Your content library has liabilities. Posts actively hurting your brand, feeding competitors ammunition, and eroding trust with every view.
Here are five types to delete immediately—not archive, not update, but actually delete.
1. The Confidently Wrong Post
Content giving advice that’s now incorrect or dangerous.
Examples: SEO tactics that trigger penalties now. Compliance advice that’s legally outdated. Technical guides for deprecated systems.
The test: If someone followed this today, would they fail?
Delete it. Ranking for bad advice damages more than not ranking at all.
2. The Off-Brand Embarrassment
Content that sounds nothing like your current voice or positioning.
Examples: Casual tone when you’re now professional. Aggressive sales pitch when you’re education-first. Apologetic positioning when you’re confident now.
The test: Does this sound like your current CEO would talk?
Delete it. Brand inconsistency creates confusion. If the entire voice is wrong, start fresh.
3. The Competitor Advantage
Content that accidentally makes competitors look better or reveals weaknesses you’ve fixed.
Examples: “We don’t support X” when you now do. Comparisons where you rank second. Gap admissions competitors screenshot for sales calls.
The test: Would your competitors use this against you?
Delete it. Past transparency about solved problems just arms your competition.
4. The Zombie Campaign
Time-sensitive content long past expiration but still discoverable.
Examples: 2022 event registrations. Expired limited-time offers. Discontinued product launches. “Upcoming webinar” from 18 months ago.
The test: Does this reference a past date or completed event?
Delete it. Set up 301 redirects to current content. Nothing says “we’re not paying attention” louder.
5. The Keyword Stuffing Artifact
Content created purely for old-school SEO manipulation.
Examples: 300-word posts cramming keywords 40 times. Auto-generated article-spin content. Doorway pages for search variations.
The test: Was this written for robots, not humans?
Delete it. Google now penalizes low-quality content. It’s dragging your domain authority down.
Execute the Purge This Week
Monday: Identify 5 candidates (sort by old publish dates, check high bounce rates)
Tuesday: Test each using criteria above
Wednesday: Set up 301 redirects to relevant current content
Thursday: Delete and update internal documentation
Friday: Verify redirects work
Then repeat next week. And the week after.
Why Deletion Beats Keeping
Deleting harmful content:
- Improves domain quality signals
- Prevents competitor ammunition
- Reduces prospect confusion
- Shows you maintain standards
Keeping harmful content:
- Tanks domain authority
- Arms sales competitors
- Confuses your brand message
- Signals neglect
The Mindset Shift
Not all content is an asset. Some is a liability.
Keeping bad content because “we worked hard on it” is like keeping expired food because “we paid for it.”
The work is sunk. What serves your business now?
Start Today
Five posts this week. Five next week.
Over time: a content library that’s trustworthy, not just comprehensive. Every piece serves your brand. Every resource reflects who you are now.
Delete what’s holding you back. Make room for what moves you forward.