Content decay

Definition

When blog posts and content gradually become less relevant and stop generating traffic—your evergreen content compost pile.

Example Usage

That article ranked #1 three years ago but content decay has knocked it to page 8; refresh it or kill it.

Origin

SEO and content marketing term from mid-2010s

Fun Fact

Refreshing outdated content can restore 30-40% of lost traffic, yet most content teams would rather create new content for vanity metrics

Source: Content marketing and SEO

Related Terms

Beginner

editorial

An opinion piece where a publication's editors climb onto their soapbox to tell readers what to think about current events, traditionally unsigned to represent the institution's collective wisdom (or bias). In media, it's also the content side of the business—the journalism and creative work, as opposed to the advertising that actually pays for everything. Editorial calendars plan this content, while editorial independence is the increasingly quaint notion that advertisers don't influence it.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Advanced

virulence

In medical terms, how aggressively a disease can mess you up. In marketing, how quickly and devastatingly a campaign can spread (for better or worse). The measure of potency, whether it's a virus destroying cells or a brand message destroying your competitor's market share.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

owned media

Marketing channels you control directly, like your website, blog, or email list, as opposed to rented space on platforms that could change their algorithms tomorrow. It's the digital equivalent of owning versus renting, with similar arguments about long-term value.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

reposition

Corporate-speak for moving something (product, brand, employee) to a new spot on the strategic chessboard without admitting the old spot was a catastrophe. It sounds purposeful and planned, even when it's actually panic with a PowerPoint deck.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

influencer rate card

A menu of prices influencers charge for various types of content and promotions, from Instagram stories to YouTube integrations. It's like a restaurant menu, except the prices are negotiable and a single post costs more than a Michelin-star dinner.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

creative fatigue

The phenomenon where your audience becomes so numbingly bored with seeing the same ad that performance metrics plummet faster than enthusiasm at a timeshare presentation. The marketing equivalent of playing 'Wonderwall' at every party.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

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