It’s time to get rid of your brand garbage
Brand garbage refers to the accumulation of outdated, inconsistent, and irrelevant content across your digital presence.
You woldn’t let a pile of garbage sit in your office lobby. So why is it still cluttering your website, your LinkedIn, your pitch decks?
"Brand garbage" (and yes, I’m coining that phrase) is the digital equivalent of forgotten leftovers in the back of the fridge. It’s stale, unhelpful, and at a a certain point, it’s actively working against you. refers to the accumulation of outdated, inconsistent, and irrelevant content across your digital presence. For the purposes of this post, I’m not talking about visual brand identity issues (colors, fonts, look).
Brand garbage encompasses several established branding issues, including brand inconsistency, outdated brand identity, poor user experience, and misaligned content strategy.
What is Brand Garbage?
Brand Garbage refers to outdated, inconsistent, and irrelevant content that’s quietly eroding your credibility. It’s not about colors or logos—this isn’t a visual identity problem. It’s a message management problem.
And the stakes are higher than they look. Most people don’t land on your site looking to be inspired. They land there to get questions answered. When your digital presence is filled with contradictions, dead ends, and debris, they bounce.
Here’s what Brand Garbage looks like
Companies
Discontinued products still on the website.
Outdated case studies, pricing, or testimonials.
Redundent service descriptions across multiple pages.
Inconsistent brand voice across channels.
Broken links and orphaned blog posts.
Testimonials that might not hold up if a prospect called them.
Individuals:
A banner image that could apply to anyone (or no one).
A job title you left 18 months ago, or the absence of a job you currently hold.
Outdated professional headshots (or bad crop jobs).
Portfolio pieces that no longer reflect your best work.
A headlne that says nothing specific about what you do or why you matter — or could describe 53,000 other people (vanilla and banal).
Expired certifications listed as current.
None of this is intentional. It’s just what happens when marketing moves fast and content piles up. But it builds friction, and that friction costs you leads, clarity, and trust.
How to Audit for Brand Garbage (ROT Method)
Let’s get tactical. Here’s how to identify what needs to go:
Use the ROT Framework:
Redundant: Do you have multiple versions of the same message? Duplicates spread across your site or slide deck?
Outdated: Are you citing stats from 2017? Listing services you don’t offer anymore? Featuring employees who left a year ago?
Trivial: Does the content add real value? Or is it just filler from another content calendar cycle?
How to Spot It:
Run a content performance report: Look for pages with low engagement, declining traffic, or zero clicks.
Manually check for inconsistencies: Do bios match across platforms? Is your voice consistent from LinkedIn to your website?
Audit your offers: Is everything you’re promoting still available? Is your messaging aligned with how you actually sell today?
Start Taking Out the Trash
Once you’ve identified your brand garbage, here’s how to get rid of it:
Keep: Content that’s current, high-performing, and on-brand.
Update: Salvageable pieces that need a refresh.
Consolidate: Duplicate or fragmented pages that can be merged.
Delete: Anything outdated, misleading, or irrelevant.
And don’t forget to:
Create 301 redirects for deleted pages.
Fix broken links.
Replace or archive outdated testimonials.
Reduce the Risk Going Forward
Brand Garbage builds up when content governance breaks down. Whether you're a solo consultant or managing a large team, this part matters:
Centralize your content and templates.
Create clear guidelines for updates and ownership.
Set a regular schedule for audits (quarterly or bi-annually).
Make sure sales and marketing teams are aligned on what’s being shared externally.
At MBNA, we held regular "deck dump" meetings with affinity sector teams and the sales guys —literally printing out pitch decks and program updates and tossing them on the table to identify inconsistencies and gaps. Messy? Yes. Effective? Extremely.
Want Help Taking Out the Trash?
If your content is cluttered, your messaging is muddled, or your digital footprint doesn’t reflect who you are today, it’s time for a brand cleanout.
Start small. Audit one page, one profile, one asset.
Or, if you'd rather have an extra set of eyes:
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