Relevance of fresh content
One of the most important subjects that gets missed in the SEO Ranking Sphere is the relevance of fresh content
Google has specific algorithms set up to display new and updated material to its users. Many advertisers or content creators need to have their content updated at least once per month to stay relevant and keep their ranking. We witness many vendors using old or outdated information to meet this demand; however, we often see a decrease in ranking overtime. Thus, updating only for the sake of recency alone rarely produces sustainable results. Google cares about 3 things when it comes to fresh content, which are depth, accuracy, and usefulness of the updated content. We encourage content creators to use new and relevant information; this is especially important for topics or subjects with a lot of competition.
For example, consider a competitive local SEO blog targeting a keyword like “best roofing contractors in Ottawa.” One business updates the page every month by swapping dates, reordering a few sentences, or adding a short paragraph with no new insight. Over time, Google detects that the content provides no additional value to users, leading to stagnant engagement metrics and gradual ranking decline.
In contrast, another business updates the same type of page quarterly by adding newly licensed contractors, removing companies that no longer operate, updating pricing ranges and answering new questions that appear in search results. Despite fewer updates, this page gains stronger rankings because the changes improve depth, accuracy, and usefulness for their audience.
Internal Links – On-Page SEO Ranking Factor
In order for Google to send users to our website, we need to make sure our content is relevant to the topic being searched. This needs to be done correctly if we want to start ranking for a specific keyword.
Here’s a quick example of how this works:
Imagine we have two pages: one for sports shirts and one for sports shorts. Both pages contain information or products for sale. If we place a link to the sports shirts page inside the sports shorts page, this is referred to as internal linking, and it’s a strong way to improve rankings on Google. The more internal links a website has, the better — as long as they are relevant. If links are placed without relevance, it can confuse the algorithm and make it harder to rank.
Linking back to the home page also plays a supporting role in SEO. It helps distribute authority and reinforces site structure, especially when the home page acts as a topical hub. Ultimately, Google’s goal is to surface the most relevant and useful content for each search. Internal linking, content relevance, and freshness signals all work together to help Google understand page relationships and search intent. When content is structured logically, updated meaningfully, and supported by relevant internal links, ranking becomes easier over time.
