The playbook
Content Pruning: Template and Field Guide
This content pruning template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures URL, purpose, evidence, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
Review a low-traffic page's purpose, external references, seasonality, and unique information before removing it. Combine pages that answer the same task when a stronger destination is possible. Preserve useful specialized resources even when their audience is naturally small.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| URL | Record the URL associated with this page or query record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| purpose | Record the purpose associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| evidence | Record the evidence associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| decision | Record the decision associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| destination | Record the destination associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with URL. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then review purpose quality links and performance together. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, identify overlap and outdated unsupported content. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as deleting pages solely because recent traffic is low, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, choose a destination or removal plan for each affected URL. Put consider seasonal demand references and the page's unique purpose in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Deleting pages solely because recent traffic is low |
| Action | Consider seasonal demand references and the page's unique purpose |
| First check | Review purpose quality links and performance together |
| Follow-up check | Choose a destination or removal plan for each affected URL |
| Outcome to define | redundant or stale pages resolved |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If purpose changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep redundant or stale pages resolved connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Search results and indexing decisions are not controlled by the publisher. Record what your team changed and what was observed afterward. Avoid turning a correlation between a release and a traffic change into a claim of proven causation.
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