Case: Annual '[Year] guide' decay → 12 links

Case: Annual '[Year] guide' decay → 12 links

People link to '2021 best X tools' pages that the publisher never updated, so the linked outbound resources rot.

1. Search '[old year] best [niche]' style pages (47 dated roundups found).
2. Status-check their outbound links (1,100 links, 134 broken — dead because vendors churned).
3. QA gate: keep breaks you can directly replace (44 qualified).
4. Pitch the roundup owner: their list is outdated AND has dead links, here's a current, working resource.
5. Batch 12/day.

Result: 12 links, plus 4 owners updated the whole roundup and added you as a new entry.

Definition of done: 47 roundups checked, 44 breaks contacted, logged.

Automation fits at steps 1-2. The 'two problems, one fix' framing lifts reply rate.