh on their minds.
• Utilize social media – share refreshed content across your social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. You don’t have to advertise that it was a blog from 2011 just how/why it matters to those who are reading.
• Don’t forget to check the images – swap out any images that look out of touch with the times and make sure existing photo size aren’t slowing down your website.

Maximizing the content you already have is important, but it’s useless if it’s not being seen by your audience because an algorithm deems it outdated.  Grab a calendar, start devising a plan of action and get working on updating!  We understand that everyone’s time is valuable, so we hope these tips are useful and able to encourage productive use of that time.  For more advertising and marketing tips, or if you’re interested in working with our stellar team to improve your own campaigns and strategy, don’t hesitate to contact McCauley Marketing Services today.