New content vs. refreshing: where to invest

Every content team faces the same argument: publish more, or fix what exists? Run the numbers in the Content ROI calculator first — then use this framework.

The default answer: refresh wins on ROI, new wins on growth

Refreshing a decaying page that already ranks is almost always cheaper per incremental click than publishing from zero — no sandbox wait, existing authority, known intent. But refresh has a ceiling: you cannot refresh your way into topics you have never covered. New content buys reach; refresh buys efficiency.

The 70/30 starting split

For established sites (100+ indexed pages), start with roughly 70% of content budget on refresh and 30% on new. For new sites, invert it — you have nothing worth refreshing yet.

How to pick refresh candidates

Pull Search Console: pages ranking positions 4–20 with declining clicks over 6 months, published 12+ months ago, on topics still relevant. Those are your highest-ROI refresh targets — small rank moves there buy disproportionate clicks because of the CTR curve's steep top.

Measure it properly

Record the page's clicks for the 4 weeks before refresh and the 4 weeks after (same weekdays). Attribute only the lift above the pre-refresh trend. If a refresh does not move clicks in 8 weeks, the page needs a rewrite or a redirect — not another refresh.

Feed the winners

Take the measured uplift from your first refresh batch back into the calculator. Your second budget split will be based on your data, not ours — which is exactly how it should be.