<b>Q: Does updating old cluster posts help topical authority, or should I just publish new ones?</b>

<b>Q: Does updating old cluster posts help topical authority, or should I just publish new ones?</b>

Short answer: both, but refreshing your existing cluster usually beats adding more pages once the core is built. A topic's authority compounds when your established URLs stay current; decay on a pillar drags the whole cluster down.

New pages expand coverage. Updates protect coverage you already have. Past a point, the highest return is keeping the pillar and top cluster articles accurate, not endlessly widening.

In practice:
— Quarterly, pull the cluster's pages that lost clicks or impressions in Search Console and refresh those first.
— On a refresh, add genuinely new info or sections, don't just change the date.
— Re-link: when you update an article, check whether newer cluster posts should now link to it.

Deciding between expand vs refresh? Send your situation in.