I had an article from 5-6 years ago on the site, the info is wrong and outdated. I'm gonna delete it but Google gives this article a bunch of backlinks. Will I lose those backlinks if I delete it?
If I redirect, which page should I redirect to? Or is there another solution?
Decision on deleting old articles: 1) If the article has backlinks → 301 redirect. 2) No backlinks → deleting is fine. 3) Article is partially still valid → update (don't delete).
If you do a 301 redirect, the old page's authority is passed to the new page. If you completely delete the article but leave an HTTP 404, you lose the backlink juice.
i also had an old listicle with lots of backlinks. instead of deleting I redirected it to a similar article and the backlink authority was passed but it was the right call.
Doki · Vulnerability scanning · 2025
if thee are backlinks do a 301. if no backlinks deleting is fine and no article should be left as a 404.
edit: typed from phone, sorry for typos.
Old Article Deletion Decision: - If backlinks exist (high) → 301 redirect - Few backlinks → delete (404 ok) - Article partially valid → update - Duplicate article → 301 to canonical page - Dead link → accept 404 (monitor in Search Console)
Deletion process: 1) Check if the article has backlinks (paid SEO tool/paid SEO tool). 2) If yes, 301 redirect to a similar article (htaccess: Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://site.com/new-page.html). 3) If no, delete (404). 4) Monitor 'Removed URLs' in Search Console.
Correction: I misremembered the figure, it was a bit lower.
my perspective changed after experiencing that. merge innstead of deleting; deleted content doesnt come back.
everyone rushing into deleting old content gets stuck at the same point... if I were you I'd go this route.
Doki · Corporate website · 2025
I was thinking the same thing. If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later.
Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late. If you post the result here, it will help others too.
I think differently. Everyone rushing into deleting old content gets stuck at the same point.
If you post the result here, it will help others too.
The opposite happened to me, that's why I'm writing. If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later.
That's all, sorry if I went on too long.
Doki · SEO consulting · 2023
The most overlooked point about deleting old content is this: A page with low traffic might be reaching the right people. Look at where sales come from.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
To get into the details: Discussing numbers without verifying the measurement setup is a waste of time.
We've heard this a lot, but it never happened like that for us. Internal linking is the cheapest and most neglected task.
Good luck with that.
My perspective changed after experiencing that. Mistakes made on the deleting old content side are usually reversible but expensive.
Thats all, sorry if I went on too long.
Timely topic. A page that answers one question works better than one touching on five topics.
Processes without records never improve, because you don't know what to fix. If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.