Content Recycling Fails – How to Refresh Content the Right Way

Refreshing and republishing old articles is an effective way of squeezing more value from your content – at least, it’s effective when it’s done well. Content recycling fails can undermine your efforts and do more harm than good. Learn how to refresh content the right way.

The Mysterious Case of the New Article with Old References

You visit a favorite content marketing website and begin to read an article titled, “Best Blogging Practices for 2025.” However, as you cruise into the second paragraph, you begin noticing some references to 2019. You do a double-take. Why are they talking about 2019?

You double-check the publication date and confirm that the article was only published a few days ago. So, what’s going on? Soon, the answer becomes clear: Someone did a sloppy job of recycling old content.

Unfortunately, this type of mix-up happens. It’s a shame, too, because no matter how good the content is, it’s undermined by the old references. A lot of the best blogging practices for 2019 are still the best blogging practices for 2025, but some things have changed with the development of generative AI and ever-evolving search algorithms. Based on the 2019 references, it’s reasonable to assume that this article hasn’t been properly refreshed.

How Content Recycling Can Go Wrong

While recycling old content can be a great way to move it forward on your blog, improve its search ranking and get some new eyes on it, you can’t simply republish an old piece with a new date and expect to reap all of these rewards. A lot can change in just a few years, so in addition to republishing your content with a new date, you need to update the content so it’s current and relevant.

Some articles will need a lot of work. Others may not need much at all – but you won’t know for sure until you give each piece a thorough review.

Your Content Recycling Checklist

When recycling content, it’s important to read over everything and consider whether it should be updated. Avoid a content recycling fail with this checklist.

• Headline: Will the headline attract the attention of today’s audiences?
• Time References: Do any dates need to be updated? Also check for less obvious references to time. For example, if your article refers to Biden as the current president or talks about the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns, it will sound very dated. Even the word “recent” may need to be revised. For example, if you wrote an article in 2019 and cited a study that came out a week earlier, you might have called it a “recent study.” When you refresh the article, it might make sense to change this to a “2019 study.”
• Statistics: Are there more recent statistics you can use? This can take a little more work, but it’s worth the effort to make your content as relevant as possible. Some studies are redone every year, so finding updated statistics might not be as hard as you think. Be careful though – if the numbers have changed significantly, you might have to revise your commentary as well.
• New Information: Can you increase the value of the article by adding new information? This information may stem from recent developments, whether that involves new technology, new legislation, new social movements, or current events. You may also have new insights and opinions to share.
• Broken Links: Do all the links still work? Test all of the links. If you find a broken link, see if you can find a working link – it’s possible the URL has changed but the page you want still exists. Otherwise, you may need to make additional revisions to replace the broken link.
• Internal Linking Opportunities: Can you link to other related articles on your site to build a content cluster?
• Mistakes: Do you see any errors? While you’re refreshing an article, it makes sense to check for typos and other mistakes so you can fix them.
• Keywords: Do the keywords align with modern search phrases?
• Metadata: Is the metadata still on target?
• Authority and Page Rank: Is this article ranking in position 54 for your targeted search term? Evaluate the articles that are ranking higher than yours and add additional information to your article to close the gap and increase your article’s authority and page rank.

With the rise of AI tools, it’s easier than ever to churn out content, but it’s harder than ever to stand out. To grow an audience, earn trust and champion your brand, you need high-quality content. Inbound Insurance Marketing can help you refresh old content and create new content to enhance your website’s user experience. Learn more.