What to Do With Old and Outdated Content

According to a recent survey, updating content can boost engagement by up to 45% and rankings/traffic by 43%.

In today’s fast-paced, always-on digital landscape, it can be challenging to keep your content fresh and relevant. One effective solution is to repurpose your existing content, updating and adapting it for new audiences and platforms.

Repurposing content can help you get more mileage out of your existing content, while also helping you reach new audiences and keep your brand top of mind.

Below, we explore how to recycle content by providing proven tips and strategies for updating and adapting your content so that it’s relevant now.

Option 1: Refresh and Update

Refreshing and updating can help keep your website up to date and ensure that the information you are presenting to your audience is accurate and relevant. It can also help improve the user experience for your visitors, as they will be more likely to find the information they are looking for if it is current and accurate.

Additionally, recycling content can help improve your website’s search engine ranking, as search engines often prioritize newer content. There are a few different content recycling strategies you can use to refresh your outdated content:

Identify and Remove Old Content

Review the content and identify any outdated information or broken links. Remove or update this information as needed.

This involves going through your content and checking for any information that is no longer accurate or relevant. This could be data, statistics, examples, or anything else that may have changed since the content was first published.

It’s also important to check for any broken links, as these can be frustrating for readers and may negatively impact your website’s search engine ranking.

Add New Information

Consider adding new information or examples to your content to make it more relevant and useful to your audience.

Recycling content with new information or examples can help make it more valuable to your audience and keep them engaged. For example, if you have an old blog post about a specific topic, consider adding new research or data to the post to make it more comprehensive.

Revamp the Design

Check the formatting and design of the content. Is it easy to read and navigate? If not, consider revising the formatting or redesigning the content to make it more user-friendly.

The appearance and layout of your content can have a big impact on how easily it reads. If the formatting is cluttered or hard to follow, consider revising it to make it more readable. You might also consider redesigning the content to make it more appealing or easier to navigate.

Promote on Social Media and Other Online Platforms

Promote your updated content on social media or through email newsletters to draw attention to the changes you’ve made.

Once you’ve updated your content, it’s important to let people know about it. Share it on social media or send it out in an email newsletter to let your audience know that the content has been refreshed and is worth revisiting.

Republish with New Publication Dates

Consider republishing the content with a new publication date, as this can help it rank high in search results.

If you’ve made significant changes to your content, it can be helpful to republish it with a new publication date. This can help it rank well, as search engines often prioritize newer content.

Option 2: Rewrite

Rewriting your content doesn’t mean changing a few words in your blog and then republishing it. It involves taking basic ideas from your original blog and putting on a new spin on them to that they are engaging, informative, current, and if possible, future-proof.

Here are some of the best ways to do that.

Convert a List into Individual Pieces

Break the list into individual items and create a separate piece of content for each item.

For example, if you have a list of 10 tips for successful online marketing, you could create a separate blog post or webpage for each tip. Also, if you have a list of the top 5 tools for project management, you could write a review or comparison of each tool, discussing their features and pros and cons in more detail.

You could also create an outline or roadmap of the list and use it to guide the creation of a longer piece of content. For example, if you have a list of the top 10 best practices for social media marketing, you could use the outline to create a comprehensive guide or eBook on the topic.

Other good ways to utilize your list content pieces include turning them into individual videos, podcasts, social media posts, and even emails.

Combine Related Posts Into One

Begin by identifying the old posts that you want to include in the summary. These should be related to a specific topic or theme and should provide valuable information or insights that are still relevant to your audience.

Next, review the old posts and make a list of the key points or themes covered in each one. This will help you get a sense of the overall content of the old posts and identify any overlap or redundancy.

Once you have a list of the key points or themes, use this information to create an outline for the summary post. Organize the key points or themes into a logical structure that will be easy for readers to follow.

Use the outline to guide the writing of the summary post. Incorporate information and ideas from the old posts as needed, being sure to provide fresh context and background information to help readers understand the significance of the content.

Be sure to edit and proofread it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and well-written. This will help improve the readability and effectiveness of the content. If you want to redirect traffic from the old posts to the summary post, you can redirect the URLs of the old posts to the summary post.

Draft a Whitepaper or a Draft

If there is too much relevant information to cut out, consider turning the related blog posts into a valuable whitepaper or guide. Whitepapers are typically longer and more in-depth than typical blog posts.

Once you have chosen the blog posts, create an outline for the whitepaper. This will help you organize the content and ensure that it flows from one section to the next.

Next, edit and rewrite the content from the selected blog posts to fit the structure and tone of the whitepaper. Remove any repetitive information and ensure that the content is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Depending on the topic and the length of the whitepaper, you may need to add additional content to fill out the document. This could include new research, case studies, or other examples that help to illustrate your points.

Also, make the design and layout of the whitepaper to be more current and engaging to your target audience. Choose a layout that is appealing and easy to read, and incorporate images, charts, or other visual elements to enhance the content.

Option 3: Remove

Not all old content can be salvaged, and that’s okay. This can be a good way to keep the information that is available on your site current and accurate. It also ensures readers are not misled by outdated information.

Key Reasons to Remove Old and Outdated Content

There are a few key reasons why you may want to consider removing old and outdated content. These include the following.

Streamline Your Site

If your site contains a lot of outdated content, it will be more difficult for users to find the information that they are looking for. Removing old content can help to improve the on-site search and navigation by eliminating unnecessary pages and making it easier for users to find the information that they need.

Outdated content can also make your site slower to load, which can be frustrating for users. Removing old content can help to reduce the amount of data that needs to be loaded when users visit your site, which can improve the overall speed and performance of your site.

Improve the Accuracy and Credibility of Your Site

If the old content contains inaccuracies or outdated information, removing it may improve the overall credibility of your site. This is especially important if the old content is widely viewed or shared, as it can damage your site’s reputation if it is not accurate.

Improve the User Experience

Outdated content can be confusing or misleading for users, and it might not provide the information that they are looking for. Removing old content can help to improve the user experience by ensuring that users can access accurate and up-to-date information on your site.

Improve Search Engine Rankings

Search engines use the content on your site to determine its relevance and value. If your site contains a lot of old, outdated content, it will be less likely to rank well in search engine results. Removing old content can help to improve your SEO by giving the search engines more current and relevant content to index and evaluate.

Possible Implications of Removing Old Content

Removing content from your website or online platform might not be so straightforward. It’s important to consider the potential consequences of removing old content before deciding to do so. Possible implications you may face include.

Broken Links

If the old content has been widely linked to or shared, removing it may result in broken links for users who are trying to access the content. This can be frustrating for users and may lead them to leave your site.

Legal Issues

In some cases, removing old content may raise legal issues, such as copyright violations and breaches of contracts.

For example, if the old content includes material that is protected by copyright, such as images, text, or videos, removing it may violate the owner’s copyright. Similarly, if you have entered into a contract or agreement that requires you to maintain certain content on your site, removing it may violate the terms of the contract.

Be sure to carefully consider any potential legal implications before removing anything.

Decreased Search Engine Rankings

Search engines use the content on your site to determine its relevance and value. If you remove old content, it could impact your website’s search engine rankings, as the search engines will have less content to index and evaluate.

Loss of Traffic

Removing old content can also result in a loss of traffic to your site, as users will no longer be able to access the content that they were looking for. This is especially true for old content that was ranking well on search engine results.

Decreased Credibility

If the old content contained inaccuracies or outdated information, removing it can improve the overall credibility of your site. However, if the content was widely viewed or shared, removing it may also damage your site’s reputation and credibility.

Overall, it’s important to weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks of removing old content. In some cases, it may be more appropriate to update the content rather than remove it entirely.

Repurposing Content Keeps Your Website Fresh and Futureproof

Repurposing content is a valuable strategy for keeping your content fresh and relevant, while also reaching new audiences and maximizing the value of your existing content. By recycling content for different formats and platforms, you can get more mileage out of your content and keep your brand top of mind.

So, don’t be afraid to dust off that old blog post or newsletter and give it new life. You never know where your repurposed content will take you.

Get a free digital marketing review from Five Channels. We will help you narrow down on old, outdated content and breathe new life into it. Get started now.