When to update vs rewrite a page
A page is slipping in the rankings. Do you refresh it or start over? Choosing wrong wastes effort or throws away earned authority.
Eventually a page that once performed starts to slip. You have two options: update it in place or rewrite it from scratch. Pick wrong and you either waste effort polishing something fundamentally off, or you throw away the authority and history a page has earned.
Update when the bones are good
If the page targets the right topic and intent but has gone stale — outdated facts, missing recent developments, thinner than what now ranks — update it. You keep its accumulated authority, links, and history while bringing the content current. This is usually the higher-return move.
Rewrite when the premise is wrong
If the page targets the wrong intent, was built around an outdated understanding, or is structurally weak, no amount of patching fixes it — rewrite. Even then, preserve the URL where you can, so you keep the page's standing while replacing what's on it. Throw away the content, not the equity.
Update when the page targets the right thing and just went stale. Rewrite when the premise itself was wrong.