You\u2019ve been doing everything right, working tirelessly on your site\u2019s content<\/a> \u2014day and night. But for some reason, traffic to your blog has stalled anyway. So, what gives?<\/p>\n You\u2019re not alone \u2014like the high school group projects that still give you nightmares, every blog has a few posts that simply refuse to pull their weight. Underperformers can silently drag down the overall success of your site, taking you from the A+ you deserve to a B\u2026or C\u2026or worse. Luckily, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can help you weed out the slackers and turn them into traffic-driving superstars.<\/p>\n In this post, we\u2019ll walk through a simple tutorial for finding your underperforming blog posts, plus some tips and best practices for how to fix them.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll also explore why some pieces of content just don\u2019t perform as expected and how to decide whether a stale post should be refreshed or pruned altogether.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n An underperforming blog post is a piece of blog content on your site that doesn\u2019t meet the goals or benchmarks you\u2019ve set. For some small business owners, the main objective might be generating leads or sales. Others might prioritize brand awareness, meaning they\u2019re looking for a high number of page views.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important at the conception of your post to determine what purpose your post will serve. Having a clearly defined purpose will lead you to the metrics you need to monitor performance.<\/p>\n Before labeling a post a \u201cfailure,\u201d you need to clarify what success looks like for your blog. Some common goals (and the metrics that track them) include:<\/p>\n Every niche has different performance expectations, so don\u2019t get hung up on arbitrary standards. A blog about handcrafted ceramic mugs might do just fine with 1,000 monthly views, while a blog focused on digital marketing might expect much more.<\/p>\n Determine what \u201cgood enough\u201d is for <\/strong>your<\/em><\/strong> unique business context.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ultimately, the decision on whether a post is underperforming should align with your overarching business objectives. Consider the following:<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve determined that certain posts aren\u2019t meeting expectations, it\u2019s time to get curious about why. It usually boils down to one or more of these common issues.<\/p>\n The internet moves fast. If your post references tools or industry practices that have changed, readers may bounce when they realize the information isn\u2019t current. Fresh, accurate content<\/a> is key to retaining reader trust.<\/p>\n Perhaps the post isn\u2019t optimized for the right keywords or lacks a clear focus. That makes it difficult for search engines to figure out what your page is about \u2014 and in turn, rank it well<\/a>.<\/p>\n Large blocks of text without subheadings, bullet points, or visuals can overwhelm readers. A post that offers a bad user experience or is otherwise cumbersome to read can lead to high bounce rates \u2014especially on mobile devices.<\/p>\n Even the best content can wither away if no one knows it exists. Underperforming posts may be undiscovered gems waiting for strategic social sharing or internal linking.<\/p>\n Make sure you have a presence on the social media platforms where your customers are, and repurpose your blog content into bite-sized content morsels to get customers excited to click-thru!<\/p>\n Also, don\u2019t forget that a great email campaign can also help steer customer attention. There\u2019s a lot of great campaign platforms for every budget out there. From Mailchimp for smaller campaigns all the way to big enterprise platforms like Klaviyo (which we love here at DH), many of these providers provide excellent campaign metrics to help gauge campaign effectiveness.<\/p>\n If the post doesn\u2019t address your audience\u2019s pain points or interests, they\u2019ll likely skip it. It\u2019s crucial to understand your readers\u2019 needs, which means identifying your target audience<\/a> and creating content that resonates with them.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget to be an active, engaging participant in the online communities your customers frequent. This is a win-win as it will help you to better understand your customers while lending your brand authenticity!<\/p>\n Some topics are just too heavily covered already. If your blog post doesn\u2019t stand out from the crowd, it may remain hidden on page two (or beyond) of search results.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve identified what makes content underperform, it\u2019s time to dig into your analytics and find those posts that need attention. Let\u2019s walk through the process step by step.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going to be using the Life cycle reports collection in GA4. Make sure you have this enabled in your GA4 instance.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the GA4 reports section, click the Library button at the bottom of the nav bar and make sure the Life cycle reports collection is published.<\/p>\n Start in GA4 by navigating to Reports <\/strong>> Engagement<\/strong> > Pages and screens<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This view serves as your content dashboard, displaying performance metrics for every page on your site.<\/p>\n If you have categorized your blog under a subdirectory, you can use the search filter for your blog directory (typically \u201c\/blog\/\u201d or \u201c\/articles\/\u201d).<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s move over to analyzing traffic patterns.<\/p>\n Add a filter for \u201cSession medium = organic\u201d if you want to only analyze traffic from search engines. You can also look for organic social, direct traffic, etc.<\/p>\n With your view configured, examine your traffic patterns carefully. Click the Views<\/strong> column to sort the rows in ascending or descending order based on the views.<\/p>\n As you\u2019ll see from the above screenshot, we have quite a few blog posts that have received just a single click over the last 90 days or so.<\/p>\n Look for posts like these that receive significantly fewer views than your site\u2019s average \u2014 these are your potential underperformers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Quick pro tip: <\/strong>The Session source\/medium dimension can be used to further breakdown exactly where your traffic is coming from. For example with Session medium set to organic, we can use Session source\/medium as another breakdown dimension to see exactly where that search traffic is coming from.<\/p>\n Subscribe now to receive all the latest updates, delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Traffic tells only part of the story. You also need to look at engagement metrics. These will tell you whether your content resonates with readers.<\/p>\n Monitor posts where visitors spend less than 60 seconds or posts where there are fewer events compared to the average that you observe for your website. Events can be clicks on different links, interactions with your website pop-up, etc.<\/p>\n These numbers often indicate content that isn\u2019t meeting reader expectations or needs structural improvements.<\/p>\n Switch to Life cycle <\/strong>> Acquisition <\/strong>> Traffic acquisition<\/strong> to understand how well your posts convert visitors into customers<\/a> or subscribers.<\/p>\n This analysis often reveals surprising insights: some posts with moderate traffic might drive significant conversions, while high-traffic posts might fail to convert at all.<\/p>\n As you\u2019ll see in the above report screenshot, the highest-performing posts don\u2019t actually generate any revenue.<\/p>\n However, they do bring in visitors who might move further down the funnel during their visit. It couldn\u2019t hurt to check to see if these posts add additional value to the website.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to rely solely on the default reports. GA4 is very flexible<\/a> and allows you to create custom reports with the data you need on a single screen.<\/p>\n You can customize the columns and data points you see in a report by clicking the Customize report <\/strong>icon on any report you\u2019re already on.<\/p>\n You can add more columns or dimensions by clicking through the Metrics<\/strong> or Dimensions<\/strong> under the \u201cREPORT DATA\u201d section.<\/p>\n For instance, if you pick \u201cMetrics,\u201d you should see the following screen with the option to add new metrics.<\/p>\n This can help you develop more nuanced reports to understand your content\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n This detailed analysis helps identify posts that might excel in one area but need improvement in others.<\/p>\n If search performance is a priority for you, consider Google Search Console data. It can provide more search-specific data, such as keywords, click-through rates, average position, and page-specific search data.<\/p>\n Here, you want to look for:<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve identified the slackers, the question becomes: \u201cDo I pull these weeds or water them?\u201d Do you delete or redirect a post entirely, or do you give it new life by updating, optimizing, and promoting it?<\/p>\n Before you dive in with edits, it\u2019s important to determine whether a post is truly worth saving. Some pieces may be too outdated, off-brand, or irrelevant to your audience to justify the effort \u2014 in which case, removing or redirecting them might be the better option.<\/p>\n Other posts, however, have plenty of potential if you make a few well-placed improvements.<\/p>\n Prune (delete or redirect) if\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n A topic is no longer relevant, and no amount of editing will bring it back into alignment with your business goals. Or perhaps the data within the post is so outdated that it no longer holds value for modern readers (think references to defunct products or platforms). If the content doesn\u2019t match your brand\u2019s core focus anymore, consider using a 301 redirect<\/a> to point it to a more helpful resource on your site. This preserves any lingering SEO value and eliminates dead ends for visitors.<\/p>\n How to Create 301 Redirects in WordPress (4 Methods) <\/p>\n Read More <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Revive (update and optimize) if\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n The post aligns with your audience\u2019s interests and your brand\u2019s messaging but simply needs a refresh. It might still have some decent traffic or rank for relevant keywords (even if it\u2019s stuck on page two of search results), or maybe it gets plenty of page views but fails to convert. In cases like these, a strategic revision can significantly boost performance.<\/p>\n Taking the time to categorize each underperforming piece of content will help you focus your energy where it\u2019s most effective. If you remove every old post without a second thought, you might lose hidden gems. Conversely, trying to update everything could waste time on content that no longer serves your business.<\/p>\n A Step-by-Step Guide To Performing A Content Audit On Your Website <\/p>\n Read More <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When you\u2019ve decided a piece is worth reviving<\/a>, it\u2019s time to give it a thorough makeover. Think of this like renovating a house: you\u2019re keeping the core structure, but modernizing the decor, upgrading the appliances, and fixing any broken parts.<\/p>\n If readers see outdated stats or references to old tech, they may question the article\u2019s overall credibility. Instead:<\/p>\n Many underperforming posts fail to gain traction because search engines can\u2019t easily match them to user queries. To fix this:<\/p>\n Even if your content is loaded with facts and figures, poor readability can quickly turn off visitors. Here are a few steps to keep readers engaged:<\/p>\n These readability tips are just the beginning of creating engaging blog content. From finding your voice to structuring your posts, there\u2019s always more to learn about the craft of blog writing.<\/p>\n How To Write A Blog Post (10 Secrets To Success) <\/p>\n Read More <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Once you\u2019ve updated and optimized your content, it\u2019s time to make sure the world knows. Even the highest-quality content can underperform if no one discovers it. This step is all about reintroducing your revised blog posts to existing followers and attracting new readers.<\/p>\n Share it across your own social media networks. If you have a mailing list<\/a>, let subscribers know you\u2019ve refreshed an article they might find helpful. Briefly explain why it matters and include a clear link to the updated post. Including updated graphics or interesting pull quotes can catch attention in a crowded social feed or inbox.<\/p>\n You should also strengthen the article\u2019s internal linking if possible. Internal links can help Google understand your site\u2019s structure<\/a> and signal which pages are most valuable. They also direct readers from one relevant post to another, increasing overall engagement.<\/p>\n To optimize internal linking:<\/p>\n Traffic is important, but if your blog posts aren\u2019t converting visitors into leads, customers, or subscribers, you\u2019re missing a key piece of the puzzle. An underperforming post might already be attracting decent traffic but failing to inspire action.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to fix that:<\/p>\n A strong CTA<\/a> guides the reader toward the next logical step \u2014 whether that\u2019s downloading a free resource, signing up for a webinar, or making a purchase.<\/p>\n To make CTAs more effective:<\/p>\n Another way to up conversions is by improving your user experience (UX). That means strategies like making your site mobile-friendly<\/a>. More people now browse on mobile than desktop, so maximize your page load times because slow sites frustrate users and drive them away. (If you\u2019re struggling with speed, DreamHost\u2019s fully managed hosting solutions<\/a> might help you out.)<\/p>\n Finally, it\u2019s time to circle back to GA4 and see if your hard work is paying off. By revisiting your newly updated posts\u2019 performance, you can determine if your fixes have made a difference \u2014 and refine your approach based on real-world data.<\/p>\n Check your metrics<\/a> over time. See if new social shares, email campaigns, or improved SEO are driving additional visitors. If certain updates haven\u2019t moved the needle yet, you can experiment further \u2014 try new keywords, adjust your CTAs, or even ask a segment of your audience what they think. Hearing readers\u2019 perspectives can reveal hidden opportunities to improve.<\/p>\n Evaluating the data helps you refine your content strategy. You don\u2019t need to get everything perfect on the first try \u2014 continuous optimization is the name of the game.<\/p>\n Underperforming blog posts aren\u2019t dead ends; they\u2019re opportunities. By using GA4 to spot the weak links, and then carefully deciding whether to prune or refresh each piece, you can transform underperformers into real contributors to your site\u2019s success. Whether it\u2019s updating outdated info, fine-tuning your keywords, or strategically promoting your content across various channels, each step you take helps you build a stronger, more engaging blog.<\/p>\n It all comes down to this: quality over quantity<\/strong>. By focusing on the posts that truly matter and making them shine, you\u2019ll attract the right audience, reduce bounce rates, and encourage more sign-ups or sales. Keeping a close eye on your data means you\u2019re always improving \u2014 and that\u2019s how a content \u201cgarden\u201d truly flourishes.<\/p>\n Ready to grow even more?<\/p>\n DreamHost<\/a> is here to help you create a thriving online presence, whether you\u2019re starting a brand-new blog or optimizing your existing site. With affordable, reliable hosting solutions<\/a> and helpful resources at your fingertips, you\u2019ll have the support you need to manage your content more efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n So, roll up your sleeves, dig into your analytics, and start transforming those underperforming posts into powerful assets for your business!<\/p>\nWhat Is an Underperforming Blog Post?<\/h2>\n
![\"Performance](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/01_an_underperforming_blog_post.webp\")
<\/figure>\nSetting Your Own Benchmarks<\/h3>\n
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How To Decide What \u201cUnderperforming\u201d Means for You<\/h3>\n
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Reasons Blog Posts Underperform<\/h3>\n
Outdated Information<\/h4>\n
Weak Keyword Targeting<\/h4>\n
Poor Readability or Bad UX<\/h4>\n
![\"Side-by-side](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02_readability_matters.webp\")
<\/figure>\nLack of Promotion<\/h4>\n
Misalignment With Your Target Audience<\/h4>\n
Competition and Saturation<\/h4>\n
How To Find Underperforming Blog Posts Using GA4<\/h2>\n
Set Up Your Analytics View<\/h3>\n
![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/16_ga4_library.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/17_session_source.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04_displaying_performance_metrics.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/05_search_bar.webp\")
<\/figure>\nAnalyze Traffic Patterns<\/h3>\n
![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/06_add_filter.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/07_views.webp\")
<\/figure>\nGet Content Delivered Straight to Your Inbox<\/h2>\n
Evaluate Engagement Metrics<\/h3>\n
![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/08_average_engagement_time_per_active_user.webp\")
<\/figure>\nReview Conversion Performance<\/h3>\n
![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/09_traffic_acquisition.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/10_total_revenue-1-1024x531.webp\")
<\/figure>\nCreate Custom Reports<\/h3>\n
![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/11_customize_report_icon.webp\"){kind=icon}
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/12_customize_report_sidebar.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/13_report_data_section.webp\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Analytics](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/14_add_metric.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n
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How To Fix Underperforming Blog Posts<\/h2>\n
Step 1: Prune or Revive?<\/h3>\n
How To Decide<\/h4>\n
Step 2: Refresh the Content<\/h3>\n
Update Facts, Figures, and Examples<\/h4>\n
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Optimize Keywords and Headings<\/h4>\n
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Improve Readability<\/h4>\n
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Step 3: Re-Promote Strategically<\/h3>\n
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Step 4: Improve Conversions<\/h3>\n
Add Clear, Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)<\/h4>\n
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Step 5: Measure Results After Updates<\/h3>\n
![\"Step-by-step](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/15_how_to_fix_underperforming_blog_posts.webp\")
<\/figure>\nNurture Your Content Garden With DreamHost<\/h2>\n