Companies should delete 50% of their content yearly
Today’s opinion post is by Alex Foster, Head of SEO at Quikster. He has over 15 years of experience in marketing, SEO, and analytics.
Content gets stale fast in marketing. I learned this the hard way after finding a 2-year-old blog post giving outdated advice to our clients. That’s when it hit me - maybe we need to be more ruthless about cutting old content. Not just updating it. Actually deleting it.
Here’s a wild thought: what if we deleted half our content every year? Sounds crazy, but hear me out. I’ve seen too many marketing teams (mine included) drowning in content that’s just taking up space and confusing our message.
The content explosion is real. We’re all churning out blog posts, videos, and social content like there’s no tomorrow. But most of it just adds to the noise. Last month I had to scroll through dozens of old posts just to find one key resource for a client. That’s when I knew we had a problem.
Getting rid of half your content might feel like throwing money away. But keeping outdated or mediocre content comes at a cost too. Dead links, contradictory information, old product details - they chip away at trust. Plus, maintaining all that content takes time and resources we could spend making better stuff.
A yearly 50% content purge forces you to:
- Put your best content front and center
- Stop creating fluff just to hit content quotas
- Get real about what your brand stands for
Your content library is like your brand’s personality showing through. When it’s cluttered with outdated posts and forgotten campaigns, that personality gets muddled. I’ve seen how a few strong pieces can outperform dozens of mediocre ones.
This cleanup isn’t just about deleting files. Last time I did a content audit, I found some gems buried in our archive that just needed updating. Sometimes old ideas spark new insights. But you need space to see them clearly.
Working with less content makes everything smoother. Planning campaigns, onboarding new team members, measuring what works - it all gets easier when you’re not wading through years of accumulated content.
Regular content pruning builds better habits. You start asking tougher questions about performance and purpose. No more publishing just to fill a calendar slot. My team now tracks engagement religiously because we know each piece needs to earn its keep.
Search engines have evolved too. They prefer quality over quantity. Removing weak content helps your strong content rank better. I’ve seen traffic increase after removing old posts that were competing with newer, better ones.
It’s hard letting go of content you worked hard to create. But marketing moves fast. That viral post from 2021? Ancient history. That carefully crafted campaign from last summer? Might be irrelevant now. Better to focus on what’s working today.
This approach isn’t for everyone. It takes guts to delete work you’ve invested in. But I’ve seen firsthand how a leaner content strategy can sharpen your message and boost results. Sometimes less really is more.