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In February 2011, Google launched the first update of the Panda algorithm. The latter aims to devalue and downgrade so-called low-quality sites. This update has a negative effect on the SEO of many websites. Indeed, websites that publish content of poor quality or duplicate content are penalized. Publishers then deploy considerable efforts to improve their sites and thus regain their place in the Google rankings. Many publishers succeed in achieving results by improving existing content.
Express reading: 19 techniques for updating your content
Here is the summary of the 19 ways to update your content presented in the rest of this post.
- Add keywords
- Improve titles (H1 and title tag)
- Review meta descriptions
- Rework the introduction
- Update information
- Check statistics
- Quote from experts
- Integrate an FAQ
- Review the images
- Insert videos
- Create charts
- Update date
- Review the structure
- Embed Google Map
- Mention social networks
- Add a summary
- Review the internal network
- Control external links
- Merge similar content
Want to know all the details of these content updating techniques? Just read the rest of this article!
Content is KING
Google continues to update its algorithms (including Panda) and always encourages publishers to continue improving their content. This is how regularly updating your content has become a common practice allowing you to maintain your position in Google. Furthermore, this technique makes it possible to improve the referencing of old articles.
Furthermore, Google updates continue to move in this direction. Moreover, in 2022, the latest improvement of the algorithm aims to promote content with high added value. It was also aptly named: Helpful Content Update.
Why invest time and money in a practice that is not the most effective? Improving existing content seemed to me to fall under the concept of sunk cost. I was wrong ! I didn’t understand that improving and updating content, when done well, could be a calculated risk with potential rewards. Indeed, when this tool is used well, it constitutes an effective method for improving your SEO.
Why update your content?
There are several very good reasons to update the content of your blog, your fixed pages or your product sheets! Not only does this allow you to demonstrate to Google that your site is up to date, but you also continually adapt your text for the greatest comfort of Internet users.
- Be transparent about your offering: whether for prices, product availability or the quality of your services, regular updates are often necessary.
- Perfectly inform the Internet user: fashions and needs change! Adapting your content according to the reality of the moment allows you to constantly respond to the Internet user’s search intent.
- Update information: If you haven’t written evergreen content, you need to continually update your dates and “time” terms so as not to appear outdated.
- Update links: not only can you take advantage of this to improve your internal networking, but you also have the possibility of removing or replacing all broken links.
- Stay competitive on the SERP: even if you were in first place on Google, new sites could dethrone you by offering more complete content than yours.
- Adapt to algorithm changes: A lot of information is available even before Google updates. Adapt your content in a timely manner to avoid being penalized!
Now that you know how to update your content, are you wondering when it’s appropriate to do so? Although this work should be done continuously, there are still good times to update your published texts.
- Seasonal break: if your site is seasonal (for example during the summer holidays if your site is aimed at professionals), then updating the content during the slow period is advisable.
- Lack of new publications: you don’t have a company blog or no more ideas for articles? So now is the time to update your content!
- Redesigning your site: This is certainly an opportunity not to be missed to refresh your content!
19 ways to update your SEO content
This process is not that difficult, but it can take a long time. There are several things you can do to improve older content. Below are some ideas. It is not necessary to apply all of these ideas every time. Indeed, you just need to choose the one that will really improve your text.
1- Add keywords
If you tend to ignore keywords or have recently improved your keyword skills, don’t hesitate to research which keywords are best suited to your content. You will surely realize that, even if you have not chosen the right keywords, the subject of the article offers opportunities in this area.
You may also discover niche keywords that are suitable for your content and can be added by publishing additional sections! In addition, don’t hesitate to work on long tails to attract highly qualified traffic!
Trick Regularly consult your site's Google Search Console with a filter by pages to detect new keyword opportunities (generally those positioned between the 20th and 100th position).
2- Improve the title
Headlines can be difficult to create. You want to target your main keyword, but you also want to encourage search engines to visit your article. It’s about knowing SEO techniques and knowing how to exploit readers’ feelings and interest.
Furthermore, since 2021, it seems that Google does as it pleases when it comes to the display of titles on the SERP. So take as much inspiration as possible from what you observe on the results pages in order to come up with the most appropriate title possible. Indeed, it is possible that your title is not very interesting or does not contain the right keywords. In this case, it is important to improve the title tag.
3- Lengthen and improve the meta description tag
The meta description (the text that appears in search engines below the title) can help convince visitors to click through to your website.
Review your meta description to see if it can be improved. You can include numbers, adjectives (incredible, sensational, etc.) and enough information so that the subject of the content is well defined. However, be careful not to reveal everything.
4- Write a better introduction
It is important that your visitors stay on your page. A good introduction can help you achieve this goal. Many websites do not pay enough attention to the quality of their introductions. However, it is one of the most important SEO hot zones when writing your content!
Furthermore, writing a personal and interesting introduction is quick and helps to retain the attention of visitors. Also know how to provide the answer to the Internet user’s search intention in a few words in order to benefit from featured snippets (position 0).
5- Add new information or make updates
Adding or updating information is probably the most well-known technique when it comes to improving old content.
Although this is an effective practice, it should not be chosen by default. That said, there is generally always information to add or correct. This can take a long time or, on the contrary, be very quick, depending on the quantity of changes.
6- Add or update statistics, data and even add anecdotes.
This is a very easy way to improve content or add interesting information to your articles. The possibilities are limitless !
If you’re lacking inspiration, think about History. Indeed, why not give details about the invention, discovery or first use of the subject of your article? These kinds of anecdotes are always quite interesting. Also think about sales volume, market shares, industry size, etc. Besides, you can approach the question from many angles.
7- Cite experts
This is something I don’t do enough! This is a simple way to build credibility in content. It’s free and you don’t need to write it. Just ask an expert a question or two.
Ask someone who has knowledge on the subject. People are often happy to help in exchange for a little promotion. I always accept when asked. Finding an expert ready to answer your questions is therefore not difficult.
8- Add an FAQ section
Add content in the form of questions/answers. It is convenient for users and easy to write. You just need to imagine the questions that a lay person would ask and provide detailed answers.
Furthermore, Google highly appreciates this type of content. Indeed, this type of information can easily be presented in “Other questions asked”. So, even if these queries do not represent any search volume in themselves, you are creating a great opportunity to attract traffic to your website.
9- Optimize photos and graphics
Optimizing photos involves following the following steps:
- Reduce file size to reduce loading time and storage space.
- Propose a new generation format (webP).
- Add a description of the image (alternative text, or alt attribute).
10- Add Videos
There’s no doubt about it: adding a video (if it’s relevant) is a good idea. A good video is an important source of information and entertainment.
Additionally, because your content is old, it’s very likely that new videos have been created since then. So you can create your own video and embed it from YouTube or even add it directly to your site. Example below 🙂
11- Create Custom Charts
I love this method because it’s a great tool when you want to improve old content. It also helps promote content (on Pinterest or via referral links).
The downside is its price! Indeed, hiring a freelance graphic designer and asking them to create visual representations of the content has a significant cost. Therefore, it is an option to consider if you are convinced that your content can attract quality traffic and generate a good conversion rate.
12- Update the date before publishing an article
No matter how you update the article, don’t forget to change the date. Internet users may be looking for recent content.
For even more transparency, you could simply add the date of update to that of writing the content. This way, you demonstrate that you care about the freshness of your content, which gives your reader confidence and pleases Google!
13- Split long paragraphs
Breaking up long paragraphs is a little trick that can be useful. Particularly from the point of view of internet user retention on the page. Who likes to read cobblestones? To do this, you can either add line breaks to ventilate your text, or insert subtitles to further improve diagonal reading.
Note that when I only change the layout of the article, I avoid changing the date. Indeed, it is not really an update. It’s quite a small improvement…
14- Integrate Google Maps
If this is relevant, do not hesitate to integrate Google Map. You can include a region, neighborhood, city, or address. This tip is particularly useful if you offer location-based services.
And who knows, maybe this will further improve your visibility on Google when the map is displayed in the SERP?
15- Integrate social media
Many very popular articles include messages written on social networks (including Twitter) when they are relevant. It works great for Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube (for embedding videos) as well as Tumblr.
If you need anecdotes or want to include a different point of view, you can turn to social media. It’s fast, free and will interest your readers.
16- Add a summary
Add a summary to most articles with four or more titles. They are practical, because they allow you to make a connection between the different sections.
Summaries are also interesting for users. In fact, they allow you to easily move through the article and read directly the parts that interest you. So, not only do you offer a succinct summary of your content, but you also greatly promote the user experience (UX).
17- Add internal links
This is an extremely important update that can improve the SEO of your entire website. When you update older content, you have the opportunity to add links to newer content.
I add internal links every time I update an article. This allows me to transfer power to recent content (link juice) and further strengthen my thematic clusters.
18- Add Outbound Links
You may not have included many outbound links. Improving the content is then a good opportunity to rectify this lack. So, do not hesitate to add the links that you consider useful or to mention your sources (important criterion according to Google).
Furthermore, updating your content also allows you to repair outdated links. You can either replace them with current links or simply delete them!
19- Merge Multiple Posts
Sometimes you will realize that an old item is not of good quality and that it is not possible to improve it to meet your expectations.
What to do ?
- You can delete it (though remember to do a 301 redirect!).
- You can merge it with other content and thus improve it. If your site has a lot of content, there’s probably another article that will do the job.
Personally, I often mix up content! This is particularly the case when two items are very similar. Not only do I greatly improve the information transmitted, but I also avoid content cannibalization (two texts worked around the same main keyword).
