Are you still hanging onto content that is no longer relevant? If so, you may be doing more harm than good. Today, we want to discuss four reasons why you should delete old content from your website. By getting rid of outdated information, you can improve the user experience and make your website easier to navigate. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and give away the four reasons immediately!
Improve the User Experience
The first reason you should delete old content from your website is to improve the user experience; outdated information can be confusing and frustrating for visitors. If they can’t find what they’re looking for, they’re likely to leave your site and look elsewhere. Have you ever clicked on an old article and realized that the information is no longer relevant? It’s not a great feeling, and you don’t want your visitors to have that experience on your site. In all likelihood, you clicked away (people will do the same to you!).
By regularly updating your content, you can ensure that visitors have a positive experience on your site and are more likely to stay there. Plus, it shows that you’re keeping up with the times.
Simplify Website Navigation
If you have a lot of old content on your site, it can be difficult for visitors to find what they’re looking for. This is especially true if your website has undergone a redesign and the old content doesn’t fit with the new look and feel. By deleting old content, you can simplify your website’s navigation and make it easier for visitors to find the information they need.
With these first two benefits alone, you should notice a difference in the bounce rate and time on site for your website.
Boost Your SEO
As any good American SEO agency will tell you, website content needs to be fresh and relevant for your site to rank well in search engines. If you’re still holding onto old blog posts from years ago, it’s time to let them go. Not only is the information likely outdated, but those posts are also taking up valuable space on your website that could be used for more relevant, keyword-rich content.
Ultimately, old content affects SEO both directly and indirectly. It tells search engines that the information contained within isn’t relevant; if people do make it through, however, the high bounce rate and low time on site tell search engines that there is nothing useful on the website.
Increase Credibility
At the very least, removing old content stops detracting from your credibility even if it doesn’t push it forward. Outdated information reflects poorly on any business, no matter how big or small. With only fresh, relevant content on your website, you can be confident that the information people are reading is accurate.
Deleting old content is not as simple as hitting the delete button, especially if the page is ranking well in search engines. If you do delete a page, make sure to set up a 301 redirect so that people are automatically sent to the correct page. By taking the time to clean up your website, you can ensure that people have a positive experience when they visit and that they are getting the most accurate information possible.
Do you have any outdated content on your website? If so, it might be time to either repurpose it, adjust it, or simply delete it. Ultimately, the route you choose depends on the quality of the content and how relevant it is today. Good luck!