How to update old content to improve ranking on Google

• Why should content be updated?
• Advantages of updating
• Locating outdated articles to update
• Blog optimization
• Ways of updating old articles
• Issues with text updating
• Types of articles
• General considerations for content updates
• Conclusion

Updating content is a way of altering and optimizing it to increase its. Updating applies to blogs, publications, landing pages, guidelines, etc.

Why should content be updated?

The update is aimed at increasing the number of views by using existing materials. Updates increase a number of metrics, including organic traffic, SERP, clickability, subscriptions, conversions, and lead generation. The content is kept current via regular updates. When changing the material, consideration is given to the post’s worth and the landing page’s peak performance. You can set up targeting on posts that need improvement or on posts that are already popular if you want to keep their high rankings. You can move posts from the top 5 to the top of search engine results by updating your material.

Advantages of updating

The following are the key advantages of updating: 

Locating outdated articles to update

The most promising material should be chosen while choosing old articles:

• Evergreen content. To pique interest in the text, the most pertinent materials are chosen. These consist of yearly updated lists and recommendations. You can select articles that discuss current affairs in your industry. Even after the search algorithms are changed, these articles will still be relevant.
• Metrics-poor content. Articles on the cusp of being viewed are ideal for upgrading. They can be located via Google Search Console. You should eliminate the keys and check the pages in the top 15 or higher.
• Forgotten content. It’s a good idea to update content that is half a year or a year old to draw in customers. Before publishing material, a target audience study should be conducted.
• Timeless URLs. It is advisable to examine URL titles. They ought to be completely pertinent to the article’s title. Redirecting to the latest versions should be done if the material has been updated.

Blog optimization 

A blog that has been active for a while needs to be updated. When there isn’t steady traffic, such an approach is not a good idea. The following content kinds should be optimized: 1) with good traffic but a bad conversion rate; 2) with terrible traffic but a good conversion rate.

The following guidelines should be followed while updating: 

• Content is updated in a way that ensures it is current and informative.

• Keywords have been updated in the article using the most well-liked and conversion-boosting words. The semantic core needs to be periodically updated.
• The old URL and the new date are used to publish the article. They can move up in the rankings as more recent news becomes available.
• The position is thoroughly advertised and promoted.

Ways of updating old articles

There are several methods that can be employed while upgrading the outdated articles:

1. Creating fresh content and publishing on a regular basis. The previous text can be updated with more details, and new text can be inserted. When looking for information, both articles will be presented side by side.
2. New stuff is added and the old content is deleted. The post gets re-promoted in social media while the previous URL is retained.
3. Placing a 301 redirect on the new post is the quickest approach to update the older entries. The new post will receive traffic in this scenario. If the blog has a long history, it may be able to combine all three techniques.

Issues with text updating

The authorship of texts is a concern when they are updated. There may be a number of problems, including: 

1. the advisability of replacing the text when the author passes away; 
2. mentioning the author’s name when significantly revising the text;
3. the need to compile a list of all authors of the post.

Each website can address the problems on its own while taking editorial strategy into account. The text’s main goal is to deal with the reader’s actual issue. Other problems are incidental.

Types of articles

The type of an article should be taken into account while editing it:

• With irrelevant content. If the content is not pertinent, the article is completely replaced while keeping the previous URL. Even with useless material, it is still feasible to keep the URL; however, it is still viable to redirect to the new page. A functioning SC is put together, a new TOR is made, and meta tags are prepared when an article is replaced.
• Of poor quality. These articles have a lot of issues, including an excessive number of keys and poor optimization. To remove inaccurate points, the article needs to be carefully edited.
• Low positions. Some articles may be correct SEO-wise, but rank relatively low. In this case you can enhance its uniqueness, rewrite the title, remove repetitions, add new subheadings and paragraphs, as well as pictures, tables, links and other elements.
• High-priority pages. Minor changes are necessary when the page ranks in the top 10 or top 20. It’s done by checking out competitors’ main key. You can add missing keyphrases or subheadings, and use ratings, tables and videos to appear in the snippet.  

General considerations for content updates

When updating content, keep the following guidelines in mind: 

• In order to avoid misleading search engines, you shouldn’t modify the post significantly. Some of the original material may be kept unedited if the publishing is done effectively.

• It is important to carefully assess current changes before implementing new ones. This will allow you choose the right strategy for further actions and evaluate the effectiveness of the improvements.
• It is not necessary to update URLs because doing so could lead to problems like slow download times and broken links. It’s critical to evaluate both internal and external links before changing the URL.
• The performance of the website may suffer if irrelevant content is updated. This leads to higher bounce rates and a drop in the page’s search rating.

Conclusion

Updating content is a way to keep it current and valuable. The site should undergo regular adjustments to boost traffic and raise its profitability. A specific technique should be used for updates, including adding the date of the update, updating images, reviewing links, enhancing the text’s quality, and optimizing keyphrases.