Keyword Cannibalization

What Is Keyword Cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalization is when multiple pages on your website target the same keyword or very similar keywords.

This causes the pages to compete with each other in the search engine results, diluting their effectiveness and making it harder for them both to achieve high rankings.

Here’s an example:

Imagine you have two blog posts targeting the keyword “easy pasta recipes.”

For example:

Both posts have a slightly different angle but ultimately target the same primary keyword. That means they will end up competing for the same spot in Google’s search results.

Here’s the problem:

Instead of one strong, detailed post, you end up with two average ones.

This confuses search engines about which post they should rank and can result in lower rankings for both posts.

But can’t both posts rank on page #1?

Short answer: Not really.

While it is possible to have two pieces of content ranking for the same keyword, it’s very uncommon. Google prefers to have one unique piece from one website.

Two pieces of content are where you start to have keyword cannibalization issues.

Why Is Keyword Cannibalization Bad?

Keyword cannibalization is bad because it confuses search engines and dilutes the ranking power of the content.

When you have multiple pages targeting the same keyword, it sends mixed signals to search engines.

You confuse the search engine about which page they should prioritise in the organic search results.

As a result, both pages suffer and struggle to rank well.

But that’s not all…

The other issue is that you dilute the ranking power for each page.

Instead of having one strong post, you end up with 2 weaker posts.

This means neither of them are likely to reach their full potential in terms of keyword rankings.

Keyword cannibalization is bad for SEO and can reduce the search traffic your website gets.

How To Identify Keyword Cannibalization

To identify keyword cannibalization issues, list all of your website URLs and their main target keyword in a spreadsheet.

Then, review the list of target keywords and look for any URLs targeting the same or similar keywords.

This shouldn’t take long and will immediately highlight any potential keyword cannibalization issues.

It’s also good practice to have a list of content published on your site and the keywords they target!

Want to run a more in-depth audit?

My favourite way to identify keyword cannibalization issues is using Ahrefs. The tool does most of the heavy lifting so you can focus on fixing the issues.

Here’s how to do it:

In Ahrefs, enter your site into Site Explorer, click on the “Organic Keywords” report and toggle on the “Multiple URLs only.”

This will show you all of the same URLs competing for the same keywords.

Now you know exactly what to fix!

Simple, right?

How To Fix Keyword Cannibalization

Follow these 3 steps to fix keyword cannibalization correctly:

1. Consolidate Competing Content

This is priority number one.

Start by merging similar pages into one comprehensive, authoritative page to strengthen the content.

This will immediately eliminate the keyword cannibalization issues and strengthen the new page’s ranking potential.

Don’t forget to add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the consolidated page to preserve link equity and traffic.

If done correctly, you should see a significant boost in rankings for the consolidated page.

2. Update Internal Links

The next thing you need to do is adjust your internal links and ensure they all point to the newly consolidated page.

This helps search engines understand that the new page has the most relevant content for your target keyword. It also improves the page’s authority.

All of this will boost the page rankings!

Good internal linking ensures link equity and traffic flow to the right pages – exactly what you want with your newly merged content!

3. Revise Your Keyword Strategy

To prevent keyword cannibalization, you must ensure that each page targets a unique primary keyword.

This should be done at the keyword research stage.

Revise your keyword strategy to avoid overlap and competition within your own site. Keep a list of all your URLs and their target keywords in a Google Sheet so you know which keywords you have already targeted.

This systematic process will help you avoid keyword cannibalization issues in the future.