The playbook
Content Refresh: Checklist
Use this content refresh checklist before a new release, a handoff, or a scheduled review. Its purpose is to verify the decisions that affect stale high-value pages remaining. Check an actual page or query record; a box marked complete without evidence does not show that the customer journey works.
Put the task in context
An old software guide may need updated screenshots, feature availability, pricing references, and broken links checked independently. Keep facts that remain accurate. Record a material revision date only when the content has actually been reviewed or changed, rather than automatically replacing the year.
Before you use the checklist
Name the exact item being checked and its purpose. Gather URL, stale element, verified update, review date. If one of those details is unknown, mark it as unknown and assign a way to resolve it. An invented value makes the checklist look complete while weakening every later decision.
Working checklist
| Check | Evidence to keep | Responsible role |
|---|---|---|
| Review dates product references and broken resources | A dated observation showing how URL was verified | SEO lead |
| Compare current search questions with the page's coverage | A dated observation showing how stale element was verified | content or development owner |
| Record material changes and recheck the finished page | A dated observation showing how verified update was verified | analytics owner |
Check the failure path
- Look specifically for this failure: changing the date without changing stale information.
- Refresh the actual content and accurately record the review. Record the actual correction, not just the intention to make it.
- Repeat the affected task after the correction and check review date.
- Make sure the next owner can find the decision and supporting evidence.
Use three outcomes for each check
Mark an item as complete only when the expected behavior or information has been observed. Mark it as incomplete when a required condition is absent. Use not applicable when the condition genuinely does not belong to the chosen scope, and write a short reason. These states keep a review useful without forcing every process into an identical mold.
For example, if the check is “Review dates product references and broken resources,” a meeting about the subject is not the evidence itself. Retain the relevant URL and stale element, the decision made from them, and the result of checking that decision. The record should allow someone who missed the meeting to understand what changed.
Decide what must be resolved first
An incomplete item that prevents update existing pages when facts examples or customer needs change deserves attention before a cosmetic improvement. Assign an owner and a next action to that issue. Keep optional refinements visible, but do not let them obscure a failure in the core process.
Close the review
Recheck corrected items and note anything still uncertain. The checklist is finished when the next owner understands what was verified and what remains open. Follow stale high-value pages remaining using a consistent definition so later reviews can connect execution quality with useful results.
Search results and indexing decisions are not controlled by the publisher. Record what your team changed and what was observed afterward. Avoid turning a correlation between a release and a traffic change into a claim of proven causation.
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