Old position papers never die... but maybe they should

If your association’s website has been around for a few years, chances are it’s starting to look like a storage room. Policy papers from 2015, event pages for conferences long gone, dead registration links, even “latest news” from three Commissions ago. It’s all still sitting there... just in case.

It feels like the right thing to do to keep everything online. But it slowly turns your website into a digital archive that no one wants to explore. Old pages clutter your menus, slow down performance, and confuse your visitors. Even worse, broken links and outdated URLs quietly damage your search rankings, because search engines read them as a sign of poor maintenance.

Your website’s job isn’t to store information. It’s a communication tool. It should help visitors quickly understand who you are, what you do, and why your work matters right now. That means keeping the focus on your current priorities: your main policy areas, your latest news and reports, your flagship events.

I'm not saying you should delete your old content; you just need to manage it intentionally. Create a clear archive or members’ area for older material. Set review dates for your pages: once a report or project turns two or three years old, decide whether it still deserves space on the public site.

A fast and easy-to-navigate website is the best way to tell your audience that your organisation is active, relevant, and credible.