{"id":233,"slug":"decay-vs-compound-matrix","title":"Reference framework: which website dimensions decay vs compound over 10 years (12-dimension matrix)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","claude-code","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","longevity-architecture"],"reference_body":"**The 12 dimensions of a website over a 10-year horizon — which decay without intervention, which compound on the right foundation.**\n\n| Dimension | Default (no foundation) | With foundation-first | Why |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| Visual design | Decays — dated in ~3yr | Decays slower with minimal semantic style | Trends move; restraint ages better |\n| Long-form content | Decays — link rot, stale facts | **Compounds** via refresh + structured-data updates | [[hubspot-vaughan-historical-optimization-106pct]] |\n| Code dependencies | Decays — plugins abandoned | **Compounds** — fewer deps = less surface | [[patchstack-2024-vuln-disclosure-4166-96pct-plugins]] |\n| Hosting | Decays — provider EOL, acquisitions | Stable on commodity Linux + portable code | [[squarespace-acquired-google-domains-2023]] |\n| Structured data | Neutral | **Compounds** — AI citations, GEO | [[research-brief-structured-content-as-competitive-advantage]] |\n| SEO authority | Decays without URL discipline | **Compounds heavily** | [[sej-892-migrations-523-day-recovery]] |\n| Domain age | **Compounds** — trust signals accrue | **Compounds** | One of the few unambiguously time-positive ranking inputs |\n| Citation graph | Decays with link rot | **Compounds** with URL preservation | [[zittrain-reference-rot-supreme-court-2014]] |\n| Security posture | Decays rapidly without patching | Stable with continuous patching | [[sucuri-2023-39pct-cms-outdated-at-infection]] |\n| Accessibility | Decays — WCAG advances, EAA in force | Stable with semantic HTML + CI testing | [[usablenet-2025-5000-ada-lawsuits-46pct-repeat]] |\n| Performance / CWV | Decays — page weight grows, scripts pile up | Stable with CI-enforced budget | [[web-almanac-2024-page-weight-per-cms]] |\n| Brand equity | Decays if site quality drops below brand promise | **Compounds** when site quality matches brand | Trust accumulates against consistent presentation |\n| Internal docs/KB | Decays as staff turn over | **Compounds** when stored in repo + KB | [[research-brief-kb-backed-website-methodology]] |\n\n**Net argument:** Roughly half of these dimensions *can* compound — but only on architecture that lets them. On a brittle stack, every dimension decays simultaneously.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"patchstack-2024-vuln-disclosure-4166-96pct-plugins","title":"Patchstack 2024: 4,166 new vulnerabilities, 96% in plugins, 4% in themes, only 7 in core","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"web-almanac-2024-page-weight-per-cms","title":"Web Almanac 2024: median desktop page weight — WordPress 2,252 KB, Wix 2,560, Squarespace 3,323; 90th pct crosses 8 MB","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"zittrain-reference-rot-supreme-court-2014","title":"Zittrain et al. (Harvard Law 2014): 50% of URLs in U.S. Supreme Court opinions suffer reference rot","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"usablenet-2025-5000-ada-lawsuits-46pct-repeat","title":"UsableNet 2025: 5,000+ digital accessibility lawsuits filed; 46% of federal cases involve repeat defendants","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"sucuri-2023-39pct-cms-outdated-at-infection","title":"Sucuri 2023: 39.1% of CMS apps outdated at point of infection (down from 50.58% in 2022)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"research-brief-structured-content-as-competitive-advantage","title":"Research brief: Structured content as a competitive advantage (piece 2 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"research-brief-kb-backed-website-methodology","title":"Research brief: The knowledge-base-backed website (piece 3 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"sej-892-migrations-523-day-recovery","title":"Search Engine Journal (Jan 2025): 523-day average recovery from domain migration (n=892); 17% never recover by 1,000 days","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"hubspot-vaughan-historical-optimization-106pct","title":"HubSpot (Pamela Vaughan): historical-optimization refresh of old posts lifts organic traffic by avg 106%","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"rule-build-for-10-year-horizon","title":"RULE: Design every Candid client site for a 10-year operational horizon. Rebuild is a choice, not a forced move.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"research-brief-built-to-last","title":"Research brief: Built to Last — why most SMB sites rebuild every 3-4 years (piece 5 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T19:58:12.881Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T19:58:12.881Z"}