As digital marketers, we are used to weekly meetings, emails, and phone calls focused on brainstorming new content ideas and strategies. We all want to keep our blogs fresh and informative, but do we ever go back to look at our old content? A report from Hubspot showed that 76% of their monthly blog views came from “old” posts and 92% of their monthly blog leads also came from older posts. These numbers represent a trend happening in blogs throughout many industries.
If around 90% of blog leads come from old posts, why do we spend almost 100% of our time on creating new content? It’s time we shift our focus to those posts that we may not have looked at in months or even years. As we take a look at each old blog article, there is a choice we have to make. Do we remove the content, or do we update it?
When // There are three scenarios where you would want to remove old content:
Why // Why should you remove old content? Two words: Google Panda. This change was rolled into the main Google algorithm over five years ago. Panda looks at old and/or poor-quality content and penalizes you by dropping your search ranking.
When // There are three scenarios where you would want to update old content:
Why // Updating old content on your blog works for the very same reason removing articles works—Google rewards freshness. When you build on existing, well-written blogs, you are capitalizing on your existing search authority.
How // Now that you know when and why we are addressing old content, let’s take a look at the steps you should take when improving your older blog posts:
It’s that simple. During your next content conversation, bring up the plan above. It’s a surefire way to mix things up in your marketing plan and create meaningful change. You’ll also invest less time than you would when creating content from scratch. If you find yourself stuck on content updates, our team is here to help. Contact us today!