Content pruning involves systematically identifying and removing low-performing pages that waste crawl budget and dilute your site's overall quality signals. This workflow helps you make data-driven decisions about which pages to delete, consolidate, or improve. You'll end up with a leaner, more focused website that search engines can crawl more efficiently and users can navigate more effectively.
What You'll Need
Access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 with at least 6 months of data. Download and install Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free version works for sites under 500 pages). A ChatGPT account for content analysis assistance. You'll also need site editing permissions to implement changes and set up 301 redirects.
Step 1: Extract Performance Data
Time: 30 minutes | Tool: Google Search Console Navigate to Google Search Console and go to Performance > Search Results. Set the date range to the last 12 months for comprehensive data. Click "Export" and download the "Pages" report as a CSV file. This gives you impressions, clicks, average position, and CTR for every page. Switch to Google Analytics 4 and go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and Screens. Set the same 12-month date range and add secondary dimensions for "Page title" and "Page path." Export this data to get pageviews, average engagement time, and bounce rate metrics. You need both datasets because Search Console shows search performance while GA4 reveals user engagement patterns once people land on your pages.
Step 2: Crawl Site Structure
Time: 45 minutes | Tool: Screaming Frog Open Screaming Frog SEO Spider and enter your domain in the URL field. Click "Start" to begin crawling. Once complete, go to Internal > All and export this data. You're looking for pages with zero internal links (orphaned pages), pages with thin content (under 300 words), and pages with duplicate title tags or meta descriptions. Navigate to the "Response Codes" tab and filter for 404 errors, then the "Page Titles" tab to identify duplicates. Export each of these reports separately. Screaming Frog reveals technical issues that performance data alone won't show, like pages that exist but aren't properly connected to your site architecture.
Step 3: Identify Pruning Candidates
Time: 60 minutes | Tool: ChatGPT Create a master spreadsheet combining your Search Console pages report, GA4 engagement data, and Screaming Frog crawl data. Use VLOOKUP formulas to match URLs across datasets. Upload this combined data to ChatGPT with this prompt: "Analyze this website performance data and categorize pages into: DELETE (zero traffic, no value), CONSOLIDATE (similar content with low individual performance), IMPROVE (good topic, poor execution), and KEEP (strong performers). Flag orphaned pages and thin content." ChatGPT will help you spot patterns like seasonal content that only performs during certain months, outdated product pages that redirect traffic elsewhere, and content clusters where multiple weak pages could become one strong page. Review its suggestions and create separate lists for each action category.
Step 4: Plan Consolidation Strategy
Time: 90 minutes | Tool: ChatGPT For pages marked "CONSOLIDATE," you need to merge content strategically rather than simply deleting. Upload your content groupings to ChatGPT with this prompt: "For each content cluster, recommend which page should be the primary destination and how to merge the others. Consider search volume, existing rankings, and content quality." Create a consolidation plan that includes: the primary page URL (where traffic will be redirected), secondary pages to merge (content to extract before deletion), and 301 redirect mapping. For each consolidation, extract the best elements from secondary pages - unique data points, helpful user comments, or better explanations of concepts - and add them to your primary page before implementing redirects.
Step 5: Execute and Monitor
Time: 45 minutes | Tool: Google Search Console Start with a small batch of clear deletion candidates - pages with zero traffic and no backlinks over 12 months. Delete these pages and set up 301 redirects to relevant category pages or your homepage. For consolidations, first update your primary page with merged content, then implement redirects from secondary pages. Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console and use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for your improved primary pages. Monitor the Coverage report over the next 4 weeks to ensure redirects are working properly and no errors occurred. Track organic traffic to consolidated pages to verify you didn't lose valuable search visibility.
Common Pitfalls
- Deleting pages with seasonal traffic patterns without checking multiple years of data
- Not implementing proper 301 redirects, causing broken links and lost link equity
- Removing pages that serve important conversion functions despite low search traffic
- Consolidating pages with different search intents, confusing users and search engines
Expected Results
Your site should show improved crawl efficiency within 4-6 weeks, with Google indexing important pages more frequently. Expect 10-30% of pages to be candidates for pruning on most sites. Monitor organic traffic closely - well-executed pruning typically maintains or increases total organic traffic while significantly improving per-page performance metrics.