recover-content

SKILL.md

Recover Content

Diagnose and reverse traffic loss on existing pages using the decay triage
framework: refresh, consolidate, redirect, or retire.

Before You Start

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

Which pages are losing traffic? Specific URLs or a general "the whole blog is declining."

How much traffic was lost? Percentage drop or absolute numbers.

Over what timeframe? Gradual decline over months vs sudden drop.

Any recent changes? Site redesign, CMS migration, content edits, algorithm update timing.

If the user doesn't know which pages are declining, suggest checking Google Search
Console → Performance → Pages, sorted by click change over the last 6 months.

Identifying Decay
Content decay happens when a page gradually loses search traffic over time.
Common signals:

Clicks declining month-over-month for 3+ months

Position slipping from page 1 to page 2+

Impressions stable but CTR dropping (competitors have better titles/snippets)

Impressions declining (Google no longer considers the page relevant)

Composite Decay Score

Score each page across 5 weighted signals to prioritize action:

Signal
Weight
How to Score (0-100)

Traffic decline
30%
0 = no decline, 50 = 20-40% drop, 100 = >60% drop

Position drops
25%
0 = stable, 50 = lost 3-5 positions, 100 = dropped off page 1

CTR decline
15%
0 = stable, 50 = 20% decline, 100 = >40% decline

Content freshness
15%
0 = updated this quarter, 50 = 6-12 months stale, 100 = >2 years stale

Competitive displacement
15%
0 = no new competitors, 50 = new entrants on page 1, 100 = displaced from top 3

Composite Decay Score = (Traffic x 0.30) + (Position x 0.25) + (CTR x 0.15)
                      + (Freshness x 0.15) + (Displacement x 0.15)

Score
Stage
Response

0-20
Healthy
Continue monitoring

21-40
Early decay
Add to refresh queue (next month)

41-60
Active decay
Schedule refresh this week

61-80
Significant decay
Immediate refresh or rewrite decision

81-100
Terminal decay
Rewrite, redirect, or retire

Alert Priority Matrix

When multiple signals fire together, escalate:

Signal Combination
Priority
Response Time

Traffic decline + Position drop
P1 Critical
Refresh within 48 hours

Traffic decline + CTR decline
P1 Critical
Rewrite title/meta immediately

Position drop + Competitor displacement
P2 High
Refresh within 1 week

CTR decline only
P3 Medium
Rewrite title and meta this week

Freshness indicators only
P3 Medium
Schedule refresh within 2 weeks

The Decay Triage Framework

For each decaying page, apply this decision tree:

Decision 1: Is the topic still relevant?

Yes → proceed to Decision 2

No (product discontinued, event passed, technology obsolete) → Retire. 301 redirect to the closest relevant page or parent category.

Decision 2: Is there another page on the site targeting the same topic?

Yes → Consolidate. Merge the best content from both pages into one. 301 redirect the weaker page.

No → proceed to Decision 3

Decision 3: Has the search intent shifted?

Check what currently ranks for the target keyword. Has the SERP changed from:

Listicles → long-form guides?

Blog posts → product pages?

Text → video?

General → specific?

Yes, intent shifted → Rewrite. Rebuild the page to match current intent. Keep the URL.

No → proceed to Decision 4

Decision 4: Is the content simply outdated?

Check for: stale statistics, outdated screenshots, deprecated tools/methods,
old dates in the title, broken external links.

Yes, outdated → Refresh. Update facts, screenshots, examples, and dates. Add new sections covering recent developments.

No → Investigate deeper. The issue may be technical (lost backlinks, slower page speed, mobile issues) or competitive (stronger pages now outrank).

Refresh Playbooks by Content Type

Different content types require different refresh approaches. Use the matching playbook:

Blog Post / Article (3-4 hours)

Update title with current year or fresh hook (10 min)

Rewrite introduction with a new angle (20 min)

Update all statistics with current sources (30-60 min)

Add 1-2 new sections covering gaps competitors address (60-90 min)

Update screenshots and images (30 min)

Add or refresh FAQ section with current PAA questions (20 min)

Refresh internal links to recent related content (15 min)

Update meta description (5 min)

Add or update schema markup — dateModified at minimum (10 min)

Republish with updated date and re-submit to Search Console (5 min)

Statistics / Data Roundup (4-5 hours)

Verify every statistic — remove any without a current source

Replace outdated stats with current data (within 2 years)

Add new statistics from recent studies

Update all source links — replace broken citations

Update year references in title and body

Add a data visualization if none exists

Update meta description and title

How-To Guide (3-3.5 hours)

Verify all steps still work as written

Update screenshots for any changed interfaces

Add new alternative methods if any have emerged

Update tool recommendations (remove deprecated, add current)

Add a troubleshooting section for common failure points

Update FAQ with recent questions

Test all external links

Refresh Checklist (General)

For any content type, always complete:

 Update all statistics and data points to current year

 Replace outdated examples and screenshots

 Add new sections covering developments since last update

 Remove or update broken external links

 Improve the title and meta description (check competitor titles for CTR ideas)

 Add internal links from recent, related content

 Expand thin sections that competitors cover better

 Add original insights, data, or expert quotes (E-E-A-T signals)

 Update the published/modified date

 Re-submit to Google Search Console for re-indexing

Consolidation Checklist

When merging two pages:

 Identify the stronger URL (more backlinks, better position, older)

 Move the best content from the weaker page into the stronger one

 Set up a 301 redirect from the weaker URL to the stronger one

 Update all internal links that pointed to the weaker URL

 Check for backlinks to the weaker URL — the redirect will pass authority

Prioritization

Score each page for refresh priority:

Factor
Weight

Current traffic value
25%

Decay severity (composite score)
20%

Competitive opportunity
20%

Refresh difficulty (inverse — easier = higher)
15%

Strategic importance (conversions, brand)
10%

Backlink equity at risk
10%

Then rank pages:

Page
Decay Score
Traffic Lost
Priority Score
Action
Effort

...
72 (significant)
1,200/mo
85
Refresh
3-4 hrs

...
45 (active)
300/mo
60
Consolidate
2 hrs

Focus on pages that (a) had the most traffic, (b) drive conversions, and (c) are
easiest to fix. A quick refresh on a high-traffic page beats a full rewrite on a
low-traffic one.

Content Retirement Options

When a page can't be saved, choose the right exit:

Option
When to Use

301 redirect
Content has backlinks or residual traffic — send equity to closest relevant page

Consolidate
Multiple weak pages on same topic — merge best content into one URL

Noindex
Internal utility page that shouldn't rank but serves users

Delete (410)
No value, no links, no traffic — clean removal

Output Format

Content Recovery Plan: [domain]

Decay Summary

Pages analyzed: [count]

Pages needing action: [count]

Estimated traffic recoverable: [sum of lost traffic]

Triage Results

Page
Traffic Lost
Diagnosis
Action
Effort

...
...
intent shift / outdated / cannibalization / irrelevant
refresh / consolidate / redirect / retire
low / medium / high

Priority Actions

For each high-priority page:

What specifically needs to change

Which sections to update, expand, or remove

Estimated impact if recovered

Pro Tip: Use the free Keyword Density Analyzer
to check whether a declining page is still optimized for its target keyword. SEOJuice MCP
users can run /seojuice:content-strategy to see active content decay alerts with severity
ratings — the list_content_decay tool pulls pages losing traffic automatically.