Refreshing content: How to update old content to drive new traffic

Just like a deep “spring cleaning” clears out the clutter after a long winter or a rejuvenating scalp massage melts away stress after a tough work week, we all need a refresh occasionally. 

The same goes for your website – which can quickly get cluttered with outdated, unoptimized content. 

That’s why taking the time to reset, refresh, and re-optimize your content is so important.

A content refresh isn’t just about tidying up, though. 

It’s also about making room for new ideas, renewed value for your readers, and timely relevance in the eyes of search engines. 

This can improve your website’s speed and rankings and drive new visitors to take action (subscriptions, purchases, etc.).

Below are a few simple yet effective ways to refresh your content to increase traffic and engagement on your website.

5 powerful reasons to refresh your content

Beyond just giving your content a “fresh face,” there are many reasons to update your content for users and search engines. 

Users appreciate the upgrade to more relevant and valuable information, and search engine algorithms appreciate recent sources, data, and references.

So, if you’re weighing the pros and cons of doing a content refresh, the following benefits might convince you it’s a worthy cause.

Unlock new traffic opportunities

A content refresh usually begins with a content audit, allowing you to identify low-ranking and untapped keyword opportunities.

For example, you might have an old blog post previously ranking at Position 1 for “best PPC ad strategies,” but it’s now ranking at Position 5. 

At the same time, you might not be ranking for “best PPC marketing strategies.” This could be your chance to weave it into your content.

Targeting more keywords creates more traffic opportunities. Refreshing your content helps you optimize for new terms, reaching more visitors and customers.

Breathe new life into old content

Remember that fantastic blog post you published in 2018? The one that got all those likes and shares? 

Just because an article is old doesn’t mean it should fade into oblivion. 

A content refresh can breathe new life into articles of years past, renewing your traffic and engagement.

What’s likely needed is a bit of an update: 

• Revised title.
• Recent sources.
• Relevant internal links.
• New stats.
• Etc. 

Refreshing this content can make it more applicable to today’s users. 

Then, you can reshare the article on socials, email, etc., and get fresh traffic.

You already took the time to write the content. Why not make the most of your investment and keep your content working for you?

Dig deeper: Improving or removing content for SEO: How to do it the right way

Recover previous traffic or engagement loss

Your content refresh might be more reactive than proactive, and that’s OK. 

If your traffic drops, audit the cause and look for opportunities to recover with keyword and on-page improvements. 

Traffic loss isn’t always due to algorithm changes. It often happens as content becomes outdated.

If an audit shows traffic loss on your blog or service pages, you can update your content to regain traffic with better metadata, sources, and E-E-A-T best practices.

Satisfy Google’s ‘freshness’ priorities

Google likes “fresh” content. This means content that’s timely, valuable to the user, and updated regularly (when needed).

This does not mean, however, “optimizing” content strictly for SEO’s sake. 

Google explicitly advises against artificially making content appear fresh:

• “Are you changing the date of pages to make them seem fresh when the content has not substantially changed?
• Are you adding a lot of new content or removing a lot of older content primarily because you believe it will help your search rankings overall by somehow making your site seem “fresh?” (No, it won’t)”

Instead, focus on meaningful updates that enhance your content with more helpful, relevant, and up-to-date information. Only update the dates on your articles if it makes sense. 

Ensure your content is relevant to the times to satisfy Google’s “freshness” priorities. 

Google may then reward you with improved rankings and traffic. 

Adapt to ever-changing consumer interests

Consumer interests change, just as our world constantly changes with new trends, technologies, news stories, etc. 

Your content can quickly become outdated as old trends become irrelevant, tech and tools become obsolete, and stories fade into history. 

For example, user interest in “remote work” skyrocketed in 2020, reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workplace. 

However, remote work is more of the norm today, so the search volume for these queries has slowly plateaued. 

Updating your content keeps you relevant and attracts the right customers as interests and search trends change.

Dig deeper: Creating new content vs. optimizing old webpages: Which is better for SEO?

---

8 content refresh strategies to update your content

Now for the good stuff. How do you refresh old content to boost traffic, engagement, and sales?

It all starts with a content audit to assess what exists and what needs improvement. 

From there, it’s about making the right tweaks.

1. Prune out the underperformers (strategically)

Content pruning refers to deleting or archiving old content that no longer drives results in terms of traffic, sales, etc. 

But before you start deleting old content, take a strategic approach to determine what actually deserves to be cut.

First, use Google Search Console to identify pages with little to no traffic or those with declining performance over time. 

Export this data to a spreadsheet to compare and prioritize updates.

Next, review the pages or articles closely. 

Look for outdated information, thin content, unoptimized metadata, broken source links, or topics that no longer align with your brand’s focus.

Then, decide whether to update or consolidate these pages. Instead of removing content entirely, consider merging it with relevant pages or posts to regain traffic value.

Finally, if the content is truly unsalvageable, consider deleting it. Just redirect the old URL to a more relevant, live page on your website.

Make sure to track your pruning efforts. Record which pages have been revised, consolidated, or deleted – and whether these changes have had a tangible impact on site performance. 

Over time, removing low-performing content can improve website quality, making it easier for high-value pages to rank.

Dig deeper: Google warns against content pruning as CNET deletes thousands of pages

2. Add new keywords

In most cases, your old content won’t be a total dud. 

Instead, it might just need fresh content and updated keywords. Again, this is where you can unlock new traffic opportunities.

Review Google Search Console for underperforming pages using a similar process outlined above. 

Look for pages that used to rank in positions 1–4 but have dropped or those that were on Page 1 and have fallen to Page 2. Then, identify the keywords that declined in rankings. 

You may need to optimize your metadata and body content to ensure these keywords are specifically included.

There may also be missed keyword opportunities. Using an SEO tool like Semrush, analyze competitor content and keyword gaps to discover relevant terms you aren’t targeting.

For example, you might have a blog post ranking well for “social media marketing strategies” but missing out on opportunities like:

• “Social media growth tips.” 
• “Best social media tactics.” 
• “Social media marketing for engagement.” 

Expanding your keyword targeting can help capture a broader audience and drive more traffic.

Dig deeper: Why a content gap analysis should be part of your SEO strategy

3. Update links to relevant, recent sources

One of the easiest ways to refresh outdated content is to update old sources. 

Just as your content ages, the external articles or pages you link to may also become outdated. 

In that case, it’s time to link to a more recent source.

For instance, if you have an article highlighting “Top Instagram Marketing Tools” but reference a statistic from 2017 or a strategy that was outdated by 2020, update it with more recent data.

Similarly, if you reference specific tools, news stories, or articles – or link to old pages on your website – make sure these links are:

• Live (not broken).
• Relevant to the topic.
• Ideally no more than three years old.

You don’t want to direct readers to a broken page or an outdated resource.

Do a status check of your content at least once a year to ensure your sources remain current.

4. Refresh your internal linking structure

As new content is added, we often forget about older pages and articles and, in turn, forget to link to them. 

However, failing to link to them is a missed opportunity to direct new traffic to existing areas of your website.

For example, if you publish a new article titled “CEO shares 8 strategies for scaling a $3M agency” and only link to your “CEO mindset quotes” article from last month, you might overlook the chance to link to older but highly relevant articles – such as “How to build a scalable business model” or “5 key leadership skills for growing a company.”

Ideally, each new piece of content will link to recent articles as well as slightly older but still valuable pages on your website. 

This isn’t to say you should link to outdated content, but rather ensure evergreen resources continue to get exposure.

With that in mind, pay attention to these aspects of your internal linking strategy:

• No orphan pages: Identify content with no internal links pointing to it and add relevant links where possible.
• Optimized anchor text: Use descriptive anchor text that relates to the page you’re linking to, improving click-through rates.
• Updated site navigation: Keep your site’s navigation links relevant and current to maintain a well-structured, user-friendly experience.

5. Expand sections with new insights and data

A content refresh is about ensuring your content is packed with value for your visitors. 

SEO tweaks help, but they won’t compensate for low-value content – especially as Google prioritizes E-E-A-T.

Most of your content refresh efforts should focus on actually reading the content and deciding whether more value could be added.

This might involve:

• Elaborating on previous points
• Adding new industry insights
• Referencing relevant examples or stories
• Including expert opinions, interviews, studies, or tools

Strengthening these elements enhances user experience and reinforces E-E-A-T signals, helping Google recognize your content as credible and authoritative.

This process can feel subjective, especially when conducting your own content audit. 

A good approach is to Google your target keyword (relative to the piece of content you’re optimizing) and analyze the top-ranking pages.

• Are competing articles providing more tips, insights, and examples than you?
• Are they covering more creative strategies or citing newer studies?
• How can you level up your content to demonstrate more value, insight, and authority?

You may also find more recent sources that cover the topic better than your current version. That’s an opportunity to improve your content, expand key sections, and reference the latest data.

By doing so, you’re likely to see SEO payoffs – whether in higher rankings, increased keyword visibility, or greater traffic volume.

Dig deeper: How to use AI to refresh old blog content

6. Add media, images, assets, and quotes

When your content is as good as it can be and you’ve made all the SEO tweaks you can think of, it may be time to think outside the box. 

This is where many brands get creative by adding unique media, videos, images, and quotes.

Say you have the best article on “Hottest home decor trends for 2025,” but you routinely fluctuate between positions 2 or 3 in the search results. What else can you do?

Consider creating an eye-catching video highlighting the topic, with examples of the home decor trends and interior designers’ recommendations for the coming year. 

Your competitors can’t easily recreate this, and it could drive additional traffic through the Google Videos tab, YouTube, and beyond.

Similarly, you could expand on a previous study with an infographic highlighting your article’s main points. 

This gives readers another piece of media to engage with and may even increase the chances of it being shared on social media.

If you’re stumped on how to level up the content itself, consider adding more value via visual assets. 

This can help drive engagement, open up additional traffic channels (social, YouTube, etc.), and solidify your rankings in the SERPs.

Dig deeper: Visual content and SEO: How to use images and videos in 2025

7. Improve formatting, grammar, and readability

Another way to improve old content is to reformat it. 

In the early days of SEO, writing an article as a wall of text was common. 

Not anymore. Readers want content that’s easy to scan, understand, and digest.

If much of your old content consists of long-form articles with minimal structure, consider making these improvements:

• Break up long paragraphs with descriptive, strategically placed headings.
• Split run-on sentences into shorter, more concise sentences.
• Add a table of contents for long-form content, allowing readers to jump to relevant sections.
• Reorganize lists of items or recommendations as bullet points or numbered lists.
• Limit paragraphs to two or three sentences at a time to keep them scannable.
• Add images or videos intermittently to break up long sections of text visually.
• Use bold or italicized text to highlight key points and make takeaways stand out.
• Include clear calls to action (CTAs) to guide the reader on the next step, such as completing a form or checking out a related article.
• Use a grammar checker to fix misspellings, grammar issues, and run-on sentences.

Conducting a quality control check on old content allows you to make quick improvements that can significantly impact performance. 

These tweaks elevate the user experience and can help drive more engagement, subscriptions, and sales.

Dig deeper: What is content readability and how to make your content easier to read

8. Replenish and repurpose 

My favorite way to refresh old content is by repurposing it – using it in new formats or on different platforms.

The best way to do this is with blog articles, transforming long-form pieces into social media posts and video content.

First, turn a few key insights from your original blog post into social media posts.

Use a design tool like Canva to add excerpts as quotes to Instagram graphics and carousels. 

You don’t have to write anything new, just repurpose what you already have.

Then, I like to embed a long-form video with SEO value in the article. 

I might use the blog article itself as a script for the video. The video gets published on YouTube, opening up a new source of traffic.

To take it further, you can break up the longer video into shorter soundbites for Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. 

Some creators even upload the videos to Spotify and Apple Podcasts as podcast episodes. The repurposing strategy can grow from there.

Repurposing content extends its lifespan and helps you reach new audiences across various channels. 

Using what you already have requires far less effort than creating new content from scratch for each unique channel.

Dig deeper: Repurposing content: How to extend the life of your content assets

Refresh, re-optimize, and repeat

Chances are, you have some really old content that could drive great results if you only gave it a chance. 

Don’t let valuable content die off. Breathe new life into it with these simple refresh strategies.

Do a content refresh at least once a year to catch these often missed opportunities. 

You might uncover: 

• New keywords to target.
  New audiences to reach.
• New studies to reference.
• New ways to drive traffic through social media, video, and beyond. 

Save money, save time, and elevate results with a purposeful content refresh.