Scheduled WordPress Content Archiving - n8n Workflow

Content Managers and Editors who need to maintain a lean, up-to-date content library.
SEO Specialists focused on pruning outdated content (content inventory).
Developers looking for robust n8n templates for scheduled CMS maintenance.
Anyone using n8n to automate routine WordPress administrative tasks.

Maintaining a large WordPress site often involves manual content audits to ensure quality and relevance. This powerful n8n workflow eliminates this manual chore by providing automated, scheduled content archiving. Using a quarterly n8n trigger, the system queries your WordPress instance for published posts that haven't been touched in over a year (12 months). If old content is identified, the n8n node iterates through each post, changes its status to 'draft', and automatically applies 'archived,old-content' tags for easy review later. This proactive n8n workflow ensures your public-facing site remains relevant while preserving valuable content for potential updates or repurposing. This is an essential n8n template for high-volume content operations.

This efficient content management automation starts with the Quarterly Trigger n8n node. This n8n trigger is configured to fire on the 1st day of every third month, initiating a quarterly audit.

1. Initiate Query: The n8n trigger passes control to the 'Find Old Posts' n8n node (a WordPress integration) which fetches all published posts created before 12 months ago.


2. Conditional Check: The 'Check if Posts Found' n8n node evaluates the output. If the number of returned items is zero, the workflow follows the false path to the 'Log No Posts' n8n node and stops.


3. Archive Loop: If posts are found (the true path), the 'Archive Post' n8n node executes. Since it receives multiple items, the n8n workflow automatically processes each old post individually, updating its status to 'draft' and adding descriptive tags.


4. Notification: After all identified posts are archived, the final step uses the 'Send Notification' n8n node (via SMTP) to confirm that the Quarterly Archive process is complete. This confirmation provides immediate feedback on the operation of this n8n template.

To set up this helpful n8n workflow, follow these steps:

1. Import the n8n workflow: Copy the provided JSON data and paste it into your n8n instance via the 'Import from JSON' option.


2. Configure WordPress Credentials: Locate the 'Find Old Posts' and 'Archive Post' n8n nodes. Click on the Credentials section for the WordPress service and add your WordPress API credentials (Username/Password or Application Password, and your site URL).


3. Set Up Email Notification: Locate the 'Send Notification' n8n node. You must configure SMTP credentials here (or replace the node with a Slack/Gmail/Teams n8n node if preferred) to receive confirmation emails.


4. Activate the n8n Trigger: The 'Quarterly Trigger' n8n trigger is pre-configured. Ensure the workflow is activated to run on schedule (quarterly).


5. Test: Manually execute the n8n workflow once (via the 'Test Workflow' button) to ensure all n8n nodes connect correctly and permissions are valid before relying on the quarterly n8n trigger.

Quarterly Trigger (n8n trigger):
Function: Starts the automation on a strict schedule.
Key Configuration: Uses the cron expression 0 0 1 /3 , running on the first day of every third month.
Find Old Posts (WordPress n8n node):
Function: Queries WordPress for published content requiring archival.
Key Configuration: Operation: getAll. Filter before: Dynamically calculates the date 12 months prior using $now.minus({ months: 12 }).toISO().
Check if Posts Found (If n8n node):
Function: Checks if the previous n8n node returned any posts to archive.
Key Configuration: Condition checks if $json.length is greater than 0.
Archive Post (WordPress n8n node):
Function: Updates the status and metadata of the identified old posts.
Key Configuration: Operation: update. Updates status to draft and adds tags: archived,old-content.
Send Notification (EmailSend n8n node):
Function: Sends an email notification upon completion of the archiving process.
* Key Configuration: Requires an SMTP credential setup. Subject: 'Quarterly Archive Complete'.