Now more than ever (due to the “helpful content update” Google announced in August), it’s important for organizations to prioritize updating their existing content, such as by adding new sections and removing outdated information. If you’re in charge of content at your organization, here are some tips for updating your materials without hurting your SEO.
Content Refresh Tip 1: Think About Advancements in Your Industry
This tip mainly applies to industries operating in a “your money or your life” (colloquially known as YMYL) space, such as law and medicine; however, it also applies to other sectors, as long as the information they contain might impact a person’s health (physical, financial or otherwise).
As advancements flood the market, scientific knowledge grows and laws change, it’s vital that organizations avoid having outdated information circulating on their websites. This can give the wrong impression to consumers or, worse, lead them down the wrong path, as consumers want the most up-to-date information possible.
For example, if they search “Covid-19 symptoms,” chances are they’d more readily click on an article from 2022 than one from 2020. The more updated your content is, the more helpful it will be to consumers — but it’s also true that it’s more likely to rank higher for your target keywords and has a greater chance that Google will choose it as a featured snippet.
There are certain situations, however, where instead of upgrading a piece of existing content, it might make more sense to add that piece to a section of your website that functions as a “library” and possibly add a line at the top that explains that the article is old, and that directs users to an updated piece. This strategy works particularly well for content that’s not evergreen, such as pieces centered on the news at the time and pieces that reference a specific point in time, such as “The Best Skateboards of 2019” and “The New Restaurants in Boston You Need to Try in 2021.”
Content Refresh Tip 2: Add Information That Brings People Value
I’ve previously written about Google’s “helpful content update,” which focuses on content that brings consumers value (as opposed to content that primarily exists for the purposes of gaming search engine traffic).
When auditing your older content, consider how you can make each piece more helpful and unique, even if nothing has changed about the topic at hand. Ask yourself: “How can I provide more value to readers?”
For instance, if a veterinary clinic has an article about ingredients dog owners should avoid in dog food, their content expert can add a new section to that article explaining what signs indicate a dog might be allergic to the food. Or if a bakery has an article about how far in advance people should order wedding cakes, they could add a new section explaining options available to couples who are behind.
As you’re adding new content to existing pieces, you might get ideas for new pieces altogether. Jot those down somewhere, and make sure any content you write for a new piece differs from what you added to the existing piece, as duplicate content can negate all of your hard work!
Content Refresh Tip 3: Don’t Fight Google
When you’re writing a new piece of content, you typically have one or a few target keywords that you’re hoping Google will pick up once you publish it. But with existing content, Google is already trying to rank for specific phrases—including ones you may not have initially even targeted.
My advice? Don’t fight Google. Embrace it. If an existing piece of content your organization has is ranking really well for a particular phrase, ensure any updates you make don’t jeopardize that.
For instance, if a website page is ranking extremely high for the keyword “Houston air conditioner replacement,” but your primary keyword for that page initially was “Houston air conditioner repairs,” tread carefully. Don’t remove anything that’ll jeopardize your impressive ranking for “Houston air conditioner replacement.” Instead, see how you can enhance that page to get an even higher ranking.
Ultimately, with the jaw-dropping amount of new content that surfaces on Google daily, a strong content refresh strategy will help you give Google a reason to crawl your content, index it over your competitors, and give you higher SEO rankings. And Google aside, a robust content refresh strategy will show prospective and current customers that your organization is on top of its industry — and it’s the one they should turn to when they need help.
