It is no secret that content is king. Or as some people prefer to say, it is not just king, it is the entire kingdom! Fresh content also keeps your SEO strategies from gathering internet dust. But how fresh does your content need to be exactly? Does it need to be brand-spanking-new, or can it be revamped?
That is the million-dollar question we are answering today because no one has the time to miss out on golden SEO growth opportunities that help their businesses get seen.
Reasons Your Content Is Becoming Less and Less Effective
Search engines like Google love fresh, relevant, and high-quality content. It is estimated that adding new pages to your site can result in a 55% increase in organic traffic over time. Because new pages equals new content. However, Google also has a freshness algorithm that favours recently updated content. And according to 61% of marketers, updating and improving existing content has a greater impact on SEO rankings than creating new content from scratch.
Not to mention that roughly 43% of search queries are for content that is less than a year old. Once more highlighting the importance of up-to-date information. Especially since online info can quickly become outdated as industry trends, statistics, and best practices evolve. And we can all agree that, sometimes it feels like the digital world is evolving by the second!
New content from competitors can also push your posts down the rankings. A drop in engagement (that means fewer clicks and less time spent on your page) can signal to search engines that your content has become stiff and ancient. And websites that publish blog posts at least 16 times per month (whether it is a new blog or an updated one) get 3.5 times more traffic than those that post less frequently. Meaning, that if you are not regularly updating your content, you are falling behind fast.
Why Refreshing Your Content Boosts Your SEO Benefits
Improved Rankings And Organic Traffic
HubSpot recently reported that 55% of marketers who publish content regularly see improvements in their search rankings. Let alone, according to the Content Marketing Institute, 60% of companies say content updates (like adding new data or revising old articles) lead to better performance and higher organic traffic. So, when we say updating old content can provide an immediate boost to your online rankings, we mean it. You can update your content by replacing outdated statistics with new ones (preferably the latest), as well as incorporating new developments within your field, services, team, or products. It is not rocket science, but the benefits are out of this world!
Enhanced User Experience
User experience (UX) and SEO are closely intertwined, as a better UX often leads to improved SEO outcomes. Online readers expect accurate, up-to-date information, and if they come across outdated blog posts, they are likely to leave quickly. In the wise words of Doug Warner, “Your competitor is just a mouse click away”, it is thus best to keep your readers happy and engaged on YOUR website and with YOUR content.
A decrease in bounce rate (under 40%) can improve your business’s ranking on search engines as Google interprets longer engagement as a signal of relevance. Users are also 2 to 3 times more likely to stay on websites that offer a smooth, user-friendly experience, including good navigation, fast loading times, and you guessed it, relevant content.
Stronger Backlink Profile
A well-maintained blog is more likely to attract backlinks, as high-quality websites prefer linking to fresh, authoritative content. According to Ahrefs, backlinks are one of the top 3 ranking factors for SEO. Websites with higher-quality backlinks tend to rank higher in search results. By updating your old posts, you enhance their credibility, making them more appealing for link-building opportunities. This can help boost your site’s domain authority and overall SEO performance, as backlinks are a key ranking factor for search engines. PLUS, by updating old blogs, you technically now have new blogs. It truly is a win-win.
How To Successfully Revamp Old Content
It really is as easy as one, two, three. Is it as fast as that? Probably not, but you will reap the benefits. You can start by identifying posts that are underperforming or have seen a decline in traffic. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can help you spot said posts that once thrived but now not so much. Pay attention to posts with high impressions but low click-through rates (CTR) and pages with steadily declining traffic. Once you have identified these posts, it is time to update and expand the content.
Revise outdated information, such as statistics, research findings, and references, to reflect the most current data. If there are new developments in the topic, consider adding sections to reflect these updates. For better readability, break up long paragraphs, incorporate bullet points, and use subheadings to create a clearer structure. To keep your readers engaged, you can add multimedia elements like updated images, videos, and even infographics.
Also, look for fresh keyword opportunities. Find which keywords are trending and add them to your meta descriptions and title tags. Finally, once you have refreshed the content, update the publish date and republish the blog. After republishing, make sure to promote it through social media channels, email newsletters, industry forums, and, if necessary, paid promotion.
Real-World Success Stories
Many brands have leveraged content refreshing to achieve SEO growth. For example, HubSpot increased organic traffic by over 100% simply by updating and republishing old blog posts.
Similarly, Backlinko reported a 652% increase in organic traffic by implementing an aggressive content refresh strategy.
A Quick Review Of What We Have Learned
Refreshing your content plays a huge role in the success of your company and SEO growth. Rather than constantly chasing new content creation, digital marketing agencies like ours can use your existing assets to boost your rankings, increase engagement, and maximise conversions, all while saving time and resources.
