It’s a scenario many Marketing Operations teams eventually face: a long list of outdated landing pages still generating traffic years after they’ve been archived.
Recently, we found out in a MOPS discussion forum that one team discovered nearly 200 landing pages from as far back as 2016 that were still live and drawing visits. The challenge? These pages weren’t in use anymore, they lived in archived folders, and the only identifier available was the URL. Manually unapproving each one by digging into the page source for its lpId would have been painfully slow—not to mention unsustainable at scale.
Why This Matters
Old landing pages aren’t just clutter in your Marketo instance:
- They can confuse prospects who stumble upon outdated offers or messaging.
- They may hurt brand credibility if the content is no longer aligned with your current positioning.
- They create technical debt in your marketing automation environment.
For organizations running lean Marketing Ops teams, hundreds of rogue landing pages can be a silent drain on time and energy.
The Options
There are a few practical ways to address the bulk unapproval and redirect challenge:
- API-Driven Bulk Unapproval
Marketo’s Asset APIs allow you to programmatically fetch landing page IDs and unapprove them in bulk. With some light scripting (Python is a common choice), you can loop through a list of page IDs and deprecate them without manual clicks. - Bulk Redirect Rules via API
In cases where legacy URLs still receive traffic, redirecting them to active content or a consolidated resource hub is often the better approach. The API can also be used to set redirect rules in bulk, saving hours compared to manually adding rules for each page. - Automation with Middleware
Tools like Zapier or Workato can help run these scripts in a no-code/low-code environment, making it easier for non-developers to manage bulk updates. - Preventive Governance
Beyond cleanup, it’s worth setting a governance process to periodically audit landing pages and enforce lifecycle rules. A quarterly or biannual sweep ensures that outdated assets don’t linger for years.
Key Takeaways for Marketo Admins
- Don’t underestimate the risk of “ghost assets” from years past.
- APIs are your best friend for handling repetitive, large-scale cleanup tasks.
- Redirects can safeguard user experience when old links are still being accessed.
- Building in operational governance prevents repeat issues.
At RightWave, we often see clients grappling with technical debt in their marketing automation platforms. Whether it’s legacy landing pages, inconsistent forms, or bloated databases, the key is to use automation and governance frameworks to scale efficiently.
Cleaning up 200+ landing pages might sound daunting, but with the right approach, it can be turned from a weeks-long manual project into a streamlined, automated process.
