How to Detect Content Decay Before Traffic Drops
How to Detect Content Decay Before Traffic Drops
Detect content decay by watching four leading indicators before impressions drop: falling average position on your top keywords, thinning SERP features (lost snippets, lost sitelinks), rising CTR gap versus your ranking-implied CTR, and dropping internal link count. When two or more move in the wrong direction for 14+ days, the page is decaying.
Content decay is why old winners quietly fade. Learn the leading indicators and how to catch decay 60 days before it hits traffic — LemRank.
Frequently asked questions
What causes content decay?
The three most common causes are: competitor pages getting fresher or more thorough, Google re-casting the SERP with new features like AI Overviews, and internal linking rot as new pages steal internal signal from the old winner.
How long does it take to recover a decayed page?
A well-executed refresh typically takes 2–6 weeks to show in rankings after re-indexing. Pages losing to SERP layout changes (AI Overview inserted above) can take much longer and may need a different playbook.
Should I refresh every old page annually?
No. Refresh triggers recrawl, which can drop stable pages temporarily. Only refresh pages showing decay signals or with materially new information available.
What is a good decay score threshold?
A decay score above 60/100 on a page contributing more than 2% of your traffic is worth acting on this week. Below 40 is generally noise.
Can new content cause old content to decay?
Yes — if your new page targets overlapping intent, you can cannibalise your own winner. This is why cannibalization detection and decay detection are best used together.