Whether it’s your blog, a service page, or area page, it’s always possible that some of your content is has some sort of error in it. Google loves to reward relevant, well-written content. So, if you have a case of poorly written content or incorrect information there is a possibility that google will penalize your website or blog.
If you do come across this type of content on your older posts or pages you’ve neglected for a bit there are a few things you can do to fix this situation.
1. Act Fast– The first step you should take is to quickly identify the problem content and start fixing it. It’s important to let you site visitors and your team aware of the error and you are taking steps to fix it.
2. Craft Your Plan– If you do not already have a social media or blog crisis management plan, this shows that it is important to have one. It is always better to have one and not use it, than not have one and get caught in a crisis. It’s also a good idea to pick someone that will own it, usually the face of the organization or a top editor, so it doesn’t look like you are passing off the blame.
3. What Do I Do with the Post/Blog? – Here you have a few options. You can leave the post/blog up and make sure you implement an editor’s note and correction before the beginning of the article. This will admit that you messed up and hopefully show that you owned and regain some trust lost. You can also delete the content and set up a 301 redirect of the content to a revised page or at worst, the home page. However, this can backfire if the whole fiasco is being closely followed and you can possible be called out as trying to cover it up.
4. Prevent it Before It Happens– We know this is easier said than done but if you set up the following checklist and ensure all your writers go through this before everything article or blog they post, it can greatly decrease the chance of a disaster.
a. Back up your facts
b. Double check names, places and things
c. Attribute ideas/quotes/pictures to the original source or whoever said it
d. Verify and link related sources with more information, preferably from another highly-trusted source
e. If the topic is highly controversial, or you have doubts, don’t even post it
Remember, when it comes to SEO, content is king. If you are pushing out articles or social media posts that have incorrect facts or are not of high-quality, there’s not much you can do to re-gain googles trust once caught.