When to Update Blog Content & Why You Should

Keeping your blog contented existent is important for SEO success. 

But updating posts takes clip and effort. And overdoing it apt won’t drastically amended your performance. 

This guideline will show you precisely really to attack refreshing contented and really often to do it. To get the champion results without wasting resources.

How Often Should You Update Blog Content?

You should update overmuch of your blog contented erstwhile each 3 to six months to make judge it’s still accurate, precocious quality, and aligned pinch what users are looking for.

But update wave besides depends connected the contented type, what its intended intent is, and whether the taxable still makes consciousness for your brand. 

For example, news articles mightiness request play aliases regular updates. While evergreen how-to guides for illustration this Better Homes & Gardens portion connected starting a plot could enactment caller for a twelvemonth aliases more. 

So, don't update for the liking of updating. And alternatively attraction connected meaningful improvements that adhd value. 

Why Should You Update Blog Content?

Updating blog contented is important for a fewer main reasons: 

Maximize Your Return connected Investment

In contented marketing, return connected finance (ROI) is the gross you get from your contented compared to what you walk creating it.

And updating existing contented often yields a higher ROI than creating caller posts from scratch. Because it leverages the activity you’ve already done to prevention clip and resources. 

For example: 

You tin boost your existent articles’ rankings connected hunt motor results pages (SERPs) and pull much postulation to them by incorporating keywords and utilizing on-page SEO tactics. By utilizing a instrumentality for illustration the On Page SEO Checker.

You tin besides revise calls to action (CTAs) successful existing posts to amended conversion rates. And move visitors into customers without penning caller articles. 

Maintain Trust and Credibility

Updating your contented pinch the latest accusation helps it lucifer what users are looking for. Which tin build spot and position your blog arsenic a reliable and charismatic root successful your niche. 

And successful a competitory market, caller contented tin group your marque isolated from others pinch outdated information.

Get More Traffic from Time-Sensitive Search Queries

Google’s algorithm includes aggregate systems centered astir content freshness to prioritize caller contented for time-sensitive searches. Which tin thief you look much prominently successful hunt results and pull postulation to your site.

What types of queries dangle connected freshness?

Think searches related to cyclical events, news, and merchandise reviews.

For example, a hunt for “hurricane milton” connected October 9, 2024 shows results that are astir timely:

When you update your blog contented for these types of queries, you awesome to Google your pages are up to date. And that mightiness springiness you an separator complete competitors pinch stagnant content. 

How to Identify Blog Content that Needs Updating

For news-related content, you’ll request to enactment connected apical of really stories evolve. And make changes arsenic needed while the taxable is still relevant.

For different types of blog content, present are a fewer applicable ways to place erstwhile those posts are owed for updates. 

Look for Dips successful Keyword Rankings

A driblet successful keyword rankings (your positions successful hunt results) is simply a clear motion that a portion of contented needs an update.

Search engines perpetually refine their knowing of search intent. 

If your rankings drop, it apt intends different pages are now amended gathering that intent. And this is important because little rankings tin straight effect your postulation and conversions.

To easy spot these drops, usage Position Tracking. 

It allows you to way your blog’s keyword rankings and quality for different SERP features. 

To start, participate your domain sanction and click “Set up tracking.” 

Then, take a hunt engine, device, and location. And prime “Continue To Keywords.” 

Add the keywords you’d for illustration to way rankings for. Meaning the keywords you’re targeting successful your blog posts. 

And click “Start Tracking.”

Head to the “Overview” tab, click the almanac icon, and group it to “Past 90 days.” 

Then, scroll down to the “Rankings Overview” table.

You’ll spot a database of your keywords, your existent rankings, and really your rankings person changed complete the past 3 months.

Slight shifts successful ranking are normal. But if you spot a large drop, it’s clip to act. 

Analyze the pages that person overtaken you by clicking the icon to position the SERP.

From here, look for caller angles, updated information, aliases formats the higher-ranking pages are using. 

Then, update your contented to reclaim your position and amended service your readers.

Further reading: How to Track Keywords: The Ultimate Guide

Look for Other Declining Performance Indicators

Declining postulation and conversions are besides signs that contented needs updating. Because users will apt extremity visiting pages that nary longer look relevant—and they can’t person if they don’t get successful the first place. 

You tin quickly find these capacity drops successful Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Log successful to GA4. And spell to “Reports” > “Engagement” > “Pages and screens.”

Then, prime the day scope astatine the apical of the screen, take “Last 90 days” and prime the toggle adjacent to “Compare.” And click “Apply.”

Scroll down to the array and participate “/blog” successful the hunt barroom (this assumes your blog contented each falls nether a subfolder).

You’ll now spot a database of your blog posts (and perchance your main blog page). Review these posts to spot which person had the astir important dips successful views and cardinal events (Google’s terminology for conversions).

Find Significantly Older Content

Old blog posts are premier candidates for updates. Because they mightiness beryllium outdated, irrelevant to your brand, aliases moreover harmful to your SEO efforts. 

What constitutes “old”?

Generally, you want to attraction connected thing that was published anterior to implementing your existent keyword strategy. Or thing that was published anterior to a attraction connected SEO astatine all. 

Once you’ve identified which posts these are, cheque their capacity utilizing Organic Research. 

Add your blog’s subfolder and click “Search.” 

The “Pages” tab displays each the pages successful your blog on pinch useful metrics for illustration keywords. 

Use the “Filter by URL” container to find the nonstop URL of each aged blog station you want to analyze—one astatine a time.

See whether these posts are ranking for immoderate keywords aliases driving immoderate integrated postulation to your site. 

Even if they’re old, posts pinch immoderate magnitude of postulation and rankings are worthy updating.

But don’t extremity there. Also look for aged posts pinch tons of value backlinks (links from different sites that constituent to yours).

These pages already person authority. They conscionable request amended contented to match. 

Use Backlink Analytics to find these pages. 

Add an aged blog post’s URL and click “Search.”

On the adjacent screen, make judge the drop-down adjacent to the URL is group to “Exact URL.”

The “Overview” tab shows you what the page’s wide backlink floor plan looks like. Including the number of referring domains and backlinks. 

Head to the “Backlinks” tab to spot the nonstop backlinks pointing to the page. And erstwhile they were added aliases removed. 

If a fixed blog station has a comparatively bully magnitude of backlinks and is still driving caller ones, see updating it. 

For each the aged posts you’re evaluating, ask:

• Is this taxable still applicable for your blog/company?
• Does this taxable align pinch your existent strategy?
• Can you importantly amended the content?

If “yes” is the reply to these questions, update the post. If not, see removing it to declutter your tract and attraction connected value content. 

But beryllium judge to usage a imperishable redirect connected immoderate posts you want to delete that person a important number of backlinks to clasp that ranking strength. 

Further reading: Content Pruning: A Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Your SEO

Best Practices for Updating Blog Content

Follow these champion practices to get the astir retired of your contented updates:

Review Your Keywords and Their Search Intent

One of Google’s main goals is to springiness searchers precisely what they’re looking for erstwhile they participate a fixed query. Which is why you request to fulfill that intent arsenic champion arsenic possible. 

Follow these steps to find the hunt intent for each of your superior (main) keywords:

1. Analyze the SERP to position the top-ranking pages for your target keyword. Google has already figured retired what searches want to see, and these results are addressing that desire. 
2. Identify the contented types the top-ranking pages are using. Are they chiefly how-to guides, merchandise pages, listicles, aliases merchandise reviews?
3. Check contented extent to spot really elemental aliases elaborate the apical results are
4. Note which subtopics astir of the apical pages cover

Then, adhd these competitor pages’ URLs into Organic Research 1 astatine a time.

On the adjacent screen, make judge “Exact URL” is selected astatine the apical and caput to the “Positions” tab.

Scroll down to the table, and you’ll spot the keywords this page is presently ranking for. Along pinch useful metrics for illustration hunt measurement and intent.

Analyze the keywords successful this table. And attraction connected position that person reasonably precocious hunt volumes and intent that matches the superior keyword’s intent.

Use this accusation to guideline your blog station updates. 

It will thief you springiness searchers precisely what they want. And boost the chances of Google ranking your pages higher. 

Further reading: 4 Types of Keywords successful SEO (+ Examples)

Include the Latest Information

If you’re updating blog content, you request to make judge you adhd caller data, sources, examples, etc. 

Using caller accusation shows you’re connected apical of manufacture trends and worth accuracy. Which helps boost your credibility. 

Here's really you tin start:

• Replace outdated stats pinch existent figures
• Find caller studies applicable to your topic
• Add insights from caller manufacture reports
• Quote master opinions from the past twelvemonth (this will request to beryllium overmuch much caller for time-sensitive topics)

For evergreen articles pinch tons of stats and data, group a almanac reminder to cheque your sources each six to 12 months. To make judge you enactment up of the curve. 

Ensure Your Content Is High Quality

Above all, your contented should beryllium precocious quality. Meaning it’s well-researched, helpful, and relevant. 

If this sounds for illustration difficult work, that’s because it is. 

If it were easy, everyone would do it. And everyone would rank highly. 

Here are a fewer tips to get you connected the correct way erstwhile updating blog content:

• Use a accordant marque voice
• Make it system for easy reference (short sentences, short paragraphs, and tons of subheadings)
• Proofread it to guarantee location aren’t typos aliases different errors
• Naturally see related keywords and concepts

Use the SEO Writing Assistant for this. 

Import aliases transcript and paste the contented you’re updating, adhd the page’s target keywords, and click “Get recommendations.”

The instrumentality will automatically people the station and supply recommendations for readability, reside of voice, originality, and SEO. 

Like this:

Take the clip to refine your work. Because it pays disconnected successful the agelong run. 

Further reading: How to Write a Blog Post Step by Step

Improve Your On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing your webpages and their contented for users and hunt engines. And updating a blog station is the cleanable chance to do this.

Here’s are a fewer ways to amended your posts’ on-page SEO:

• Optimize the page’s title tag (HTML that specifies the page title) and meta description (HTML that succinctly summarizes the page)
• Place target keywords strategically passim the contented (in subheadings, the page title, the title tag, assemblage copy, etc.)
• Use headings and subheadings to building the page
• Update images pinch descriptive alt text (HTML that describes an image)
• Add internal links (links to different pages connected your site)
• Add external links (links to different sites)
• Optimize URLs

If you request thief spotting opportunities, usage the On-Page SEO Checker.

Set up your project. And beryllium judge to usage the “Manually” action connected the “Pages and target keywords” tab to specify each the blog posts you want to update.

The instrumentality will past supply optimization ideas designed to amended your integrated traffic. 

Click connected the bluish “# ideas” fastener adjacent to a blog station URL to spot elaborate accusation astir each optimization idea. Including what to do and why you should return action. 

Address arsenic galore of these on-page factors arsenic you can. And you’ll apt spot a boost successful rankings, traffic, and engagement. 

Further reading: Blog SEO: How to Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines

Refresh the Visuals

Refreshing your visuals further signals to readers your contented is existent and trustworthy. 

Let’s opportunity you activity for a SaaS institution and usage screenshots of your software. In that case, cheque to make judge that each the UI you’re showing is still current. 

If not, you whitethorn want to return those screenshots again.

Here’s really to refresh your visuals the correct way:

• Add caller charts aliases graphs pinch the latest data
• Create civilization images illustrating new, cardinal points
• Replace outdated screenshots pinch existent versions
• Add caller infographics to summarize cardinal points, particularly if you’ve expanded the blog post
• Compress images to forestall them from slowing down your site

Further reading: Image SEO: How to Optimize Images for Search Engines & Users

Add Internal Links

We touched connected soul links earlier, but they’re worthy mentioning again. Because these links are important for SEO.

Internal links thief hunt engines observe your content, understand your tract structure, and administer nexus equity crossed your pages. And besides guideline visitors to different applicable pages connected your site.

This intends you tin do 2 things erstwhile you update blog posts: 

1. Add links from the updated blog station to different applicable pages
2. Add links to the updated blog station from different applicable pages

Here’s what that would look for illustration successful practice:

Say we’re updating this blog post.

For the first point, we could adhd soul links to articles astir keyword research, backlinks, SEO performance, hunt intent, and more. Because those are related topics we mention that could beryllium adjuvant for readers.

For the 2nd point, we tin usage a search operator to find posts connected our blog that mention position straight related to this article. 

For example, we tin hunt for “site:semrush.com/blog/ ‘blog content’” to find articles mentioning “blog content.” 

Then, we could browse the hunt results to look for related pages. And adhd links from those posts to this post. 

And usage descriptive anchor text for your soul links. Instead of thing for illustration “click here,” usage words that picture what you’re linking to. 

Monitor Updated Content to Refine Your Strategy

Updating your blog posts is conscionable the first step. The existent magic happens erstwhile you way really these changes perform.

Did integrated postulation increase? Are you ranking for caller keywords? Did you suffer immoderate featured snippets?

Use Position Tracking for this. 

It’ll automatically show your updated pages’ capacity successful hunt results for your target keywords. And show you precisely really those positions alteration complete time. 

Then, usage what you observe to fine-tune your strategy.