TL;DR
- Keep most old blog posts. Add a short note at the top saying the offer or event has ended. Old posts show your history.
- Hide what you don’t want public by switching it to Draft. It’s gone from your site but still saved.
- Remove time-sensitive notices from your home page once they’re over.
- If you delete a page, add a redirect, so old links don’t lead to an error page.
Should I Delete or Hide Outdated Pages and Blog Posts?
Usually neither. Update them. Webmaster For Hire recommends keeping old posts and adding a note at the top. For a closed application, Beth told one client, “You should leave the post for its history and add an update at the top that says ‘Applications are no longer being accepted.'”
It’s your call, though. When one client asked about an old page, Beth said, “That’s up to you whether you remove it or not.” She pointed out that the page showed the group’s history. Here’s how to decide:
- Keep and update posts that show your history, like past events and results.
- Remove notices that are over and sit on key pages, like an old announcement on your home page.
- Hide (draft) anything that’s wrong, misleading, or that you may bring back later.
- Delete and redirect pages you’ll never use again, like a service you no longer offer.
How Do I Hide a Page or Post Without Deleting It?
- Open the post or page in your WordPress dashboard.
- Click the status in the sidebar (it says Published). On older versions, click Switch to draft instead.
- Choose Draft, then save.
As Beth explains, “Changing them from Published to Draft removes them from the front-end but leaves them for you in the wp-admin area.” The front end is what visitors see. The wp-admin area is your dashboard.
How Do I Hide Old Blog Posts in Bulk?
- Go to Posts, then All Posts.
- Check the box next to each post you want to hide.
- Choose Edit from the Bulk actions menu and click Apply.
- Set Status to Draft, then click Update.
Rather not click through dozens of posts? On our Webmaster Retainer, we’ll switch them to draft in bulk for you.
What Happens If I Delete a Page?
Anyone who follows an old link to it gets an error page, called a 404. That includes links from Google and other sites. A redirect fixes it by sending visitors, and Google, to the closest page that still exists. See Why Do Links Break When I Rename Pages or Files?
Rather Have Us Clean It Up?
Send us the list of pages and posts, and tell us which to keep, update, hide, or delete. We’ll make the changes and add any redirects on your Webmaster Retainer.
What Webmaster For Hire Recommends
- Add an “ended” note before you think about deleting a post.
- Draft before you delete. A draft comes back with one click. A deleted page sits in the Trash for a while, but once it’s gone, only a backup brings it back.
- Redirect every deleted page that had links or traffic.
- Back up before a big cleanup. See How Should I Back Up My WordPress Website?
:: Common Questions ::
Can I Keep a Page Live but Out of Google?
Yes. A noindex setting does that. In Beth’s words, it “tells the search engines to not index this page.” Visitors with the link can still see it. Most SEO plugins (add-ons) have this setting on each page.
How Do I Archive Old Content Before a Redesign?
Back it up first, then remove what isn’t moving to the new site. For one redesign, Beth planned it this way: “We’d take a backup of the database, then remove all the content not coming to the new site.”
Need a Content Cleanup?
See our Webmaster Retainer, or request a consultation.
