Content Is Never “Done”
Web content should always be improving. Even after it’s published, it’s not finished. To make sure your content keeps helping users, you need to review and update it regularly.
Test and Improve Over Time
Set aside time to check how your content is doing. Start by looking at your web analytics:
- Which pages get the most or least traffic?
- How long do people stay on each page?
- What are the most common search terms?
- How do users move through your site?
Also review:
- Feedback from surveys, emails, or support calls
- Comments or trends on social media
Archiving or Deleting Content
Sometimes, you’ll need to remove or archive old content—maybe because it’s outdated or duplicated. But don’t delete content without a good reason. It can:
- Confuse users
- Break links
- Disrupt navigation
Instead, audit your content regularly—maybe once a year or section by section—to keep it current and useful.
Before removing anything:
- Check how users are finding and using it
- Talk with the content owner
- Think about things that analytics might miss, like:
- Search engine results
- Bookmarks
- Links from other websites
Ask yourself:
- Who is this content for?
- Is it required by law?
- How often is it visited?
- Are there similar pages that could be combined?
- Can it be archived instead of deleted?
- Was this content meant to be temporary?
If You Must Delete Content
Give users a way to still find what they need. You can:
- Transfer the content to another agency or team
- Keep the page but mark it as outdated
- Archive it using services like:
- National Archives Web Harvests
- Internet Archive
- Use a custom 404 page to guide users to helpful content
