Archiving and Unpublishing Content: What Actually Works
Deciding what to do with content that is outdated, wrong or no longer relevant.
Dana Whitfield
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Silent deletion of popular pages
- Outdated advice left unmarked
- Redirects to unrelated pages
- Bulk removal without review
What good looks like instead
- Decide between updating, archiving and removing
- Redirect removed pages to relevant ones
- Label outdated content clearly
- Keep records where retention is required
- Review analytics before removing pages
Why it matters
Deleting pages breaks links and loses value, while leaving wrong content published damages trust.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Redirects | preserve link value when pages are removed |
| Archive notices | mark content as historical rather than current |
| Legal records | some content must be retained |
| Search | removed pages need handling in search results |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when pruning large content libraries.
Where this comes from
- Google Search Central — Removing content from Google Search
- Google Search Central — Redirects and Google Search
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
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Where to go next
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