How to Conquer Keyword Cannibalization: Your Ultimate Guide

Think you’re ticking all the right boxes in SEO? Multiple pages for the same keyword may seem like a good strategy, but it could actually be what’s holding you back. If your website is not performing as well as you’d hoped, despite all your efforts, the culprit could be keyword cannibalization.

Below, I’m going to share the insights I’ve gained from years of SEO practice, walking you through the complexities of keyword cannibalization, its impact, and tried-and-true remedies.

What is Keyword Cannibalization?

In simple terms, keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your site target the same keyword. This can inadvertently divide your CTR, links, and content between these pages.

For instance, if you own a shoe store and target the keyword ‘shoes’ for every page, you’re effectively telling Google that all your pages are about shoes – whether they’re hiking shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers. Instead of competing for various specific long-tail keywords, you’re essentially competing against yourself for a single, broad keyword.

Here’s a brief look at the different types of cannibalization you might encounter:

• Internal keyword cannibalization
• Subdomain conflict (including international conflict)
• Semantic flux between family sites

Keyword Cannibalization: The SEO Downside

Many people tend to overlook the issue of keyword cannibalization, which can be detrimental to their SEO. In some cases, they might even feel delighted when multiple pages rank for the same keyword, not realizing the harm it can cause in the long run.

Let’s break down the potential drawbacks:

1. Diminished Page Authority

Instead of focusing your efforts on one authoritative page, you spread your CTR across various less-relevant pages. This effectively makes your pages compete against each other for views and SERP ranks.

Let’s say you have an article on ‘the best tennis shoes for women’ and another on ‘the top 5 tennis shoes for women’. Both have their merits, but if both target the same keyword, you’re looking at a case of keyword cannibalization. The solution? Either merge these two pieces or focus your efforts on one to boost its ranking.

2. Dilution of Links and Anchor Text

Backlinks that could have been directed to a single, high-authority page are now scattered across multiple pages. This could also affect your internal linking strategy, leading to a dilution of relevance.

For example, using “best tennis shoes for women” as anchor text on two different pages dilutes its relevancy.

3. Risk of Google Ranking the Less Relevant Page Higher

Keywords help Google understand what your pages are about. But if you’re using the same keywords across multiple pages, Google might get confused and rank a less relevant page higher. This can potentially lead to a loss of high-value traffic.

4. Wasted Crawl Budget

Your crawl budget is the frequency at which search engine crawlers visit your site. If multiple pages target the same keyword, it can lead to unnecessary crawling and indexing, wasting your crawl budget.

5. Perception of Low-Quality Pages

Having multiple pages targeting the same keyword can give users the impression that your content is redundant. It could also signal to Google that your page content doesn’t match your targeted keywords.

6. Decreased Conversion Rate

Finally, keyword cannibalization can affect your conversion rates. If visitors are directed to less relevant pages, you’re missing out on potential leads and conversions.

How to find keyword cannibalization issues

The approach to identifying legitimate cannibalization is looking for pages that target the same keywords and provide the same or similar purpose. If the goal is consistent, each page will include unlikely rank for many long-tail keyword variants. Thus, unifying the pages frequently results in a greater gain than a loss.

There are different ways to identify these kinds of pages. Here are some of these: 

Conduct a content audit using Google Sheets for free

Unless your site is huge, concerns with cannibalization should be quite straightforward to identify during a content audit.

You’ll need to install “Search Analytics for Sheets” in the Google Sheet Addons directory:

Go to Extensions, and select your site. Pick a date range, group by page and query, and start extracting your Google Search Console:

 You’ll need conditional formatting and a custom formula to identify any duplicate queries.

Add this to the custom formula section:

=countif($A$2:$A$15,A2)>1

And add a color of your choice so you can easily identify cannibalization: 

You can check out my keyword cannibalization tutorial here:

Perform a site: search

Navigate to Google and type site:yourwebsite.com “subject” into the search box. You’ll get a list of all the pages on your site that are relevant to that subject.

When we perform this for the site:https://linkilo.co/ “linkilo,” we observe that the first three results are ranking for the word “linkilo”

Caution is advised while using this approach, as Google will return any vaguely similar result. For example, you can see above that our search yielded 661 results. While it may have a cannibalization issue here, not all of these pages are harmful. The majority are focusing on entirely other terms.

Use Linkilo for WordPress

It’s easy to identify whether you are cannibalizing your keywords with Linkilo’s Keyword Cannibalization Reporting Tool. 

Under the “keyword cannibalization report,” we extract all of your Google Search Console queries and gather all of the pages with the queries that are being cannibalized:

Ways to prevent keyword cannibalization

Navigating the complex waters of SEO can be tricky, but fear not! Here, we’ll delve into the topic of keyword cannibalization and offer practical, expert advice on how to prevent it.

1. Consolidate Your Content

Let’s say you have two pages – one showcasing the “best tennis shoes for women” and another critiquing the “worst tennis shoes for women”. Instead of scattering the information across two pages, why not merge them into one?

Consolidating content is a simple yet effective strategy that can enhance your website’s SEO performance. However, keep in mind that this method is not always appropriate, so use it judiciously.

2. Employ 301 Redirects

301 redirects allow you to condense cannibalized information by pointing to a single, more authoritative version. This strategy works best for pages with similar content and matching keyword queries.

3. Say Goodbye to Outdated Content

Sometimes, you might have to make the tough decision to erase certain content from your website, especially if it’s outdated or irrelevant. Here’s why:

An old blog post, written during your early business days, might still rank higher than your newer, more professional content due to the specific keywords used. By removing such content, you can prevent it from overshadowing your current, more relevant material.

4. Eliminate Non-Essential Keywords

If certain text needs to be retained but the presence of a specific keyword is not vital, simply remove the keyword.

Sure, this can be a meticulous process, but it’s straightforward and can effectively prevent keyword cannibalization.

5. Revamp Your Internal Linking Structure

Internal links are not just hyperlinks; they’re a way to signal importance to search engines. Therefore, tweaking your internal linking structure can help prioritize the content you want to highlight.

For instance, adjust your website’s links so that less important content leads to the pages you want to emphasize. This will tell search engines to prioritize the linked content, which is crucial for better SERP performance.

6. Utilize SEO Tools for Better Link Management

If you’re a WordPress user, leverage our plugin to get a detailed “Link Cannibalization Report”. This report identifies instances where the same anchor text has been used on multiple pages.

Let’s break down the difference between a “Keyword Cannibalization Report” and a “Link Cannibalization Report”:

• Keyword Report: Displays what you rank for with Google.
• Link Report: Indicates which anchor text you’ve used across your website.

By identifying duplicate keywords and anchor texts, this tool helps you avoid repeating the same mistake and ensures your content stays fresh and unique.

7. Manage Your Inbound Links

Lastly, managing your inbound links is a challenging but crucial step in preventing keyword cannibalization. SEO ranking isn’t just about content; it also considers the number of backlinks leading to your content.

An older piece of content might continue to rank higher than your newer, more relevant material simply because other websites link to it more.

Here’s a solution: Use software to track these backlinks and then reach out to the website admins to request updates or removals. Ideally, they’ll replace the outdated links with new ones that highlight your current content, giving your SEO ranking a boost.

Remember, preventing keyword cannibalization isn’t just about adjusting your content; it’s also about managing your website’s overall structure and links. By following these expert tips, you’ll be well on your way to a better SEO strategy.

What Not to Do When Addressing Keyword Cannibalization

Some techniques that seem logical at first glance are actually detrimental when put into practice. Here are some pitfalls to avoid:

• Deleting the page: This is rarely a good option unless the page is irrelevant to your business or only ranks for the “cannibalizing” keyword.
• Noindexing the page: This prevents search engines from indexing the page, meaning it won’t rank for anything. This is not a good way to resolve cannibalization.
• Making the desired page canonical: This only works when dealing with duplicate content, not keyword cannibalization.
• De-optimizing a page: While this might sound logical, it’s fundamentally wrong. You cannot de-optimize a page for a single term without harming its performance for other keywords.

How to Boost Your SEO with Relevant Keywords

SEO has evolved significantly over the years, with Google constantly updating its algorithms. However, keywords remain a crucial part of SEO strategy. Here are some useful tips to optimize your SEO without falling into the keyword cannibalization trap.

1. Grasp the Basics of Technical SEO

Even if you have the best keyword optimization, it won’t do any good if your site isn’t properly indexed. Technical SEO ensures your website is set up correctly for high rankings. Professional SEO agencies can help with this aspect and also detect signs of keyword cannibalization on your site.

2. Focus on Long-Tail Keyword Phrases

Long-tail keywords might not generate as much traffic as short-tail keywords, but they are far more targeted. This results in a more tailored visitor selection and decreases the chance of keyword repetition. For example, instead of a broad term like ‘branding,’ consider more specific topics such as ‘branding advice for charities’ or ‘branding a new business.’

3. Experiment with Synonyms

For topics that require extensive coverage, you can avoid keyword cannibalization by linking to a core ‘knowledge base’ or cornerstone content piece. Alternatively, try using variations of the same keyword to expand your content’s reach. Instead of multiple articles on ‘women’s shoes,’ consider ‘women’s hiking shoes,’ ‘cycling shoes for women,’ or ‘hot yoga shoes for women.’

4. Be Mindful of Keyword Usage

Having a content strategy that guides your keyword prioritization for each new page can prevent keyword cannibalization. Regular tracking and analysis of your keyword usage will help you develop a more effective website over time. Tools like Google Analytics can be very useful for evaluating the success of your strategies.

As you gather data on the performance of each page, you’ll make informed decisions about the next steps of your content strategy. For instance, if your audience prefers reading guides over viewing infographics, you might want to focus more on written content in the future.

Conclusion

Gone are the days when stuffing the same keyword across multiple pages would boost your content’s ranking. Today, with the possibility of multiple pages ranking for the same keywords, you end up competing against yourself, decreasing your overall success.

Long-form content for the sake of keyword stuffing is also a thing of the past. Today, it’s all about matching user intent. If people are searching for a specific topic, write articles that answer their queries, irrespective of their length.

As you continue to create content for your website, it’s crucial to regularly review your pages’ rankings. This will help search engines focus on ranking each page better instead of making them compete against each other. Remember, SEO is not about fighting with yourself; it’s about offering valuable content that serves your audience’s needs.