How to Prevent Keyword Cannibalization

When two or more pages of the same website rank for the same keyword in similar positions, this is called keyword cannibalization. You will learn why this can become a problem and how to recognize and fix keyword cannibalization.

Table of Contents:

What is keyword cannibalization?
What causes keyword cannibalization?
How do I recognize keyword cannibalization?
How do I fix keyword cannibalization?

What is keyword cannibalization?

SEO aims to have a page for every relevant keyword with the highest possible position in SERPs. Usually, a page ranks well for the keyword for which it was optimized. However, it is common to rank for various, primarily topic-related keywords. Rankings for non-related keywords, however, are often significantly lower.

With keyword cannibalization, if the search engine finds two or more pages of a domain similarly relevant to the same keyword, it tries to identify which of the two is truly relevant. It will continuously test which of the two performs better in various positions. But as the two pages are too similar, the search engine cannot identify a winner, causing ongoing ranking fluctuations in mediocre positions for both pages. 

In other words: Pages that are too similar and not optimized for one keyword per page can hinder each other: Both rankings are not very good — one page "consumes" the potential of the other.

What causes keyword cannibalization?

There are many reasons why similar or even identical pages exist on a website. Here are the most common:

• No documentation about existing content.
• No SEO-centered content development.
• No internal linking that establishes hierarchies or connections.
• Content/pages are not keyword-optimized.
• There is new content created without removing and redirecting old pages.

How do I recognize keyword cannibalization?

Keep track of essential rankings using the Rank Tracker. If you notice persistent ranking fluctuation over several weeks or even months, keyword cannibalization is likely the reason.

Check out our detailed guide on how to use Rank Tracker to monitor important keyword rankings and pages.

Temporary minor fluctuations are expected, and you should not let them upset you for the time being. After all, Google is constantly testing, always looking for the best result. Changes to the algorithm can also cause short-term fluctuations.

However, if they do not level off after a few days or weeks, you should look closely at your rankings and their progress.

Then answer the following questions:

• Do other pages also rank for the same keyword?
• Are they close in position?
• Do they constantly alternate in position?

If the answers are yes, you are most likely dealing with keyword cannibalization.

How do I fix keyword cannibalization?

The key is to do a clean, keyword-focused job from the start.

1. Conduct keyword research and define keywords for which you want to be found online.
2. Create a keyword plan. Match existing content and pages and identify where you still need pages and which pages might not be intended for the keywords for which they rank.
3. Optimize each page for its keyword, both content-wise and technically.
4. Ensure logical internal linking.

Imagine you'd run an online pet shop and offer everything a dog owner needs to keep their good boy or girl happy and healthy. For SEO, you'd create helpful content covering the following topics:

• Dog breeds
• Dog nutrition
• Dog health
• Dog training
• Dog equipment
• and more

Each of these examples can be broken down into subtopics. Now, you can create a vast one-pager that covers all subtopics in the best possible way. However, it might become confusing, hard to navigate, and not fulfill the user intent.

Alternatively, you create a so-called pillar page that briefly touches each subtopic. You will then link to dedicated subpages covering each subtopic in depth and focusing on the respective user intent. This approach is very user-friendly if the navigation is well set up. It also makes it easier for search engines to understand your content and its focus and to position your pages accordingly.

Do you already have similar content that covers the same "subtopic" (or long-tail keyword)? Here's what you can do:

• Identify the best-performing page according to relevant SEO KPI (rankings, traffic, session duration, bounce rate, backlinks ...). Summarize all content on this page.
• Remove duplicates, update outdated information and offer different content formats (images, videos, infographics, etc.).
• Set the retired pages to draft and set up 301 redirects to the updated page.