A content refresh routine for old posts

Most blogs publish steadily and never go back. Older posts drift: facts change, screenshots date, links break, and the post stops matching what people want when they search for it. A regular refresh routine keeps useful pages useful without writing everything from scratch.

This is a routine you can run each quarter with a spreadsheet and a few hours.

Step 1: build the inventory

Export a list of posts with these columns:

• URL
• Title
• Publish date and last updated date
• Visits over the last twelve months, from analytics
• Search clicks and impressions, from Search Console
• Enquiries or conversions the page contributed to, if you track them

A spreadsheet with one row per post is enough.

Step 2: choose a decision for each post

Give each post one of five labels.

Be careful with removal. A page with links pointing to it or steady visitors is usually better updated or redirected than deleted. When removing, return an appropriate status such as 410 or 404 rather than leaving a blank page.

Step 3: prioritise

You will not refresh everything. Sort the posts labelled "update" by a mix of value and opportunity:

• Pages that already bring visits and have slipped.
• Pages close to your core services.
• Pages about topics where facts change, such as tools, regulations or processes.

Start with the ten that matter most.

Step 4: refresh checklist for each post

Work through the same list every time.

1. Check the search intent. Search for the main query yourself. Do the top results answer the same question your post does? If the nature of results has changed, the structure of your post may need to change.
2. Check every fact. Names, features, dates, laws, prices and screenshots. Remove anything you cannot verify.
3. Add what is missing. Look for questions readers still have, using your own sales and support messages.
4. Cut what no longer helps. Shorter and clearer often beats longer.
5. Fix the headline and opening. The first paragraph should state what the reader will get.
6. Repair links. Replace broken external links, and add links to relevant newer pages on your own site.
7. Update images and alt text. Replace outdated screenshots.
8. Improve the call to action. Make sure the next step is relevant to the post's reader.
9. Check titles and descriptions. Make them accurate and specific.
10. Review formatting. Short paragraphs, descriptive headings, and tables where they help.

Step 5: keep the URL

Do not change the address of a post you are refreshing. A stable URL retains links and history. If you do need to change it, set up a permanent redirect from the old address.

Step 6: ask search engines to look again

After publishing, you can use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console and request indexing for important pages. It is not required, and requests are not a guarantee of timing. Keeping your sitemap up to date with accurate last-modified dates also helps.

Step 7: measure and record

Note the date of each refresh in your sheet. After a few weeks, compare visits, clicks and enquiries for the page against the weeks before, bearing in mind seasonality and other changes. Do not expect an immediate jump, and do not credit the refresh with changes it did not cause.

Make it a habit

Pick a fixed day each quarter, limit the batch to a number you can finish, and record what you learned for the next round.

To plan and run refreshes alongside new publishing with a team, the content-led SEO programme from Gorilla Vibe fits that, within one monthly subscription.

Written with AI assistance for the Gorilla Vibe marketing team.