You already know that you should keep your website content fresh and up-to-date.
But how do you know when your website needs more content?
These signs tell you that it's time to at least do something about your current content to improve your results.
You're not on track against your goals
Not reaching your content goals is a signal that you should review your current situation. Goals could for example be x number of website visitors, leads, conversions, and so on.
Analyze your KPI:s, carry out a content audit, or whatever that is needed to find out why you're not on track. Once you know why you are not progressing as expected, it will be easier to determine what you should do next. Create an overview of solutions based on your insights.
You could also ask yourself whether your goals are right, but we'll leave that part for another discussion.
You're not ranking for your strategic keywords
If you're not ranking for your strategic keywords, and not on your way there, it's time to review why and what you can do about it. While SEO is a long-term game, you should over time be able to see that your rankings are improving.
Start by understanding what affects rankings, and then review your website based on those criteria. Poor SEO performance could be due to many different reasons. Ranging from your website's structure and speed to your copy, and whether people are showing that they appreciate your content by spending time on your page and engaging with your content.
Check out this guide on how to create content that ranks highlights for an overview of some of the most important ranking factors.
Your organic rankings are dropping
You used to be number one.
Not anymore.
If your rankings start to drop as if they were a part of Snoop Dogg's music video, it's time to understand why. It's natural with more competition over time as others discover the same areas or opportunities you've taken lead on. A drop in rankings could also be due to algorithm changes, or anything else that affects the user experience on your website.
The "value" you're providing is from 2009
When your content was published years ago, it's possible that it was the best resource out there.
Since then, the world has changed and that tactic or place you wrote about isn't that secret or mind-blowing anymore. Your writing style may have evolved, as well (let's hope so).
So now, that resource is outdated and maybe even wrong. And we don't want to go around and spread false information, do we? Especially not written in an old-fashioned way.
Fresh content is an important ranking factor. Produce new, high-quality content on a regular basis to maintain your position as the best resource out there.
Your bounce rate is high
If people are leaving your site or a specific page faster than Koenigsegg Regera accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h, something isn't right. Check out these tips on how to decrease your bounce rate.
Your content doesn't represent you anymore.
Maybe you've updated your branding, values, or offering?
Good for you. And probably for your clients too, if they only knew about it.
You're ashamed of your content
"Yes, I've got a website, but prefer if no one sees it." or "Yeah, check out our website but it doesn't really explain much about who we are or what we do. Haven't updated it for ages."
Your answers every time someone from your network asks. Making them go like...
You're not attracting the right customers
You're getting traffic but not the right type.
It could also be that you've launched a new product that is focused on a different target group or just identified a new opportunity with a group of potential clients you haven't focused on before.
If the people you're trying to reach don't end up on your website, you better find out how you can make that happen. It would be a pity if they don't find you after all the hard work you've put into making their lives better, right?
You've got technical issues
Such as a soft 404, a URL that returns a page telling the user that the page does not exist. The reason for this can be that search engines interpret the page as having too little content.
Google's recent May 2020 Core Update caused volatility for many businesses. As long as your priority always is to create a great user experience and the best content in its category, you will be in a better position to handle algorithm updates.
The list of other potential technical issues is long. Use SEO tools such as Search Console or SEMrush to stay on top of things and fix errors as soon as they arise.
More content is not always the best solution
Even if you find out that you need to do something about your content, "more" is not necessarily always the best solution.
Sometimes it might be better to update, re-structure, re-write, or even remove parts of your current content. Make updating older content a part of your routine.
I've more than doubled the traffic for certain clients' simply by improving the structure of their content. Sometimes less is more.
How much content should I have on my website?
Lots of recommendations exist on “the ideal amount of content”.
While some of the best practices might make sense for your business, you have to experiment to find out what works for you. With all the different content formats that exist today, general recommendations become even less relevant.
Sometimes a short video might be more effective than a long blog or vice-versa. And that can differ depending on the brand, your target group, the channel, etc. The "perfect length" doesn't exist.
When putting yourself into the search intent for a specific keyword, you might discover that most of the options that currently are ranking are comprehensive. This could be an indicator that this is what people are looking for. But it could also be because nothing better exists yet. Just as you wouldn't think about staying in a stranger's home before Airbnb transformed into something as natural as having coffee in the morning.
If you identify opportunities for things that are missing on the market, challenge the current state by experimenting with new formats and ways of doing things.
Start with your goals and work your way from there
Find a good balance between optimizing and re-using what you have and creating new content that inspires your target group. Quality before quantity. Make reviewing your content's performance a part of your routine, and base your decisions on analytics and real insights.
What processes do you have in place to know if you need to update your content?
Would you like to have a simple overview of questions to ask to determine if you need more content?
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