Rich Holgate
Most website owners spend a lot of time creating new content whether that be blog posts, how-to guides, news updates, continually adding new stuff all the time but rarely spending time (if any time at all) looking back at what’s already on their site. Over time, this can become a problem.
Search engines reward freshness, relevance, and high quality. Old, thin, or outdated content can harm your authority, dragging down the overall performance of your website.
The good news is that you don’t always have to start from scratch. The key is knowing when to refresh old content and when to remove it altogether.
How Does Old Content Can Hurt Your Website?
Old content doesn’t just sit quietly in the background; it can actively hold your website back. From outdated facts to wasted crawl budget, neglected posts may harm user trust and search performance. Here are some key ways that ageing content can damage your site’s authority.
- Outdated Information
If your blog contains legal advice, product guides, or industry insights from many years ago, the chances are that some of that information is now inaccurate. Search engines don’t want to serve unreliable results, and readers won’t trust content that is old. - Poor User Engagement
Old posts with low engagement metrics (high bounce rates, short dwell times, little to no clicks) send negative signals. Even if other pages on your site are strong, weak content can pull down your averages. - Keyword Cannibalisation
Multiple posts covering the same topic in similar ways can confuse search engines. Instead of ranking one solid article, Google may dilute your authority across several weak ones. - Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engines only crawl so many of your pages at a time. If they’re wasting energy crawling outdated, underperforming content, your important pages may get less attention.
Refresh vs. Remove: Making the Right Call
Not all old content is equal. Some pages can be revived with strategic updates, while others are sometimes better removed. The challenge is knowing which to keep and improve, and which to cut.
Here’s a guide on how to decide whether to refresh or remove underperforming content.
The decision comes down to the value that the content brings – both existing (i.e. today’s value) and potential.
When to Refresh an Existing Webpage
- The topic is still relevant – for example, a “Guide to Section 21 Notices” just needs updating with new legislation.
- The page has backlinks – valuable links should not be wasted.
- It ranks on page 2 or 3 – close to breaking through, but in need of an update.
- It has traffic history – perhaps it once performed well but slipped as it aged.
Refreshing can involve:
- Updating facts, statistics, and case law.
- Improving readability and structure.
- Adding new internal links.
- Enhancing with multimedia (images, video, infographics).
- Optimising for current search intent and keywords.
When to Remove an Existing Webpage
- The content has no search value – irrelevant topics, thin content, or content that no one is searching for anymore.
- No backlinks or traffic – no evidence of past or future potential.
- Duplicate or near-duplicate topics – multiple “how-to” posts competing for the same keyword.
- Beyond saving – so outdated that a refresh would require rewriting from scratch.
If removing content, don’t just delete and forget. Options include:
- 301 redirecting to a newer, relevant page.
- Consolidating thin posts into a stronger evergreen guide.
- Leaving a useful archive (for compliance or transparency) but blocking it from indexing.
How Do I Get My Blogs Seen – Five Quick Fixes Every Author Should Know
Too many blogs disappear into the digital void. The good news is, that a few small tweaks can dramatically boost your blog’s visibility without you needing to be an SEO expert. Click here to find out more about how to tweak and enhance your blogs for more exposure by reading this recent blog by Rich Holgate.
How to Audit Old Website Content
A content audit doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In fact, it’s as simple as 1,2,3.
- Review website performance to identify underperforming pages that are as old as the hills. Use GA4 to find pages that are both old and receiving little traffic. These are contenders for a review or removal.
- Look deeper at individual page performance metrics – impressions, clicks, bounce rates. Are there any tell-tale signs as to why this page is underperforming such as outdated advice, thin content, additional SEO opportunities?
- Decide and act: Is this page a contender for a refresh? Or should it be taken offline? Once you have decided which course of action to take then go ahead and deliver!
Plan to repeat this process regularly (every 12–18 months) to keep your content healthy.
Final Thoughts – Should you remove or refresh old website content?
Your website is like a garden. Left unchecked, old weeds (outdated, underperforming posts) will spread and choke the plants you want to grow. By pruning back weak content and nurturing what has real potential, you’ll protect your site’s authority and give your best pages the chance to shine.
When in doubt, ask yourself:
- Does this page serve my audience today?
- Is it accurate, trustworthy, and valuable?
- If I landed here as a new visitor, would I stay?
If the answer is no, it’s time to decide and take action. Remove or refresh?