Content pruning
Content pruning is systematically removing, consolidating or improving low-performing content to raise overall perceived quality of your site.
Search engines rate domains as a whole. Many thin, outdated or duplicate pages lower the perceived quality even of your good pages. Pruning means auditing: what performs, what deserves upgrading, what must go. Rule of thumb: pages with no impressions and no internal links in 12 months are candidates.
Example
An agency had 600 blog articles of which 380 drew fewer than 50 organic visits per year. 220 were consolidated into richer pillar pages, 100 rewritten, 60 removed via 410. Total organic traffic rose 34% in 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I prune?
Annually minimum. For large content sites (>500 pages) a light audit quarterly, deep audit yearly.
Related terms
Further reading
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