Content refresh worksheet

IMPROVE A PAGE WITH A PURPOSE

Refresh a page because it can answer a visitor’s question more accurately or usefully. Record what is missing, the evidence for the decision and the person responsible for the change.

Download content refresh CSV

Import the UTF-8 CSV into your spreadsheet app using comma-separated columns. Save a working copy and replace the fictional example rows.

A worked example

Fictional page: /guides/water-damage-cleanup/. Visitor task: understand the immediate next steps after discovering a leak.

Complete the worksheet

1. Record the URL, audience, visitor task and intended next action.
2. Choose a date range for traffic or search observations. Compare like periods and note seasonality or tracking changes before inferring a cause.
3. Review the actual page. Mark outdated facts, unanswered questions, unclear sections and unhelpful links.
4. Write a specific edit brief, with sources and a named factual reviewer. Preserve accurate useful content.
5. Record the updated version, review date and what you will observe afterwards. Avoid attributing every traffic change to the edit.

Choose the right action

• Refresh: the page serves a useful purpose but needs clearer or more accurate content.
• Keep: the page already meets its task and the evidence does not justify a rewrite.
• Consolidate: overlapping pages would serve users better as one stronger destination; plan links and redirects separately.
• Investigate: the diagnosis or source evidence is incomplete.

Changing a date, adding keywords or increasing word count is not an improvement by itself. Give readers an answer they can use and support claims with appropriate evidence.

Reference: Google’s helpful content guidance.

Use the redirect map when a refresh changes the URL.