Framework: Wayback Machine vs Google cache for replacement content

Framework: Wayback Machine vs Google cache for replacement content

Before outreach, you must know what the dead page said. Two recovery routes, different decay rates.

1. Default to Wayback — archive.org holds multiple snapshots; pick the last one before the 404 date.
2. Fall back to Google cache only for pages dead under ~90 days; cache evaporates fast.
3. Trigger: no Wayback snapshot exists → check archive.today as third source.
4. Extract the H1, target keyword, and link anchor from the snapshot. That defines your replacement spec.
5. Automation: Wayback CDX API pulls snapshot timestamps in bulk.

Definition of done: replacement brief contains original topic, original anchor, and word count to match or exceed.