GLOSSARY TERM
What is Content Pruning?
Definition
Deliberately removing or noindexing low-quality, low-traffic, or outdated pages to improve overall site quality signals — particularly relevant after Helpful Content updates.
Why it Matters for AI Search
Sites carrying years of legacy content often improve sitewide rankings after pruning the bottom 20-30% of pages. The hard part is judgment — pruning needs to keep historically valuable pages even if their current traffic is low.
Related Terms
Evergreen ContentHelpful Content UpdateSearch Quality Rater GuidelinesAlgorithm UpdateMeta DescriptionContent Decay
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