John Mueller, in a Webmaster Hangout, provided advice on whether pruning low-traffic content is beneficial. This topic is related to what’s known in the SEO industry as Keyword Cannibalization and Content Cannibalization. Mueller shared insights from internal Google discussions on content pruning and suggested two solutions.
Is Pruning Content a Good SEO Strategy?
The inquiry was whether it is valuable, from an SEO perspective, to prune content that isn’t performing. By "performing," the questioner meant content not receiving traffic, specifically research content not adding value to site visitors.
While the questioner didn’t explicitly mention content cannibalization, his question aligned with the theory. More on that below.
John Mueller suggested that pruning content is one option among others available.
How to Deal with Low Traffic Web Pages
Mueller proposed two strategies: removing the content or improving it. He advised against solely using Page Views to determine content quality, as this metric can be unreliable.
The idea of improving content contrasts with the traditional approach of removing non-performing content. Here’s what John Mueller actually said:
Mueller emphasized caution when using page views to judge content quality, as this contradicts certain advice on dealing with keyword cannibalization.
John Mueller on content pruning stated:
“There are two opinions and approaches. Even internally at Google… discussions with search ranking leaders often lead to suggestions of improving content.
One could improve the existing content, which may not be great and might even be bad. Alternatively, if it’s recognized as poor and there’s no time to improve it, removing it might be wise.
Ultimately, the content on your site represents you to search engines. So, if content is bad or low quality, it still represents you. You can either remove or improve it; both are valid responses. Sometimes practical reasons dictate whether to keep or discard content, especially if improving millions of pages isn’t feasible. A balanced approach might involve improving some content while removing others."
Page Views Can Be an Unreliable Performance Metric
Another participant highlighted content that, while valuable, lacks traffic due to topic popularity.
Mueller commented on this nuance:
"I would advise against using page views as the sole metric for spotting low-quality content. As the expert on your website, you know what’s good and bad. Page views can help identify low-quality content, but not all content with low page views is bad. Our algorithms evaluate content value, not page views."
What is Content Cannibalization/Keyword Cannibalization?
The concept of Content/Keyword Cannibalization has been discussed since at least 2007. Some portray it as an advanced topic, but it’s a well-debated theory. However, the term is often used as a vague label that doesn’t clarify the actual issue.
Terms like “engine trouble” or “Content Cannibalization” are labels that don’t specify underlying problems, just like how your mechanic saying “engine trouble” doesn’t explain the precise issue—it could range from a blown gasket to an alternator replacement.
Thus, when the person in the Webmaster Hangout asked the question, the issue wasn’t clear. Understanding the problem is crucial to finding a solution; merely calling it Keyword Cannibalization provides little help.
What Content Cannibalization Really Is
Typically, the real issues include thin, irrelevant, duplicate, outdated, or long-tail content.
John Mueller stressed that using page views as a metric can lead to removing valuable content.
Another issue to address is site architecture. Proper site architecture helps clarify the topics covered on a site. Though these might not be the only issues, they are significant.
It’s unhelpful to lump these problems under Content/Keyword Cannibalization. Clearly identifying issues is more beneficial:
- Duplicate content
- Thin content
- Irrelevant content
- Outdated content
- Long-tail content
- Site architecture
These are separate issues and not because they “cannibalize” content.
They pose problems for various reasons. Each requires a different solution, and "pruning" isn’t always the answer. As Mueller suggested, you can remove, update, or leave the content as it is.
Watch John Mueller’s discussion on content pruning in the webmaster hangout.
Screenshots by Author, Modified by Author
