Content Refresh Services - Update Content for AI-Overviews and AI Search

Content refresh is the practice of updating underperforming or outdated web pages—such as blog posts, landing pages, and FAQs—to improve search rankings, traffic, and conversions. By revising content with new keywords, fresh data, better visuals, and improved structure, you signal relevance to AI-powered search engines and enhance user experience.

If you are like many people who have a website, you probably have a ton of pages that get little to no traffic. Did you know that you can take your existing content and refresh it with new target keywords? Then that can give you better performance and traffic?

You can, and we can help you do it.

One of the best ways to get the most out of your content marketing strategy is to refresh content. Only refresh content that is old and/or underperforming.

Refreshing content is a wonderful way to improve your page's position on search engine results pages, especially in a time where AI-overviews and AI-powered search is dominating search and the SEO industry. By choosing different relevant keywords, updating content for AI search, and improving the way your current content reads, you may even be able to bring in a totally new audience.

Let's take a deeper look at how refreshing existing content works. Then you can see how Sapphire SEO Solutions can help you do it.

What Does It Mean to "Refresh Content?"

A content refresh means that you take existing content that isn't performing well, and then update it for AI search. You can also edit it for readability or to optimize new keywords. This can help boost it's performance on search engines.

Almost anything on your site can be refreshed. We can refresh old blog content or web pages that aren't getting traffic. Knowledge bases, FAQs, landing pages, and more can also be refreshed. Really, any type of outdated content you have on your site can be updated. Yes, even content that is "evergreen."

How we choose how to revamp your content depends on a number of factors. We may simply add fixes to improve readability for AI-powered search engines. This may also include adding more visual assets, removing broken links, or updating internal links. We may have to rewrite full areas of your page to give it a boost in traditional and AI search results. Finally, we can also use the existing content and expand upon it. This is common, because these days, search engines tend to prefer longer, more relevant content.

Signs You Might Need a Content Refresh:

Checklist of signs you need a content refresh: traffic begins to decrease, you have no traffic at all, rankings drop significantly, conversion rates decline, changes occur in your industry, search intent changes

Why Is it So Important to Refresh Existing Content?

You might be wondering why it's so important to refresh your content. There are actually many benefits that your site can get when you revive decaying content. Here are a few:

  • More organic search traffic

  • Better position on Google, Bing, and AI-powered search engines

  • Higher click through rates

  • More purchases

  • Better conversions

Stop allowing old content to take up good real estate on your website. If it's just sitting there, it's not doing anything to bring value to your visitors. By refreshing content, however, you can strengthen your site's standing and get found on AI overviews and in AI search.

Graphic of the word "refresh" with an arrow turning in a circle
Graphic of a computer screen with a circle arrow

What is the Best Content to Update?

The best content to update depends on the goals of your company. Keep in mind, that it might also not be the best idea to update all of your content.

Let's look at a scenario:

You have an online store, and you have been in business for over a decade. You notice that the buyers who used to purchase your products just aren't buying them anymore. You are still getting sales, but the items that used to fly off the virtual shelves aren't selling like they used to. Instead, you notice that younger shoppers are buying more from your site. But they don't like the same items that people were buying 6 or 8 years ago.

Guess what happened? Over the years, your buyer persona has changed. The people who used to love your older items are now older and into different things. The new buyers aren't interested. So, in this case, you probably don't want to put a lot of time and effort into the old content. Instead, you should start creating new content for your site that meets the needs of your new buyers. (PS. We do that, too!)

Another thing to consider before making the decision to update content is the page's peak performance. Have you seen the page doing well in Google Search Console, and then, over time, dropping several positions? This is a good candidate for a page refresh to improve search engine rankings.

However, if the page has never had a lot of traffic, it's probably best to let it be, or create totally new content.

“I have been in the industry for a long time, and I only recommend a refresh of content to clients if they have the same type of customer, or buyer persona, that they have always had.” - Christa Tintelnot, Owner, Sapphire SEO Solutions

Does it Hurt Your Rankings to Refresh Content?

It is always a possibility that your page may not improve following a revamp. We also often see temporary shifts when changing pages. You may see your pages falling in SERPs or even falling out of the top 10 or top 100 pages. This is okay. Keep in mind that Google, itself, makes more than 600 algorithm changes each year. Other search engines do the same. When your content is re-indexed and crawled, it has the chance to rank higher than ever before.

Also, Google doesn't necessarily explain how to optimize content for search engines. We have a good idea of what to do, but no one knows except for the powers that be at Google.

Remember, if you content is already not ranking, it probably won't have a negative affect on your content. Also, new content can be volatile, and it takes time to see where it will settle. Generally, 3-6 months, if not up to 12 months.

Here are some things to keep in mind before deciding to refresh your content:

Rewriting you content might confuse Google when it comes to the intent of the content, and it might drop. We recommend keeping some of the original content there. This is especially true if the content is still ranking in the mid 50s to 20s on SERPs.

You can hurt your content if you refresh to add content that isn't relevant. In this case, it could cause your bounce rate to go up. That's a sign to Google that visitors don't see your content as relevant to them. In other words, your site isn’t an authority; an important ranking factor.

URL changes and redirects have some issues, too, if done wrong. You can definitely change the URL if you need to, but we recommend keeping it the same. This way, you don't have to worry. However, if the URL doesn't match the new content, you should change it.

It takes time to see results of a refresh. SEO, unfortunately, does not happen overnight. It often needs to be tweaked. You should have a good indication if it is working, however, within a couple of weeks. Then we can start making changes after a couple of months.

How Sapphire SEO Solutions Helps Clients Refresh Their Content

We pride ourselves on giving every client customized service. But, we do follow a basic plan when we refresh content. Here are the main steps:

Step #1 - Identify Pages to Refresh

The first thing that we do is to identify pages that we can target. We can do this in one of three ways:

Content Audit

The first thing we can do is a content audit. We do offer free audits, but those are very basic. A full audit of a website is much more detailed, and it is time consuming. Essentially, this is an in-depth overview of every part of your page to see how the content is performing. To do this, you will need some type of research software like Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, or similar. You can do some of it what Google Search Console, too. Thankfully, we have access to tools to make it an easier process. We also ask that clients give us access to their tools, too. These include Google Search Console and Google Analytics for more insights.

Analytic Research

Another option is to use basic analytic research to find out which pages are ranking on SERPs and which are not. Remember, the top ranking pages are those that are in positions 1-3. Those in positions 4 to 10 are in a good place, but can be improved. Anything below 10 is likely not being seen.

Personal Preference

Finally, some clients simply want a specific page to rank for random reasons. If this is the case, let us know and we can make that happen!

Step #2 - Review the Content

When we have identified the pieces of content to target, we start reviewing them. Some of the things we may consider include:

  • Can we break up large areas of text?

  • Is it easy to navigate?

  • Does it answer a question immediately? Is there a call to action?

  • Does the post speak to your target audience?

  • Are there statistics that are outdated?

  • Are there enough visuals?

“Content refreshing isn't a one-off task—it's an ongoing process essential for long-term SEO success.”

Sebastian Dziubek, SEO Expert

Step #3 - Do a SERP Analysis

The next step is to look at where the page is sitting on search engine results pages. We use tools for this, including Semrush and Google Search Console. You can also simply do a search for your keyword, and then compare your page to the pages that are in the top 3 spots.

We use these sites as a guide, and then create a content plan that will fill in the gaps.

Step #4 - Check Keyword Intent

Finally, it's important to make sure that you have the correct search intent. Your page or post must align with your visitor's reason to search. There are four types of search intent: informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational. With this information, we can create content that will target your prospects and drive conversions. Plus, you can see increased traffic.

Work with Sapphire SEO Solutions for Your Next Refresh

Are you ready to work with our team to update your content to see better search results? We are ready to work with you!

  • We can work with you to consolidate your content to avoid repetition

  • We know how to rank content for AI Overviews and AI-powered search engines

  • We can repurpose your content if a refresh isn't the best practice

  • We can add content to your current content to make it longer and ensure it aligns with your competitors

  • We can make small changes and update the publication date. This shows search engines that you are publishing up to date content that is new and relevant

  • We can target new keywords for blog posts/pages or add new alt text to photos

As you can see, every great digital marketing content strategy should include a refresh of your content. By simply updating content regularly, you can keep your website ranking higher. You will also gain valuable insights into what your target audience is looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions About a Content Refresh from Sapphire SEO Solutions

  • A content refresh is the process of updating old or underperforming web pages with new keywords, data, visuals, and formatting to improve rankings, traffic, and conversions. This will also help your existing content be found by AI-search engines and appear in AI overviews.

  • Refreshing content signals relevance to search engines, helps capture new keyword opportunities, and improves user experience. It often results in better rankings, higher engagement, and stronger ROI compared to publishing only new pages. It also helps content be found by AI-search engines and appear in AI Overviews.

  • Most websites benefit from reviewing and updating content every 6–12 months, though high-competition industries may need more frequent refreshes to stay visible in search results.

  • SEO improvements from a content refresh typically appear within 3 to 6 months, depending on the site’s authority, competitiveness of keywords, and the quality of updates.

  • Content that has lost rankings, traffic, or relevance should be refreshed first. This includes older blog posts, outdated guides, and pages targeting competitive keywords.