Understanding the Needs Update Feature
The Needs Update feature helps you keep your knowledge base content fresh and relevant by identifying articles that may need attention. This feature appears on your dashboard as a recommendations panel.
What is the Needs Update Panel?
The Needs Update panel is an intelligent content recommendation system that analyzes your articles and suggests which ones might benefit from updates. It appears on your dashboard and shows articles that meet certain criteria indicating they may need attention.
Where to Find It
The Needs Update recommendations appear in two places:
- Single Knowledge Base View: When you have one knowledge base, you'll see a "Needs Update" section in the detailed overview
- Content Recommendations Panel: A dedicated panel at the bottom of your dashboard showing recommendations across all your knowledge bases
How Recommendations Work
The system uses multiple rules to identify articles that may need updating:
1. Stale Content (90+ Days Old)
Articles that haven't been updated in 90 days or more are flagged. Content can become outdated over time, and regular updates help maintain accuracy.
Priority: Medium
2. High Traffic but Stale
Popular articles (in the top 20% by views) that haven't been updated in 60+ days. These articles get a lot of traffic, so keeping them current is especially important.
Priority: High
3. Low Engagement
Articles with fewer than 10 views that have been published for 30+ days. This may indicate the content needs improvement or better discoverability.
Priority: Medium
4. Declining Engagement
Articles with low recent views (last 30 days) compared to their total views. If an article used to be popular but isn't getting traffic anymore, it might need refreshing.
Priority: Medium
5. Negative Feedback
Articles with:
- Average rating below 3.0 out of 5.0
- More "not helpful" feedback than "helpful" feedback (with at least 3 "not helpful" responses)
These signals suggest the content isn't meeting user needs.
Priority: High
Priority Levels
Recommendations are categorized by priority:
-
High Priority (Red badge): Urgent items that should be addressed soon
- Popular articles that are stale
- Articles with negative feedback
- Low ratings
-
Medium Priority (Yellow badge): Items that should be reviewed
- Stale content
- Low engagement articles
- Declining engagement
-
Low Priority (Gray badge): Items to consider when time permits
- Minor issues or suggestions
Understanding Recommendation Details
Each recommendation shows:
- Title: The article title (clickable to edit)
- Priority Badge: Visual indicator of urgency
- Reasons: Specific reasons why the article was flagged
- Metrics:
- Total views
- Recent views (last 30 days)
- Average rating (if available)
- Days since last update
What to Do with Recommendations
- Review the Article: Click on the recommendation to open the article editor
- Check the Reasons: Understand why it was flagged
- Update Content:
- Refresh outdated information
- Add new details or examples
- Improve clarity
- Fix any inaccuracies
- Dismiss if Not Relevant: If the recommendation isn't applicable, you can dismiss it
Dismissing Recommendations
You can dismiss recommendations that aren't relevant:
- Click the dismiss button (X icon) on any recommendation
- The item will be removed from your view
- Dismissed items won't reappear unless they meet new criteria
Note: Dismissing a recommendation doesn't prevent it from being flagged again if it meets the criteria in the future. It simply removes it from your current view.
Best Practices
Regular Review
- Check the Needs Update panel weekly or monthly
- Prioritize high-priority items
- Schedule time for content maintenance
When Updating Articles
- Review user feedback and ratings
- Check for outdated information
- Add recent examples or case studies
- Improve clarity and structure
- Update screenshots or images if needed
- Refresh SEO metadata
Content Freshness
- Aim to update popular articles every 60-90 days
- Review low-performing articles for improvement opportunities
- Monitor feedback and ratings regularly
Summary Statistics
The panel shows summary statistics:
- Total recommendations
- Count by priority level (High, Medium, Low)
- Breakdown by reason type
This helps you understand the overall health of your content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my article flagged?
Your article met one or more of the criteria listed above. Check the specific reasons shown in the recommendation.
Do I have to update every recommended article?
No, these are recommendations. Use your judgment to determine which articles actually need updates.
Will dismissed items come back?
Dismissed items are removed from your view. They may reappear if they continue to meet the criteria after you dismiss them.
How often are recommendations updated?
Recommendations are calculated in real-time when you view your dashboard, so they always reflect current data.
Can I customize the rules?
Currently, the rules are fixed, but we're always improving the system based on user feedback.
Need Help?
If you have questions about the Needs Update feature or need help improving your content: