The maxim “Content is King” is widely recognized in the business world, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned industry leader or just beginning your journey. Nonetheless, there comes a point where content can become outdated, irrelevant, or no longer align with the needs of your audience. This is where content refresh becomes crucial.What exactly is content refresh? Keep reading to uncover the details.This article will also delve into its significance, strategies for reviving outdated content, and best practices for enhancing SEO through content refresh.Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ll cover:
What is content refresh?
Why is copy refresh important?
6 best ways to do a content refresh
The best copy refresh practices
Refresh your content for SEO with WebFX
Is your website stuck in a rut without progress? Subscribe to our newsletter and gain insights and best practices on refreshing your website content to propel your digital marketing efforts forward.A content refresh, also referred to as a “copy refresh,” involves a comprehensive overhaul of your website’s existing content to enhance its visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs) and organically attract more visitors.This process can range from simply adding new quotes from industry experts to an existing article, to a complete transformation of the article’s perspective or converting it into an audio, video, or ebook presentation.A copy refresh does not mean starting from scratch. Instead, consider this analogy: When your walls begin to flake, you don’t tear them down; you repaint them.Similarly, when your content becomes outdated and ineffective, you make edits to update and improve it, thereby enhancing your site’s equity and ensuring that every piece a reader encounters is engaging, well-written, and relevant.A copy refresh is vital to ensure that your website accurately reflects your current services and company information.Here are some of the benefits of content refresh for your business:
Boost search engine rankings: Copy refresh is an effective strategy to counteract the effects of evolving search engine algorithms.
Increase website traffic: Updating old content can increase site traffic and performance without the need for new content creation.
Improve conversions: With the potential to boost traffic, content refresh can also increase conversion rates, providing better conversion opportunities.
Build credibility: By maintaining up-to-date, relevant pages with valuable information, your company establishes itself as a credible source and industry leader.
Saves time and money: Refreshing existing material is more efficient than creating new content, as most of the text is already developed.
Moreover, keeping your website content fresh is crucial as it serves multiple purposes for your organization, from informing visitors about your mission and initiatives to inspiring them to take action.Now that you understand what a content refresh is and its potential benefits for your marketing efforts, it’s time to start refreshing your old content.Here are six straightforward ways to perform a copy refresh:
Establish a content refresh schedule
Assess your current target keywords and market
Update your citations
Refresh the design
Verify its mobile-friendliness
Re-date your copy
Just as you might use a calendar for rolling out new content, you can use one to manage content refreshes. Identify the copy you will refresh and plan when and how to release the updates. Consider when the refreshed pages will go live, as well as any new content you may want to develop simultaneously.When reviewing outdated content, you may discover that certain market personas require a shift in terminology or other factors not originally included in the persona profile. You may also find that older content was not optimized for the right keywords.Update your material to reflect any changes in target keywords and audience. Keep an eye out for outdated advice or information and revise those sections to align with current best practices.The most apparent signs of outdated information include typos, broken links, and information over a decade old. When using statistics, always try to find the most recent data available and incorporate it into your content.Similarly, with links, if you’ve written something more compelling recently, direct your readers to that piece.Modern web design tends to be minimalist and visually appealing. A visitor may leave your site without reading a single word if the content’s style and presentation are clearly outdated.Users also seek a visually engaging and dynamic experience, so consider including media such as videos and images and interactive features like social media share buttons.Mobile internet usage has surpassed desktop usage. No matter how well your site is optimized for mobile, some content may not display correctly on mobile devices.Therefore, ensure that your images are centered, buttons are large enough for users with large hands, and paragraphs are brief, with no more than three lines each.Finally, reassure your readers that the content they are reading is up-to-date by adding an “editor’s note” in content that includes a date, such as a blog post, stating that the article was updated from an earlier entry. For evergreen content, you may choose to remove the date entirely.For particularly old content, it may have been written during a time when “keyword stuffing” was an effective SEO tactic. Since Google now penalizes sites for excessive keyword usage, it’s crucial to adjust content to include keywords and their variations organically.The purpose of alt text is to provide a written description of an image or other media asset on your site. It offers search engines a verbal breakdown of all the media in your copy. Providing alternative text is essential for search engine indexing while reading your website.Therefore, check the image alt text of all your media files, both old and new, to ensure they are descriptive and accurate. Avoid keyword stuffing and utilize this opportunity to incorporate keywords naturally.Google displays a maximum of 60 characters for page titles in SERPs and 160 for meta descriptions. Not including these can result in truncated content and missed opportunities to emphasize your selling points. The WebFX Google Preview Tool can simplify this process.Google and other search engines recognize the value headers add by providing context for content. Therefore, always add or update the appropriate headers (H1, H2, H3, and H4) to structure your content and enhance readability. Additionally, ensure that keywords are naturally incorporated into your headings.When refreshing a blog post or landing page, always keep the URL the same. Changing a page’s URL can lead to broken external links and a 404 error for visitors, while excessive redirects can complicate your site’s navigation.Many small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) lack the personnel, equipment, and experience to undertake such a significant task.That’s why WebFX offers content marketing services, providing your business with access to a specialized team of experts.Ready to start refreshing your content for SEO? Contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 to learn more about joining our team.
