Maintaining a clean and user-friendly membership website requires regular attention to older content. Aging articles, tutorials, or resources may become outdated, conflicting with your current offerings or providing inaccurate information.
When deciding whether to keep, redirect, or hide older content, it's essential to consider user experience, SEO, and the relevance of the information. Here's a comprehensive guide to managing older content, with specific tips for MemberGate users.
Assessing the Value of Old Content
Before taking action, evaluate the content's current role on your site:
- Is it still accurate and relevant? If so, it may be worth leaving it accessible.
- Is there a newer, updated version? Redirect traffic to the updated content.
- Is the information outdated with no replacement? Decide whether to archive or remove it entirely.
Options for Managing Older Content in MemberGate
MemberGate offers flexible options for managing old content depending on your goals:
- Redirect to Updated Content
If you've created a newer, more accurate version of the page, redirect users to the updated content to preserve SEO benefits and provide value to visitors:- Set the old page's status to 'Inactive' using the "Edit Content" feature.
- Use the 'Alternate Link URL' setting to enter the new page's URL. This creates a seamless redirect, ensuring visitors land on the correct page.
- Archive Outdated Content
If no replacement exists but you want the page to remain accessible for those who find it via external links:- Set the content page's status to 'Inactive'.
This action removes the page from the site's internal search index, department links, and archives, ensuring it doesn't clutter your active content while remaining accessible via direct links.
- Set the content page's status to 'Inactive'.
- Hide Irrelevant Content
If the information is outdated and you don't want it accessible at all:- Set the content page's status to 'Inactive (Hidden)'.
This completely removes the page from the site's search index and department listings. Users attempting to access the page via direct links will be redirected to your homepage.
- Set the content page's status to 'Inactive (Hidden)'.
Best Practices for Older Content Management
- Monitor Analytics: Regularly review traffic to older pages to identify which are still popular and may need updates or redirects.
- Add a Disclaimer: For archived but outdated content, include a note informing users that the information may no longer be accurate.
- Clean House Regularly: Schedule routine audits of your content library to identify outdated material and apply the appropriate actions.
Conclusion
Managing older content is a critical aspect of maintaining a polished, user-focused membership website. With MemberGate's versatile tools, you can keep your site organized, relevant, and valuable to both users and search engines. Whether you choose to redirect, archive, or hide outdated pages, these strategies ensure your content remains an asset, not a liability.
