Ghost pages and stale archives aren't just clutter; they’re a liability that...

https://stateofseo.com/should-i-301-redirect-old-urls-or-leave-a-404-the-reality-of-content-decay/

Ghost pages and stale archives aren't just clutter; they’re a liability that drags down your search rankings. When old content surfaces through scraping or caching, it confuses users and dilutes your authority. Don’t wait for a site audit to fix this