Are you dealing with an old web page that's still drawing traffic but desperately needs an update?
It's quite the SEO dilemma. You want to maintain the search rankings and traffic that the page has built up over time, yet you must keep outdated content from turning users away.
What's the solution? Fear not—there are ways to refresh old, irrelevant pages without sacrificing SEO or user experience. Let's explore these strategies!
Why Old Pages Rank But Don’t Align with Your Business
Before we discuss solutions, let's explore why these pages rank in the first place.
Google and other search engines tend to favour web pages that have established authority, links, and user engagement over time. Just because a page is outdated doesn’t mean it loses its ranking overnight. It could have a ton of inbound links or answer a query that hasn’t changed much.
But here’s the catch: if your old page isn’t updated or relevant to users anymore, people may click in and leave right away, leading to high bounce rates, which could eventually affect your ranking.
However, SEO is a game of playing both short-term and long-term strategies and handling old content correctly can give you an edge.
Why Deleting is a Last Resort
Many people think, “I’ll just delete the page. Problem solved, right?” Wrong.
Deleting a high-ranking page can lead to a major drop in your organic traffic. Those clicks that were helping your overall SEO would just disappear, and it takes time to build that kind of authority back up.
So, if deleting isn’t an option, what do you do? Here are some practical strategies to get more value from old, irrelevant pages while maintaining traffic.
Strategy 1: Dive Into Data
Before making any decisions, let's closely examine what's happening with that outdated page. This is where Google Analytics comes in handy, as it provides a behind-the-scenes look at where the traffic comes from and how visitors interact with the page. Here are a few questions to consider as you dig into the data:
- Identify the traffic sources. Are users finding the page through specific keywords?
- Understanding which search terms bring people in can help you understand why the page ranks.
- Examine the bounce rate. A high bounce rate indicates a problem, as visitors aren't finding what they expected.
- Analyze visitor engagement. If users spend time on the page, that’s a good sign, but what are they doing? Are they engaging with any of the content?
Once you understand how the page is performing, you can start making more informed decisions about what to do next. It’s like getting a diagnosis before deciding on the best treatment plan. For more tips on using Google Analytics for SEO insights, check out this helpful guide.
Strategy 2: Redirect, But Do It Right
Setting up a 301 redirect is like telling your visitors, "Hey, what you're looking for has moved over here!" It's a great way to steer traffic from an old, irrelevant page to one that's more useful, ensuring your visitors stay on don't your site. It's all about permanently moving traffic to a better spot. But don't just randomly send them to your homepage or some unrelated page—that can confuse users and lead to a poor experience.
Instead, redirect them to a page that aligns with the intent of their search. For example, if the old page was about a product you no longer offer, redirect them to a similar or updated product page. It's about making their journey on your site as smooth and logical as possible.
The benefit of a 301 redirect is that it maintains the benefits of the original page while ensuring your visitors end up somewhere useful. Redirecting can sometimes be tricky if there isn't an obvious place to send visitors. Still, it's better than leaving them on an outdated page.
Strategy 3: Add a Disclaimer and Useful Links
If you choose not to redirect a page, you can keep the old page live while updating it with a disclaimer. This disclaimer should inform visitors that the information on the page needs to be updated and guide them to more current and relevant pages on your website.
For instance, you can include a friendly message such as, “Although this product is no longer available, you may find our latest offerings interesting,” along with clear links to the relevant pages where they can find what they need.
Incorporating internal links keeps users engaged on your site for longer periods (which is beneficial for SEO) and directs traffic to areas where they are more likely to convert. It's crucial to ensure that the disclaimer is friendly, clear, and helpful so that users don’t feel like they’ve reached a dead end.
Strategy 4: Revamp the Page with Fresh Content
Another powerful approach is to revamp the page. If the page still has some relevance to what you’re currently doing but needs a refresh, give it a makeover with updated content, keywords, and calls to action.
Be cautious, though. Completely changing the content could have a similar effect as deleting it—causing the page to lose its ranking.
Instead of overhauling the page, work with what’s already there. Tweak the keywords to better match what you currently offer, rewrite the copy to align with your current brand messaging, and add a clear call to action that points visitors toward more current services or products.
By keeping the page's core intact but bringing it up to date, you can retain its SEO power while making it more relevant to your business.
Want to learn more about optimizing old content and improving your SEO? Take a look at our expert tips on content strategies.
Strategy 5: Add Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Sometimes, even if a page isn’t aligned with your business anymore, it can still be useful. Maybe the page brings in relevant traffic in a very broad sense. In this case, you don’t need to overhaul the content entirely. Still, you should add strong calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide users toward your more relevant offerings.
For example, the page ranks for a keyword related to your business. You can add a sidebar or pop-up with CTAs like “Interested in our latest products? Check them out here” or “Learn more about what we do today.” This way, even if the page itself isn’t relevant, you’re still giving users a path to find the information they need. Strong CTAs keep users engaged and can even help reduce bounce rates, as visitors will have more direction on what to do next.
When to Finally Say Goodbye
As much as we try to save old pages, sometimes, there’s no point in keeping them. If a page isn’t bringing in much traffic or has become completely irrelevant, it might be time to delete it.
However, always back it up first and use a 410 status code to let search engines know the page has been permanently removed. This way, you won’t confuse search engines or visitors with a sudden “404 Page Not Found” error.
Keep What’s Valuable
The secret to managing old web pages that rank well but no longer match your business lies in making them relevant again. Whether you opt to redirect, update, or enhance them with disclaimers and CTAs, aim to maintain traffic flow in a way that benefits your business and your users.
Make deleting pages your last option. Always start by analyzing the page’s performance to explore ways of transforming it into something valuable. Whether directing visitors to better content or revamping the page, you have plenty of options to make the most of these ranking pages.
Contact us today if you want to make the most of your high-ranking but out-of-date pages. We'll help you keep your content relevant to your company and audience.
