Practical tips for restructuring old content

Content that no longer performs is not necessarily worthless. In fact, by restructuring old content, you can breathe new life into it and ensure a better user experience as well as higher rankings. For a website like Ralfvanveen.com, restructuring old content is a smart way to leverage existing resources and achieve sustainable SEO gains. Read my practical tips to effectively optimize your old content.

Why restructure old content?

Old content often performs poorly for a variety of reasons. It is no longer relevant, competition has caught up with you, or search engine algorithms have set new requirements. Restructuring this content offers benefits such as improved rankings.

Updated content ranks better because search engines value current and relevant information. Furthermore, content that better matches search intent keeps visitors on your website longer. In addition, updating existing content often takes less time than creating new articles.

Practical tips for restructuring old content

First, analyze which articles need attention. Use tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to assess the performance of your content. Do pay attention to pages with declining rankings.

Look for content that used to perform well but has languished over time. Articles that barely attract visitors can be improved or merged. Content that does not match search intent can be better revised.

For example, for Ralfvanveen.com, we can check whether an article such as “SEO strategies for 2020” is still relevant and how to update it for 2025.

Old content can often be better aligned with current search intentions. Use search tools to discover new opportunities and customize your text with relevant terms.

If an article originally focused on “SEO strategies for beginners,” you can add new keywords such as “SEO trends 2025” or “SEO tools for small businesses. This increases the relevance of the article.

Content loses value if it is not up-to-date. Check that all the facts, figures and examples in your article are still correct. Add new trends, case studies or recent developments to keep your article valuable. An example: In an article on “Technical SEO,” add a section on Core Web Vitals, a relatively new ranking factor from Google.

Improve structure and readability

A well-structured article keeps visitors longer and makes it easier for search engines to understand your content:

  • Include clear headings and sub-headings (H2 and H3).
  • Use short paragraphs and bullet points whenever possible.
  • Add visual elements, such as images, videos or infographics, to clarify complex information.

Create internal links to other relevant content

Internal links improve navigation and help search engines better understand your content. In your old content, refer to new articles and vice versa.

Example on Ralfvanveen.com:
Link an article titled “What is SEO?” to a comprehensive guide on SEO strategies for B2B companies.

Review and optimize meta-data

Many old articles have meta titles and descriptions that are no longer relevant. Adjust them with new keywords and make them more attractive to users in search results. As an example, the meta title: ‘SEO strategies 2019 – Improve your rankings’ would be better to become ‘SEO strategies 2025 – Roadmap for higher rankings.’

Add new content formats

Think about reusing your content in new forms. An old blog article can be turned into, say, a video or infographic, a downloadable checklist or a comprehensive guide or e-book.

Monitor performance after update

After restructuring your content, it’s important to monitor the results. Use Google Analytics and Search Console to see if your traffic, engagement and rankings are improving. Ask yourself: does the revamped content convert better than before?

Mistakes to avoid when restructuring old content

When restructuring old content, it is important to avoid some common mistakes. Over-optimization, which involves adding too many keywords to a text, can be detrimental to your rankings. It is better to focus on the quality and relevance of the content.

In addition, producing duplicate content creates problems. It is essential to prevent new articles from competing with existing pages. When content overlaps, it is often more effective to merge pages rather than publish new ones.

Another common mistake is deleting old content without using redirects. If a page is deleted, a 301 redirect should be set up to direct visitors and search engines to a relevant alternative page. This way you avoid losing valuable traffic.

Restructuring old content is a simple but effective way to get more value out of your existing resources. By analyzing your articles, updating them and performing SEO optimizations, you improve your rankings. By doing so, you provide your visitors with a better experience. For Ralfvanveen.com, this is an indispensable strategy to demonstrate expertise and achieve sustainable SEO results.

Senior SEO-specialist

Ralf van Veen

Senior SEO-specialist
Five stars
My clients give me a 5.0 on Google out of 78 reviews

I have been working for 12 years as an independent SEO specialist for companies (in the Netherlands and abroad) that want to rank higher in Google in a sustainable manner. During this period I have consulted A-brands, set up large-scale international SEO campaigns and coached global development teams in the field of search engine optimization.

With this broad experience within SEO, I have developed the SEO course and helped hundreds of companies with improved findability in Google in a sustainable and transparent way. For this you can consult my portfolio, references and collaborations.

This article was originally published on 22 January 2025. The last update of this article was on 22 January 2025. The content of this page was written and approved by Ralf van Veen. Learn more about the creation of my articles in my editorial guidelines.