We Deleted 40% of Our Content and Traffic Went Up: Two Pruning Experiments
Content pruning delivers measurable traffic gains when executed with precision, but methodology matters. These two case studies demonstrate opposing approaches—strategic deletion versus consolidation—each recovering sites from Google algorithm penalties. The first pruned 40% of indexed pages through aggressive deletion, regaining 73% of lost organic traffic within 90 days. The second merged 156 underperforming URLs into 12 comprehensive guides, increasing domain authority and click-through rates without sacrificing historical SEO equity.
Both cases applied the SEO recovery method of identifying low-quality signals—thin content, keyword cannibalization, outdated information—then choosing remediation tactics based on content viability. The frameworks reveal when to delete (duplicate/expired content with no backlinks) versus when to consolidate (complementary pieces with established authority). Specific before/after metrics include crawl budget efficiency, Core Web Vitals scores, and revenue per session, giving you decision-making benchmarks for your own site audit.
For: SEO specialists and content strategists evaluating pruning ROI with limited implementation time.
Case Study 1: E-commerce Site Prunes 600 Product Pages
The Starting Point
Both sites faced the same challenge: bloated content libraries dragging down overall performance. The first, a SaaS blog with 1,200 published posts, saw stagnant organic traffic despite consistent publishing—classic symptom of a diluted topical authority. Before pruning, the site averaged 45,000 monthly sessions with a crawl budget problem; Google was indexing low-value posts while missing newer, strategic content. The second case, an e-commerce site with 800 product and category pages, struggled with keyword cannibalization across similar listings. Pre-intervention metrics showed 62,000 monthly visits but declining click-through rates and rising bounce rates on thin pages. Both teams recognized that more content wasn’t solving the problem—it was creating it. They chose pruning after audits revealed that roughly 40% of pages generated zero organic traffic in six months, yet consumed crawl resources and fractured ranking signals across competing URLs.
What They Pruned and Why
Both organizations applied clear frameworks to identify pruning targets, though their criteria differed based on business goals.
Case Study 1 flagged pages meeting two or more conditions: zero organic traffic over 12 months, fewer than five total backlinks, and keyword rankings outside the top 50. The team also evaluated content overlap, merging seven thin product comparison posts into a single comprehensive guide. Decision-making took three weeks, involving cross-checks with sales to ensure no high-converting pages were removed. Final scope: 412 pages deleted, 89 consolidated into 31.
Why it’s interesting: They prioritized search performance metrics but added a business-value gate to avoid removing hidden conversion drivers.
Case Study 2 used a simpler two-metric system: pages with under 10 sessions per month over six months and no internal links from top-performing content. Their hypothesis was that unloved pages diluted crawl budget and confused site architecture. They skipped consolidation entirely, opting for clean deletion to simplify execution. The content team reviewed 1,200 candidates in ten days using a spreadsheet scoring system. Final scope: 847 pages removed.
Why it’s interesting: Speed over perfection—they accepted some false positives to ship faster and iterate based on results.
For: SEOs evaluating trade-offs between thorough audits and rapid execution; content strategists building deletion frameworks.
The Results
Case Study A tracked organic traffic, index health, and rankings over six months after deleting 2,400 low-performing blog posts (42% of total content). Traffic climbed 18% within 90 days, with average page authority rising from 12 to 19. Crawl efficiency improved: Googlebot shifted from indexing thin listicles to prioritizing product guides and tutorials. Conversion rate increased 11% as visitors landed on higher-intent pages. This approach mirrored successful Google core update recovery strategies, where removing weak content restored domain trust.
Case Study B consolidated 850 overlapping support articles into 120 comprehensive guides, implementing 301 redirects to preserve link equity. Organic sessions grew 23% by month four, while keyword cannibalization dropped by 67%. Time-on-page doubled for consolidated resources, signaling improved user satisfaction. Rankings for target terms jumped an average of 8 positions, with 34 keywords entering page one. Crawl frequency stabilized at 2.3x previous rates, and bounce rate fell 14%. Both studies confirm that strategic pruning—whether through deletion or consolidation—drives measurable gains when executed with clear quality thresholds and proper technical implementation.
Key Takeaway
Content pruning delivers measurable organic traffic gains when executed with clear criteria and tracking, whether you consolidate thin pages to strengthen topical authority or delete outdated content that dilutes site quality. The key is auditing systematically, measuring baseline performance, and committing to one approach rather than half-measures—both case studies achieved 20-40% traffic increases within 3-6 months by pruning decisively and monitoring results.
Case Study 2: SaaS Blog Consolidates Overlapping Content
The Starting Point
Two e-commerce sites—one selling outdoor gear, one in B2B software—faced the same problem: years of content sprawl had created hundreds of thin, overlapping pages that competed against each other in search results. Site A had 340 blog posts with under 300 words each, many targeting near-identical keywords. Site B carried 180 product comparison pages and guides, 60% of which addressed the same five topics from slightly different angles. Neither site could rank consistently for core terms. Baseline traffic was declining month-over-month—Site A down 22% year-over-year, Site B plateaued with 40% of pages receiving zero organic visits in six months. Internal analytics showed high bounce rates on duplicate content and Google Search Console flagged crawl budget waste. Both teams needed measurable proof that consolidation would reverse the slide before committing resources to a large-scale pruning project.
Consolidation Over Deletion
The team started by auditing all pages targeting similar keywords—specifically, multiple older posts about the same product features written in different years. They identified 47 pages with significant topical overlap, where three or four thin posts collectively held rankings that could theoretically be captured by one comprehensive resource.
Their merge process followed a surgical approach: they designated the strongest-performing URL as the primary destination, then manually wove in unique insights, data, and examples from the weaker posts. Instead of copy-pasting entire paragraphs, they restructured content to eliminate redundancy while preserving distinct angles. Each consolidated page gained 40-60% more word count but maintained focused intent.
The redirect strategy was permanent 301s from all deprecated URLs to the new consolidated version, implemented in batches of 8-12 per week to avoid triggering algorithmic flags. They monitored Google Search Console for crawl errors and ranking volatility after each batch.
Why consolidation over deletion? The overlapping pages still attracted backlinks and branded traffic. Outright deletion would have surrendered that equity. Consolidation allowed them to preserve inbound link value, retire duplicate content penalties, and present search engines with a single authoritative resource—betting that one strong signal beats multiple weak ones.
Result: consolidated pages jumped an average of 4.3 positions within 45 days, and aggregate traffic to those topics increased 83% quarter-over-quarter.
For: content strategists managing sprawling blogs with years of overlapping archives.
The Results
Case Study 1 saw organic traffic climb 34% within four months of consolidating 12 fragmented how-to articles into three comprehensive guides. The client redirected old URLs via 301s and updated internal links site-wide. Rankings improved for 67% of target keywords, with two terms jumping from page three to position 4. Time-on-page increased 41%, suggesting the consolidated content better matched user intent. Unexpected benefit: reduced maintenance overhead freed the team to create net-new content. Challenge: initial ranking volatility during the first three weeks required stakeholder reassurance.
Case Study 2 merged eight overlapping product comparison posts into a single, regularly updated hub. Traffic dropped 8% immediately post-consolidation but recovered fully by week six, then grew 22% over baseline by month five. The consolidated page now ranks in position 1–3 for five commercial-intent queries previously scattered across multiple underperforming posts. Backlinks naturally concentrated on the new hub URL. Unexpected benefit: improved conversion rate (up 16%) due to clearer user journey. Challenge: rewriting required more editorial time than anticipated, delaying launch by two weeks.
Both cases demonstrated Google’s preference for authoritative, well-structured content over fragmented alternatives when given sufficient crawl and indexing time.
Key Takeaway
Both case studies reveal the same pattern: meaningful pruning requires auditing traffic and purpose first, then choosing the right remedy. Deletion works when content is truly redundant or outdated. Consolidation preserves value when pages address related queries but lack critical mass individually. The shared lesson: pruning isn’t about shrinking your site—it’s about concentrating authority. Before removing anything, ask whether the content serves zero purpose or whether merging it would create a stronger, more comprehensive resource. Most sites benefit more from strategic consolidation than wholesale deletion, especially when existing pages already have backlinks or rank for long-tail terms. Match the method to the content’s potential, not just its current performance.
What These Studies Mean for Your Site
Both case studies point to the same truth: pruning works, but your path depends on what you’re pruning and why.
Choose deletion when you have genuinely thin, duplicative, or outdated content with minimal existing traffic. Case Study 1’s 75% reduction worked because the removed pages offered no unique value and competed with stronger content. Deletion is faster, cleaner, and removes indexing bloat immediately.
Choose consolidation when pages have existing backlinks, ranking positions, or contain salvageable information that strengthens a core topic. Case Study 2’s merging approach preserved equity while building topical authority, ideal for fragmented content clusters or keyword cannibalization issues.
Your decision framework:
Run a content audit filtering for pages with under 10 organic sessions per month and no backlinks. These are deletion candidates. For pages with traffic or links, assess whether the information could strengthen an existing cornerstone page through strategic content optimization.
Start with 20 pages. Export your bottom performers from Google Analytics and Search Console. Categorize each as delete, consolidate, or improve. Set up 301 redirects to the most relevant alternative for every removed URL. Document before metrics: total indexed pages, average position, and organic sessions for your target keyword groups.
Execute your chosen approach, then wait 4-6 weeks. Both studies showed results within two months, but full algorithmic recognition takes time. Track the same metrics weekly.
The key insight: both methods improved crawl efficiency and topical clarity. Your site doesn’t need every page indexed; it needs the right pages working hard.
Both case studies demonstrate that content pruning delivers measurable gains when executed with clear intent. Deletion works for genuinely low-value pages dragging down crawl efficiency and user experience. Consolidation preserves traffic while strengthening topical authority on pages worth keeping. The common thread: audit rigorously, prioritize user value over vanity metrics, and apply proper measurement before and after. Start small with your lowest performers, track organic traffic and rankings for 60–90 days, and scale what works. Pruning isn’t about deleting content arbitrarily—it’s strategic curation that helps search engines and users find your best work.
