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Purpose

This document will inform you what keyword cannibalization is, how it can be implemented, and how it can be avoided/resolved.

Procedure

As an SEO campaign develops and you begin adding unique, keyword-rich content to your client’s website, adjusting focuses, and working with dealer requests, you may be tempted to create pages that are overly similar to each other, drifting into the risk of Keyword Cannibalization. This is a serious threat to our organic search result rankings, so let’s review what it is, why it's a problem, and some principles to help us recognize and avoid this practice.

What is keyword cannibalization?

Content cannibalization is when a website contains multiple pages with similar or identical content. This can lead to search engines not being able to identify which page should rank for a given keyword and can cause all the pages to get lower rankings, resulting in poorer SEO performance.

Content cannibalization happens when two pages feature very similar content, such as having similar titles, descriptions, and keywords. It also occurs when two pages link to each other with the same anchor text or when one page has more content than another.

Content cannibalization can dilute a website’s relevance for certain topics, resulting in lower rankings for any given page. In addition, if multiple pages contain identical or very similar content, it can confuse search engines as to which page should hold authority on a topic and be presented in the results. This can lead to decreased visibility of the website overall.

One way to avoid content cannibalization is by making sure that all pages have unique content and that no two pages are linking to each other with the exact anchor text. Additionally, make sure all titles, descriptions, and keywords are unique for each page. Regularly review pages on the website to identify any potential overlap in content and take steps to address it if necessary. Finally, consider using canonical tags or 301 redirects to point search engines to the most relevant page on a specific topic.

Identifying Keyword Cannibalization

When a website is experiencing keyword cannibalization, it can be identified by monitoring the performance of individual pages. To do this, you should analyze each page’s keyword rankings and organic traffic metrics to find out which pages are competing for the same keywords and determine whether one page is outperforming or underperforming compared to others. You may also want to compare the content on each page to identify if any similarities could suggest they are targeting the same topics. Additionally, looking at search analytics data such as related queries and impressions can help reveal if multiple URLs from your domain are appearing in search results for the same query. Finally, reviewing internal linking practices will allow you to see which other pages link to or reference similar content. By regularly monitoring this data, you can identify and address keyword cannibalization issues quickly.

Keyword Cannibalization Mitigation Strategies

Use Canonical URLs: A canonical URL is a version of the page that you want search engines to focus on and prioritize when indexing. It ensures that only one version of the page exists, so there's no risk of keyword cannibalization.
Avoid Duplicate Content: Duplicate content can create confusion for search engines and lead to keyword cannibalization, so try to ensure all your pages are unique and original wherever possible.
Group Pages Logically: Create logical groupings or categories for your website pages so that related content is easy to find and understand. This reduces the chances of accidental keyword cannibalization due to similar content being spread across multiple locations on your website.
Use Synonyms and Variations: Using related words, phrases, and variations of the same keyword can help you target different customers in different stages of the search process without cannibalizing your own keywords.
Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are longer phrases with more specific intent behind them. They are often less competitive than shorter, more generic terms and so can help to reduce keyword cannibalization by targeting users looking for more precise information.
Make It Easy To Find Relevant Content: Making sure that people can find exactly what they’re looking for quickly is key to avoiding keyword cannibalization. Utilize internal links or other navigation tools on your website.

When Keyword Cannibalization Already is in Effect

When you already have a keyword cannibalization issue, your first stop will be to look at the data in GSC and GA. What pages are getting the most traffic for the related keyword? Then, get rid of the lower-value pages, because that’s where the cannibalism is occurring. You need to de-index those pages, add related keyword value to the content page you want to keep, and then re-generate and re-submit a sitemap once the content has been updated.

Helpful Resources:

Keyword Cannibalization: What It (Really) Is & How to Fix It