R4 — Keep frequently-updated content fresh SUBSTANTIVELY, not cosmetically; cadence at least every 60–90 days for the pages that matter

Rule: For pages where the working surface depends on currency (Capability 3 — live or frequently-updated data: content whose value depends on currency (availability, pricing, status, hours, inventory) refreshed on a cadence rather than written once) or where AI-citation matters, refresh substantively at least every 60–90 days. Cosmetic date bumps do not count — Google's leaked Content API documentation indicates freshness requires substantive change.

Why: Ahrefs (16.975M citations across 7 AI platforms) — average age of AI-cited URLs 1,064 days vs 1,432 days for organic top-10: 25.7% "fresher" (1,064 vs 1,432 days average age); BrightEdge — pages updated within 60 days are ~1.9× more likely to appear in AI answers (2026) (60-day update window → ~1.9× appearance lift); AirOps — pages not updated in 90+ days are ~3× more likely to lose AI citations (2026) (90+ days → ~3× more likely to lose citation); Amsive — ~50% of AI-cited content is less than 13 weeks old (2026) (~half of AI citations are <13 weeks old); Google "Query Deserves Freshness" + 2024 leaked Content API documentation — recency is a CONDITIONAL ranking factor (strongest for time-sensitive queries; substantive updates only) (Google QDF requires substantive updates).

How to apply:

• Identify the working-surface pages (queryable, frequently-updated, account-state) and put them on a 60–90 day substantive refresh cadence.
• Substantive = adds / updates real information, not just changes the visible date.
• Static brochure pages do not need this discipline — apply it where citation / availability matters.