Should Deserted Blogs Still Appear in Search Results?

If a blog isn’t updated regularly, should it still get a high position in search engine result pages (SERPs)? This is a quandary that every internet user has probably faced when searching for something specific. While some users undoubtedly don’t look at the dates of blog posts, others may find it irritating that a blog hasn’t been updated in the last few months to a year. There are qualifying points for each side of this argument:

NO, DESERTED BLOGS SHOULDN’T APPEAR IN SEARCH RESULTS

• The blog doesn’t provide relevant, up-to-date information
• The blog may have blog posts that are now irrelevant or incorrect (e.g. a blog has a tutorial on Yahoo Search Algorithms, which is now outdated information because Yahoo! uses Bing’s search algorithms)
• The blog author may not answer readers’ questions or respond to their comments on blog posts
• The blog may advertise events, coupons, products that are no longer available

YES, OUTDATED BLOGS SHOULD STILL APPEAR IN SEARCH RESULTS

• The blog content still may hold relevant information and tutorials, such as “How to Build a Birdhouse” or a recipe for “Raspberry Chocolate Brownies”
• Occasional posts every other 6 months may still be better than a blog that posts every day– if a blogger is an amazing writer, readers may appreciate posts 2 times a year over a less-reputable blog
• The blog may serve as a portfolio of the blogger’s or designer’s work

There are good arguments for both sides, but what it really comes down to is the industry the blog is in. Blogs from the food, craft, home decor, etc industries may not need to be updated as much because their information is fairly useful, even if the last post was a year or so ago. However, blogs that are about technology, internet marketing, social media, etc. should be updated frequently as these are industries that are continuously changing.

What do you think? Do you have another argument for either side? Let us know in the comments.

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Kelsey Jones

Founder/Chief Marketing Consultant at Six Stories

Kelsey Jones helps clients around the world grow their social media, content, and search marketing presence. She enjoys writing and consuming all kinds of content, both in digital and tattered paperback form.

@wonderwall7

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