S2 Ep 55: The Dark Side of Website Updates

The Dark Side of Website Updates

Most businesses are updating their websites—but still staying invisible. In this episode, the team breaks down the disconnect between content effort and online visibility, especially in an AI-driven landscape. If your strategy is built on “checking the box,” you’re leaving results on the table.

🔑 Key Themes & Insights:

• Why traditional SEO habits are failing in 2025

• The myth of “just post more content”

• Why AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity ignore outdated or unfocused content

• How to audit your content for relevance and discoverability

• The ROI of repurposing vs. constantly creating from scratch

• What happens when your audience hits your site and finds stale messaging

• The invisible damage of old COVID references, broken links, and generic blogs

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“They’re posting blogs… but to no one. No audience, no direction—just noise.”

“If you're updating your website with outdated content, you're basically putting lipstick on a ghost.”

“AI doesn't serve up stale content—it skips you.”

🧠 Strategy Breakdown:

• Relevance first: Every update should serve a current audience pain point or search intent.

• Evergreen ≠ Stagnant: Even timeless topics need annual refreshes to maintain authority.

• From one to many: One strong blog can become social posts, newsletter content, podcast talking points, and more.

• Archiving vs. updating: Learn when to retire content vs. refresh it.

👥 Guest Mentions:

• Jim Falotico dives into how manufacturers overlook web updates when selling through distribution—and how that erodes trust.

• Kelly Biggs breaks down content signals AI uses to determine if your brand is worth surfacing—or skipping.

• John Maniatis shares real examples of outdated pages that scream "we're out of business" to potential customers.