Taking the best of your existing content and renewing it is one of the most effective measures for improving SEO. It encourages search engines to find you and keeps readers interested and engaged. It's time to take good content and transform it into great content. Refreshed content is the king!
Why is refreshing your content important?
After a while, content hits a plateau meaning a decrease in website traffic. Refreshed content outperforms posts that have existed for some time. Refreshing existing content serves your brand and content marketing strategy. Refreshing your content:
- Drives traffic to your website
- Welcomes old visitors back
- Attracts new visitors, who may convert
- Allows search engines to perceive content as new, gaining a boost in search engine rankings
- Boosts audience engagement (reading, sharing, commenting)
- Uses fewer resources than creating new content
- Allows for the discovery of linking opportunities (website, social channels) you may have missed
- Results in higher clickability as outdated headlines and descriptions are changed to reflect present conditions
- May include combining shorter pieces into a large authoritative page, rich in detail and keywords
- Assists in maintaining website authority by maintaining backlinks and building new links
- Combats keyword cannibalization (multiple positions of the same SERP), resulting in more cumulative traffic
How do you identify content to refresh?
When you decide to try refreshing content, use data to help identify which posts to refresh.
- Pinpoint high-performing posts by looking at the number of inbound links
- Search for content that's already popular
- Consider posts with evergreen content (advice, how-to's, industry content)
- Look for content that can be updated with keywords or already has successful keywords
How to refresh content:
- Identify top-performing posts and update in phases
- Prioritize posts that drive traffic
- Review and update keywords
- Test and update all inbound and outbound links
- Remove broken links
- Fix spelling and grammar errors
- Update images and image ALT tags
- Update title tags and the meta description
- Add new content (tips, advice, how-to's, lists)
- Merge existing related content
- Update information
- Examine for errors or mistakes
- Update the statistics and data
- Update the title and headlines
- Update the call to action
- Highlight your expert skills or knowledge in your field
- Show that the person writing the blog or other page content is an authority in your field
- Update the layout (length of paragraphs, whitespace, scannable content, headings, lists)
- Create a new section of the page; add bullet points, update subheaders, add supporting imagery
- Share refreshed content on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
- Remove duplicate content (pages with multiple URLs, posts with large quotes from other websites, manufacturer's product descriptions that are found elsewhere)
- Ensure the post is mobile friendly
- Write an “editor's note” stating the post was updated
- Use recent content to redirect users to the refreshed post
It's time to audit your website and capitalize on content efforts you've already made. Stay visible to the search engines and your audience with a content refresh. Give your posts/website a thorough review, refreshing high-performing posts/pages. Include refreshing as part of your regular content strategy. Make it easy for your users to find your refreshed content. Then sit back and enjoy the increased traffic and conversions.
Want help refreshing your existing website content? Need help with your marketing strategies? Call us at (403) 456-0072 or email [email protected]. Allow us to be your very own marketing department! Connect with our tightly-knit team of knowledgeable digital-first consultants, each eager to help your business grow. Contact Us today.
