When it comes to improving SEO, most businesses focus heavily on publishing fresh content. While that’s certainly important, many overlook a valuable and often quicker win, refreshing existing content.
Updating old content can not only save time and effort compared to writing new articles, but it can also give your rankings a significant boost. If your site has been live for a while, chances are you’re already sitting on content that, with a few strategic updates, could deliver excellent SEO results.
Let’s explore why updating old content is so effective and how to do it right.
Why Content Goes Stale (and Why It Matters)
The digital landscape moves fast. In just a few months, trends shift, search intent evolves, and statistics become outdated. What once was a strong-performing page can quietly slip down the rankings if it’s no longer considered relevant or accurate.
Worse still, old content may contain broken links or outdated messaging, which can harm both your brand credibility and your SEO performance. When Googlebot crawls your site and detects broken links or stale information, it may lower the trust signals associated with your domain.
You canrun regular SEO audits to identify outdated or underperforming pages.
Why Google (and Users) Love Updated Content
Google wants to show users the most relevant and up-to-date information. This means it naturally favours sites that refresh their content regularly. Even small updates, if meaningful, can trigger Google to re-crawl and re-rank a page.
From a user perspective, it also makes sense. You’re more likely to trust content that’s been reviewed recently versus something that hasn’t been touched in years.
And it’s not just blog posts. Refreshing product pages, landing pages, and evergreen articles can have a measurable impact on visibility and engagement.
What About Evergreen Content?
Evergreen content, such as “how-to” guides or foundational industry articles, tends to stay relevant over time. But even these gems can benefit from occasional updates.
For example:
Are the external links still working?
Could you improve the formatting or visuals?
Have new services launched that should be linked internally?
The goal is to keep the page fresh and useful without completely rewriting it.
Your Content Refresh Checklist
It doesn’t take a major rewrite to make a difference. Here's what to look for when refreshing older pages:
Update outdated stats or facts: Replace old data with the latest figures or research.
Optimise for new keywords: Your SEO strategy likely evolves over time, make sure your older content reflects your current keyword goals.
Add internal links: Point readers to newly published blogs, services, or relevant pages across your site.
Refresh meta titles & descriptions: Make sure they accurately reflect the content and entice clicks from searchers.
Fix broken links: Ensure every link works and adds value, this includes both internal and external links.
Want to make this even easier? Use tools like Ahrefs Site Audit, Semrush On Page SEO Checker, or Screaming Frog to quickly spot outdated or underperforming content.
Which Content Should You Refresh First?
If your website has a large archive, it can feel overwhelming deciding where to begin. Here’s where we recommend starting:
1. Pages with Declining Traffic
If a blog or service page was once performing well but has seen a dip in traffic, it’s a prime candidate for a refresh. Check Google Analytics or Search Console to identify these pages.
2. Pages Ranking on Page 2 of Google
As Semrush reports, less than 1% of searchers ever click on results on the second page. Moving a page from position #12 to #9 can result in a significant visibility boost.
3. Evergreen Content with Old Links or Mentions
Even if the core content remains relevant, refresh the links, update any references to time-sensitive material, and ensure the format still aligns with your current brand tone.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Just Create, Curate
An effective content strategy balances creation with curation. While new content is essential for growth, updating your existing pages can be one of the most cost-effective SEO wins available to you.
At Bubble SEO, we support businesses with both content creation and optimisation. If you’d like help writing SEO-friendly content get in touch with our team.
