How do I update old hotel content?
Short answer
Update old hotel content by reviewing it on a schedule — at least once a year and before peak season. For each page, decide whether to refresh it (check every fact, update photos and links), merge it with a similar page (and redirect the old URL), or remove it (and redirect to the most relevant page if it had visitors or links). Prioritize pages that get traffic or contain facts guests rely on, such as policies, prices, and opening times. Show a last-updated date when you've genuinely reviewed the content.
By Lodging Engine Editorial Team· Reviewed by Eric Zwanenburg· Last reviewed
Find what needs attention
- Pages with search impressions or visits (Search Console, analytics).
- Pages with facts that change: prices, opening times, events, policies.
- Old posts mentioning closed venues or past years in titles.
- Several thin posts on the same topic.
Decide: refresh, merge, or remove
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Useful topic, outdated details | Refresh: check every fact, update photos, links, and the date |
| Several posts covering the same thing | Merge into one strong page and redirect the others |
| No longer relevant, no visits or links | Remove (a 404 or 410 is fine) |
| No longer relevant, but has visits or links | Redirect to the most relevant current page |
How to refresh well
- Check every fact: names, times, distances, prices.
- Replace outdated photos.
- Fix broken links; add links to current rooms and offers.
- Update the title only if the topic genuinely changed.
- Add a "last reviewed" date.
Redirects and canonicals
When merging or moving content, use permanent redirects to the new page. See canonical URLs.
Don't fake freshness
Changing the date without changing content misleads readers. Google's helpful-content guidance warns against changing dates to make pages seem fresh when content hasn't substantially changed.
Common mistakes
- Never reviewing old content.
- Deleting popular pages without redirects.
- Updating dates without updating facts.
Checklist
- Yearly review schedule
- Pages prioritized by traffic and fact sensitivity
- Refresh, merge, or remove decided per page
- Redirects for merged or removed pages with value
- Honest last-reviewed dates
Sources
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content — Google Search Central
- Site moves and migrations — Google Search Central
- How to specify a canonical URL with rel="canonical" and other methods — Google Search Central