If someone were to link to our site on now on an old article (dating back 1-2 years) is that still beneficial if all other variables are good?
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I'm trying to build up our external links and am finding lots of opportunities, some of which are on older articles dating back to 2014, 2013 etc. These pieces are relevant to our site and have high DA, I'm wondering if the post date of these articles matter?
Thanks!
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It's absolutely still beneficial! And if it's high quality content, there's a good chance it's been building up even more authority over the course of those years. It would probably be a good idea to make sure the content gets marked "updated" or "new," though. No sense in just slipping the link in there and walking away.
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I saw an interesting article from Razorlight Media about this topic a couple of months ago. I've linked it here for you, as it might show some kind of evidence regarding how Google treats post dates with a real-world example.
Honestly though, I've found that if the content is good, has a high DA, and is consistently receiving traffic, it shouldn't be an issue. That being said, is there anything you can do to update your material that would warrant an updated date (without affecting the URL, of course)? That might be something you want to consider to show other readers that its still extremely relevant material and is regularly updated.
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Links are good, no matter what the post date is! What's even better though is to update your best content, slap a shiny NEW date on it, then promote it. Now you've got a fresh blog, a boost in traffic, and the links!
Also, if you want to slack just a little bit, you can just change the date. This usually boosts click through rate, as everyone likes fresh content (even if it's only the date that's fresh).
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