Most sites lose 20–30% of their organic traffic to content decay every year. A disciplined refresh program recovers most of it and often surpasses the original peak.
Identify: decay curves, not gut feel
Segment URLs by 90-day decay slope. Prioritize URLs with strong historical traffic and steep recent declines — those recover fastest.
Refresh: rewrite the intro, restructure the outline, republish
The single highest-impact edit is rewriting the first 200 words to lead with a direct answer. The second is restructuring H2s to match current SERP intent.
Avoid cannibalization
Before publishing a new URL on a topic, check for an existing URL. In 80% of cases, refresh beats new.
Frequently asked questions
Should I change the URL when refreshing?
Only if the existing URL is off-topic. A stable URL retains link equity — a fresh URL forfeits it.
How often should I refresh?
High-priority URLs every 6 months, mid-tier annually, long-tail as needed.
Tags
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