Citation decay
Citation decay is when AI answers stop using your page: fresher sources, a retrieval change, or your facts went stale.
Content decay in SEO is ranking loss. Citation decay is footnote loss. The fix is often an update with a visible date and a real change, not a republish timestamp trick.
Sometimes the model switched to a Reddit thread. Updating the blog will not pull the footnote back. Go to the thread.
Examples
- Your 2024 “state of” report was the default citation. A 2026 competitor report landed. Decay. Commission new numbers or concede.
Related terms
Citation share is the percent of relevant AI answers that point to your domain as a source, not just say your name.
Rankings and usefulness fading as facts age and competitors publish. Citation decay is the AI twin.
How recently a page was substantively updated. Retrievers like dates. Fake dates are a fast way to burn trust.
Days from publish (or update) to the first AI footnote you can observe. A freshness SLA you invent for your team.
FAQ
Should I prune old URLs? +
If they 404, you donate citations to whoever is left. Redirect and update, or leave a clearly dated historical note.
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