Content Decay Detection
Find declining old content that needs refresh
What is Content Decay
Content "rots" over time:
- Information becomes outdated (2023 data is stale in 2026)
- Competitors publish better content
- Search intent changes
- Google algorithm updates
Result: Rankings drop → Traffic drops → Revenue drops
Detection Criteria
| Metric | Threshold | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Publication Date | >6 months | New content doesn't count as decay |
| Traffic Change | Down >20% | Compared to 3 months ago |
| Ranking Change | Down >5 positions | Primary keyword |
| CTR Change | Down >15% | Title may need updating |
Trigger Refresh: Meeting any 2 criteria = needs refresh
Workflow
Method A: With GSC Data
User provides GSC export (CSV)
↓
Analyze each URL:
- Impression trends
- Click trends
- Average position trends
- CTR trends
↓
Identify decaying content
↓
Output refresh priority list
Method B: Without GSC Data
User provides URL list
↓
Check each page:
- Publication date / Last updated date
- Content timeliness signals (years, "latest", etc.)
- Competitor SERP analysis (your content vs Top 10)
↓
Identify potentially decaying content
↓
Output recommendation list
Output Format
# Content Decay Report
## High Priority Refresh (High Traffic Impact)
| Page | Published | Traffic Change | Rank Change | Issue | Recommendation |
|------|-----------|----------------|-------------|-------|----------------|
| /blog/best-crm-2024 | 2024-03 | -45% | -8 positions | Year outdated | Update to 2026 version |
| /guide/remote-work | 2023-11 | -30% | -5 positions | Tool recommendations outdated | Update tool list |
## Medium Priority Refresh
| Page | Published | Issue | Recommendation |
|------|-----------|-------|----------------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
## Refresh Recommendations
### /blog/best-crm-2024
**Problem Diagnosis**:
- Title contains "2024", outdated
- Pricing info may be inaccurate
- Missing 2025-2026 new features
**Refresh Checklist**:
- [ ] Update title to "Best CRM 2026"
- [ ] Verify all prices
- [ ] Add new tools (X, Y, Z)
- [ ] Update screenshots
- [ ] Check all external links are valid
- [ ] Update dateModified in Schema
**Estimated Impact**: Recover ~40% traffic
Refresh Strategies
Light Refresh (Quick Update)
When: Minor information outdated
- Update years
- Update prices/data
- Fix dead links
- Update dateModified
Medium Refresh (Content Update)
When: Content partially outdated
- Rewrite outdated sections
- Add new information
- Update images/screenshots
- Add new H2 sections
Heavy Refresh (Content Rewrite)
When: Content significantly outdated or intent changed
- Re-analyze SERP intent
- Rewrite most content
- May need new content-brief
- Keep URL (preserve 301 historical equity)
Usage
# With GSC data
/seo content-decay --gsc [csv-file]
# Without GSC, provide URL list
/seo content-decay --urls [url-list]
# Analyze entire site (crawl sitemap)
/seo content-decay https://example.com
Related Skills
| Upstream | This Skill | Downstream |
|---|---|---|
| GSC data | 30x-seo-content-decay | 30x-seo-content-brief |
| sitemap | ↓ Identify decay | 30x-seo-content-writer |
| (refresh content) |
Best Practices
- Regular checks: Run decay detection quarterly
- Prioritize high-value pages: Refresh high traffic/conversion pages first
- Keep URLs: Refresh rather than recreate, preserve historical equity
- Update dateModified: Tell Google content has been updated
- Internal link check: Check if internal links need updating after refresh
[PROTOCOL]: Update this header on changes, then check CLAUDE.md