Content Decay
The gradual decline in organic traffic and rankings that content experiences over time as it becomes outdated or outranked.
Definition
Content decay describes the phenomenon where previously high-performing content gradually loses its search rankings and traffic. This happens as information becomes outdated, competitors publish fresher content, search algorithms evolve, and user expectations change.
Decay isn't always visible immediately—traffic might plateau before declining. Left unaddressed, once-valuable content becomes a liability rather than an asset, potentially providing outdated information that harms credibility.
Why It Matters
Understanding content decay helps marketers prioritize content maintenance alongside creation. Refreshing decaying content often delivers better ROI than creating new pieces from scratch, as updated articles retain accumulated backlinks and domain authority.
Regular content audits identify decay before it significantly impacts traffic, enabling proactive updates.
Examples in Practice
A "2024 Marketing Trends" article loses 60% of traffic by mid-2026 because competitors have published current versions while the original remains unchanged.
A product comparison post declines as competitors update their offerings and the article's information becomes inaccurate.
An evergreen how-to guide slowly drops from position 3 to position 15 as newer, more comprehensive guides are published.