Introduction:
All good digital marketers and SEOs understand the importance of evergreen content in generating and maintaining a steady stream of visitors. However, the material can deteriorate with time, adding unnecessary bulk and negatively impacting your site's SEO. No content marketer likes to hear these words, yet they accurately reflect the reality of our industry.
In this piece, we’ll discuss content decay and how to spot it in its early stages. Then, I'll review the best practices for keeping older posts fresh. But first, let's review why refreshing archived material is good for your site.
What Is Content Decay?
Any content marketer worth their salt understands that over time, website traffic will inevitably fall. Online traffic patterns are often unpredictable. There are peak traffic times during the week, slow months (particularly those with vacations), and, of course, Google's algorithm changes. In a nutshell, consistent changes in visitor numbers are to be expected.
When traffic gradually drops over a few months, though, that's when you know your content is starting to deteriorate over the long run. This may indicate a monthly drop in traffic of 15-40%, depending on the article's historical performance.
Modifying Your Content
1. Check Your Keyword Use
When it comes to content marketing, an SEO program like Moz, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or another comparable tool is one of the most crucial tools of the trade. These resources are invaluable for SEO work, particularly when finding the right keywords to target.
Check for keyword gaps in your archived material by running it via an SEO tool. It's possible that an article was written and published long before your company purchased the necessary software. You may have adjusted the way you find keywords significantly. It's possible that your older posts aren't even using the appropriate keywords.
2. Fix The Headers
H1, H2, and H3 tags need to make semantic sense while targeting keywords because Google search has shifted from keyword-centric to user-centric. Test your search strategy by asking, "Is this how I would look for something?" An improved understanding of the answer can be gained by conducting extensive keyword research.
One piece of advice: make sure your headers are organized in a way that makes sense to the reader. If your H2 is "time management recommendations," then your H3s should be narrowly focused on specific suggestions for improving time management.
The second piece of advice is to ensure that you respond thoroughly to each set of questions. In case you didn't know, Google prioritizes the material included within header tags by displaying it as "featured snippets" in search results. An excerpt from one of our pieces that answers the question "how much do YouTubers make?" is seen below.
3. Edit Meta Tags
While Google may not use meta descriptions as a ranking criterion, the search engine monitors CTR to evaluate its results' efficacy. To effectively update meta descriptions, you must put yourself in the shoes of an ad copywriter.
The meta description is the first thing people see when they search for your website. Find out how your previous meta description compares to the ones that made it to the first page of Google. Now is the moment to brainstorm potential alternatives and test them on your team.
4. Modify The Way You Present The Headlines
The proliferation of information available at our fingertips in the digital age has increased attention span and impulsivity. As a result, only 20% of people read the material that marketers put out there because 8 out of 10 people just skim the headline and go on. As a result, it is recommended that you not only rewrite the meta descriptions for your articles but also consider altering the headlines to make them more engaging.
How To Make Your Title More Noticeable?
Try writing a list piece that tells the reader exactly what they can anticipate from you. The title "20 SEO Tips for Today's Marketers" is an example of such a heading. The headline will be more convincing if the current year is included.
Explore several "bait" headlines to see what works best for drawing in readers to your content. Useful titles can be something like "5 Email Subject Lines that Guaranteedly Increase Open Rates." Don't mislead your readers; make sure the title accurately reflects the content they'll see by clicking through.
Improving SEO rankings with image optimization
First, you should check if the article you're changing has any photos. That's a fantastic place to begin if you haven't already. Search Engine Journal reports that material with visual components such as photographs or video can increase views by as much as 94%.
Tips for optimizing images for search engines also include:
- To connect with your target market, you need to use imagery they can relate to.
- Visually engaging content, such as original infographics, may boost a company's credibility.
- Images with your brand's logo do well in Google's image search results.
- If you must use alt text, make it descriptive.
Which Types Of Content Should You Update?
You shouldn't assume that every piece of legacy material on your website needs an overhaul just because it's outdated. When making an optimization list, you may want to think about the following questions.
Why Are Articles Titles Important?
Can the article's search volume be increased beyond what it already achieves? You may check this with the help of an SEO tool, but keep in mind that not all articles can achieve the same success.
Is the goal of the content to boost search engine rankings or to generate leads and make sales? Remember that not everything has to be optimized for natural search results.
What kind of success did the article have in drawing readers before? If they aren't, it may be time to rethink your keyword strategy and work on building additional links.
Conclusion
As much as we'd like to "set it and forget it," it just doesn't cut it anymore in modern content marketing. A new tale is revealed daily through a mosaic of data points, making the content fresh and engaging. The most effective marketers may utilize this information to identify when their content is beginning to lose its luster and then take corrective action.
Use the content mentioned above, marketing methods, ideas, and tricks for breathing new life into your previously published pieces and attracting more eyes.