Content pruning – what is it and what is it used for?

Content pruning keeps your web content relevant and quality. How can content pruning revitalise your website, improve SEO and increase user engagement?

In this article you will learn:

• What is content pruning?
• What is the difference between content pruning and content decay?
• What are the relationships between content pruning and SEO?
• How does content pruning work?
• What are the tools for content pruning?
• What can be gained from content pruning?

Content pruning – definition

Content pruning is the process of analysing and removing outdated, low-quality or non-traffic-generating content from a website or blog. This serves to improve the quality of the entire website and can have a positive impact on user experience and search engine positioning.

Content pruning is the process of analysing and removing or updating outdated, low-quality or unnecessary content on a website.

Definition of content pruning

When content becomes outdated, is poorly written, contains errors, does not provide value to readers, generates low traffic or contains duplicate content, content pruning comes into play, i.e. removing or improving elements that reduce the quality of the website. Removing outdated or controversial content helps manage a brand’s reputation and maintains a positive image. It is one of the most important tools in website optimisation.

Content pruning vs. content decay

Content pruning is the deliberate removal of outdated or low-quality content, which is intended to improve the quality of a website. Content decay, on the other hand, is the natural process by which content loses value and relevance – it can be likened to natural decay, hence the word “decay” is applied to this phenomenon. There may be various reasons for this – changing trends, technological advances, changes in data or simply the passage of time. What does not change is the fact that content decay leads to less traffic, lower user engagement and a weaker position in search results.

Content decay can be divided into several phases. It usually starts with a gradual deterioration of indicators such as site traffic, time spent by users on the site or click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate. Initially, the content may be very popular and generate significant traffic, but over time it may lose relevance and stop attracting users. As content becomes less and less relevant, its effectiveness in attracting and maintaining the attention of its audience declines.

Content pruning is a common response to content decay – by regularly reviewing content and eliminating ‘decaying’ content, administrators can keep the site relevant and valuable. It is worth remembering that this is an ongoing process and has something of the feel of tending a garden – sometimes decaying plants need to be removed so that new ones can grow.

Content pruning and SEO

Content pruning is an important part of any SEO strategy, as search engines aim to present users with the most valuable information possible. When content on a page becomes outdated or unusable, its ranking in search results can drop. It can also negatively affect the overall quality and credibility rating of a website.

Content pruning can also lead to better organisation of the content on the website. Removing duplicate content or merging cannibalising content can increase its value and readability. It also helps to focus internal links on more valuable pages. It is one of the most important tools in any SEO specialist’s arsenal, and regular content optimisation translates into better visibility in search engine results, resulting in more traffic and better business results.

How content pruning works

Content pruning starts with an analysis of the content on the site – this will identify material that may need to be removed or updated. It is worth starting by finding content that is outdated and therefore does not reflect current knowledge or trends. Then look for content that is poorly written and contains errors. It is also necessary to analyse a page with low traffic and content that is not in line with the objectives of the site or its audience (e.g. that does not fit with the current marketing strategy).

Analytical tools such as Google Analytics 4 are invaluable in analysis – for example, website traffic data shows how often a site is visited, which indicates its popularity and usability. Based on the data available in the tools, site administrators can decide which content needs to be removed, updated or otherwise acted upon.

Once the content has been identified, each selected page should be assessed for its unique characteristics and contribution to the overall image of the site. Among other things, the following should be assessed:

• the timeliness of the content,
• quality of the content,
• relevance of the content to the site’s objectives
• the value of the content to users,
• impact on SEO.

Only then can the future of the chosen site be decided. Most often, content pruning takes the following forms:

• Removal of pages that are completely out of date, useless or detrimental to the overall image of the site. This is usually the fate of content that cannot be updated effectively or has been replaced by better material.
• Content updating refers to pages that have potential but need refreshing. Often, it is enough to update data, add new information, improve language and style and ensure that texts are optimised for SEO – so that the content regains its value.
• Combining content is particularly useful when there are many similar pages on the same site. By merging them into one, you can increase its usability for users, which is especially important when similar pages compete with each other for traffic.

Once content pruning has been completed, it is important to monitor the effects of these activities, which involves analysing various indicators. The most important is to observe the traffic, but it is equally important to assess the time spent on the page and the rejection rate. It is also important to assess the impact on search engine rankings – changes in content can affect the site’s place in search results, so it is good to monitor keyword positions. It is also important to check how the changes are received by users. This can be achieved by analysing comments, reviews or through direct research.

Content pruning tools

There are many tools you can use for content pruning. Here are some of them:

• Google Analytics 4 allows you to monitor site traffic, time spent on the site by users, rejection rates and other metrics that help you identify pages that need pruning. You can also track how changes affect traffic and user engagement.
• Ahrefs or Semrush are used to analyse backlinks, track keyword positions and identify on-page SEO issues. They help assess which pages have SEO value and which may need to be updated or removed.
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a site crawling tool that can quickly analyse large sites and identify duplicate content, 404 errors, page redirects and other technical issues.
• ContentKing or DeepCrawl are content monitoring tools that continuously track changes to a site, which is helpful in quickly identifying content that needs attention.
• BuzzSumo is used to analyse content for engagement and social media shares. This helps identify which content is popular and engaging and which content may need to be pruned.
• Google Search Console gives you access to information about indexing, on-page errors and keyword performance, allowing you to understand how your site is seen by Google.
• Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that helps you optimise your content for SEO.
• HubSpot’s Website Grader is used to assess the overall performance of a website, including SEO, security, loading speed and other factors that can affect search engine rankings.

Benefits of content pruning

Content pruning improves the overall quality and usability of a website. By removing obsolete, outdated or low-quality content, the remaining content becomes easier to find and more valuable to users. This increases the overall attractiveness of the site, resulting in a better user experience. It also has a positive impact on search engine positioning – removing poor content and improving those with potential can improve a site’s visibility in search results, which increases organic traffic.

Content pruning also helps with effective content management, simplifying the structure of the site and eliminating duplicates. It can also increase engagement metrics such as time spent on the site and conversion rates – valuable content can encourage users to spend more time on the site or take a specific action. Pruning content can also result in online reputation management benefits – by removing outdated or controversial content, you can better control your brand image online and avoid potential negative associations.