Content pruning
Content pruning involves removing or consolidating weak pages (zero traffic, thin content, cannibalization) to concentrate authority on high-value pages and improve Google’s overall quality perception of the site. Fewer, stronger pages consistently outperform bloated archives.
In practice
A 2,000-page site where 70% of pages receive no clicks in twelve months dilutes crawl budget and sends a poor quality signal. A three-step audit: export Search Console data, isolate URLs with no impressions over six months, then decide for each — consolidate, noindex, or delete with a redirect. HubSpot reported that a large-scale pruning exercise doubled overall organic traffic while reducing page count by 30%.