Should it stay or should it go?

Now it’s bugging you, you know…

You’re reviewing your website content, and there it is, that blog post from 2013 announcing your new fax number. Or the one about your top five predictions for social media in 2016. You squint at the screen and hear a little voice singing: Should it stay or should it go now?

Like The Clash, your content is full of angst and indecision. But unlike a catchy punk anthem, old news and blog posts don’t usually top the charts, and they could be holding your website back.

So how do you decide whether to delete, update, or just leave it?

Is the content still useful?

If the post is useful, accurate and genuinely helpful then leave it be or give it a little polish. Articles that continue to drive traffic or provide value to readers are worth keeping, even if they’re older. We have one blog post that drives a lot of traffic and it was written 10 years ago.

On the other hand, if it’s referencing old technology, events that have come and gone, or predictions that aged worse than frosted tips in the 2000s… (yes I had them) maybe it’s time to let it go (now that’s stuck in your head!).

Is it helping or hurting your brand?

Outdated or irrelevant posts can make your website feel dusty. Imagine a potential client landing on a page that talks about how excited you are to be joining Google+, not exactly confidence-inspiring.

Keeping your content tidy helps present your business as current, credible and invested in maintaining a quality experience for your visitors.

What about SEO?

Good question! Search engines love fresh, relevant and helpful content. Old posts that don’t get traffic or have poor engagement can drag your overall site performance down.

Rather than deleting them outright, consider:

• Updating: Add new stats, rewrite outdated sections, improve the format

• Redirecting: If it’s no longer relevant but had good traffic once, 301 it to a related current post

• Consolidating: Merge it with similar posts to create one stronger, more valuable resource

When should you just delete it?

Some content is beyond saving:

• It refers to services you no longer offer

• It contains incorrect or outdated information that can’t be updated

• It was written purely for SEO, with little real value (you know the ones - keyword stuffed articles that worked 15 years ago)

• It has no traffic, no links and no purpose

In those cases, it’s OK to let go.

So not I have inspired you to go off and do a content audit, ask yourself if each piece of content is serving a purpose. If it’s useful, make it shine. If it’s dead weight, it’s OK to say goodbye. Just remember to redirect where it makes sense, and don’t delete valuable history without thinking it through.