> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.rankability.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.rankability.com/track/detecting-content-decay.md).

# Detecting content decay

Find pages where search traffic has dropped compared to their historical peak and get AI-powered recommendations for recovery.

Content decay happens when a page that once performed well in search gradually loses traffic over time. The Content decay tab helps you identify these pages early so you can take action before the decline becomes severe.

## How decay is measured

Rankability compares each page’s **current 30-day click total** to its **historical peak** (the highest 30-day rolling click total the page has ever achieved). The ratio between current and peak clicks produces a **decay score**:

* **Healthy** (score above 0.7) – The page is performing within 70% or more of its peak. No immediate action needed.
* **Decaying** (score 0.4 to 0.7) – The page has lost a meaningful share of its peak traffic. Review the content for freshness and relevance.
* **Critical** (score below 0.4) – The page has lost more than 60% of its peak traffic. Urgent attention recommended.

Only pages with at least 90 days of history and a meaningful peak traffic level are included.

## Table view

The default view shows a table of pages sorted by decay score (worst first). Each row displays:

* **Page URL** – The affected page (shown as a path without the domain).
* **Peak clicks (30d)** – The highest 30-day click total ever recorded.
* **Current clicks (30d)** – The most recent 30-day click total.
* **Decay score** – The ratio displayed as a colored badge (green for healthy, amber for decaying, red for critical).

## Heatmap view

Click **Heatmap** to switch to a visual grid showing monthly click performance for each page. Each cell is color-coded by how close that month’s clicks are to the page’s peak month:

* Darker blue cells indicate months closer to peak performance.
* Lighter cells indicate months with lower traffic.

The heatmap makes it easy to spot seasonal patterns and pinpoint exactly when a decline started.

## Filtering by status

Use the status filter to show only healthy, decaying, or critical pages. This is useful when you want to focus on the most urgent issues first.

## AI-powered diagnosis

Click the **Diagnose** button on any page row to get an AI analysis of why the page may be losing traffic. The diagnosis considers:

* Monthly traffic trends for the page.
* The page’s top search queries and how they’ve changed.
* Whether other pages on your site are competing for the same keywords (cannibalization).

The AI returns a summary of likely causes and specific recommended actions you can take to recover lost traffic.

## Related articles

* [Connecting and using Google Search Console](/track/connecting-google-search-console.md) — Set up the GSC integration.
* [Finding low-hanging fruit opportunities](/track/low-hanging-fruit-opportunities.md) — Discover quick-win keywords to improve.


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